OM-1 audible IBIS sound / noise disrupts movies

[Will Rose]

I'm experiencing an unexpected but severe problem with the OM-1, relating to audible noise (sound) from the IBIS system, and I'd appreciate hearing others' experiences...

First, some stipulations:

- Some people have better hearing than others, so what one person can hear, another might not be capable of hearing. My hearing is good.

- The OM-1 model makes an audible whirring sound, all the time, when it is on. Many people have noticed this. OMDS has confirmed this as the IBIS system and says it is normal. (I suspect people who have an OM-1 and believe it silent actually have deficient hearing.)

- I am using a non-stabilized lens, on a 2-week-old camera.

Above and beyond the constant background whirring sound, I have noticed two things:

1. My OM-1 emits a considerably louder whirring sound when focusing in SAF mode. The sound comes from the body, not the lens, occurs regardless of the lens used, and does NOT occur with CAF. CAF is silent (except for the normal background whirr).

2. My OM-1 emits a loud (audible from several feet away) rattling sound when filming in movie mode when the stabilizer is set to M-IS1 or M-IS2. It does not rattle when set to M-IS Off.

This rattling sound is so loud it is picked up by the OM-1's internal microphone, and is disruptive on the audio track of the video. The rattling sound gets louder still if the OM-1 is held in anything but a flat level position. The rattling sound is clearly audible during playback of the movie using the OM-1's internal speaker. It is clear as day when using headphones or an external speaker. The rattling can also be picked up by an external mic positioned near the OM-1, so short of using a mic on a long boom, any video filmed with this camera has a contaminated audio track.

This IBIS noise basically makes the OM-1 unusable for making any videos with sound using the internal mic.

#1 is undesirable but tolerable. #2 is not tolerable.

Is anyone else experiencing anything like this? Is this normal and the OM-1 is defective by design, or do I have an unusually noisy IBIS and need to seek service from OMDS?

Thanks...

 

[grsnovi]

I have never had mine in movie mode so I can't help you. I suspect if it were that loud I'd send mine back.

 

[Scuttlebutt]

I'm experiencing an unexpected but severe problem with the OM-1, relating to audible noise (sound) from the IBIS system, and I'd appreciate hearing others' experiences...

First, some stipulations:

- Some people have better hearing than others, so what one person can hear, another might not be capable of hearing. My hearing is good.

- The OM-1 model makes an audible whirring sound, all the time, when it is on. Many people have noticed this. OMDS has confirmed this as the IBIS system and says it is normal. (I suspect people who have an OM-1 and believe it silent actually have deficient hearing.)

- I am using a non-stabilized lens, on a 2-week-old camera.

Above and beyond the constant background whirring sound, I have noticed two things:

1. My OM-1 emits a considerably louder whirring sound when focusing in SAF mode. The sound comes from the body, not the lens, occurs regardless of the lens used, and does NOT occur with CAF. CAF is silent (except for the normal background whirr).

2. My OM-1 emits a loud (audible from several feet away) rattling sound when filming in movie mode when the stabilizer is set to M-IS1 or M-IS2. It does not rattle when set to M-IS Off.

This rattling sound is so loud it is picked up by the OM-1's internal microphone, and is disruptive on the audio track of the video. The rattling sound gets louder still if the OM-1 is held in anything but a flat level position. The rattling sound is clearly audible during playback of the movie using the OM-1's internal speaker. It is clear as day when using headphones or an external speaker. The rattling can also be picked up by an external mic positioned near the OM-1, so short of using a mic on a long boom, any video filmed with this camera has a contaminated audio track.

This IBIS noise basically makes the OM-1 unusable for making any videos with sound using the internal mic.

#1 is undesirable but tolerable. #2 is not tolerable.

Is anyone else experiencing anything like this? Is this normal and the OM-1 is defective by design, or do I have an unusually noisy IBIS and need to seek service from OMDS?

Thanks...

Yes, I can confirm what you state in item #1. I had listened to Robin Wong’s video on the OM1s SAF performance vs. the EM1.3.
I have the EM1.2 (not mk3) and squirreled away in a pretty dark room and experimented with both cameras using the same lenses. I didnt find what robin claimed to any great degree, in fact I’m not sure I could say I found it to any degree.

However, the sound from the OM1 in SAF compared to the EM1.2 is significantly louder. And, you’re right, it comes from the body, not the lens as I used the same lenses on both cameras. You would expect that if it were the lens, you would hear it on both, and I didn’t.

I‘m not a video guy, so I cannot comment on #2.

Dan

 

[Will Rose]

Thanks, I appreciate your comments.

I'm hoping someone who has tried out video recording will chime in. I've found the easiest way to reproduce the problem is to simply place the camera in movie mode, ensure IBIS is set to M-IS1, and plug in a pair of earphones.

It's not actually necessary to record to the SD card. As soon as the camera is in movie mode it starts monitoring, whether you actually record or not, and I can hear the pickup of the IBIS though the earphones like a far-away helicopter. Mic level set at 0 (normal) is still enough to clearly pick up the sound of the IBIS.