Olympus XZ-2 clock problem

Hello,

I have noticed a strange problem with the internal clock
of the Olympus XZ-2 camera clock. It was inaccurate (late by
several second or even minutes every day), so I have tried
to correct EXIF data using a small program, which assumed that
the inaccuracy in "evenly distibuted". But it was not the case.
It seems, that the camera clock is late by about one second
with each turn on/off... Even without taking pictures.
Each turning on and off shifts the clock back by about one
second.

You may check it by taking a photo of an accurate clock
(e.g. the page time.is), turning the camera off and on
twenty times and then again taking a photo of a clock.
You will notice, that the EXIF time is late by 20 seconds
compared to the first photo.

I have asked Olympus about it. The answer was surprising:
yes, they know it. It is normal and if I need more precise
time, I should buy other camera... The bug is present in all
versions of the firmware (the newest: v1.3).

Of course, I have asked for a correction of the bug. But I'm afraid,
that a single voice is too weak. Maybe more users would convince
Olympus to correct the firmware, even for a discontinued camera.

P.

RichA Wrote in message:
On Monday, 17 August 2015 14:09:36 UTC-4, Piotrne wrote:
Hello,

I have noticed a strange problem with the internal clock
of the Olympus XZ-2 camera clock. It was inaccurate (late by
several second or even minutes every day), so I have tried
to correct EXIF data using a small program, which assumed that
the inaccuracy in "evenly distibuted". But it was not the case.
It seems, that the camera clock is late by about one second
with each turn on/off... Even without taking pictures.
Each turning on and off shifts the clock back by about one
second.

You may check it by taking a photo of an accurate clock
(e.g. the page time.is), turning the camera off and on
twenty times and then again taking a photo of a clock.
You will notice, that the EXIF time is late by 20 seconds
compared to the first photo.

I have asked Olympus about it. The answer was surprising:
yes, they know it. It is normal and if I need more precise
time, I should buy other camera... The bug is present in all
versions of the firmware (the newest: v1.3).

Of course, I have asked for a correction of the bug. But I'm afraid,
that a single voice is too weak. Maybe more users would convince
Olympus to correct the firmware, even for a discontinued camera.

Missing time... Black helicopter sightings? Anyone???
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Bats can't tell us apart!


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Piotrne Wrote in message:
Hello,

I have noticed a strange problem with the internal clock
of the Olympus XZ-2 camera clock. It was inaccurate (late by
several second or even minutes every day), so I have tried
to correct EXIF data using a small program, which assumed that
the inaccuracy in "evenly distibuted". But it was not the case.
It seems, that the camera clock is late by about one second
with each turn on/off... Even without taking pictures.
Each turning on and off shifts the clock back by about one
second.

You may check it by taking a photo of an accurate clock
(e.g. the page time.is), turning the camera off and on
twenty times and then again taking a photo of a clock.
You will notice, that the EXIF time is late by 20 seconds
compared to the first photo.

I have asked Olympus about it. The answer was surprising:
yes, they know it. It is normal and if I need more precise
time, I should buy other camera... The bug is present in all
versions of the firmware (the newest: v1.3).

Of course, I have asked for a correction of the bug. But I'm afraid,
that a single voice is too weak. Maybe more users would convince
Olympus to correct the firmware, even for a discontinued camera.

I do think that your problem should be taken seriously.;-)
Timedrifting could present a problem when syncing the photos with
a log from a GPX unit. Like a telephone.
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On 2015-08-19 o 07:07, android writes:

Timedrifting could present a problem when syncing the photos with
a log from a GPX unit. Like a telephone.

Exactly this is the problem - I have an external GPS logger and wanted
to tag my photos with GPS coordinates. The clock of XZ-2 was not adjusted,
but I took several photos of precise radio-controlled clocks to adjust
it later. And then was the surprise - the "time drift" of XZ-2
was not evenly distributed. After few experiments I have found out,
that it depends on the number of times I have turned the camera on and off...
And it it impossible to correct it, because I don't know when did I turn
it on and off.

As I wrote, even a bigger surprise was the answer from the Olympus support.
They know the problem and if I need geotagging, I should buy other
Olympus camera, namely TG-4 with built-in GPS module.

P.

Piotrne Wrote in message:
On 2015-08-19 o 07:07, android writes:

Timedrifting could present a problem when syncing the photos with
a log from a GPX unit. Like a telephone.

Exactly this is the problem - I have an external GPS logger and wanted
to tag my photos with GPS coordinates. The clock of XZ-2 was not adjusted,
but I took several photos of precise radio-controlled clocks to adjust
it later. And then was the surprise - the "time drift" of XZ-2
was not evenly distributed. After few experiments I have found out,
that it depends on the number of times I have turned the camera on and off...
And it it impossible to correct it, because I don't know when did I turn
it on and off.

As I wrote, even a bigger surprise was the answer from the Olympus support.
They know the problem and if I need geotagging, I should buy other
Olympus camera, namely TG-4 with built-in GPS module.

Bummer but it ain't your jobb to put steak on the Olyexeses
plates. Consider getting your next unit from a company that's
more responsive to your needs.

I should say that I'm tad biases against Olympus since I have
owned the Evolt 300 and was very negativly suprissed (****ed),
after having had three OM SLRs that I found quite agreable until
I needed glasses...
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On 2015-08-19 13:16, android writes:

Consider getting your next unit from a company that's
more responsive to your needs.

But I like the quality of XZ-2 pictures. Maybe they correct
the bug? Should not be too difficult. Even adding one second
to the clock after turning on the camera would be enough.

Here are some examples of "geotagged" images from XZ-2
(well, approximately geotagged because of the bug):
https://flic.kr/s/aHskhc2ohL
- landscapes, interiors, stars, lightnings...


P.

Piotrne Wrote in message:
On 2015-08-19 13:16, android writes:

Consider getting your next unit from a company that's
more responsive to your needs.

But I like the quality of XZ-2 pictures. Maybe they correct
the bug? Should not be too difficult. Even adding one second
to the clock after turning on the camera would be enough.

Here are some examples of "geotagged" images from XZ-2
(well, approximately geotagged because of the bug):
https://flic.kr/s/aHskhc2ohL
- landscapes, interiors, stars, lightnings...

If you likethe camera then you should keep it, ofcourse! Some
people find the precision of the GPS tag very important, while
others want a more "fuzzy" one. :-)

http://iknowwhereyourcatlives.com/
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On 2015-08-19 12:53:55 +0000, android said:

Piotrne Wrote in message:
On 2015-08-19 13:16, android writes:

Consider getting your next unit from a company that's
more responsive to your needs.

But I like the quality of XZ-2 pictures. Maybe they correct
the bug? Should not be too difficult. Even adding one second
to the clock after turning on the camera would be enough.

Here are some examples of "geotagged" images from XZ-2
(well, approximately geotagged because of the bug):
https://flic.kr/s/aHskhc2ohL
- landscapes, interiors, stars, lightnings...

If you like
the camera then you should keep it, ofcourse! Some
people find the precision of the GPS tag very important, while
others want a more "fuzzy" one. :-)

http://iknowwhereyourcatlives.com/

So there are cats in Tokyo.

--
Regards,

Savageduck

Savageduck Wrote in message:
On 2015-08-19 12:53:55 +0000, android said:

Piotrne Wrote in message:
On 2015-08-19 13:16, android writes:

Consider getting your next unit from a company that's
more responsive to your needs.

But I like the quality of XZ-2 pictures. Maybe they correct
the bug? Should not be too difficult. Even adding one second
to the clock after turning on the camera would be enough.

Here are some examples of "geotagged" images from XZ-2
(well, approximately geotagged because of the bug):
https://flic.kr/s/aHskhc2ohL
- landscapes, interiors, stars, lightnings...

If you like
the camera then you should keep it, ofcourse! Some
people find the precision of the GPS tag very important, while
others want a more "fuzzy" one. :-)

http://iknowwhereyourcatlives.com/

So there are cats in Tokyo.

Ain't that fantastic!
--
Bats can't tell us apart!


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