GH1 malfuction!!

alignment1

alignment1

Well-known member
My shutter-button+scroll wheel (right index finger), aren't responding, and I'm getting "check that lens is attached properly" message intermittently.

Camera is a couple months old, (2nd GH1 actually)- been working beautifully- took the cam on family vacation, used it on the beach- with extreme care!! Just wondering if humidity + salt air would have any affect on these functions.

Anyhow, I think I need to send to service center, but I'm deathly afraid of the turnaround time, and the horror stories I've heard from other users here who have had a rough time with Panasonic's customer service. Has anyone else experienced this?? Just wonder if I have a dud??

Any words of advice would be appreciated:):dankk2:
 
The lens message flashes up if you inadvertantly touch the lens release button with your left hand .... not necessarily anything wrong.
Also there is an outside chance the scroll wheel thing might be your camera stuck under the wrong menu where these buttons don't function... it's easy to get lost in the menu sub sections.
 
thanks north heart- and welcome to the forum. I'm well versed in the functions of the GH1, I'd have to say that being an owner of 2 of them, (1 since just after the release over a year ago), I know this thing inside and out. I'm aware of the occasional message, but I can tell you that the message that is suddenly happening A LOT now and the scroll wheel and Shutter button not working AT ALL has nothing to do with the inadvertant touch of the lens release and/or user error, (sub-menu confusion).

But thanks for the response- I'm really kind of looking for some service center advice; do's/don't's of returning the cam.

cheers
Z
 
If it is something that they can easily see is wrong you should be okay i.e your shutter button issue.
 
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kainekainekaine said:
If it is something that they can easily see is wrong you should be okay i.e your shutter button issue. But the lens not attached message might get overlooked. Also they might put the new 1.34 firmware on which is another risk. Mine was a long time about 3 months of which they kept sending it back and forth between them selves and the third party repair company they use for most things in the UK, the third party repair company could see the problem but Pana Technicians could not. It was a mark on the lens. Also it was standing about for weeks due to Pana not picking it up from the third party repair company due to some system problem. But got a new retail 14-140mm lens in the end as it took so long, so I was glad, as mine was refurb unit off ebay but with all the pros of a new warranty with Pana. Best advice is hassle them alot about it and always check up the current status at least once a week, as it could be just standing around for 2 weeks due to system glitches, get the name of who your dealing with too.
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thanks man! Yeah, the standing around bit, is what kills me, I know it happens all the time, so I'm definitely skeptical....I've been off the radar here with the hack for a bit- so fill me in ---what is the new 1.34 firmware??:huh: does this lock me out of any ptool hack? or something?? Yikes- I hope not

EDIT: did a search- I see the 1.34 issue ---yikes this sucks!!
 
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Never dealt with Panasonic's repair people but what I have done in the past is to call and see if I can speak with the head of the service dept. for the item I needed serviced. Hit and miss, but when I have gotten through I'd explain the problem and mention that I'm a professional using their equipment and can't easily afford a long down time and working without a backup. A few times I've been told to send it to their attention and other times I have anyway. I send via overnight carrier. So far, two weeks is the longest I've had to wait. A couple times the head person would call me to say they had the item and were going to have it checked out.

Once, an item sat in the shipping room waiting to be logged in for almost a week!

Worse that can happen is nothing.
 
Though I just bought a GH-1 a few weeks ago it's been more than a few years since I had a Panasonic. But when I dealt with them in the past I was always able to get a loaner cam from them while mine was being repaired. I'm not sure about this (stills??) dept...but it's worth a try in asking.
 
This may not help at all, but have you tried cleaning the lens contacts (lens and body) with a pencil eraser?

I never once had to clean the contacts on my Olympus DSLR's, but almost immediately after I started using the GH1, I started getting the lens mount errors...even with the camera set to shoot w/o lens!

The lens contacts couldn't have been that dirty...my kit is spotless...but there must be some weird factory oil or something on them??? Because after I cleaned the contacts with an eraser a while back, the problem hasn't came back since. I average 1 wedding per week on my GH1, and swap lenses many times over the course of each one. When using the 14-140 lens, when hitting the end of the zoom range, it was EASILY enough jolt for the contact to fail. (Fortunately, it USUALLY kept recording IF it was recording. If I wasn't recording, I'd have to re-boot the camera!)


It still doesn't make a lot of sense to me, but I'm going to use the eraser on the contacts every few months just for good luck. :D
 
thanks everyone for the feedback-- when I mount my canon glass via ciecio7 adapter I don't get the message- so will try the eraser on the contacts of both body and 14-140 lens.
But even bigger problem to me is that there is no response from shutter button or scroll wheel. I tried re-installing original firmware, and resetting to factory settings, but now I'm stuck @ shutter of 1/250....oh well, lots of outdoor shooting eh??

I found a reputable repair shop in my area that I'm going to take a stab at--provided that they don't try to send my cam back to panny!!

cheers-- fingers crossed
 
Hi Zack, I have the exact same problem just happen to my GH1, shutter button, scroll wheel not working. What did it turn out to be on your camera, and what was the cost to fix it?
 
paul pelalas said:
Hi Zack, I have the exact same problem just happen to my GH1, shutter button, scroll wheel not working. What did it turn out to be on your camera, and what was the cost to fix it?
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A common problem with scroll wheels is that they accumulate dirt and grease from fingers - which then transfers itself to the contacts.

When I had my Sony A700 it was a regular issue for many owners, solved by spraying some fast evaporating contact cleaner onto/into the wheel, and spinning it a few times.

That always cured the problem, but after a couple of months it would requite another clean.

Can't say if this is the problem with your GH1 - but it's highly likely, and well worth the small cost of a can of contact cleaner spray before sending it in for repair.
 
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