EOS M Alpha shutter-bug discussion

[Malakai]

Dont get me wrong, im not complaining or having a go or anything. Just seeking answers. 

[WiGgLr]

Tone of voice is the one thing that never translates well over the Internet

[maxotics]

I haven't experienced the shutter bug yet and I tried to get it!  Must be Murphy's law.  I have to say that I primarily use the camera for video.  I have had a problem with the screen freezing, which I wrote about in the other thread.  Malakai, maybe you should just keep a clean card for photos and another for ML video.  I realize that's a work-around, but my thinking lately is that it's more important to get a really stable build for RAW than fix the shutter-bug, which doesn't affect the raw video.  Just my thinking at the moment.  Your thoughts?

[jerrykil]

Malakai (and whoever else may be wondering),
you asked how i was sure it was booting off the minimal autoexec.bin.
1) I isntall ML and boot ML with the bootflag set and play with all the fancy doodads and modules
2) I replace the autoexec.bin with the minimal one provided by a1ex. this being the only thing i change means that the camera will indeed boot with the minimal autoexec.bin.
3) i boot with minimal .bin and i get stock canon firmware
4) when i replace the .bin with the normal ML autoexec.bin the camera is back booting ML

This is the fundamental question that a1ex and 1% are trying to get at: is it the full ML suite that introduces the bug or is it something with how we are booting.

hope that helps because it seems we are getting some mixed and confusing results

ps. stay positive guys.

[maxotics]

My 2-cents, since I didn't have the bug in the minimal autoexec.bin, and because ML for the EOS-M has been quirky from day one, is that it is in ML.  My guess again, is there is some sequence of events, or settings, that causes it.  My shooting style doesn't bring it on. 

If this is true, 1% will probably fix it in a piece of code he improves in the natural course of getting all the weirdness out.  That's my hope!

[jerrykil]

maxotics,
i find that my camera would not release randomly, but usually when i needed it most. I didn't have bug with the minimal bin. i shot a bunch of shots and couldn't get a single shutter bug...

Since i'm still bug testing the latest build on my EOS M, can those of you that have helped out with this post something in the following format:

Memory card size:
##GB

Is EOSCard utility being used?
Y/N

Date/version of ML attempted:
Date/Build name

Bug present after low-level format (i.e. no ML files on card) but w/ bootflag on?
Always/Sometimes/Never

Bug present with bootflag on and a1ex's minimal autoexec.bin?
Always/Sometimes/Never

Bug present after 1) turning off boot-flag 2) low-level formatting the card 3) reinstalling ML?
Always/Sometimes/Never

If the bug occurs sometimes or never, approximately how many pictures have you attempted?
###

Comments:
whatever else


i think this will be very helpful for organizing our experience and for the devs to get a clear concise picture of the alpha-testing results. THAAAANKS

ps: if you have any suggestions for what to add/change/remove/burn then i will update the original post to match it

[maxotics]

Another way we can approach this is to find the exact steps that create the bug.  I though it happened to me.  But when I tried to reproduce I couldn't.  I have to assume it was my error. 

What are the steps to reproduce it and I'll try.  I know people have written how it occurs, but have not given the steps to re-create it exactly.  Of course, I can also fill out your questions after I try it.

[jerrykil]

Memory card size:
32GB

Is EOSCard utility being used?
N

Date/version of ML attempted:
ml.bot-fly.com october 5th build

Bug present after low-level format (i.e. no ML files on card) but w/ bootflag on?
Never

Bug present with bootflag on and a1ex's minimal autoexec.bin?
Never (tested for a whole week but only about 50 shots total)

Bug present after 1) turning off boot-flag 2) low-level formatting the card 3) reinstalling ML?
Haven't done this yet, bug disappears after low-level format (i had to tap the screen to make sure the ML files were removed)

If the bug occurs sometimes or never, approximately how many pictures have you attempted?
first one after improper reboot (see comment) but the shutter worked before opening bay doorz

Comments:
Steps i took to get the bug:

1) boot ML with 3 modules: raw, dual, ettr
2) no bug, took like 10 pictures
3) went to module debug>enable "disable all modules"
4) opened the memory card/battery door (ie not a proper shutdown!!)
5) booted camera after improper battry door shutdown
6) shutter bug

i also noticed that touch shutter stays green after i hit it and i can't get into ML with the two button and none of the keys do anything on the camera. i am stuck with a responsive liveview adjusting the meter with a persistent green bracket on where i had previously clicked the touchshutter. i had to pull battery, since opening the door in this state didn't turn off the camera

the bug happened again on some reboots without this procedure

[gary2013]

the SHUTTER BUG IS BACK again for me. I installed the latest version Oct 5 and I have that darn bug again.

Gary
Edit-I just dropped back to Oct 3 version and the bug is gone.

[1%]

There is an IS setting in the canon menu.. I saw it today adding to custom menu. Does it affect the bug to toggle it? Greyed out on 22mm.


I see raw histogram is broken for pics and ettr complains about vsync.

[jerrykil]

1%,
after a clean reinstall with tonights build i can't get the bug again to see if IS is the issue

Turning off IS makes no difference

to get the bug again i just disabled all the plugins and reenabled them again a few times. obviously, it could have just been me tinkering and rebooting several times!

The FIR i've been including seems to be searching for FONTS.DAT. Could we make a new FIR?


1) what does EOScard/macboot actually do?
n/m i figured it out
2) is the boot flag stored on the device or on the card? After a couple low level formats and reboots, i'm going to assume its the camera itself

[1%]

Its in camera... you mean the installer looks for font.dat?

[gary2013]

I just loaded Oct 6 ver. I booted up and I had the shutter bug. I rebooted and then no shutterbug. this is with no modules loaded yet. I loaded all the modules and the shutter bug came back.

Gary
edit- took out modules one by one and when i unloaded ETTR, the shutter bug went away.
loaded all files except ettr and bug was back. i unloaded autexp, dual iso and silent an the bug went away.
I added silent and the bug came back.
I am sorry but this is all relly crazy and ZI cannot pin point what it is. I tried again to remove them one by one and the bug remained until I had all the modules unloaded, then the bug went away.
with a ll the modules off, i loaded just raw rec and the bug came back. i unloaded raw rec and the bug went away.

[jerrykil]

Its in camera... you mean the installer looks for font.dat?

Yeah, thats what i meant...

Gary,
Im still loooking for a reliable way to get the shutter to fail. It seems very unpredictable/inconsistent. One thing ive noticed is that it usually either boots with the bug or boots without the bug. Short of remounting the lens, there doesnt seem to be any way to get it to fail or to fix it without rebooting. Is this the same for u?

[gary2013]

Yeah, thats what i meant...

Gary,
Im still loooking for a reliable way to get the shutter to fail. It seems very unpredictable/inconsistent. One thing ive noticed is that it usually either boots with the bug or boots without the bug. Short of remounting the lens, there doesnt seem to be any way to get it to fail or to fix it without rebooting. Is this the same for u?

I don't know what to think anymore. I just went thru loading and unloading one at a time almost every combination of modules and sometimes it worked with only one loaded, like ettr and then it wouldn't work ( mean it has the bug by not working). Only one common trait was no modules loaded, the bug went away. this is the craziest thing I have ever seen that can't be narrowed down to one point.

I now went back to version Oct 3 and the bug is gone with all modules loaded.

Oct 8, 2013, Captain's log, version Oct 7, Houston we have a problem. We have a shutter bug. We will circle the  moon once more and try to sling shot our way back home to the safe version Oct 3. This will be our last transmission to you. Obi Wan, you are my last hope.

[jerrykil]

wow, seriously? the 03 version works for you? i have to see if it fixes my woes, also. maybe theres something to that build..

[a1ex]

Have a look at probability theory and at post #43. Trying different bins/features/modules will not help at all.

[gary2013]

Have a look at probability theory and at post #43. Trying different bins/features/modules will not help at all.

Just a did a clean format with deleting ML files the proper way. Then a new long format for exfat format on my sandisk 32gb 45 mb write card. Then a short format with Canon menu. then I applied the autoexec you pointed to on post #43. I also added the Font.dat and the ML folder from tyhe latest build. Flashed the firmware, obviously. rebooted. took a pic, rebooted , took a pic. and rebooted a third time and took a pic. No shutter bug. I did nothing else except what I have just said. I bet I would have had the shutter bug on my old 128Gb Komputerbay card. I never got rid of the bug with that card. and, as I have said before, the only thing I never tried back then was deleting the bootflag. I was not aware of it back then. This new card has also never had eoscard.exe where as my old 128gb card had it applied.

Gary
update, I just updated all the latest Oct 7 version and I have no shutter bug. What is different now to maybe cause no bug? maybe the fact that I have not applied any or all the updates since a clean start using Alex's minimal autoexec.  ??

[maxotics]

Hi Gary, Everyone who uses the Komputerbay cards does so as their own risk.  They are factory seconds.  There is a REASON they're factory seconds   I haven't had the shutter bug yet.  I strongly suspect this bug is no longer an issue.  I hope!

[gary2013]

Hi Gary, Everyone who uses the Komputerbay cards does so as their own risk.  They are factory seconds.  There is a REASON they're factory seconds   I haven't had the shutter bug yet.  I strongly suspect this bug is no longer an issue.  I hope!

anyone that uses any card does so at their own risk. I know people who have had problems with name brands like sandisk. to make matters worse, there are now reports of people selling knock offs online. They look like the real labels, but the memory is not up to the specs advertised. same with batteries. I just got some NP-F970 Sony equiv. batteries and they came with half the amount of cells inside the sealed case. I could feel it was lighter in weight from a real NP-F970 and I could actually squeeze the top of the battery case inwards a bit where there are typically cells. Amazon gave me a full refund, including the original shipping costs and a free return label.

i really had no risk on the komputerbay card since amazon has a good 30 day return policy on stuff they sell or fulfill. so, I lost nothing with that card. not even any shipping costs.  I have only been testing so far, so no real production usage yet.

[Malakai]

"I strongly suspect this bug is no longer an issue.  I hope!"

Nope, I still get the bug. lol

[maxotics]

Hi Malakai.  What SD card are you using?  Once you install a new version of ML, what are your exact steps to get the bug.  Do you just power on the camera and the shutter doesn't fire?  Thanks.

[Malakai]

Hi Malakai.  What SD card are you using?  Once you install a new version of ML, what are your exact steps to get the bug.  Do you just power on the camera and the shutter doesn't fire?  Thanks.

I've tried several different cards. A stock mymemory 32gb class 10, Sandisc 16gb class 8, PNY 8gb class 6, 4gb generic card class 4 and a few other cards, 512 to 1gb. all having the same bug. I really dont think its the card that causes the bug. From the tests that I did with a1ex the bug isnt caused by using a different autoexec.bin because it was still happening even using the bare minimum autoexec.bin that only starts the canon FW. I dont think its the .fir because as a1ex explained the modified .fir only hooks into the stock FW to allow it to run the autoexec.bin on startup.

@a1ex or @1%
One thing I want to know is after running the eosm202.fir that allows ML/TL to run. And removing the bootflag. Does this leave anything behind? Does it revert the FW back to original FW or does it just disable the bootflag and leave some things behind?
If it leaves anything behind then this could be the reason the bug keeps coming back for me. If i run the orignal Canon Firmware update to 2.0.2 again, will this reset it back to original stock FW or have canon stopped this?

Clutching at straws now lol

[maxotics]

Hi Malakai, since one can't shoot decent RAW with any of those cards it's hard (for me at least) to get worried about a bug I can't seem to replicate. You need to get a recent UHS 1 40MBS or greater card (like Sandisk).  Maybe borrow one?  Maybe it's complete wrong, but the two people with outstanding shutter bug problems are not using what I would consider the rights SD cards.  Shouldn't we factor that out?

[1%]

It shouldn't leave anything behind.