The early release Panasonic Lumix GH3 MFT cameras had two reported problems that developed over time, both caused by screws working loose. In an earlier blog entry I wrote about getting a loose GH3 hotshoe repaired last year. Recently the second fault appeared on my camera, and the LCD monitor screen developed an obvious wobble. I’d looked online at the GH3 service manual and knew that the wobble was caused by the LCD hinge screws becoming untightened. Unlike the hotshoe screws, these weren’t going to eventually drop into the camera body and cause damage to my GH3 but the floppy monitor was very annoying. As the warranty on the GH3 was well expired, and I consider myself a competent screwdriver handler, I did consider doing a repair myself. But the exploded diagram in the service manual didn’t inspire me with confidence that I was going to be able to put all the bits back together again.
A big Thankyou then to David Thorpe, who also had this problem with his GH3 and has uploaded a very easy to follow repair tutorial on YouTube. I took the bull by the horns, or rather the jeweller’s screwdriver by the hand, yesterday and am now once again the owner of a wobble-free GH3. A dab of Loctite on the tightened screws has hopefully ensured it will stay that way.
David’s video can be viewed here:
Steve Downer Wildlife Cinematographer 