I've been given an Olympus OM2 - 2 questions.

simon ess

simon ess

Just call me Roxanne.
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This is what I was given:


New Toy by simon ess, on Flickr

It's been sat in a damp garage for 20 years and is in quite poor condition.

The 70-210 and the 35-80 lenses have bad cases of fungus, although I've discovered the 35-80 comes apart and I might have salvaged it.

The 28mm and the 50mm lenses seem to be OK.

Question 1: Should there be some sort of sealing material around the back cover? It looks like there has been.


New Toy 2 by simon ess, on Flickr

Question 2: If it shows no signs of life when I get new batteries, is it worth having it repaired and refurbished? I see they're going for about 100 - 150 quid or thereabouts.

Thanks a lot :thumbs:
 
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Seals need replacing, simple job Jon Goodman is a good resource and a top fella to boot, full kit will probably cost about £6ish email him here JGood21967@aol.com

It probably will work, they're fairly robust as long as the battery compartment isn't shagged.
 
The door foam can easily be replaced - loads of kits on ebay.

The foam above the pentaprism can eat into the pentaprism which is irreversible.

Dead electrics sounds pretty fundamental.
 
Thanks fellas.

So, if the little test light works - replace door seals and give it a go.

No test light = stuffed.

Does that sound about right?

Thanks again.
 
So, I've put some new batteries in.

When I move the little lever on the top left to "check" the LED does not light up.

But, the meter works when it's on "manual" but not on "auto".

Is there a way to check if the shutter is working without putting a film in?

Also, is the kind of seal replacement kit I need?

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/LIGHT-SEA...y_VintagePhotoAccessories&hash=item336d32cdae

Thanks for your patience folks :thumbs:
 
Is there a way to check if the shutter is working without putting a film in?
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Press the shutter button :lol:.

If you set a large aperture (1.8) open the back, cock the shutter (wind the film on) and looking through the back see what happens when you fire the shutter, try on various speeds. (You are looking for light, hopefully at differing speeds) I don't know of a home-made method of checking the accuray of the shutter except by putting a film through.

I would look for a seal kit specific to the OM-2 as cutting the foam is a bit of a pain, have a look here
 
Thanks again john.

I think I may be being a bit thick here.

I can cock the shutter but the release button does nothing. It won't depress :shrug:

Thanks for the link. That's more like it.:thumbs:
 
The shutter is electronically operated. From all the symptoms you are describing it sounds like the majority of the electrics are shot.
 
Thanks Jim.

That's a shame.

I think, before I consign it to the camera graveyard, I'll take it to a repair shop near me and ask them what they think.

I'm guessing it won't be worth repairing it, even if it's possible.
 
It may not be that serious, have you checked the battery compartment? Is it clean and free from crud? Apologies but have you checked that the batteries are in the right way?
 
No need to apologise. It's a reasonable question and I appreciate your input

:thumbs:

Battery compartment clean. Batteries both with + upwards ie. towards the bottom of the camera.

Also, meter needle working when set to manual.
 
Is the mirror locked up? Have you tried resetting the shutter?


* If the mirror is up and the shutter is locked, press the "RESET" button at the lower left corner of the body mount, and rotate the manual shutter speed ring until the reset mark (*) is aligned with the red triangle on the lens mount. Then the mirror comes down, and the shutter is unlocked.
 
If you don't have any joy at the repairers for whatever reason you can get some stuff in aerosols called brake, clutch and electrical contact cleaner (it's used in the automotive trades) it evaporates after a couple of seconds and leaves no residue whilst cleaning components.

With the battery out if you remove a screw or cover (not familiar with this model) that gives access to the internal components of the body and spray the cleaner in quite generously (with a thin straw if required) and then let it drain back out naturally, give the camera 24hours for the cleaning solution to completely dissipate from the camera body and see if that works.

I wouldn't recommend it if the camera is otherwise repairable but at a complete loss anyway it's worth a try, might just revive the electronics.
 
Yep.

Just had another look inside to confirm. The mirror is down.

Thanks for all your efforts to help. Much appreciated.
 
jimmyb said:
If you don't have any joy at the repairers for whatever reason you can get some stuff in aerosols called brake, clutch and electrical contact cleaner (it's used in the automotive trades) it evaporates after a couple of seconds and leaves no residue whilst cleaning components.

With the battery out if you remove a screw or cover (not familiar with this model) that gives access to the internal components of the body and spray the cleaner in quite generously (with a thin straw if required) and then let it drain back out naturally, give the camera 24hours for the cleaning solution to completely dissipate from the camera body and see if that works.

I wouldn't recommend it if the camera is otherwise repairable but at a complete loss anyway it's worth a try, might just revive the electronics.
Click to expand...

Thanks very much. I'll try that as a last resort.
 
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