Shutter Speed Query

[Deleted member 86975]

I've been reading the manual for my Olympus 35 RC and at the end of the booklet it says "be sure to use the shutter speed numbers only when the shutter speed dial clicks into position at the black index mark". What would happen if I shot between two 'clicks'... for example if I moved the dial between 250 and 500? Would it shoot at a speed in-between these two? Or would it just shoot either 250 or 500? Thanks

 

[Tringa]

I don't know, but as your camera is mechanical (ignoring the electronics in the light meter) I think it would be unlikely that setting the shutter speed dial between two figures would give an intermediate shutter speed. It might even damage the camera, but that is just speculation.

I'd not bother about it, just put a film in it and take some shots.

Dave

 

[Deleted member 86975]

I don't know, but as your camera is mechanical (ignoring the electronics in the light meter) I think it would be unlikely that setting the shutter speed dial between two figures would give an intermediate shutter speed. It might even damage the camera, but that is just speculation.

I'd not bother about it, just put a film in it and take some shots.

Dave

I only ask because I accidentally shot between two speeds without realising, I rectified this straight away but hope I didn't do any damage as you mentioned!

 

[Tringa]

If the camera is still working there probably hasn't been any damage. Old mechanical camera are pretty robust devices as evidenced by the fact they are still around now.

Dave

 

[Deleted member 86975]

If the camera is still working there probably hasn't been any damage. Old mechanical camera are pretty robust devices as evidenced by the fact they are still around now.

Dave

Thanks, it seems to be shooting OK so i'll consider myself lucky!

 

[StewartR]

What would happen if I shot between two 'clicks'... for example if I moved the dial between 250 and 500?

It's a mechanical dial, and without taking one apart to check it seems likely to me that there is a single contact in the dial which is intended to engage with one of a series of contacts in the body, or vice versa. So there would seem to be three possibilities.
(1) The single contact is engaged with neither the 250 contact nor the 500 contact - in which case the camera probably won't work, or if it does work its behaviour may be unpredictable.
(2) The single contact is engaged with either the 250 contact or the 500 contact - in which case the camera will work, but you won't know what shutter speed you've used.
(3) The single contact is engaged with both the 250 contact and the 500 contact - in which case the camera probably won't work, or if it does work its behaviour may be unpredictable.

Thanks, it seems to be shooting OK so i'll consider myself lucky!

Probably option (2) then. There's probably a 'tipping point' somewhere on the dial, between the two numbers, where the shutter speed changes from 1/250th to 1/500th. So you won't know what you've got unless you experiment very carefully. Personally I think a ore productive course of action would be to simply train yourself to ensure the dial is clicked into place properly.