On Fri, 23 Oct 1998 18:51:41, Richard Ross wrote:
>At 10:16 23/10/98 +0100, Mark Dickinson wrote:
>>The meter on my 2SP sometimes 'peaks' for no apparent reason. It then
>>settles down when I tap the exposure comp./film speed dial. It is not a
>>major problem, as it doesn't happen that often and I can normally tell when
>>it is happening. However, it can be disconcerting when taking spot readings
>>of difficult subjects.
>>My own theory is that there is an intermittent short circuit in the film
>>speed dial, causing the camera to 'think' it has the fastest film speed set.
>>Is this the likely explanation? Is it easily fixable and could I fix it
>>myself by cleaning contacts etc.? If so, how do I get at them?
>>
>>Mark
>>
>
>I have an OM2-SP bought new when they first came out; it has had this
>problem for most of its life. It's been "repaired" at least once, possibly
>twice, but the problem has always come back. It spent a very long time set
>to 64ASA, and that's the unsurprisingly the least reliable setting now. I
>just keep a finger near the ASA dial and prod it now and then till it
>settles down.
>
The problem is a dirty ASA resistor or its contact fingers. In the
2-SP it affects the meter and the shutter speed, giving gross
underexposure. A few waggles of the ASA dial will cure it
temporarily.
However the same fault afflicts the beloved OM2n in the auto mode. In
this case, the meter gives no clue because the meter and auto exposure
systems are entirely separate. And, in this case, the fault manifests
itself in over exposure. Often it's so long that an expected exposure
of 1/30 or faster can be heard to be much, much longer than that!
>As a matter of interest, does anyone have a feel for the comparative
>reliability of the OM cameras? The 2-SP has been the most troublesome of
>mine (none of the others, a 10, 1n and 4, have put a foot wrong yet...)
Much the same experience Richard.
We have two OM1's, three OM2n's, an OM10 and an OM2-SP in the family.
One of the OM1's is 22 years old. The 2-SP is undoubtedly the "dog",
having jammed twice and it still gobbles batteries, as well as
suffering the ASA resistor problem above. The others have given almost
no trouble at all: one of the 2n's has had the dirty ASA resistor, the
older OM1's shutter dial detent spring broke and, very early in its
life, it had a flash contact problem. The cameras haven't been
mollycoddled either, spending lots of time in the tank bags and
panniers of motorcycles and they are used in all weathers.
The OM1 is still the one I trust though.
Now there's a challenge for RH designs Richard: the refurbishing of OM
electronics!!!
Regards
--
John Gruffydd (Mold, Wales, UK)
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