I haven't used my OM-2 for about a month (a plain OM-2, not 2n or 2s).
Today was a rarity--a sunny day in Seattle. Temperature in the mid-40s
Farenheit. I decided to use the late afternoon light to check the focusing
accuracy of my lenses. So I extended a tape measure on the back patio, set
the OM-2 on a tripod, focused, and took my first shot. I used the
self-timer, and the exposure meter showed 1/1000 at f/2.8.
I heard a very soft click, much softer than usual. The film wouldn't
advance. The lens was still stopped down. I took off the lens and found
the mirror was locked up. So I moved the shutter speed dial to "B" to
reset the mirror. Nothing happened.
OK, I thought, dead batteries. But the LED lit brightly and steadily when
I put the switch on "Test." And the meter had worked when I metered the
scene.
So I checked the batteries with my digital volt meter. They were Panasonic
SR-44. Each read 1.573 volts. Hmmm. That *should* be OK, but it's with
no load. The repairman from whom I bought the camera last October put them
in. Maybe they weren't fresh. I put the batteries back in the camera.
Switched to "B" again. Nothing. Repeated this several times, with the
Manual-Off-Auto-Test switch in various positions. Rewound and removed the
film. Tried again. Still nothing.
I left the old batteries in the camera, went to the store and bought two
new batteries. These were Eveready EPX-76, silver oxide. They tested at
1.627 and 1.629 volts. Since they were fresh, and they read higher than
the old batteries, maybe the old ones were marginal under load. Or maybe
different brands have different no-load voltages, or the old batteries were
alkaline. Anyway, it was worth a try.
So I put the new batteries in the camera, and switched to "B." Nothing.
Mirror still locked up. Tried it with the switch in various positions.
Nothing. I kept trying for about a minute--maybe less.
Then I switched to "B" one last time, and "kerthwap!," the mirror came
down, and the camera worked perfectly. All shutter speeds sounded correct.
Several times, I removed the batteries and fired the shutter so the mirror
would lock up again. Each time, the mirror came back down the instant I
switched to "B." I couldn't get the camera to fail again.
Now everything is working fine. But I don't completely understand what
happened.
1. Do I have an intermittent problem in my camera, or were my batteries
just borderline and being out in the cold pushed them over the edge?
2. Does anybody know what the no-load battery voltages are for good,
marginal and "won't work" in an OM-2?
3. Were my old Panasonic SR-44 batteries were alkaline, not silver oxide,
and could this account for the lower no-load voltage and the rather short
life?
4. What could cause the mirror to stay up when I switched to "B?" Isn't
this a mechanical reset that's independent of batteries? Or can some
electronic component get "glitched" by a low voltage, and needs time to
drain before it allows the camera to work properly again?
5. If this happens again, is there any trick I can try (like removing the
batteries and shorting the terminals)?
--- Peter
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