OM-2n Auto Exposure problem

I, or my parents, have owned this camera since it was new. I have used this camera for years without any

problems. Until now. The meter does not seem to adjust the shutter speed. The needle inside the viewfinder mves

in accordance to the light changes, but the shutter speed stays at whatever it was set at. E.G. I am taking a shot in

bright light with ths film speed set at ISO 400 in Auto mode. The shutter speed is set at 1 second, which should not

matter. I bpush the button and, voila, the exposure is one second long. What is wrong? Can it be fixed?

I am trying to remember the exact nature of a problem I had with mine two or three years ago. The cause was a fault with the magnets which operate the lens. I think they needed to be cleaned.

Well, the camera has manual where the shutter speed is what the shutter ring is set for, and auto where the camera meters off the film plane and releases the shutter. If it follows the shutter ring, I would think it's a problem with the switch on top that controls auto vs. manual.

Does the metering display change from OM1 style meter in "manual" to OM2 style meter in "auto"?

At Zuiko.com.

Yes it does, and the meter needle adjusts accordingly.

This is very strange, because display readout is independent of metering in auto mode and exposure in manual mode.

 

Could be dirty variable resistor for setting ASA speed (affects viewfinder exposure readout as well as actual exposure). Oily shutter electromagnet only causes sticking of shutter - viewfinder readout would still be correct.

 

If it's the ASA dial, the top plate needs to be taken off and the ASA dial removed, and te VR cleaned. It's either on the very edge or on the bottom of the dial body.

Is film loaded? OTF cameras read light off the film during exposure. No film means camera will see black pressure plate, giving long exposure on auto. Asa ceramic could be dirty or cracked, giving wildly erratic auto speed or shutter may just stay open (if it is cracked). Oily magnet would also give bad speeds on manual and auto. If you set shutter speed ring to 2, 4 etc, is that shutter speed you get when set to auto or is it still one second? John, www.zuiko.com

"If you set shutter speed ring to 2, 4 etc, is that shutter speed you get when set to auto or is it still one second?"

 

Yes. For Example, if I set the ring to 1/1000 and fire the shutter in my darkroom bag, the shutter fires at 1/1000 (at least it sounds like it).

Then it sounds like some internal levers (under main circuit board) may have come un-synchronized, are in the wrong position and are causing the camera to be jammed in manual mode regardless of top switch position. I can do the repair if you are interested. John, www.zuiko.com/index_004.htm