Can't press the shutter release all the way down. Olympus 35 EC

Bought a used 35 EC online. Checked that there are batteries inside. Tried pressing the shutter but it wont press all the way down. Yellow light won't light up. I read here that there is no need for batteries for the shutter to be 'functional'

Trying out film photography for the first time btw. Thank you!

Just confirming the shutter locking lever on the front is not engaged, which would keep the camera from firing. Also, if the camera is in the "auto/program" mode and the light is outside the exposure range of the meter, the camera will not fire.

Have you reviewed the manual for this camera? It is easily available online (link below), very short and to the point as to the operation.

Olympus EC2, Olympus ECR, Olympus 35EC instruction manual, user manual

Of course, any camera this age that has not been serviced recently and subjected to less than optimal handling/storage could have any number of issues requiring some sort of service/maintenance before it would operate normally.

Bought a used 35 EC online. Checked that there are batteries inside. Tried pressing the shutter but it wont press all the way down. Yellow light won't light up. I read here that there is no need for batteries for the shutter to be 'functional'

 

Trying out film photography for the first time btw. Thank you!

EC is completely battery dependent and to do so you'll have to rig up some kind of battery adapter because the originals were mercury and had a propensity for leaking. I mean batteries were SO bad that at Olympus we'd open a brand new box of service dept. batteries and they would already be leaking in the box. That means probably the battery contacts in the camera have hidden corrosion damage, like they probably aren't even connected to the wires anymore. On the original EC button may go all the way down, shutter may make a "click" but you won't get any exposure. EC, EC2 and ECR were all dogs really. I stopped servicing them decades ago.