Olympus 35 EC found

[aldrich]

I found an old Olympus 35 EC on the street in Hartford last week. GREAT shape!

I know nothing of this camera. It appears to be very simple, and I'm noticing a

problem. When I press the shutter button down, it spring back up on its own,

and the shutter does not open. Perhaps the battery is dead? What can anyone

tell me about this odd find? Thanks!

[shadowfox]

Wow, hang on to that little number, it's far from being worthless. That is until you figure out how to rig an aluminum foil to power it up :)<br>

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The battery chamber is kinda odd (from 2007 perspective, that is), it has 2 chambers, what I did was to put in two AgO (SR44) batteries in the chamber that has a + sign, and a wad of aluminum foil in the other chamber (I'm describing from memory, so if I got it backwards, just switch it). The aluminum foil provides enough resistance to bring down the voltage from 1.5 to 1.35-ish to power the meter adequately.<br>

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That camera, assuming the lens is not shot, produces very good pictures and the heft makes it very stable for handheld shots with little light. Focusing it's a bit tricky if you're not familiar with zone-focusing, I wasn't, but finally when I get a hang of it, it's fun.<br>

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Check out some of the shots from my EC <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/mastaka/sets/72157594493164835">in this flickr set</a><br>

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As you can see from the pictures, the meter is very accurate.

[aldrich]

I can't get the battery chamber open...it's screwed in EXTREMELY tight...and I mean EXTREMELY. Three men tried their best and still not budging. Also, I don't see a light meter anywhere in the viewfinder, just a holographic type grid at the bottom with today's common icons for Portrait, Landscape, etc. All that was found was the camera in a conpact case that conforms to it, nothing else.

I really hope the problem the battery, cause the shutter seems pretty messed up. And no, I'm not familiar with zone focusing. The rear "GSN" dial on the camera baffles me.

How old is this camera?

[mdcarma]

Dribble a bit of vinegar around the battery cover.

[shadowfox]

Well, since it's an automatic exposure camera, you won't find a light meter indicator. You just estimate the distance, turn the zone focusing dial to the appropriate distance, frame the composition, and shoot.

[aldrich]

I see I see...Thank you! I still can't get the battery cover off...Tried the dab of vinegar. Perhaps I should give it one more try?

[john falkenstine]

Cover fused from...battery swollen up inside?

[michael_white4]

I recently picked up a clean Olympus 35EC camera from eBay cheap.

Put 2 LR44 in the + chamber, encircled with a cardboard

shim to keep them in place, and added the aluminum foil

to the other chamber. When I press the shutter button slightly

I see a yellow light at the top left of finder. Pressing the

button completely causes the shutter to open. The shutter

speed doesnt seem to vary (at least that I can detect) based on light.

The aperture does vary, if I point at a bright light source, it stops way down, dark areas it opens more. All of this testing done with the back opening while looking through the lens. I guess the next real test is to run a roll of film through. First need to replace the light seals as they are shot.