NEED help fast!

[stormchaser]

Well, I was looking inside my EM, and I wondered what was behind the mirror, so

I lifted it up. I saw nothing interesting. Now, however, the shutter won't fire

and the film won't advance! I can only do anything by flipping the little dealie

at the front that makes the mirror move. What can I do to get he shutter to work

again? If my parents find out, I am dead. Like mega-dead.

[tom_jenner1]

Tell your parents it's time to get a more modern camera and that this is the way that the great camera god is letting them know. You can't be blamed for fate! If that doesn't work then deny everything!

 

Did you try taking the batteries out? Did you touch that very fragile shutter? I once ruined a camera by doing exactly what you did.

 

If all else fails tell the truth and learn your lesson.

[jeff h.]

Do you have a battery in the camera? If there is no battery and the switch is set to "AUTO," it

will not fire. Try putting the switch on "M90" or "B" and then pressing the shutter button; M90

and B are mechanical settings (no battery required, so they should fire the shutter, assuming

nothing else is broken). Is there film in the camera? If not, you can satisfy your curiosity by

putting the camera on the "B" setting, opening the back of the camera, and firing the shutter:

the mirror will flip up (and stay up) and the shutter will remain open for as long as you hold

the shutter release button down (this is how you do long exposure shots on the EM). Never

touch the shutter, as it is really fragile. Good luck, and let us know how it goes (and relax,

you can get another EM for under $100 easy).

[roland_vink]

Try setting the switch under the shutter release to "M90" or "B" and then try firing the camera. That usually clears mechanical glitches.

 

If the camera is dead, I shouldn't be too worried, they are cheap on the used market.

 

Oh, and by the way "dead" is an absolute term. There is no scale from "slightly" to "mega" dead - If you are dead you are dead :-)

[Jerry_]

A local thrift shop had a Nikon EM, a lens, a off-brand tele-extender, and a couple of filters: $39.95, tax included.

You have not broken a Leica M7, so try not to worry too much....as noted above, it's time to find a new camera in the new Century.

[shawn_rahman]

Why do your parents have to know you did ANYTHING? Don't know how old you are, but honesty is not always the best policy. If you were married, I wouldn't have to tell you this ;-)

 

Seriously, it doesn't sound like you did anything to the camera to make it inoperable. Probably the battery, maybe something else. As fgood as it is, the camera is not worth more than about $75. Don't fret it.

[stormchaser]

I have another camera, so it's unlikely they'll be using this one in the near future. Oops, I did try to manually move the shutter. Yes, there's a battery and I tried it on B and M90.

[jeff h.]

Try pressing the silver button on the bottom of the camera (this is what you press when you

want to rewind the film after you've finished off the roll); it may release something that's

stuck and allow you to work the shutter.