Should I keep or return this OM-2?

[jim_a]

<p>

 

</p>

 

<p>

My OM-2 arrived the other day. It was suppose to have been

"professionally overhauled" and it

comes with a 90-day warranty.

</p>

 

<p>

Cosmetically the camera looks pretty good. No dents, new foam seals

and clean. But I noticed two

problems almost immediately:

</p>

 

<p>

-- On manual I am hearing the same shutter speed from one second to a

15th where it becomes

impossible to hear the different speeds.

</p>

 

<p>

-- In automatic when the exposure compensation dial is moved off the

null setting the warning flag

does not appear in the viewfinder.

</p>

 

<p>

I wrote to the seller. He immediately wrote back offering me the

option to return the camera to

him for repair or a refund. The rub is that he does the repairs

himself. Here are his credentials:

</p>

 

<p>

"The repair was proformed by me and I can assure that I am more then

qualifyed to do it. Just so

you will know I have been in the photo equipment repair industry since

1979 first as a service

technician for Pentax in both Illinois and Colorado then as a

sub-contractor for them, untill they

closed their Illinois office, after that I worked for Olympus in

London England for over 2 years.

When I returened to the states I had my own repair shop Illinois

Camera Service for over 6 years I

closed that operation to work as a Camera repair instructor for

National Camera Service in

Colorado untill they closed and now I an with Royal Camera. I have

repaired hundreds of Olympus

OM's cameras and I know them like the back of my hand.

</p>

 

<p>

If I had to guess without the camera , I think your camera is in Auto

mode even its switched to

manual it happens all the time, just some gold plated switches on the

bottom of the mirror box

that are not reacting properly.

</p>

 

<p>

By the way the OM2n has the flag in the viewfinder the OM-2 does not."

</p>

 

<p>

The manual states that the flag DOES appear when the exposure

compensation is used. For someone

who knows them like the back of their hand surely they would know

this. I'm also surprised that

someone would not catch the slow speeds being off in manual mode.

</p>

 

<p>

I also ran across a page that shows the different metering curtains

used in the OM-2

(<a

href="http://brashear.phys.appstate.edu/lhawkins/photo/om2-curtains.shtml">http://brashear.phys.appstate.edu/lhawkins/photo/om2-curtains.shtml</a>).

My camera uses the old

center weighted pattern curtain which means it's an OM-2 from the

first few years of production.

</p>

 

<p>

While I didn't spend a lot of money on this camera I'm thinking of

sending it back. I would rather

look for a newer, cleaner OM-2, one that is possibly locked up and

having it sent to Camtech for

a CLA and repair. I'm of the opinion that any OM-2 you buy today

should have a CLA as a matter of

course due to their age. Why pay $150 for an OM-2 that works and still

needs a CLA when I can

buy a "broken" OM-2 in nice shape for $20-50? The reason I went for

this camera was because it was already done. I'm

just wondering if this guy can do it right?

</p>

 

Writing this has helped me make a decision. Any thoughts from the gurus?

[jim_a]

Now all of a sudden my slower speeds when on manual are correct. They were always correct in Auto. I wonder if my having fired off a few hundred shots ungummed it enough to make them work? Makes me wonder if a CLA was really done?

[jim_a]

Another update: In the manual that comes with the camera on page 23 it shows the viewfinder flag when exposure compensation is used. It appears that this is not the manual that came with the camera originally. The manual shows on OM-2n model on page 4. But this camera has the shutter metering center weighted pattern used on the first models meaning that it had to be made between 1975 and 1978 (http://brashear.phys.appstate.edu/lhawkins/photo/om2-curtains.shtml). That's why I concluded that the camera manual is that from a later OM-2n model.

 

If you have an OM-2 (not an "N") can you tell me if you get an exposure warning flag under the left viewfinder strip when you move the exposure dial off the null setting into + or - territory?

[mark_bouquet1]

Jim,

 

The manual for my OM-2n says simply "OM-2" on the cover, but the illustrations inside are of an OM-2n. Look at the camera illustrations in yours. It could be a manual for a later camera. I don't know if the original OM-2 lacked the exposure compensation flag in the viewfinder.

 

Regarding the manual switch problem, my OM-2n purchased on *Bay had exactly that same problem when it arrived. An overhaul by Camtech solved the problem for a short while, but the problem started to return gradually. The symptom was that when I first turned the camera on after an overnight rest, there was a delay before the camera switched into manual. I could actually hear a soft "click" when the contact was made. The delay was initially a fraction of a second and gradually lengthened until it might take several seconds. I sent it back to John at Camtech who repaired it under warranty along with an apology for the inconvenience, and it's been trouble free for the year since then. I'm sure your repairman is correct when he calls it a sticking switch. That's what John called it too. And I'm sure that it can be fixed satisfactorily.

 

Regarding the year of production, I think it's on Camtech's web page where he explains how to read the code on the back side of the pressure plate to determine the year your OM camera was made. Of course this assumes the pressure plate is original. If it were me I wouldn't worry about having the old pattern shutter curtain.

 

If you do decide to keep the camera, make sure the technician removed the foam from the prism housing, as it deteriorates and damages the mirror coating on the prism. John at Camtech removes it entirely and doesn't replace it, since he claims there's no reason for it to be there. There doesn't seem to be any shortage of OM-2(n)'s in fine condition in the world. They're really sweet cameras, and if you're not unequivocally happy with the one you have, hold out until you find one that does make you happy. JMHO.

[weston_harries]

"If you have an OM-2 (not an "N") can you tell me if you get an exposure warning flag under the left viewfinder strip when you move the exposure dial off the null setting into + or - territory?"

"I don't know if the original OM-2 lacked the exposure compensation flag in the viewfinder."

 

- The repair man is correct, my om-2 bodies lack the compensation warning tab but my om-2n has it. It seems like the guy you're working with really does have a lot of experience with OM's, so if I were you I would stick with it and have him fix any problems that you can find. The only thing that worries me is that it only has a 90 day warranty. If you get a cheap broken body and have Camtech repair it, there's a 6 month warranty. - WH

[tomwawer]

"By the way the OM2n has the flag in the viewfinder the OM-2 does not"

True - no flag in my OM-2.