From: bear@harlqn.co.uk (Andy Edwards)
Newsgroups: rec.photo
Subject: Re: OM-PC Problem
Date: 14 Apr 92 19:10:52 GMT
Organization: Harlequin Limited, Cambridge, England


Hi!

*>I have owned an Olympus OM-PC for several years now and have been very
*>pleased.  However I am now having a very frustrating problem.  I can put
*>in a fresh set of batteries and attempt to take a shot and the shutter
*>locks up and the "fresh" batteries are drained.  I have taken it to a

What locks up - you don't exactly explain in great detail? The shutter
button? Does the shutter curtain activate & become locked halfway
across the picture? Have you tried it with different lenses, eg: real
Olympus ones? I'm guessing this is a standard SLR & your aperture
mechanism (bayonette) in the lense may be jamming with the camera
body.

I have the opposite problem with my OM40: the battery connection is
sometimes (not all the time) inclined to fail just after I've put new
batteries in & I have to fiddle with a 2 pence piece twiddling the
battery cap until all the lights come on in the viewer: maybe you've
got a duff connection too.

One other possible thought comes to mind: if the shutter curtain (I
don't know if it's got one) is not moving, then this suggests to me
that the camera may be stopping you from taking an over exposed
picture: eg fast film speed, bright light, low f stop & the camera is
trying to select shutter speed that isn't available (like 1/2000). My
OM40 flashes a red aperture iris indicator at me if this is the case.

If the OM-PC is aperture priority try faking the film speed to lower
asa (if you're not DX). If it's shutter priority then set a big f stop
(f22) to cut down the light. Test taking some pictures.

If it's program try limiting the aperture & shutter. If you have
manual, use it and test.

*>local (Dallas) camera store for repairs.  They kept it for 4 weeks.  Upon

Your description also suggests that it's got dust/ grit in the shutter
mechanism & the metering system is switched on whilst the shutter is
open and this (probably) causes the battery drain. I'd take it to a
real Olympus repair shop & ask them to clean it out. Beware: motor
driven film winders also suck the juice out of the camera batteries.

*>the return of the camera at the store I put in new batteries and it seemed
*>to work fine.  The repair people said they coould find no problem with the 

May be they don't know how to take a camera apart, but I'm just
guessing.

*>camera.  As usual soon as I left the store and tried to use the camera the
*>same thing happened.  I tried another set of batteries to no avail.  Using
*>this trial and error method gets expensive 'cause batteries aint cheap.
*>I would like to stay with Olympus because of the accesories I have

What about buying a dust blower & micro hoover to expand your
collection?

*>accumulated over the years.  I refuse to buy ANY of this autofocus crap
*>on the market today.

Hear! Hear! I agree! I wish they'd stop making big SLR replacements
for easier to use for idiots. Besides you can always hunt for a good
second hand bargain these days!

*>Anyone outthere had similar problems?  Any suggestions.

Cheers & good luck

+--: Andy Edwards :----------*=================*------------------------------+
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