How to Save Battery Power with an Olympus SP?

[Cold]

I recently acquired a well-used, but still very functional Olympus SP. As I decide whether to send it off for minor repairs and a CLA, or to use as-is, I came upon an interesting problem.

Normally, I'm not an ever-ready case kind of guy. I either fit my camera in a jacket or cargo pocket, or keep it on a strap or in a bag. That being said, even with these solutions, when I start shooting, I tend to just carry the camera in hand as I walk around.

For most cameras, even most other fixed lens rangefinders, this is no problem, as switching them into manual mode switches off the meter and stops draining the battery. With the SP's metered manual mode, however, this isn't the case. Further, the metering window isn't near the lens (like a Canonet), so replacing the lens cap won't save the battery either. Is there any other way to address this aside from (a) using the eveready case, (b) putting the camera back in a pouch or pocket every time, or (c) removing the battery?

As a side note: When adjusting the shutter dial prior to cocking the shutter, I can hear what sounds like the self-timer winding down a tiny bit with each movement of the shutter ring. Is this a sign of an issue? Typical behavior? Once the shutter is cocked, this sound doesn't happen.

 

[MiniMoke]

First, the clockwork sound when changing shutter speeds appears on mine too. Guess it's normal.

As for battery saving..... thought about making a small cache I could slip over the meter window, covering the left corner of the camera, but didn't have time as yet to try something. Would be quite impractical too and the thing would get lost in a hurry I guess.

My latest battery (silver oxyde in an adapter) has been in the SP for over 6 Months now and still meters correctly. The camera is used not every day but still regularly and sits on a shelf in a somewhat shaded corner of my house.

Hope this helps

 

[nikon_sam]

I have the full case for mine and don't mind using it but I have decided to pull the battery and use a hand held meter...
I also have a lens hood and don't like pulling it off every time I want to turn it off...

 

[mzalan1]

Easy - keep a 1/2 inch piece of electrical tape on the bottom plate, and stick it over the CdS window (right of the finder, with aperture that changes with different ASA) as needed.

 

[Cold]

Thanks for the replies, everyone. 🙂

As far as the self-timer noise...I'm glad I'm not the only one...I couldn't find any information about this particular behavior online, which had me concerned. I'm guessing there's something sticky (dried oil, perhaps?) between the two mechanisms inside, and cocking the shutter might spread them apart, but when they're bearing against one another, while they might otherwise just slide, because of the stickiness, they're slightly engaging.

As far as the meter window, I've settled on a fairly simple solution for now. Along the lines of mzalan1's thinking, I've cut a small square piece of black craft foam that precisely fits into the recessed area that contains the meter window. With the slight sponginess of foam, it presses down in and doesn/t fall out. I'm sure I'll lose it eventually, but at $1.19 per 9x12 sheet, I can literally make over 600 of them for a dollar...so no big deal.

Also, while I was messing around, I decided to remove the top cover and clean up the viewfinder and rangefinder windows, and now it's brighter and clearer than ever!

Now the only issue left is that the film advance doesn't lock when the shutter is cocked, meaning you can skip frames. This isn't a huge deal as far as shooting, but it's something I'd like to eventually address. It may take a trip to a qualified professional, though, but in the mean time, I'm browsing around for possible DIY solutions.

 

[Landshark]

The sound is a gear train being wound. They're used when the shutter is used at slower speeds but are wound each time the shutter is cocked.

 

[Frontman]

I have a few of these beauties. The nicer ones I keep in a case, but I don't worry about the battery. By bending up the prong in the battery compartment a bit, you can use a regular LR44 or SR44 battery without an adapter. These batteries are cheap, easy to find, and will last several months.

 

[Cold]

The sound is a gear train being wound. They're used when the shutter is used at slower speeds but are wound each time the shutter is cocked.

So the noise is normal then? And it's actually *not* the self-timer? I suppose if it's a similar mechanism it's make sense for them to sound the same...

I have a few of these beauties. The nicer ones I keep in a case, but I don't worry about the battery. By bending up the prong in the battery compartment a bit, you can use a regular LR44 or SR44 battery without an adapter. These batteries are cheap, easy to find, and will last several months.

Is the 35SP's meter voltage-regulated? When I bought mine, the seller helpfully included an adapter (looks to be a CRIS MR9) and a silver oxide cell (386 I believe).

If the meter is voltage regulated, I may use a replacement and put the adapter in my Canonet...