Just found an Olympus Pen EE!

[Assaf]

went to visit a friend yesterday, and her neighbour was putting things he wanted to get rid of in the street.
Kind of a "yard sale", but without the selling part. One of the things he threw away was a cute Olympus-PEN EE-3.
The shutter button is missing, some missing screws and light seals needed. Nothing I can't fix at home. Good news are that the light meter responds to light (saw the cute needle inside), the aperture too and the shutter shoots.

Hope I have time this week to fix it and put film and take some pictures just of fun. I have two questions before I do it:
1) I understood that the camera has two shutter speeds - 1/40 and 1/200. Is it true that the 1/200 is the automatic speed, and 1/40 the manual, or are they chosen differently?
2) The camera is focus free (better said, fixed focus). So, what it the focus distance for which it's set?

links to user / technician manuals would be most welcome (I didn't manage to find them just Googling)

Cheers and thanks
Assaf

 

[zuikologist]

Congratulations. I hope it is repairable. Let's see some photos when you get it working.

 

[Viktor Sebastian]

http://rapidshare.com/files/47982794/olympus_pen_ees-2_-_manual.pdf
EE S2 User Manual, The lens is different, but the rest should be similar.

 

[Assaf]

Thanks guys!
Of course, I'll show some pictures when I get it working, but it'll take a week or two.
Sebben, I managed to download the manual but my Acrobat doesn't open it (says there are some errors in it). What should I do? is is an Acrobat problem?

Here's a picture of my new camera and an old friend

 

[gb hill]

Looks exactally like my ee2. The leaf shutter was sticking on mine. check it to make sure yours isn't sticking. I shot an old roll of fuji super 100 color film & got some interesting results.

 

[gb hill]

 

[gb hill]

 

[Assaf]

cool pics gb hill.
as for the shutter, sometimes it remains open. I think I'll try to clean it a bit or spray something delicate into it.

BTW, the late David Perlov used an Olympus Pen (I think the F model) in his works. Sometimes he even put both half frames side by side.
It's worthwhile looking at a few of his pictures here

 

[Cale Arthur]

as for the shutter, sometimes it remains open. I think I'll try to clean it a bit or spray something delicate into it.

These cameras are very easy to service, but they do require a near total disassembly to get it right the first time. If it needs to have the aperture cleaned, there's no reason not to clean the shutter as well, since you're already there (spraying anything into that area is not recommended). These parts, once removed, will need a solid soaking in solvent to eliminate the years of built-up junk.

Make sure you pay attention to the focus setting of the lens (make a note of the distance from the aperture housing to the top of the lens housing - it will also help to mark the lens housing with fine-point marker at 12:00 before you remove the selenium cell) - this will save you the headache of having to reset the focus once it's been reassembled.

There are two pages (here and here) that will give you a step-by-step - all of the EE series are pretty much the same in terms of the aperture/shutter mechanisms, so if you need to refer to a slightly different model to get a sense of things, it's no big shakes. Other than that, all of the usual caveats apply: do your work on a towel, go slow, document your progress, etc.

To answer your earlier question re: speeds, when the camera is set to 'auto', it will fire at 1/200, and 1/40 depending of the light conditions. When set to one of the 'asa' settings, it fires at 1/40 only.

 

[sweathog]

IIRC the EE3 is just like the EE3 except fixed focus and (possibly) meters for ISO 400 too (the EE2 only goes to ISO 200). I like my EE2, you should enjoy your EE3.

Just realised I've been fibbing, mine's an EES2, possibly slightly different...
Still, the whole Pen range is lovely.

 

[Assaf]

Thank you for elaborate answers Cale Arthur.
I don't know it's worth fixing the shutter at this stage (maybe it's not such a big deal) but I'll take it into account.

Another difference I noticed between the EE2 and EE3 is that my EE2 has a lens of 28/3.5 and not 28/2.8.
Does anybody know the fixed focus distance in the EE3? I might as well check it out in the first roll I shot.
Regarding 1/40 and 1/200, at what step does the camera change the speed?
Anyway, thanks and I'll keep you updated
Cheers
Assaf

 

[Assaf]

well, I accepted the challenge and took the camera apart.
Taking off the selenium meter and the lens was easy, I also detached the viewfinder, but I can't take out the shutter compound.
Even removed the bottom plate, that doesn't help. The only thing I didn't manage to remove are the cog wheels. There are two screws beneath the brass plate beneath the frame counter which I didn't manage to open. Is it there?
Any idea?
thanks

 

[Cale Arthur]

Gently peel back the covers on either side of the opening, starting at the points.. go slowly - they can sometimes be very brittle. That will reveal the two metal panels underneath that are attached to the body casting with two small screws each. Should get you where you need to be.

 

[Assaf]

Thanks a lot Cale!
I'll try it and keep you guys updated
cheers

 

[Assaf]

OK, a friend with very good hands helped me (thanks Yaron 🙂 )
We managed to take out the shutter compound, open it, clean the shutter leaves and now the shutter cuts.
From now on, it's only cleaning and assembling the camera.
Before we do so, what's the best way to clean the shutter leaves? Any solvent, Zippo fluid or something?

Cheers
Assaf

 

[Cale Arthur]

From now on, it's only cleaning and assembling the camera. Before we do so, what's the best way to clean the shutter leaves? Any solvent, Zippo fluid or something?

Sure, lighter fluid will work just fine for both sets of blades. Be aware that the aperture blades will need a very thorough cleaning if you want them to remain functional (which i'm guessing you do? 🙂) - i thought i had mine well-cleaned, and wound up having to open up the whole thing again two more times.. no fun. Eventually, i had to remove the aperture blades from their housing and clean them individually.. a real treat getting those back together (unless you happen to have three hands)! Lesson learned, though.. Keep us posted.

 

[Anno]

Came across this thread is just like finding a gold mine for I have two non-working EEs, one EES and one EE2. Both have red flag up all the time. I kind of doubt that it is because of selenium cell gone bad. Having difficulty taking off the top plate, after removing the two screws under the rewind and one on the side, the top plate still would not come off. Is there something I miss? Also, do I have to take the camera apart to fix the red flag problem? Is it possible that the problem is casued by too much friction and that some parts need to be cleaned and lubricated? Any help would be much appreciated. I am new to Olympus EEs!

 

[Cale Arthur]

Both have red flag up all the time. I kind of doubt that it is because of selenium cell gone bad.

That's generally not a good sign - while it's possible that there's an issue with the wiring (which should be fairly easy to detect), it's more likely that the cell is dead. You can still use it as a one-speed camera with slow film, though.

Having difficulty taking off the top plate, after removing the two screws under the rewind and one on the side, the top plate still would not come off. Is there something I miss?

If you're referring to the EES, you need to remove the small screw that secures the knurled thumbwheel to the frame counter. You'll need to make a special tool for this job - a compass with the points ground down to the diameter of the two holes should work fine. Make sure you have a solid fit, so that the tool won't jump out and scratch the screw, etc. The most important point here is that this screw is reverse-threaded! Any attempt to loosen it in the standard way will most certainly break it. Also, keep close track of all the constituent frame counter parts (washers, etc.), both on the outside and inside of the camera - they need to be reassembled in the exact same order!

Also, do I have to take the camera apart to fix the red flag problem? Is it possible that the problem is casued by too much friction and that some parts need to be cleaned and lubricated?

You'll need to at least get the top off to assess whether or not the meter needle is moving (look for it just below the viewfinder exit). If it's not moving, have a look at the wires to see if there's anything out of line. For the record, i've never once had to lubricate any parts from the EE-series Pens. Both the shutter and aperture need to be dry to operate correctly.

The EE series use a 'trap-needle' system that sets the shutter speed and aperture. When you press the shutter release, the two 'traps' rise up and stop the needle's travel from left to right, thus setting proper exposure. If the needle isn't being powered by the selenium cell, the camera automatically assumes that there's not enough light (red flag), and won't fire in 'auto' mode.

 

[jcoboy]

Anyone knows if its possible to replace the lightmeeterneedle?
Mine is too short, but it is moving