Need some help re: sticky focus ring on Olympus 35SP

[Jadoube]

Hello folks,

My first post into this forum. I just acquired a 35SP and the focus ring is VERY stiff. I am a fairly handy fellow; although not experienced with cameras per say. I should like to get inside this little beastie and clean the focus ring. I am looking for any and all help in this regard.

Is there a place to acquire a repair manual or even just an exploded view to help me safely get inside?

Does anyone have any experience with this issue and have some advice they would like to pass on?

Do any of the senior forum participants know of any threads or info I should read? (I know these large mature forums have many gems hidden that are not easily extracted unless you know the correct terms to search and/or you have been posting here a while.)

I am quite excited to run some film through what looks to be a great little camera... but i think it would just drive me nuts to fight this sticky focus ring and I might even break it. (It's that tight!) Previously I have been shooting a Retina IIIc (which I love!) but I am looking forward to having a little nicer metering in this 35SP (read lazier).

Thanks in advance!
Cheers!

PS... perhaps I should have posted this to Repairs? Mods let me know. Thanks

 

[jesse1dog]

Hi Jadoube
First of all welcome to this particular mad house of a forum! There are a tremendous number of really informed guys who undoubtedly can give better advice than I can.
However, a question first. How easily can you move the speed ring?
I ask because I just wonder if your SP has had a bang on the lens and you have got some distortion on the lens mounting. It's not good news if you have! I've had a not dissimilar situation with a 35DC, and the verdict was it was a right off - not enough spare parts around!
John Hermanson at Camtech Photo Services is probably the top Olympus repairer/expert in the States - a member of this forum and the guy to talk to.
But lets see what other members can come up with before you start tearing out your hair!

 

[Jadoube]

Hey jess1dog...
It does not move easily! I had read about someone having that problem all right... a bent focus ring and /or lens mount. I see no signs of impact and everything looks 'good' so I am hopeful. But yeah... could be complete wrecked all right.
At this point I think it's just dirty... it seems suspiciously like someone poured a Coke in there or something. Or they tried lube it with 50 weight motor oil. Everything else moves fine... Aperture, Exposure, Timer times, shutter fires.

 

[John Hermanson]

There are risks if you plan to disassemble your camera, especially in the focus ring area. When you turn the focus ring back and forth, the lens focus's from closeup to infinity. The infinity focus point is one specific point. If you loosen the screws holding the focus ring in place and remove the ring, you have lost your infinity focus. Camera has to be set up this way: on B, using a collimator, lens infinity focus is set by tightening the focus ring screws when the lens is really at infinity, THEN the rangefinder is set to agree with the lens focus. Disturbing those settings may cause cascading problems. John

 

[Jadoube]

Hi John
Thanks. That's exactly the sort of thing I didn't know. I think the camera is unusable the way it is... and I can't imagine any professional could fix it for any reasonable amount of money relative to the the value of the camera. So I'll probably go for it. (It sounds like a bit of fun actually)
Do you (or anyone) know of any posts that walk through this procedure in some detail?