Olympus OM-2, Locks up in Auto

[ColSebastianMoran]

A friend's camera. Olympus OM-2 works perfectly in "Manual" but when I switch to "Auto" it locks up on every shutter release.

Unlock by switching to "Manual."

This doesn't seem to be the well-known OM-2 lock-up if fired without a battery. There are good batteries, SR44, as recommended, in the camera.

Googling, I can see others reporting this problem with no clear solution.

Any suggestions?

 

[mpaniagua]

Mine is behaving exactly the same. Have not used it for some time due to this.

Did a general clean up with lighter fluid and was the same.

As far as I'm concerned, seems to be failing electronics so it is on its way to become a shelf queen 🙂

If anyone comes out with a solution it would be really appreciated. Its the first "pro" camera I got from my late father so it has a big sentimental value.


Regards

Marcelo

 

[Keith]

I had one that did the same ... consigned to the scrap bin after salvaging a few screws etc off it. They are very cheap to replace and my current example that cost $50 has never had an issue.

 

[p.giannakis]

I had two of them too but I don't think it is something straightforward to solve- it will need servicing. People buy them on *bay so they must be repairable.

 

[lxmike]

l would try cleaning battery chamber and terminals and a fresh battery, hope you get sorted

 

[p.giannakis]

Actually they don't lock up - they expose for long exposure (2,3 minutes or something). You can measure for how long they stay open - you will see it is always the same time.

 

[ColSebastianMoran]

Thanks for comments. That it's a long exposure is a new insight.

Sounds like no easy solution. It's not worth an overhaul since working examples can be had cheaply.

The consensus of comments elsewhere is that it's a failed capacitor. Thanks again.

 

[ColSebastianMoran]

Mine is behaving exactly the same. Have not used it for some time due to this.

Marcelo, note that the camera works in "Manual" mode, including the metering. This failure seems to turn the OM-2 into basically an OM-1.

 

[ColSebastianMoran]

l would try cleaning battery chamber and terminals and a fresh battery, hope you get sorted

Thanks, but no, it's not that. Clean contacts, good battery, check-light shows OK.

 

[trisberg]

The OM-2 has two metering systems, one for manual mode and for the viewfinder display needle and one that reads off the shutter curtains. Maybe that second one is malfunctioning. Just a thought.



-Thomas