Olympus recalls 1.2mil film cameras

[Jon Goodman]

due to overheating flash circuit.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20060314/tc_nm/olympus_recall_dc

I think I'd buy the Chinon before it is too late.
Jon

 

[George S.]

" Olympus is advising consumers to stop using the cameras and contact Olympus for a repair kit. "

I wonder what exactly a consumer is to do with a repair kit? 😕

I've had some first-hand experience with a couple of the IS series cameras blowing out their flash tubes, but they're not even part of the recall....

 

[ywenz]

olympus is sweeettt

http://www.rangefinderforum.com/forums/showpost.php?p=159659&postcount=19

 

[yossarian]

"From 1989-1995". And how many are likely to still be in use? Just because I'm a
"liberal" doesn't mean I wouldn't love to see the Consumer Products Safety Commission gutted and/or disbanded. Read the labels on some of the products you
buy. I think we should remove all warning labels and start flushing out the gene pool, beginning with people who have to be told that "Wine may cause intoxication".
I saw that on a sign in a store recently.

I would start by reverse-labeling all products sold at WalMart: for portable hair dryers,
the label would read "Only for use near or in water". Trust me, I have lots more...

Fred

 

[Little Prince]

What about washing machines that say 'do not put children inside' ?!

 

[Jon Goodman]

I wonder what exactly a consumer is to do with a repair kit?

Oh, I think that is a very good question. Unless the repair kit is something very simple, I can not see many people installing it themselves. And even then, I can't imagine how a "do-it-yourself" repair kit could help. Unless it was a hand-held fire extinguisher or a bucket of water into which the hot camera should be dunked.

Jon

 

[zuikologist]

" Olympus is advising consumers to stop using the cameras and contact Olympus for a repair kit. "

I wonder what exactly a consumer is to do with a repair kit? 😕

I've had some first-hand experience with a couple of the IS series cameras blowing out their flash tubes, but they're not even part of the recall....

IMHO it's just a very low cost way for Olympus to fulfil their obligations and of doing a product recall . Not many people will bother contacting Olympus, even fewer will try to install the kit and those that do will probably end up frying themselves but then cannot prove Olympus is at fault. Cynical old me ;-)

 

[Rich Silfver]

What is interesting about that article is not that Olympus is doing a recall..but that at least 21 people are using a P&S fim camera that has not been manufactured in over 10 years.

 

[yossarian]

I think the whole thing's a load of equine excrement and is nothing but unnecessary
complications for a company already struggling. These cameras are all 10+ years old
which puts them way beyond their expected shelf life. I am not the friend of any large corporation, but I do place a high value on personal responsibility and general
common sense. If the camera lasted until NOW--hell, consider yourself very lucky and buy a new one.

Oh and...kids in washing machines...love it.

Fred

 

[ywenz]

I'm sure Olympus has statisticians much more brilliant than we are, and concluded that the risk of a high cost lawsuit out-weighs the cost of this recall. They probably also figured that not many people will actually send these crappy cameras back to be fixed.

 

[Jon Goodman]

What is interesting about that article is not that Olympus is doing a recall..but that at least 21 people are using a P&S fim camera that has not been manufactured in over 10 years.

I was at a wedding last weekend, and I noticed no fewer than 3 miniature 35mm cameras in use just in the general area around me and one fairly new SLR--could have been a Rebel or something like that. None of the ones I saw were disposables. All were either Canon, Olympus or some make I couldn't identify. A person sitting across from me at the reception had a well-used XA2 on the table in front of her, and she took about a dozen shots with it before leaving. A man behind me was using what I think was a Canon Sure Shot. The young (20 to 30) set had digital cameras, but the 45-60 crew by and large did not. Don't know that this says anything conclusive, but it is a barometer reading of sorts.
Jon

 

[Trius]

Well for 21 reported incidents with cameras that old, I have to applaud Olympus, whether it's a calculated (cynical) move or not. I remember the original Infinity, which was a great, great little P&S. I sold over 200 of them myself back in the day.

 

[George S.]

Right on the money, Fred.

I wonder why it took until now to have a recall of a camera made in 1989? Surely there must have been problems seen before 2006? And if the problems only recently popped up, does this mean I can get Toyota to fix something on my 1991 Corolla when it breaks? 😀

 

[ClaremontPhoto]

It means that Olympus get to sell new digital cameras to these folks whose film cameras 'have a fault'.

 

[RJBender]

olympus is sweeettt

http://www.rangefinderforum.com/forums/showpost.php?p=159659&postcount=19

Yang,

The smoking Oly is not a digicam.

R.J.

 

[RJBender]

Oh, I think that is a very good question. Unless the repair kit is something very simple, I can not see many people installing it themselves. And even then, I can't imagine how a "do-it-yourself" repair kit could help. Unless it was a hand-held fire extinguisher or a bucket of water into which the hot camera should be dunked.

Jon

A miniature Smokeeter, perhaps?

R.J.

 

[George S.]

I went to the US's Consumer Poduct Safety Commission website and there was a link to Olympus's website, and there it says to call Olympus for instructions on how to send it in for repair, so much for the vision of several thousand people getting zapped by their electronic flashes as they opened up their cameras...

Here's the full lst of models involved in case anyone here has one they want to send in...

The following cameras are affected by this recall:
Infinity Zoom 200
Infinity Zoom 210
Infinity Zoom 220
Infinity Zoom 230
Quantary Infinity Zoom 222
AZ 200
AZ 210
AZ 220
AZ 230
Infinity Twin
AF-1 Twin


Consumers should stop using recalled products immediately unless otherwise instructed. A defect with the flash circuit in these cameras can cause it to smoke and overheat when the camera is turned on. This poses a burn hazard to consumers.

These cameras were sold and distributed by Olympus between January 1989 and December 1995. Approximately 1.2 million units were sold. Olympus America Inc. has received 21 reports of camera or flash circuitry overheating that may be related to this defect in the U.S. with no reports of injuries.

As a result of this recall Olympus is offering a free repair program to owners of the models in question to fix this defect. Consumers should examine the front or top cover of the camera to verify the camera model name.

If you have one of these models please contact Olympus at 1-800-480-1247 between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. ET Monday through Friday for instructions on how to send the camera in for free repair.

 

[Jon Goodman]

I wonder why it took until now to have a recall of a camera made in 1989? Surely there must have been problems seen before 2006? And if the problems only recently popped up, does this mean I can get Toyota to fix something on my 1991 Corolla when it breaks? 😀

Possibly. I don't know about Toyota, but Nissan has an amazing record for continued service and client contact...certainly the best I've encountered. Example: We bought a 1985 Maxima. In 1999 (14 years later) we received a letter from them stating they had noticed the fuel injectors were subject to leakage, and they wanted us to bring it in so they could replace them at their cost. Unfortunately, we had been struck by a person who ran a stoplight a few months before we got that letter, and so we didn't have the car any longer. This was one of about 3 such letters we had received long after the warranty had expired on things they wanted to repair for us.
Jon

 

[George S.]

It's possible the leaky fuel injectors were the cause of engine fires, and, as such, would result in a safety recall of all vehicles still on the road. Manufacturers do these either completely voluntarily, or with the prodding of the US government (NHTSA, CPSC, etc) or sometimes being forced to by those agencies. The original warranty time limit wouldn't apply.

 

[Jon Goodman]

Yes, we considered that may have been the case, but as I said they had already repaired other things out of warranty. One of those things had to do with...well, if you remember that car, it had a voice-like announcement system. It would say things like "right door is open," "left door is open," "lights are on." Sometime around year 8, ours went haywire and started saying things like "you have parsley between your teeth and 5 o'clock shadow," "why are you wearing one blue sock and one brown sock? Is there not a light in your closet?" or, "hey, einstein, you're about to run out of gas. don't you ever look at the gauge?" I threatened its little chips with a large rock and a hot soldering iron, but it didn't seem to get the message. Nissan fixed it. I always thought it had somehow contacted a higher power in Japan and told them the butter had dripped off my noodles.
Jon