Olympus Stylus Epic - 'E' = Dead?

[MikeAUS]

Just bought a very nice Olympus MJU II. Shot 2 rolls without incident. Not that pleased with the results. However, turn on the camera now, it attempts to' poke' out the lens but it seems to be stuck somehow. Just makes a pathetic click click noise. Tried a new battery, loaded a film ok. Just sits there flashing 'E' at me.
Is this one dead? I'm not into take apart or handy man type stuff.
Thanks all.

 

[btgc]

"E" with loaded film means trouble. I'd try with another roll (maybe this one is stuck, too tight, etc) but if it doesn't goes away, get ready for replacement Epic. Or Mju.

Many non-Olympus repairmen don't want to engage with Mju/Epic. Densely packed miniaturized parts, not a common camera to work on.

 

[MikeAUS]

Damn. Looks like a dead camera. I won't bother getting another one. I really like the size but they seem too flimsy and are getting too expensive now. I have a Yashica T5D - but its a lot bigger. Ideally I would like a Contax T3 🙂

 

[MikeAUS]

Olympus Mju ii - Price Rising?

Olympus Mju ii - Price Rising?

I won't bother getting another one.

OK I lied 🙂
I have been bidding on the bay with no success on Olympus Mju ii for 6 months. Kept kidding myself that my $55 limit would net a nice one!
Oh well, just picked up a mint black one for $75. Way more than I would have liked but it looks like the price is only going up for these ... 😱

 

[btgc]

Didn't it cost $100 when new??

Over time I've discovered there are tons of very very decent P&S's for $5 or so. Mju is just very compact and weathersealed, if that matters.

 

[David Hughes]

Didn't it cost $100 when new??

Over time I've discovered there are tons of very very decent P&S's for $5 or so. Mju is just very compact and weathersealed, if that matters.

That f/2·8 lens is not exactly par for the course... But, as you say, there's a lot you can pick up for a lot less than the price of a cup of boring, popular coffee on a motorway.

Just my 2d worth.

Regards, David

 

[btgc]

That f/2·8 lens is not exactly par for the course...

I still have Mju, repaired it myself because it were my first decent camera.
Though for a lot cheaper (coffe, as you say) I've got compacts with 5-element lenses and better controls.

But Mju 35/2.8 definitely is worth spent money, as long it's not way too much. I paid for mine $200 locally in shop, that's before I discovered eBay. No regrets at all.

 

[wolfpeterson]

i've got an Infinity Stylus, and I'm not sure I like it that much... waiting for my GR1s to come back from CRIS cam.

If anyone lives in Montreal, I saw a good condition silver Stylus epic for CAD $30 at ABC filmworks (don't try to google it, this place exists on no map). At the corner of mont-royal and st-urbain.

Or if anyone wants to commission me to buy and ship it, I will do it for a modest fee. 😀

 

[Hibbs]

I have an original EPIC Stylus w/ the 3.5 lens. I think (new) it was $130.

Last year at a camera show, I bought the 2.8 version for $10 Canadian.

 

[Michael Markey]

I use my Mju more than Pany digi p/s.
I`m always surprised what that little 2.8 can do .
Up until recently Ffordes in the UK had about ten or twelve for sale.
All new old stock.

 

[RFH]

Don't give up on the Mju experience! Just be patient and you'll find a cheap one at a thrift shop or whatever. Mine was $4 still in the box. Get the Mju I version with the 2.8 28mm lens. That's the best one. I'm very impressed with the flash snapshots I get at parties, and I'm not a flash type of guy in the first place.
Also, in the affordable P&S category, I can highly recommend the Ricoh R1. But that's for another thread...

 

[btgc]

Get the Mju I version with the 2.8 28mm lens. That's the best one.

I don't think there were Mju (I or II) with 28/2.8 lens. Probably zoom models had 28mm at wide end, but none of such aperture.

 

[Greyscale]

I like the mju 3.5 mostly for its size, true pocket-size, but for a street shooter, I find myself reaching more often for the Nikon AW35 (Sport Touch) that I paid much less for than I did the mju, much quieter autowind, and a lot more robust than the Oly. If you see one of these at a garage (or boot?) sale, don't hesitate to pick it up.

 

[Harlee]

When one of my P&S cameras quits working for me, rather than take it apart to repair, I've often found that some of the electrical contacts are not making good contact. Now you may think me crazy, but since the camera isn't working, I've sprayed a tiny bit of contact cleaner down around the shutter button, or anywhere else that it can get down into the electrical mechanism, and believe it or not, it's brought them back to life. One such was a small but nice Konica AF 38-135 lens with a pop up flash that went completely dead. I sprayed a bit of contact cleaner down around the shutter button, swabbed out the battery chanber is a Q-tip and contact cleaner, especially the battery contacts, placed a new battery in it and it started to do funny things, but the more I turned it on and off, the better it started to perform, until, it turned on and off with the lens popping out and the flash popping up. I kept it for several years when I finally got rid of it. I found that changing batteries isn't always the problem, but the battery contacts are, especially here in Florida where we have a lot of humidity. So, don't throw the camera out, give it a bit of lube, clean off the contacts, including the battery terminals - you have nothing to lose but a lot to gain.

 

[PMCC]

Scarlett,

In the U.S., the plain black Stylus Epic with 35/2.8 was $79.95 new: http://antiquecameras.net/olympusstylusepic.html

Pedro.

P.S. I thought you were a Leica M6 fan (as in Vicky Cristina Barcelona)?

 

[Frank Petronio]

The 35/3.5 original version is quite a bargain, I've bought four in the past year, all between $11 to $19 shipped. I think they're just as good as the 2.8 in use. I've given a couple away to friends.

 

[David Hughes]

The µ-I and µ-II can be found quite often and usually cheaply. My policy, nowadays, is to buy the best looking one as cheaply as possible and get it checked and overhauled. A cassette of film plus D&P is a lot more than an estimate locally.

I had one once that was dirt cheap, "mint" and in its box with all the paperwork, instruction manuals, case and a remote. The paperwork showed it had been bought at an airport shop miles from here. I guess it was bought for a holiday and used just the once. Alas, I had to sell it to finance the M2's servicing etc. Luckily I've a bashed and battered old one too.

Regards, David

 

[pvdhaar]

I've had the flashing 'E' problem on a MjuII as well. In my case, it turned out that when I had used a pencil to press the rewind button on the back, the tip of the pencil had broken off and was lodged between button and back. After removing it, it worked fine again.

Not sure whether your problem is the same, but it's worth it to check that nothing is blocking any buttons nor keeping the lens from extending entirely..

 

[MikeAUS]

Not sure whether your problem is the same, but it's worth it to check that nothing is blocking any buttons nor keeping the lens from extending entirely..

Thanks for the tip. I just checked it again. It rewinds if you activate the rewind button, but it still flashes 'E' and the lens doesn't seem to work when you open it. My new one will be here soon and I will then bin this one !
Good luck finding a mint black mjuii for less than $50 at auction, it doesn't happen ...

 

[Ronald_H]

Bought one new 10 years ago. Boy did I use it! I actually still do, but bought a second one for 10E recently, just in case. I wouldn't want to do without it, it's the fastest, most foolproof snapshot camera I have ever used. Period.