Too much to hope for - Oly 35 ED!

[jesse1dog]

So what did I really expect to get for £2.70 (US$5.25) ?

Well I have an Olympus 35 ED.

At present it doesn't seem to work - should that be a surprise?

The self-timer lever is fully depressed.
The shutter seems to be cocked.

Should the shutter do anything when pressed - there are no batteries in place.
I ask because the shutter seems to be the same as the 35 EC which whirls but doesn't open the blades when the button is pressed.

So I suppose there isn't anyone else out there with a 35 ED who can help is there?

Or - has anyone else any constructive and helpful ideas.

jesse

 

[shadowfox]

I jiggled the self-timer on a 35 DC (like ED but with faster lens) before and that unstuck the shutter release.

CAUTION: I've been warned many times that messing with the self-timer lever will further jam the shutter, so try at your own risk 🙂

 

[zuikologist]

I think the DC and EC need batteries to operate the shutter.

 

[ColinW]

Spooky!

Spooky!

Jesse1dog,

Well I can definitely help you here. I got an ED two weeks ago and it had the same problems; shutter not releasing, wouldn't wind on and the self timer was 90 degrees to what it should be and loose.

So using a tip I read on one of the threads here, I placed two of my hearing aid batteries (one benefit of me being deaf 🙂) into one chamber, and wadded the other chamber with silver foil (courtesy of a mint Viscount). As soon as I closed the battery compartment it whirred into life, the self timer lever returned to the right postion, the shutter clicked and I was able to wind on and snap away. 😀

Once the batteries are removed you can't fire the shutter or wind on (or you can only do it once), and someone has probably pushed down the self timer and it can't return with no power.

I was lucky enough to get a manual with mine but there is an electronic copy of one here:

http://mikec62.tripod.com/manuals.html

Have fun!

 

[petronius]

Colin, thanks for the link to the manual.
My ED is in working condition, but the one thing i did was to remove the self timer lever because I tend to activate it accidently when lifting the camera.
I´m working my ED with two LR44 batteries and fill the space in the chambers with homemade brass springs.

 

[jesse1dog]

Progress!

Progress!

ColinW

Haven't quite got to the hearing aid stage but have a supply at hand.
Did as you suggested but still nothing happened.

Then had another look at the battery compartment.
One contact wasn't as clean as the other even though I had 'had a go' at both. So did another cleaning job. Then looked at the battery cover again. It really is a cheap solution and I suppose it must have been worthwhile fitting a sliding plastic cover instead of the 'usual' screw fixed plate. I decided that as the batteries were not too good a fit contact was being lost as the plastic cover was closed.

A flash of sanity suddenly came over me! My wife says that's unusual!

I have an 35ECR with 'proper' batteries - and the ECR works.
Removed batteries and fitted them into the 35ED.
Camera came to life - the self timer gradually returned to vertical, and something clicked! Opened camera back, cocked shutter, fired and saw daylight through the open blades. So at least something works!
Tried again and the camera still 'works' although the battery light didn't come on - not too worried about that.

Odd that you found the self timer lever loose - so is mine and yet it seems screwed on well enough. It seems to be spring loaded somewhere but I haven't removed it to have a look.

Before I do a 'field' trial with the camera I'm redoing the seals. This is proving to be the most difficult of all sets I have done. Goodness knows how they have been stuck in but all the usual solvents are making very little impression.
This is no 'one hour' job!

As I have a 35ECR, 35EC, and now a 35ED thought I might get one 'proper' sized set of batteries and fit them into whichever camera I want to use at any time. I'm very unlikely to want to use two at once.

Thanks for everyone's interest.

jesse