For various reasons, it is very common to get mirror lock even with good
batteries. A dirty trigger or magnet can cause this problem (amongst
5-6 other reasons).
John
Peter A. Klein wrote:
>
> I haven't used my OM-2 for about a month (a plain OM-2, not 2n or 2s).
> Today was a rarity--a sunny day in Seattle. Temperature in the mid-40s
> Farenheit. I decided to use the late afternoon light to check the focusing
> accuracy of my lenses. So I extended a tape measure on the back patio, set
> the OM-2 on a tripod, focused, and took my first shot. I used the
> self-timer, and the exposure meter showed 1/1000 at f/2.8.
>
> I heard a very soft click, much softer than usual. The film wouldn't
> advance. The lens was still stopped down. I took off the lens and found
> the mirror was locked up. So I moved the shutter speed dial to "B" to
> reset the mirror. Nothing happened.
>
> OK, I thought, dead batteries. But the LED lit brightly and steadily when
> I put the switch on "Test." And the meter had worked when I metered the
> scene.
>
> So I checked the batteries with my digital volt meter. They were Panasonic
> SR-44. Each read 1.573 volts. Hmmm. That *should* be OK, but it's with
> no load. The repairman from whom I bought the camera last October put them
> in. Maybe they weren't fresh. I put the batteries back in the camera.
> Switched to "B" again. Nothing. Repeated this several times, with the
> Manual-Off-Auto-Test switch in various positions. Rewound and removed the
> film. Tried again. Still nothing.
>
> I left the old batteries in the camera, went to the store and bought two
> new batteries. These were Eveready EPX-76, silver oxide. They tested at
> 1.627 and 1.629 volts. Since they were fresh, and they read higher than
> the old batteries, maybe the old ones were marginal under load. Or maybe
> different brands have different no-load voltages, or the old batteries were
> alkaline. Anyway, it was worth a try.
>
> So I put the new batteries in the camera, and switched to "B." Nothing.
> Mirror still locked up. Tried it with the switch in various positions.
> Nothing. I kept trying for about a minute--maybe less.
>
> Then I switched to "B" one last time, and "kerthwap!," the mirror came
> down, and the camera worked perfectly. All shutter speeds sounded correct.
> Several times, I removed the batteries and fired the shutter so the mirror
> would lock up again. Each time, the mirror came back down the instant I
> switched to "B." I couldn't get the camera to fail again.
>
> Now everything is working fine. But I don't completely understand what
> happened.
>
> 1. Do I have an intermittent problem in my camera, or were my batteries
> just borderline and being out in the cold pushed them over the edge?
>
> 2. Does anybody know what the no-load battery voltages are for good,
> marginal and "won't work" in an OM-2?
>
> 3. Were my old Panasonic SR-44 batteries were alkaline, not silver oxide,
> and could this account for the lower no-load voltage and the rather short
> life?
>
> 4. What could cause the mirror to stay up when I switched to "B?" Isn't
> this a mechanical reset that's independent of batteries? Or can some
> electronic component get "glitched" by a low voltage, and needs time to
> drain before it allows the camera to work properly again?
>
> 5. If this happens again, is there any trick I can try (like removing the
> batteries and shorting the terminals)?
>
> --- Peter
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