I just picked up a beautiful OM-1 from evilbay that was advertised as a
parts/as-is camera complete with a Soligor CD 35-70 F2.5-3.5 zoom. I
thought I'd take a chance on a modest bid and won it. The OM-1 has a
malady which causes the shutter to fire as soon as the camera is wound.
I have noticed that the mirror is being raised while the camera is
winding. It seems to me that the mirror release lever may be stuck in
the released position. This allows the mirror to be raised while
winding and then the mirror releases the shutter when fully raised.
First of all, is the diagnosis of the fundamental problem likely correct
or have I missed it althogether? Secondly, is this a remove the mirror
box problem or might I be able to free it by some judicious squirting of
lighter fluid and, even if so, will I remove some necessary lube in the
process?
The reason I suspect some simple sticking is that the camera is so
nearly pristine that it can't ever have been used very much. It is the
only totally unbrassed OM-1 that I have ever seen except for my own
original OM-1 when it was brand new in the mid 70's. Well, almost. It
does have a slight burnish mark just above the right strap lug and a 3mm
long hairline scratch on the edge of the back. Just to assure myself of
its condition I also removed the bottom plate. It's just as pristine on
the inside as on the outside.
The Soligor lens is also an interesting case. It is also cosmetically
very pristine with no scratches or brassing. However, looking through
the front of the lens one sees what I first took to be fungus or element
separation until I looked more closely. Around the perimeter of the
first few elements one can see a bubbled, frosty pattern that makes it
look as though the glass is glued into black retaining rings and that
there are voids between the glass and retaining rings. As I said, I
first took this to be something awful like fungus until I realized that
the pattern is perfectly circular and exactly the same width around the
full perimeter of the lens. Also, you only see it by looking through
the glass from one side to the other. If you place your eye in the
position of a light beam entering at the edge of the field you cannot
see the "bubbling". In other words, the film doesn't see it either.
Perhaps what I'm seeing is the actual edges of the lens elements. But
it does look a bit strange. None of my other lenses exhibit anything
like the look of this glass. Anybody familiar with this lens? Anybody
care to comment, familiar or not?
Thanks,
Chuck Norcutt
Woburn, Massachusetts, USA
< This message was delivered via the Olympus Mailing List >
< For questions, mailto:owner-olympus@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx >
< Web Page: http://Zuiko.sls.bc.ca/swright/olympuslist.html >
|