Throwback Thursday:

I was so excited by this find. Firstly I love Olympus cameras, secondly, it is an OM-1, thirdly it was less than $20 (without a lens). Luckily I have OM lenses to test it with. So I plonked on a lens and got to loading a film…and that is when I discovered the shutter was jammed shut. Many junk bin cameras are in plastic sealed bags so you can’t do the checks you want to. If I have to be honest, I probably wouldn’t have bought this if I had checked it.

But it was now mine and mine to fix. After a bit of internet searching, I discovered this is a common issue with this camera. I am in Japan and there are Olympus service centres, but I didn’t want to pay for it. So I unscrewed the bottom and had a look. I couldn’t quite figure out what to do, but by carefully pressing a few things I found the right lever and pushed it back into place. Lo and behold the shutter was free, but when I pressed it again, it jammed again. Every time, I unjammed it, it rejammed.

I used lighter fluid to clean it as it evaporated quickly. I then used a non-greasy, light bike chain oil to very lightly lube the relevant parts. Then just kept cocking and pressing the shutter, then pushing it back until it finally went back on its own. I then put the bottom back on and loaded a film. I was so chuffed with this find and fix that I took it to Tokyo and bought a second-hand f1.4 50mm lens to test it with. I can use it on another camera, my OM4 which I also love.

This camera was first manufactured in 1972. It has a light meter that uses the old mercury-based battery, so if you have one you will need to find an adapter or buy an expensive alternative. I have a few other Olympus cameras so I have some adapters. You can use it manually, but I tested this one using the metering system. When you look through the viewfinder there is a + and – with a needle that moves up and down. If it is too low you open the aperture, if it is too high you close it….or change the speed accordingly. When the needle is between the two marks you are good to go. If there isn’t enough light it will still take the shot, it does not lock the shutter.

Ok moment of truth, did it work….

Yes, oh yes it worked. I was so excited by the whole fixing thing that I forgot about the dangling lens cover and it covered the side of a couple of shots, the black part on the right of some photos. But the rest are so sharp. The new lens had a bit of dust, but it didn’t affect the photos.

I loved using this camera so much that I almost gave up all the point-and-shoot cameras right then and there. I have seen this camera for sale in Japan for over $200 so I don’t think I will have an issue selling it. But oh I so want to keep it. I might be tempted to give it to a friend, but not with the new lens, that’s mine.

Look at me fixing cameras 🙂 (That is a big, fat, wide grin and head wobble)