Adapting a Olympus Pen F/FV external meter to a Pen FT

I'm sure someone has already tried this -- and if I'm lucky, they succeeded.

The Olympus Pen F and FV has an optional external meter that attaches to the shutter speed dial. I'd like to attach it to my Pen FT.

I know, the Pen FT made a built-in meter, but it's pretty useless due to the odd Olympus metering number system -- and it's no good if it's dead. That's how I got my Pen FT cheap.

Here's the thing. While the shutter speed dial is the same size -- and in the same location -- on both cameras, the Olympus Pen F and FV shutter speed dial has a small groove / notch on the edge that the meter clamps on to -- see photo. The Pen FT lacks this "groove".

Since I don't have a Pen F or FV, I'm hoping that some Pen F/FT/FV users can shed some light as to its adaptability. Perhaps it's not possible. I can always use the meter by itself, but it seems do-able.

I don't have access to my Pen-FT right now, but I think it also lacks the flange that the meter locks onto.

4season said:

I don't have access to my Pen-FT right now, but I think it also lacks the flange that the meter locks onto.

Click to expand...

The Pen FT lacks this "groove". I need to know the "specs" on this groove on the F & FV -- where is it located, what size is it, etc. -- to see if I can replicate it on my FT.

xkaes said:

I'm sure someone has already tried this -- and if I'm lucky, they succeeded.

The Olympus Pen F and FV has an optional external meter that attaches to the shutter speed dial. I'd like to attach it to my Pen FT.

I know, the Pen FT made a built-in meter, but it's pretty useless due to the odd Olympus metering number system -- and it's no good if it's dead. That's how I got my Pen FT cheap.

Here's the thing. While the shutter speed dial is the same size -- and in the same location -- on both cameras, the Olympus Pen F and FV shutter speed dial has a small groove / notch on the edge that the meter clamps on to -- see photo. The Pen FT lacks this "groove".

Click to expand...

1. The groove/notch is what the external meter uses to turn the shutter speed dial. Without the notch, I believe that you cannot fully attach the meter to the camera.

The FT also lacks the sector wedges (what 4season calls the flange) at the top and bottom of the dial that the light meter uses to secure itself to the body.

2. Lenses made for the FT have an f-stop ring that can be rotated 180 degrees to have either the meter numbers or f-stops on top and visible from above. With the meter numbers up, it is easy to transfer the setting from the internal meter to the f-stop ring.

3. If you can cut the notch into the shutter speed dial of the FT, you can always use rubber bands or double-stick take to secure the meter in place.

4. When the semi-silvered mirror in my FT began to loose its silvering, I removed the meter and replaced the semi-silvered mirror with a full-silvered one. See https://kyp.hauslendale.com/classics/forum/messages/2/15119.html?1637188830 for pictures of the replacement. I now use an external meter (Weston Master) or an iPhone app.

Thinking about the problem overnight, cutting a notch in the FT's shutter speed dial might impinge on the film speed dial that is co-axial with the shutter speed dial. I do not have an F or FV to measure the notch. Looking at the photo in Post #1, however, the F's notch might be shallow enough so as to not impinge on the FT's film speed dial.

Thanks for all the info. As you mention, there are plenty of people that have replaced the FT mirror with a full-silver mirror, so one would think that someone else has tried what I have in mind -- putting an F meter on an FT.

That said, I know I need to modify the FT shutter dial. I need to make a good enough connection so that turning the ring on the meter turned the shutter speed dial on the camera. Perhaps glue will be needed, but that would not be a problem -- if necessary.

I really don't care about its impact any modification might have on the FT's ISO mechanism, since I won't be using the FT's meter. What I need to know is the size of the notch on the Pen F shutter speed dial -- and it's exact location. It's undoubtedly next to a specific shutter speed, a certain depth, etc. I suppose I could always buy a Pen F, take the measurements myself, and sell it when I'm done. I'm just trying to avoid that.

And if I can get it to work, I might even replace the original mirror as well -- and I suspect other Pen FT users would be interested. There are no shortage of Pen F meters out there, and since they are CdS-based, they still work.

I have both, Pen F and PenFT, in pieces. I can make photos and measurements of Pen F shutter dial, if you want.

Swapping Pen FT dial with that of to Pen F won't work and I really see no easy way to add two tabs to the Pen FT dial.




Edit: OK, I just tried it and if you fix F dial to FT with only one screw (the second hole on F shutter dial casing does not align with the hole on FT body) it does not feel too bad. Of course, operating shutter dial and putting the meter on and off might put too much force on one lone screw so it could fail with time?

Mike Eckman has a picture (https://www.mikeeckman.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/OlympusPenF-14.jpg) that shows the notch aligned with the B setting on the shutter speed dial.

The Pen F manual on Mike Butkus’s cameramanuals.org (https://www.cameramanuals.org/olympus_pdf/olympus_pen_f.pdf) also shows it aligned with B.

Thanks for the links. I guess the B setting makes sense. The instructions point out that the B setting is the one speed you can't take readings at. From the picture, I'll be able to determine the width & depth. I've got a dead Pen F meter to use as a guinea pig. It will be able to tell me if attaching is do-able.
I'll keep you posted.
I can't find anything about this obvious adaptation on the web -- which amazes me.

You will also need to figure out how to secure the meter to the camera (see my point #4 in post #4), as the FT’s shutter speed dial does not have the breech-lock tabs.

Yes, upon further review, even though the shutters speed dials are the same size, the FT dial lacks those two "bayonet tabs" (top & bottom in the first photo) that hold the meter against the camera body. Making those is an obstacle -- gluing the meter to the camera might be possible, but not desirable.

Another problem for me is that I use an Olympus lens adapter, and most of the full-frame lenses that I want to use are too wide to accommodate the meter, anyway!!!