Buying an untested Olympus Mju II

Thomas Keidan · Nov 24, 2017

Hi everyone,

i'm about to buy an untested olympus mju ii. The owner of the camera said it has been sitting around for a few years. It has the original box and looks incredibly well looked after and is in near perfect cosmetic condition. Is there anything i should ask/look out for before i take the plunge? Is the MJU II a reliable camera or does it have a few problems I should know about?

Thanks

AgX · Nov 24, 2017

Buy that camera local. So you can check basically.

I never paid more than 3€ for a sample locally. And thus even dared a gamble.

pentaxuser · Nov 25, 2017

Ask the current owner if it worked before it sat around for a few years. If it was in working order before then there is no reason it shouldn't work now. Get the owner to confirm that the battery was removed when it was put away. If it has stayed in the camera ask that he removes it and can confirm that it hasn't leaked in the case.

My MjuII sat around for a few years until I used it again a few weeks ago. Everything was fine. Have a look at the threads on Photrio on the MjuII unless you already know all its pluses and minuses.

pentaxuser

Thomas Keidan · Nov 25, 2017

pentaxuser said:
Ask the current owner if it worked before it sat around for a few years. If it was in working order before then there is no reason it shouldn't work now. Get the owner to confirm that the battery was removed when it was put away. If it has stayed in the camera ask that he removes it and can confirm that it hasn't leaked in the case.

My MjuII sat around for a few years until I used it again a few weeks ago. Everything was fine. Have a look at the threads on Photrio on the MjuII unless you already know all its pluses and minuses.

pentaxuser

Thanks it has been tested with a battery and fires up perfectly. The battery has also been removed so it's not been sat around with a battery in it... this I did confirm. I also asked the owner to check the battery terminal for corrosion and non was present. Owner has also inspected lens with a loupe and it is clean and clear. I think i could be onto a real bargain here as it looks to be in perfect condition cosmetically. I have read a few horror stories about the camera not recognising film etc. and the lens getting stuck when switching the camera on but i'm hoping I can avoid this! Thanks for all your help!

pentaxuser · Nov 25, 2017

I have never experienced any issue with a stuck lens. As you may know the camera reads the cassette's box speed and there is no way of setting the film's speed to another speed except by altering the coding on the cassette. If it cannot read the coding then the default is 100 ISA so if it's a 400 speed film which the camera cannot read such as cases where its bulk roll film or Foma film(see below) then the worst case is that you overexpose by two stops - not a disaster. The main problem arises with bulk roll film where the cassettes will not have any coding. You can use factory cassettes which have had their film processed or buy stick-on codes for re-usable cassettes.

There is no way to attach threaded filters to the lens for B&W and because the lens focuses by moving out to the correct position, holding a filter over the lens is problematic. You could buy resin filters and cut them to the size of the lens and carefully stick them on with blu-tac but frankly this will be a bit of a "faff".

It is said that Foma films will give some cloud rendition when you have white clouds in blue skies without a yellow filter so this might be worth a try. However Foma cassettes are not coded so you are back to attaching code stickers

The camera has a built-in flash so great for people shots indoors if the light is poor or people shots outdoors if fill-in flash is needed such as when you take a portrait style shot against the light when the face is in shadow. The flash is auto unless you switch it off but once you close the lens cover each time, you have to switch the flash off again.

The lens quality is superb and close focus is possible.

pentaxuser

removed account4 · Nov 25, 2017

buy it with a money back guarantee if the person wants more than a cup of coffee for it ..
put a roll of film through it, and see if it works. there is really only a couple of modes for this
camera, auto timer, flash fill, auto flash, no flash and "red eye"
and the focus .. so stick a roll of film through it, get it processed locally
and look to see if it is camera error or user error .. if it s camera error get your cup of coffee back
and if it is user error enjoy the camera ! if you find a T4 rather than a olympic epic stylus grab that ..
zeiss lens sweet camera ..
good luck !

pentaxuser · Nov 25, 2017

I think that a MjuII in good condition based on prices in the U.K. where the OP is, might be slightly more expensive( I am using the famous British understatement here) than a cup of coffee.

pentaxuser

Thomas Keidan · Nov 25, 2017

pentaxuser said:
I have never experienced any issue with a stuck lens. As you may know the camera reads the cassette's box speed and there is no way of setting the film's speed to another speed except by altering the coding on the cassette. If it cannot read the coding then the default is 100 ISA so if it's a 400 speed film which the camera cannot read such as cases where its bulk roll film or Foma film(see below) then the worst case is that you overexpose by two stops - not a disaster. The main problem arises with bulk roll film where the cassettes will not have any coding. You can use factory cassettes which have had their film processed or buy stick-on codes for re-usable cassettes.

There is no way to attach threaded filters to the lens for B&W and because the lens focuses by moving out to the correct position, holding a filter over the lens is problematic. You could buy resin filters and cut them to the size of the lens and carefully stick them on with blu-tac but frankly this will be a bit of a "faff".

It is said that Foma films will give some cloud rendition when you have white clouds in blue skies without a yellow filter so this might be worth a try. However Foma cassettes are not coded so you are back to attaching code stickers

The camera has a built-in flash so great for people shots indoors if the light is poor or people shots outdoors if fill-in flash is needed such as when you take a portrait style shot against the light when the face is in shadow. The flash is auto unless you switch it off but once you close the lens cover each time, you have to switch the flash off again.

The lens quality is superb and close focus is possible.

pentaxuser

Thanks for getting back to me, I’m not too worried about the coding issue as I believe most film is coded these days! Also I’ve just paid via PayPal so I’ve got a money back guarantee if anything goes wrong. The guy I’m buying from is also happy if I return it. He’s from another forum and has great feedback. He’s even chucking a couple of rolls of film in for me to test it out with as he has not done so. So I’m feeling confident and lucky as I managed to get it much lower than current selling price... plus this version has original instructions and box and case!

pentaxuser · Nov 26, 2017

Sounds like a good buy. Show us your pictures once you get them processed. In a crowded place and with the flash in the "off" position this has to be one of the most unobtrusive cameras in the market.

pentaxuser

Buying an untested Olympus Mju II

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