cracked Olympus OM hotshoes

[BetterSense]

I recently got a good deal on an Olympus OM2n, and lo, the hotshoe is cracked. I understand this is a fairly common issue. The hotshoe still works somewhat, but the cracked base compromises its register with the angled pentaprism housing. I very carefully applied some CA adhesive and clamped the crack shut, but I'm not optimistic as to its permanence.

Any tips on fixing cracked OM hotshoes? I'm thinking either a zip-tie or safety wire tied around is the next step.

 

[Ulrich Drolshagen]

The plastic itself is deteriorating. I don't think that there is anything that can be done about it. If you are using flash a lot, get an OM4 instead or better use the flash off the camera with one of these special cables. The top of the camera isn't the best place for a flash anyway.

Ulrich

 

[BetterSense]

What's different about the OM4?

I have a flash bracket, but does TTL flash work with a simple PC socket cable? I think I would need a special cable, eh.

 

[Poisson Du Jour]

What's different about the OM4?

I have a flash bracket, but does TTL flash work with a simple PC socket cable? I think I would need a special cable, eh.

PC connection is "X-sync" and no TTL is available. Olympus did make TTL off-camera cords but they are rare now. I agree with a previous comment about moving up to the OM 4: the flash socket on the OM4 is integral to the pentaprism. On the OM1n, OM2n, it is a separate fiddly, vulnerable and fragile (read: prone to cracking) thing that was the Achilles Heel of the OM1, Om2 series. Cracking was so common in the time when I used the OM1n (later moving to the OM4) that I ordered several flash shoes (at the 1980s price of $25 each) just to keep up, as flash was used a lot for simple portraiture.

If you need to keep the detachable flash shoe operational (when cracking up), it calls for drastic first aid: use SuperGlue in the crack, followed by an all-around Araldite/epoxy 'paint'. Don't get any of the stuff around the knurling ring or underneath where the contact pin is; just enough to cover the crack inside and out. It will probably give a while of service after this.

 

[BetterSense]

If you need to keep the detachable flash shoe operational (when cracking up), it calls for drastic first aid: use SuperGlue in the crack, followed by an all-around Araldite/epoxy 'paint'. Don't get any of the stuff around the knurling ring or underneath where the contact pin is; just enough to cover the crack inside and out. It will probably give a while of service after this.

Ok, I have plenty of epoxy around, and I'd rather keep this hotshoe working if at all possible, since examples of used ones are hard to find and usually cracked too.

 

[Paul Sorensen]

KEH has them without any cracks starting at $27, of course, no idea how long till the new one develops a crack too.