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Help - Olympus OM2 users

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Dan Dozer

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Dec 10, 2004
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So - I just "inherited" an Olympus OM2S Program camera kit and I'm having problems getting it up an running. I think there is a piece missing in the battery compartment. I bought a replacement battery (the 357), but the compartment is deeper than the battery is and the battery is loose in the compartment. At the bottom of the compartment, there is a little spring that makes contact with the battery. The compartment cover is just a very thin screw in piece and I wonder if there is something missing on the bottom of it that takes up the space to the battery.

Any advice guys?
 
This is going to be the simplest solution to a problem I've ever contributed to.

The camera takes two batteries, not one.

:D

In case you don't have it, here is a link to the manual: http://www.olympusamerica.com/files/oima_cckb/om_2s.pdf

Hope you enjoy your camera. I've liked mine since I bought it new a year or so after it was introduced.
 
Dan Dozer has the OM2s which I am not familiar with. It's quite different from the OM2 and OM2n.
 
All OM-2's take two batteries, same as the OM-4's.The OM-2s is an OM-2n with spot metering.
 
Rick A...

And you sent me a pack of three.

I'm already on the third set of replacements but I knew that going in (that your OM-4 had the old battery draining circuit board).

Dan Dozer, I would make sure your OM-2 has good battery life performance before investing in any lithium batteries.

There's a couple articles on the batteries in this Popular Photography issue.

On page 76, I imagine it's the OM-4 the "users and repair technicians reported" would "cease functioning after a few rolls".

https://books.google.com/books?id=r...uoMKHaFlDVUQ6AEINjAD#v=onepage&q=2L76&f=false
 
Bill Burk said:
Rick A...

And you sent me a pack of three.

I'm already on the third set of replacements but I knew that going in (that your OM-4 had the old battery draining circuit board).

Dan Dozer, I would make sure your OM-2 has good battery life performance before investing in any lithium batteries.

There's a couple articles on the batteries in this Popular Photography issue.

On page 76, I imagine it's the OM-4 the "users and repair technicians reported" would "cease functioning after a few rolls".

https://books.google.com/books?id=r...uoMKHaFlDVUQ6AEINjAD#v=onepage&q=2L76&f=false
Click to expand...


Bill, when I first bought that camera(1985) it didn't have an issue with battery drain, at least I never thought so. I used that gem daily, and probably swapped batteries a couple of times a year until it needed serviced due to grease hardening and sitting on the shelf for a couple of years. When I got it back from Zuiko John it still didn't seem terribly bad, but then I only ran a couple of rolls through it and never stored it with the batteries in it. One of the first things I did after purchase, was turn off the audible battery check, and learned to put it away with it switched to manual 1/60, which supposedly turns off the circuitry.
 
If memory serves turning it to 1/60 to save the battery is an old wives tale. I also endorse the silver cells over lithium, and remove them when not using the camera.
 
thuggins said:
If memory serves turning it to 1/60 to save the battery is an old wives tale. I also endorse the silver cells over lithium, and remove them when not using the camera.
Click to expand...

It has to be the red mechanical 60 or B. I think B might be a better choice because you can't mistakenly think things are going right. Yesterday I was shooting Rick A's OM-4 and had a difficult lighting situation. I walked to the stage. Spotmetered carefully and selected f/stop and shutter speed. Set them and then went back to watch my kids perform taking pictures at opportune moments.

At the next stage of their day they were doing "sight reading" and I had to recheck lighting. I noticed I had left the camera in automatic which means I ruined those shots from before. (I was shooting color negative so the overexposure will not hurt - exposure wise... but blur could have happened).
 
Tim is about right. On the -2SP/-4 and 40 leaving the shutter on the red (mechanical) 1/60 or B doesn't prevent batteries to be drained.
Still the -2SP is a fantastic camera and still fetches about £80-100 here.
 
It perplexes me how Olympus let it get through testing without seeing & fixing the battery drain problem as for me it really lets the camera down. As nice as it shoots I rarely use my OM2 SP because of the hassle of remembering to take the batteries out if I am leaving it idle for a few days & it was instrumental in the decision to get an OM1 to largely replace it. Just not used to having to work that way with all my other SLR's, although the Bronica I got last year has the same drain the battery trait.
 
My new SP with SR44 would only need new batteries after six months or so.
Age may not have improved the residual current in some.
A set in a OM2 should last years if you keep it switched off.
 
Or fit a simple on /off switch .I don't know why anyone hasn't come up with this before .
 
I've had occasional problems with my OM2SP when out taking photos and found that opening up the battery compartment and then closing it again sometimes got it to start working again. Maybe there is something about the connection in mine which is loose. Just mentioning that as a short term fix.

I have an OM1 with an upgraded battery now which I prefer to use.
 
colin wells said:
Or fit a simple on /off switch .I don't know why anyone hasn't come up with this before .
Click to expand...

If you've looked inside one, there is very little space for anything in there. Also, the wiring required would need to go somewhere.
 
colin wells said:
Or fit a simple on /off switch .I don't know why anyone hasn't come up with this before .
Click to expand...
It was intentionally omitted.

The camera was designed to provide automatic exposure even for the most hastily taken "grab" shot. That required a meter that was essentially always "on".

I've never had anything less than several months service from a single set of batteries.
 
The OM-4/-4Ti/-3/-3Ti/-2SP and 40 all had a switch off timer.
The thing is it would switch off only after 2 minutes.

On the earlier -2 and -2N there was an OFF position on the main switch.
Even on OFF, the meter would work in AUTO if one pressed the shutter release, but no indication on the viewfinder.
On the OFF position the shutter would work automatically between 1/30th and 1/1000th according with light and aperture used.
The meter still uses the OTF 2 blue cells in the film chamber.
If light was not enough for a 1/30th exposure, the shutter would fire at that speed resulting in a under-exposed picture.
I normally use my -2 and -2N in the OFF. I only switch it to AUTO to check for meter indications.
 
I am currently looking for a scrap OM2sp to take apart and see how viable a on/off switch would be .
 
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