Olympus - omG Mirror lock

[Síle]

I have an Olympus omG that I absolutely love but it's suffering from a locked up mirror. I originally thought it could be a worn out battery seizing it up, but after replacing them, it still won't budge. I have fiddled with it somewhat, but am afraid of applying too much brute force and doing some serious damage.

Is there something simple with these cameras that I'm missing? Or am I looking at seeking professional help for this?

Any advice or recommendations anyone could give me would be greatly appreciated. Thank you.

 

[MattKing]

Sile:

Check the self-timer to see if it is partially engaged, then pull out and re-insert the batteries.

Edit: The manual indicates that the mirror will lock up if you set the camera to "Battery Check" and then release the shutter. The manual suggests that turning the dial to "Auto" will release the mirror.

In case you don't have it, here is the link to the manual:

http://olympus.dementia.org/eSIF/om-sif/bodygroup/manuals/om20.pdf

Matt

 

[Síle]

Matt you're a genius and a life saver! I followed your instructions, and now it's working perfectly! Thank you so much! I had this awful feeling that it was going to be terminal, and cannot believe it was fixed so easily!
I honestly cannot thank you enough.. I owe you one!

 

[MattKing]

Sile:

Your thanks is more than enough - glad everything is fine!

Matt

 

[mudman]

I'm glad you figured it out. Funny thing though - I read the omG as oh my god.

 

[MattKing]

I'm glad you figured it out. Funny thing though - I read the omG as oh my god.

Considering what I paid for my two OMGs, and how good they are, maybe you are right .

Matt

 

[Síle]

I'm glad you figured it out. Funny thing though - I read the omG as oh my god.

Trust me.. when it happened to me first that sentiment was similar to the one that went through my mind..
What I muttered out loud however was slightly less gentle a phrase...
Matt I also meant to thank you for the manual, I actually didn't have the link before and it's proved very useful already, thanks again.

 

[Vanishing Point Ent.]

Having an OMG moment.

When you use an Olympus OMG, do you get an OMG moment ?

 

[John Hermanson]

If the mirror was locked due to weak / dead batteries, it would fire asa soon as the battery cap was tightened down on good replacements. Sounds like a broken trigger switch or bad mirror magnet. John, www.zuiko.com