OM-10 troubles

David Lyga · Oct 27, 2014

I have seen this enough to warrant a discrete thread on the topic: early deaths of Olympus OM-10.

For some reason so many simply stop working. I have one in pristine condition. I worked beautifully until today. Then, it died. The meter continues to work but there is NO other reaction: no beep on check, no self-timer indicator light, nothing but the meter, which works perfectly.

The 'death' came about abruptly: I pressed the shutter and the mirror went up half-way, seemingly indicating that there were no batteries in the camera. I used all functions: bulb, auto, and, since I have a manual adapter, various shutter speeds. Nothing for my trouble. The batteries test as excellent. The meter LED works perfectly. The first time it hung up was about two hours ago: at that time I fiddled around with it and, then it finally fired after about one minute. Now, it does not even to that. I am wondering if there is a 'timer delay chip' which malfunctioned.

Too many times I have seen this happen with the OM-10. Why? - David Lyga

Rick A · Oct 27, 2014

I purchased a pair of them, way back when first released on the trusting public, they died in less than a year. Having one last this many years later is amazing. They have plastic internals and cheesy circuit boards. Give it a fitting funeral and pick up an OM-1 or 2.

David Lyga · Oct 27, 2014

They are really junk and I am happy you said so, Rick, (so that I will not remain ignominious.)

Why so cheaply built remains an enigma, especially in light of the cult following that worships Mount Olympia and Maitani, the originator. I could never understand that cult, from its starting point back in the 70s. Simply because they were 'cute' and 'small' and appealed to women was not reason enough for me. Even the OM-1 and 2, though good cameras, are not GREAT cameras, even among the mass markeing cadre. Of course, the lens quality stands up to anything.

As far as I am concerned, the highpoint for Olympus was the SP rangefinder, comparable to any, including Leica. - David Lyga

Xmas · Oct 27, 2014

The normal problem is the electromagnet in any of the battery dependent cameras.

But if the mirror has not hit the foam bumper there may be merely to much friction on the mirror pivots.

One of my OM4 will only work after a day on shelf if the first frame is fired up side down.

You need some one who is practical cause they don't need an aerosol of lube or sharp bang on table...

Noel

Rick A · Oct 27, 2014

My first OM-1 took a physical beating, it hung from my neck through some brutal ordeals. Most of my lenses had uv filters screwed to them, and almost all had serious damage to the filters from smashing into the steering wheel of my jeep. I never babied the bastard, and it lived for nearly 15 years before giving up. I probably should have had it cla'd, but tossed it and replaced it with an OM-4. That was in 1985, and I still shoot the 4(tho not nearly as much as I should) I have an OM-1, 2 and the 4 fitted with winders and ready to shoot at a moments notice. I just haven't been shooting more than a couple of rolls of 35mm a year, was shooting loads of 120(until my beloved Mamiya 6 was stolen in Aug,)and I primarily shoot my 4x5 these days. Bottom line is OM single digit cameras will endure misuse and do it well.
OM-10's were brought out to compete with the frenzied hype of "do it all for you" cameras every other company was foisting on the public in the days of designed obsolescence and consumerism.

mgb74 · Oct 27, 2014

Before the funeral, consider an organ transplant as the prism can be used to repair the OM-1 and 2 prisms.

Truzi · Oct 27, 2014

:munch:

Ricardo Miranda · Oct 27, 2014

David,
Have you changed batteries? I know it is stating the obvious, but any cheap LR44 will work on the OM10. The trouble is they dye slowly and the check functions might still be ok, but there's not enough juice to power the shutter.

Another thing you might check is the state of the electromagnet.
see this for a repair of the electromagnet: http://www.instructables.com/id/Oly...-the-electromagnet-and-soak-it-with-pure-alc/
And: Dead Link Removed
To check if the electromagnet is ok, try to lift very gently the mirror. If it hits a stop about halfway up, then it is fine.
See his link for more info on the OM cameras. the repair manual is also here: http://olympus.dementix.org/
And say a big thank you to Xmas for the link to the dementix site. It was him who gave me that link.

Rick A,
The OM10 is a fine camera provided you don't abuse them.
But, the early production batches suffer from electromagnet problems. That was fixed in later years.
Yes, they have a bit more plastics than the -1 or -2, but Xmas can tell you that all OM have a spacer that is plastic and that one can break.
I just got new seals on my OM10 and OMG/OM20 done.
I like the OM10 as you don't need to turn the camera on for it to work, just like the -2, but lighter due to the plastics. But, not that much lighter. The wind on mechanism, which is said to have a few more gears in plastic is as smooth as on my OM-1N or the OM-2N.

Rick A · Oct 27, 2014

Olympus admitted the original design was "haphazzard" and corrected the issues when they produced the "G" model. The 10 was always intended for the entry level shooter who wanted to appear pro, and included features that were innovative, but not fully thought out. The use of light weight plastic internals was a poor idea at best. The ability to utilize the brands winders and lenses was the only redeeming quality. These were dumped on the market for a whopping $99.95 including a 50/1.8 Zuiko and depending on which batch you bought from, included the manual adapter.

MattKing · Oct 27, 2014

David:

After 40 or so years, you too might not work as well as when new

The OM-10 was designed to be light, and for fairly light duty.

And to function with all of the high level lenses and many of the accessories as well (when required).

The OM-G/20 is a better version, but a lot of people started their long term connection with the OM system with an OM-10.

grahamp · Oct 27, 2014

The circuit boards in the OM-10 do fail. If you have a Manual Adapter you may still get a 1/60th even if the rest of the camera is dead, but unlike the OM-2 there is no pure manual fall-back (1/60) if the electronics are really gone.

I have to admit that I don't use my OM gear very much.

Ricardo Miranda · Oct 27, 2014

The OM-2 and OM2-N don't have a manual backup speed. Only the OM-2SP has it.
Without batteries, the -2 and -2N stop. And you'll need to reset the mirror if you try to take a shot without batteries.

Michael L. · Oct 27, 2014

I am truly sorry for your loss, David, and as I read your sad story, my heart skipped a beat or two. You see, I too am the owner of an over 40 years old and much-used OM10. It is still going strong, showing no signs of frailty yet, and of course I hope it will last me out. But probability is against us, I guess.
With all respect for your grief and chagrin, I think they may be skewing your view of the OM10. May I refer you to my little piece on OM10 slandering in this forum and the very many subsequent answers to it extolling the virtues of this fine little camera? ((there was a url link here which no longer exists)) The OM10 body may have its weaknesses, but to dismiss it offhand as junk is surely a bit sweeping.
Have you tried to take off the bottom cover and see whether perhaps a minute sliver of film or sealing foam is blocking the shutter release lever? A friend of mine successfully revived a senescent OM10 displaying symptoms of sudden death akin to those you describe by a little careful cleaning of the gears.
All the best,
Michael

jun · Oct 27, 2014

IIRC, OM-10 is designed to have a life of only 10,000 shots.
I don't want to say this, but it is intentionally done that way (You guess the reason why).
While Japanese Pro grade 35mm focal plane shutter SLR cameras usually designed to withstand more than 100,000 shots.

Ricardo Miranda · Oct 28, 2014

Thanks Michael for that article. A very nice reading!

David,
You haven't answered the suggestions here.
Have you tried fitting a new set of batteries?

Xmas · Oct 28, 2014

jun said:
IIRC, OM-10 is designed to have a life of only 10,000 shots.
I don't want to say this, but it is intentionally done that way (You guess the reason why).
While Japanese Pro grade 35mm focal plane shutter SLR cameras usually designed to withstand more than 100,000 shots.

Interesting but unless you shoot a lot of film that does not seem much of a limit.

Autos will do 250k miles but Ja users turn them in after 10k typically?

Buy another one in charity shop if it breaks beyond economic repair. I get given them in ziplock bags.

Design and achievement are different things some pro cameras horrible.

Rick A · Oct 28, 2014

Xmas said:
Design and achievement are different things some pro cameras horrible.

The OM-10 was not designed to be a pro camera. It was marketed to entry level consumers "with pro features" so they could feel like they were pro's. The reality of it was lower quality parts that was cheap to manufacture with a short life span so they could sell more. Back then, a lot of companies were switching to make things disposable with the thought that consumers had short attention spans and didn't care if products lasted. It was an era of disposable wealth and we all had more money than we knew what to do with. It became a time that I refer to as designed obsolescence, and anything, especially electronics, was superseded in short time by something greater.

Xmas · Oct 28, 2014

Rick A said:
The OM-10 was not designed to be a pro camera. It was marketed to entry level consumers "with pro features" so they could feel like they were pro's. The reality of it was lower quality parts that was cheap to manufacture with a short life span so they could sell more. Back then, a lot of companies were switching to make things disposable with the thought that consumers had short attention spans and didn't care if products lasted. It was an era of disposable wealth and we all had more money than we knew what to do with. It became a time that I refer to as designed obsolescence, and anything, especially electronics, was superseded in short time by something greater.

Nooooo they are better made than most of the current dcameras by some margin they are real disposable cameras.

The 10s were sold as cheap limited capability auto cameras, you had a choice, of OM2n or... same kit lenses

But an early OM1n or OM1 kit is a better long term user. Although the relative cost of maintenance increasing and buying another so cheap.

Most have lived in drawers.

If you like the metering ignore OM2s buy two 10s. Hang on to silver nose lenses.

Some of the 'pro' cameras of the era were not so good, when their even older camera broke they had it fixed.

David Lyga · Oct 28, 2014

Ricardo Miranda said:
Thanks Michael for that article. A very nice reading!

David,
You haven't answered the suggestions here.
Have you tried fitting a new set of batteries?

The first thing I do when complaining about trouble is to check the batteries with a Radio Shack battery tester.

And, I called it 'junk' because I have seen more dead OM-10 bodies than ANY other body out there (except for maybe Soviet or some East German.) - David Lyga

frank · Oct 28, 2014

Some camera models are built cheaply to a low entry level price point. Single digit OM's are better (and cost more.)

That is the allure of vintage Leica cameras for me: they were designed by engineers and built to be as good/sturdy/reliable as possible, not designed to meet a price point dictated by accountants. Quite often you do get what you pay for, (though there certainly are plenty of examples where what you pay for is a clever marketing scheme. I don't think this applies to Leica, particularly not the ones from the 1930's to 1960's/70's.)

Ricardo Miranda · Oct 28, 2014

David Lyga said:
The first thing I do when complaining about trouble is to check the batteries with a Radio Shack battery tester.

And, I called it 'junk' because I have seen more dead OM-10 bodies than ANY other body out there (except for maybe Soviet or some East German.) - David Lyga

David, you haven't answered my question. I have seen batteries that still are ok with a tester, but still fail. Change the batteries and try to get some silver oxide SR44. The early manual doesn't mention LR44, only silver ones. Later manual from 83 refers LR44 are ok.
BTW, when having a problem, the first thing I do is to read the manual.

I do have an OM-10 with a low serial number (4XXXXX) that is happily working. I just came in from another photo walk and used 2 rolls in less than 2 hours.
Mine even has the bottom in metal as were all the early production units. I expect it to develop at some stage problems with the electromagnet.
It certainly isn't "junk", although the light seals were when I got it.

tkamiya · Oct 28, 2014

I had a OM10 bought brand new decades ago. After about 2 years or so, shutter timing went way off, like few seconds when it really should be 1/60 or faster. I also bought one second hand. Same problem in few weeks.

So.... with nothing to lose, I took it apart. I've also taken apart Mamiya 645Super, as well as few other.

I hear so much about this "cheap internals" of OM10 but as far as I can tell, it was a regular construction common to that period. Thin flexible circuit boards, flex ribbon connections, individual wires, and very commonly available components. (I used to be in electronics) Switch contacts looked common as well. OM10 wasn't any "cheaper" made than Mamiya that I took apart. Soldering looked OK too, and I am able to discern bad soldering job easily. (I looked at it with 40x stereo microscope)

So.... anyone know exactly what component is failing so commonly?

I love that camera and I'd like to get a working one again some day....

Ricardo Miranda · Oct 28, 2014

Well, I read again your first post and probably the best way is to contact John Hermanson here: http://www.zuiko.com/
He might be able to tell you what is wrong.

Ricardo Miranda · Oct 28, 2014

So.... anyone know exactly what component is failing so commonly?

I love that camera and I'd like to get a working one again some day....

Hi! did you try to clean the electromagnet? I read that inaccurate shutter speeds is a symptom of that.

Xmas · Oct 28, 2014

frank said:
Some camera models are built cheaply to a low entry level price point. Single digit OM's are better (and cost more.)

Single digit OMs have more parts so cost more to make and assemble. Id stay away from anything but OM1 and OM1n
But never had to strip an OM10, lots of OM2 and OM1 maybe they were treated harder.

frank said:
That is the allure of vintage Leica cameras for me: they were designed by engineers and built to be as good/sturdy/reliable as possible, not designed to meet a price point dictated by accountants. Quite often you do get what you pay for, (though there certainly are plenty of examples where what you pay for is a clever marketing scheme. I don't think this applies to Leica, particularly not the ones from the 1930's to 1960's/70's.)

Not sure Leica hand assembled using skilled tradesman fitting parts with skill and swiss file until M4-2 so you payed for his time. Leicas were really simple and elegant.

50- 59 Canon used production tolerances and unskilled assembly same build standard for 1/3 the cost. For a decade they did not sell any model in volume against Leitz until they did an austere model which flew off dealers shelves. After that they have not looked back. The CanonP in 59.

Nikon had simliar sales problem same production techniques until they did a SLR. The Nikon F in 59.

Nowadays they use CNC machines, plastic and glass mouldings and robots.

This schema was suggested to the Ja by the US.

http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/W._Edwards_Deming

Most of time I use CanonPs or Leica M2s simple and elegant.

OM-10 troubles

Moderator

Privacy & Transparency

Privacy & Transparency