OM2s vrs. "experienced" lenses

[C A Sugg]

I have an Olympus OM2s that has been giving me flakey readings in manual/spot mode. For instance, while changing the aperture display will surge up to indicate over-exposure, or drop way down. Then I noticed that the effect was more pronounced with worn lenses with a little play in the ring. Sometimes I have to fiddle with it to get it to settle into something rational. And it doesn't like lenses with odd maximum apertures. Like my 28mm f3.5 and 200mm f5. With those I need to turn and hold the ring as far as it willl go to get a reading.
Is it my camera, or is this model just not tolerant of little variations that are relayed from the lens?


Charles

 

[John Hermanson]

Sounds like the circuit board inside the lens mount (with brushes that move up and down as the f stop is turned) is dirty or brushes are damaged. John

 

[C A Sugg]

Update on this OM2S. I got 3 flawless rolls out of it last Sunday. But, this was with a rather tight Vivitar 28mm 2.0.
Now for more weirdness: With both my Zuiko 50 1.4s, when I set the aperture at f16, the circuit goes dead. The mirror will go up but that's it. Move it off f16 and it cycles. This is in manual/spot mode, the reason I bought this camera.

 

[darinwc]

see if you can manually move the stop down levers in the lenses. They should be quick and easy. compare the feel to the vivitar.

 

[mudman]

have you replaced the batteries? Camera's do wacky things when they're low on juice.

 

[C A Sugg]

The batteries are new silver oxides. I know that there is significant idle battery drain with this model, but could it be that fast? I've noticed some cells are labled 1.5v, others 1.55v. Is there enough of a difference. I've got Vartas in at the moment. 1.55
I can understand there being a problem with the brushes on the electrical contacts, but the glitch at that on aperture is very strange. It's not just a flakey reading.
The lens are nice and "snappy" and play nice with my OM1, OM2n and the OM2000 I used to own.

I almost never use this camera on Auto, so I really can't say what it's doing in those modes.

 

[Jeff L]

Cameras do wacky things when the batteries are low! I was out shooting with my OM2 and it was acting strangely. I thought it was odd because the batteries weren't that old. I swapped them out with two new ones (I thought) from my bag. Same thing. I came across a real camera store with a battery tester and one of the cells was dead. Bought and tested two fresh 76's at the store and everything returned to normal.
They are such nice cameras though, that they warrant a service if they go wrong and it's not the batteries- IMO

 

[John Hermanson]

Make sure bottom cover screws are tight. John