Who Likes Olympus Half-Frame SLRs?

alanrockwood

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I don't recall if I mentioned this yet, but I do have an Olympus Pen FT that I bought a few years ago. I also have a few lenses for it. I have a roll of film loaded in it, but haven't shot a whole roll yet, so I can't say much about it from personal experience. I do like the way the camera handles, but that's not saying much because I also like the way the quirky Exakta handles, and I don't even object very strongly to how the Rollei 35T handles.
 

Huss

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Am I misunderstanding or am I clear that you bought the Pen FT a few years ago and have not even shot one roll of film through it?
 
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drmoss_ca

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Sirius Glass said:
You are a bossy one, aren't you!
Click to expand...

Look who's talking!

I've been involved with Olympus Pen series since the 1970's, and it's plain they are failing fast. It's a crap shoot as to whether the near mint Pen you buy on eBay works at all, and there's hardly anyone left to service them. The partly-exposed film referred to above should be finished before it cannot be finished, if you follow me.
 

Patrick Robert James

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The one problem I think with the Oly Pens is the dim focus screen. I think I already mentioned it in this thread. One of these days I might crack my FT apart and see if I can't replace the screen with something modernish. I think it would be a lot of work to grind one down to fit though. Too bad the little things make the camera not as enjoyable as I wish it were. I prefer my little Canon EE17 over the Oly even though it is zone focus. That is a fun little camera to use. And the lens is really good. If that had a rangefinder it would be perfect. Oh well. The Oly still is fun to use in short bursts though.

 
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drmoss_ca

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The problem with the FT screen is that the mirror is half-silvered, so that some light may be diverted to the meter. The prior Pen-F and the later Pen-FV have no meter, and their viewfinders benefit enormously. The viewfinder is still relatively dim compared to an OM series Olympus, a Pentax M series, or a Nikon F6, but quite usable.

The Pen SLRs are quite easy to take apart, with the only hitch being the wire to the flash connector (which is easily re-soldered if you break it). Taking off the top plate allows cleaning of the viewfinder objective lens, and the 45º degree mirror under the top plate. You still don't get to the surfaces of the prisms, and I haven't yet been brave enough to try, although I probably will, having several older Pen-Fs that could be used as learning tools.
 

r_a_feldman

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Patrick,

As drmoss_ca noted, the darkness in the Pen FT viewfinder is not due to the focusing screen, but to the partially-silvered mirror in the light meter.

It is fairly easy to replace that mirror with a full-silvered first-surface mirror, but that knocks out the light meter. I did that and completely removed the light meter (see my post at https://kyp.hauslendale.com/classics/forum/messages/2/15119.html?1637188830).

If you want to replace the mirror and keep the light meter, that is more difficult, as the silvering is not over the entire mirror — the part where the meter needle shows is not silvered (see https://kyp.hauslendale.com/classics/forum/messages/2/15109.html?1637223628). You will also probably need to recalibrate the meter by replacing the resistors in the meter circuit with either fixed-value resisters (after experimenting to find the correct values) or pots.

Replacing the focusing screen is a major job and will involve a lot of trial and error. Even if successful, it probably will not increase the viewfinder brightness (but having a split-image focusing screen would be nice).
 

JLeichtPhoto

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While not an SLR, I did just get my hands on an Olympus Pen D2, which I believe is a viewfinder camera without a rangefinder patch. I haven’t gotten all the way through my first roll, some Acros II, but I’m so excited for the results!
 

Donald Qualls

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All of the Pen series except the F, FT, and FV are non-RF scale focus half frame cameras. Good lenses, though. I've got an EE-S2 that I'd had for thirty years or so, and an EE-S (differs with lower maximum ASA speed setting, being a couple years older model) that I haven't finished the first roll in yet.
 
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drmoss_ca

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Good news! The repair guy in Quebec City has come through for me, and got the FV working perfectly, with all shutter speeds correct. Apparently, the issue was dried lubricant contaminated with crud preventing the film sprocket from moving into the locked position for positive traction on the film. After cleaning and new lubricant he tells me it is like new. Cost was $225CDN, $292CDN with tax and postage. So when it arrives home, I shall try it out and if all is well, I'll send him my other FV, which works but probably would last longer than I will if it gets a CLA. I also have an OM-1 in need of service, but I think I'll still use Mr Hermanson for that as he knows his prism foam and so on. The Canadian Revenue Agency b*stards always hold a camera coming back from him until I send them the repair bill, and then they charge duty and tax on the 'increased value'. This is unwelcome and possibly unfair - if I pay John Hermanson $200 to service a camera I then pay $60 more just to get it back into Canada?

Anyway, for Canadians who have cameras to repair, go look at http://servicecamerapro.com/ and talk to René Genest. He speaks excellent English. He spent most of his working life at Hasselblad and is willing to repair any mechanical camera and the shop policy is that it is at their risk - no charge if unrepairable. He reckons he has a couple of years left before retiring.
 

MattKing

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How much of that is GST and Provincial Sales Tax on the repair charge?
Repair services have always been taxable, whether they are performed locally, or "imported".
 
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drmoss_ca

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I don't know for sure, but they seem to take the value of the camera at the time of export, then add the repair bill and say I am importing goods to the summed value. That's what's unfair - not charging duty on the increase in value, but on the total value, much of which was temporarily exported from Canada with the intention for it to be returned. I have argued with them twice over this and the end result was 'pay the duty or we will destroy the goods' each time.
 

MattKing

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This is the Memorandum that sets out what is supposed to happen: https://www.cbsa-asfc.gc.ca/publications/dm-md/d8/d8-2-26-eng.html
Basically, it is the value of the actual repair (almost always the invoice amount) that attracts tax, and that tax is usually just GST or, in some provinces, provincial sales tax.
The two things you need to make sure of is that you have a detailed repair invoice, and that you have proof that you exported the item in the first case to the repairer.
If you don't have the proof of export, Customs will simply treat it as if you bought the camera and imported it.
So make sure that when you send the camera, the shipping info includes the customs form and the serial number. It would be good to have as well a preliminary estimate from the repairer referencing the serial number as well - dated before the export.
 

Huss

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MattKing said:
How much of that is GST and Provincial Sales Tax on the repair charge?
Repair services have always been taxable, whether they are performed locally, or "imported".
Click to expand...

Interesting tid bit is in the US if you use DHL, DHL tries to collect import tariffs! None of the other carriers do.
I found this out when Sover Wong shipped back my F2 after he serviced it. I filled out the correct Pro-Forma documentation which DHL ignored and tried to bill me!
Pretty much a scam on their end, as they were not passing that on to any government bodies. Anyway, after much argument they dropped the fees..
 

Timmyjoe

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Well that's interesting. I have a Pen F coming from Japan via DHL, wonder what they'll charge me for delivery.

Best,
-Tim
 

Huss

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Timmyjoe said:
Well that's interesting. I have a Pen F coming from Japan via DHL, wonder what they'll charge me for delivery.

Best,
-Tim
Click to expand...

it may depend on the paperwork that the seller filled out. The US does not charge for purchases like this coming into the country. I've bought lots of gear from Japan and elsewhere and was never charged an import fee.
DHL was the only one that tried that, for the camera that Sover sent back to me - not a purchase!
 

Timmyjoe

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Well I lucked out on the international shipping with DHL, the camera arrived with no issues, even arrived early. It's a nice little Pen F (1st generation) from a seller in Tokyo. The listing said the camera had been overhauled and it seems like it. Everything works well, the fast shutter speeds are slow, but predictably so, and fairly consistent. Putting it up on my collimator, the ground glass is slightly out of collimation with the surface of the film, but I have never taken one of these apart, so I think I'm going to leave it be.

Fun little camera to use, and I love getting 72 images from a roll of 36. Almost like shooting digital.

Best,
-Tim
 

Bronson Dugnutt

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Diptychs or stereograms are useful for finishing a half-frame roll.



 
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drmoss_ca

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My Pen-FV came back from Québec yesterday. The viewfinder is clean, the film sprocket works, wind-on is smooth and not 'crunchy' and I'm told the shutter speeds are now spot on.
The other Pen-FV, which works but would benefit from a CLA is going to visit René, along with an OM-1 that sometimes gets stuck winding on.

And talking of the other FV, here are a couple of squirrels learning to tolerate each other. 100mm/f3.5, Superia 400.

 
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