Steven Brown wrote:
> Hi- I have an OM1 and the light meter no longer works accurately- any wisdom
> out there as to whether it is worth it to have repaired (if possible) or just
> try to find another body? Thanks Steve from California
>
As was mentioned at least partly, the correct battery for the OM-1 is no
longer available. So your problem MAY be only one of battery.
It hasn't been legal to prooduce or sell mercury cell batteries for some
time. There are replacements available that will physically fit, but do
not give the same results. Mercury batteries were used in all kinds of
instrumentation for years because of their long life under modest load
with no change in voltage, then a sudden drop off. So it was pretty much
the case that the instrument was accurate as long as the battery worked,
then stopped working suddenly.
Replacements alkaline batteries are commonly listed in places like Radio
Shack. They will work for some purposes, but not for instruments like
light meters. They have a nominal voltage of about 1.5v, which declines
slowly with use, compared to the steady 1.35v of mercury.
Photo dealers sell Wein sells, which are a modified version of the
zinc-air batteries used for hearing aids. They have the right voltage
and work well for a while, but their life is rather short. As soon as
they are opened to the air, they start aging, whether used or not.
There are adapters, C.R.I.S. MR-9, which fit in the OM-1 battery
compartment and accept silver-oxide cells. They are very close to
correct replacements for the originals, just slightly less linear at the
ends of the exposure measuring range. They are available from several
sources, including list member and Oly repairman John Hermanson
<http://www.zuiko.com/Whatsleft.htm>.
Cleaning Lubrication and Adjustment (CLA) services from either John or
our other member-repairman, Clint Rumbo <http://olyfix.com/>, may
include internal adjustment similar to an MR-9, so that silver oxide
cells work correctly in the battery compartment.
If you are concluding the meter is off from bad exposures, rather than
comparing to a known good meter, it might not be the meter at all.
Shutter speeds or the aperture linkage may be out of adjustment.
If the problem isn't battery, it is probably less risky to pay for a CLA
than to buy another OM-1. At this point, the youngest OM-1 series body
is about 20 years old and they can range up to almost 35 years old.
While still very maintainable and repairable, any given one out there
may have gone for decades without care. Even if the meter happens to be
accurate, how are the shutter speeds? When you sen one in for service,
you get one that is fully cleaned, relubricated, has had the prism foam
that can ruin the prism removed and had had shutter speeds and meter
correctly calibrated.
The difference in action and sound between one that hasn't been serviced
in years and one that has is night and day.
If none of the above convinces you, I have a spare nice black OM-1 which
has been CLAed for sale. You can contact me off list if interested.
Moose
==============================================
List usage info: http://www.zuikoholic.com
List nannies: olympusadmin@xxxxxxxxxx
==============================================
|