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Wrighc
Tinkerer
Username: Wrighc
Post Number: 1
Registered: 01-2009
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Thursday, January 08, 2009 - 06:51 pm: | 
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i just got an om-4 that my grandfather gave me, but unfortunately, when i try to open the back of the camera to load film, it doesnt pop open. the rewind knob goes up all the way, but the back stays closed...is there anyway to fix this? |
Rick_oleson
Tinkerer
Username: Rick_oleson
Post Number: 762
Registered: 07-2006
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Thursday, January 08, 2009 - 08:55 pm: |
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Chances are that the foam light seals in the back are just sticky and holding it shut. It's a little difficult to coax an OM back open because they don't have an overhanging edge like a lot of cameras do. Try sticking a flap of duct tape to the left hand end of the back, and pull back with that while holding the knob up. Don't force the knob too hard, it is possible to bend the latch release linkage if you overdo it... it doesn't take a tremendous amount of force to release the latch.
If this proves to be the problem, you can buy a light seal replacement kit for about $10 from Jon Goodman, who regularly contributes here and who sells on eBay under the name "Interslice". |
Wrighc
Tinkerer
Username: Wrighc
Post Number: 2
Registered: 01-2009
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Friday, January 09, 2009 - 10:43 pm: |
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i tried the duct tape, but unfortunetly the back didnt budge one bit...is there anyway to open the back manually but unscrewing the bottom or something? also, the exposure for the camera is all over the place...no matter what shutter speed i set, it does the same exposure everytime...any possible fix? or would i be better served going to a professional to get this camera fixed. |
Wrighc
Tinkerer
Username: Wrighc
Post Number: 3
Registered: 01-2009
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Saturday, January 10, 2009 - 02:45 pm: |
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bump? |
Adrian
Tinkerer
Username: Adrian
Post Number: 220
Registered: 08-2006
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Saturday, January 10, 2009 - 03:10 pm: |
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The OM-series cameras all (as far as I am aware) meter off the film plane. If you don't have a film in, it will read off the black pressure plate and meter for that, so you are unlikely to be able to tell if it is working properly without a film in.
As for how you get it open to get a film in... Sorry, no idea! |
Wrighc
Tinkerer
Username: Wrighc
Post Number: 4
Registered: 01-2009
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Saturday, January 10, 2009 - 03:48 pm: |
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even in manual mode? |
Glenn
Tinkerer
Username: Glenn
Post Number: 486
Registered: 07-2006
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Saturday, January 10, 2009 - 04:06 pm: |
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It sounds as if the latch release linkage has already been strained, hence the failure to lift the catch. As I have not worked on this model, I do not know of any stripdown dodges to circumnavigate the jam.
However you may find that pressing the door firmly shut - at the catch end - BEFORE pulling up the rewind knob. Then holding the knob fully out, use the duct tape pull to open the door. This sometimes works on strained linkages. |
Wrighc
Tinkerer
Username: Wrighc
Post Number: 5
Registered: 01-2009
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Saturday, January 10, 2009 - 07:03 pm: |
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the duct tape isnt working...is that the only possible way? |
Rick_oleson
Tinkerer
Username: Rick_oleson
Post Number: 764
Registered: 07-2006
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Saturday, January 10, 2009 - 07:50 pm: |
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You can remove the latch. Peel back the leatherette just forward of the seam at the left hand end, and you will find a metal strip held by a few flat head screws. Remove this strip, the latch is under it. You can now release the latch from here and pry the back open. |
Wrighc
Tinkerer
Username: Wrighc
Post Number: 6
Registered: 01-2009
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Saturday, January 10, 2009 - 09:16 pm: |
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hmm...thanks rick. i took off the two screws and bolts, but i'm at a loss on how to take this metal slab out... |
Wrighc
Tinkerer
Username: Wrighc
Post Number: 7
Registered: 01-2009
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Saturday, January 10, 2009 - 09:19 pm: |
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atually, just figured it out, but now that i have the back open, how do i make sure that it opens by using the rewind knob? |
Rick_oleson
Tinkerer
Username: Rick_oleson
Post Number: 765
Registered: 07-2006
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Sunday, January 11, 2009 - 02:26 pm: |
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Measure exactly where the latch hook goes when you pull the knob up, and compare this to where the mating hook is on the back. Chances are that by now the top end of the latch piece is bent where it engages the rewind shaft, and it won't go far enough. It may be possible to straighten this without disassembling the top cover, but it's a long shot: you can buy an inexpensive plastic otoscope (the thing the doctor uses to look inside your ears) for around $10 at pharmacies... use one of these to look down into the rewind shaft opening to see exactly where the metal piece is that engages the shaft (it will be toward the forward-left quarter of the hole). If you can reach it, you might try pressing down firmly on the top of this piece with a metal rod to bend it back down to its proper position. Not sure if this will work, but if it does it will save a lot of time.
REMOVE the back from the camera for these operations... having it snap shut with the rewind shaft removed doesn't make things a whole lot easier. |
Wrighc
Tinkerer
Username: Wrighc
Post Number: 8
Registered: 01-2009
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Sunday, January 11, 2009 - 07:03 pm: |
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And what if I need to take off the top cover? Same thing? |
