Pen F Shutter Issue

[cbphoto]

I have a nice little Pen F with 38mm lens. If I set the speed at 1/60th or faster, the mirror sticks in the up (or "over", i guess) position. The shutter does not actually release until I remove the lens and either bump the mirror slightly, or bump the little lens coupling lever. I can sometimes release it without removing the lens by banging on it (undesirable!!!).

Is this a common issue? I will not be sinking money into repairing this camera, so I'm hoping someone has a suggestion!

Thanks.

[Sonnar2]

I think the mirror sticking is a quite common problem with any older SLR, resulting in either worn springs of the shutter or mirror mechanism.

Camtech Photo Services, http://www.zuiko.com/index_009.htm offers repairs from 99 USD on. Sounds like a reasonable price. I think not every specialist for Leica type shutters can overhaul a Pen F/FT too. They haven't much in common.

In any case, a good Pen F/FT/FV is worth some money, so a repair may make sense econimically.

I've found some explosion charts of a a Pen F/FT shutter but cannot remeber the URL.

cheers, Frank

[Cale Arthur]

I've heard of this happening before, and i think it occurs when a newer lens (ie: examples made for or sold with an FT or FV) is mounted on an original Pen 'F' - the tolerances for mirror clearance changed ever so slightly, and something about the newer lenses can cause what you're describing. If the camera functions as normal when the lens is removed, this is probably what's happening. Of course, i could be wrong.. i'll see if i can re-find the info to back up my theory.

I don't know if there's a home remedy for this, but if you like the camera and use it regularly, i'm sure John at Camtech can sort this out for you, as Frank mentioned. Be aware that continued use could cause serious damage.. the Pen slrs can, on occasion, be a bit 'moody'.

EDIT: one other issue might be that your lens needs a going-over - check to see if, when you activate the iris 'arm' on the back of the lens, that it moves smoothly. If it's stiff, this could be a contributing factor.

--c--

[cbphoto]

Thanks to both of you.

Cale, the body fires fine by itself, and the lever on the lens moves smoothly. I'll see if I can find an older lens to try.

[cbphoto]

Does anyone have a serial cross reference for the lenses? I need to know how to distinguish F lenses from FT lenses.

[Cale Arthur]

Does anyone have a serial cross reference for the lenses? I need to know how to distinguish F lenses from FT lenses.

I believe that the easiest way to differentiate these lenses is as follows: F lenses have only f-stops on the aperture ring, while later (FT) lenses have both f-stops and Olympus's number 'system' (which you'd transfer from the viewfinder to the lens) on opposite sides of the aperture ring. You may be able to find more info on this by visiting Skip William's Oly Pen literature site, which is linked here (http://www.skipwilliams.com/olympus/pen-lit.htm).

All things being equal, i'd find out exactly what's causing this before you drop coin on another lens - it could be a really simple fix, and would allow you to use the lens that you already have. Just my $.02.

--c--

[cbphoto]

I believe that the easiest way to differentiate these lenses is as follows: F lenses have only f-stops on the aperture ring, while later (FT) lenses have both f-stops and Olympus's number 'system' (which you'd transfer from the viewfinder to the lens) on opposite sides of the aperture ring. You may be able to find more info on this by visiting Skip William's Oly Pen literature site, which is linked here (http://www.skipwilliams.com/olympus/pen-lit.htm).

All things being equal, i'd find out exactly what's causing this before you drop coin on another lens - it could be a really simple fix, and would allow you to use the lens that you already have. Just my $.02.

--c--

Thanks. The problem has gotten worse - it now gets stuck at all speeds. I don't think it's the lens, as it appears to be the proper vintage, and the lever moves smoothly.