Olympus OM 40

Hi - i'm coming back to photography after a long break and need some advice. About 20 years ago had an Olympus OM40 with which I was very happy. I've seen one in a local shop advertised at £60:00 which is within my price range - just! (old retired bloke on a pension!!). Are there any issues with this camera which apparently works just fine(?). Any comments, experiences - good and bad - and advice really welcome. Thanks, Mike.

I love them, and their "ESP" metering, and have three (why, you ask...) - BUT they are unreliable battery-chewing dogs :-( with a "feature" that is apparently quite common: with the shutter completely locking up and refusing to budge - something to do with the magnets... Oh, and the light seals shrink in extreme cold (like snow) - I had an OM20 that travelled the world and was dropped many, many times, and batteries lasted forever in that and it only died recently.

Cheerio, Marc

I have an OM40 and it has never given me too much trouble, but then I don't use it terribly often. It is a backup body when bushwalking or something to have an alternative film in just in case I find something to shoot.
Positives: They are quite easy to use and have a program mode and esp and a couple of other things to help make quite consisteny images. Usually they are fairly lightly used (not usually pro work) so they can be clean and tight. Seems to have a very "gentle" shutter action. The only dud shots it seems to take can be attributed to my incompetence rather than a failure on the camera's part.
Negatives: That silly film window has foam around and mine pealed off mid roll rewind and fritzed a film - didn't bother replacing the foam and just use "race tape" which seems to work fine because I never need to see my canister anyway. Camera never really turns off, so it does consume batteries quicker than say the OM2 or OM10/20, although you can remove batteries if you know that it won't be used for a few weeks.

60 pound seems a fair price if the camera is in very good condition (rubber all in place etc), but I would try doing a little more searching and I wouldn't be surprised if you could pick up an OM2n or OM2sp for about the same money and these might prove to be a little more rugged.

Just my 2 cents worth.

I would echo almost all of the above. I had an OM40 for a while and it was good, but when the shutter went I didn't bother getting it repaired as I've got an OM2n and 2 OM1n's which are fantastic. I've also got an OM20 as aback-up which semms pretty bomb-proof but does not 'feel' as nice as the 'single figure' OM's. If you can get a servicable OM1 for under £100 go for it - they have the benefit of being totally mechanical (except the meter).

Olympus OM lenses are superb - some say on a par with Leica (although I've never been in a position to compare!)

Rob

Thanks guys - seems to say it all really.............there is this nice OM1 in the same window since this morning so maybe I'll give that a whirl. Really appreciate the input and will let you know how I get on. Take care and good shooting - Mike.

I love my om2

My Dad bought me an Olympus OM10 when I was about 14 with a standard 50mm lens. It was second hand when I got it and I used it for about 14 years up until 2006 when I bought a Nikon F65 (which turned out to be the start of my Nikon adventure and migration). It too went on holiday with me every year and I used it at many a social gathering. I still have it, and it still works, although I must confess to never using it these days. Great cameras.