OM system advice

xtolsniffer · Sep 10, 2019

Hi all,
there is a bit of a back-story, so bear with me. I normally use a Nikon F4 or an F100 with a 28-70mm zoom for general photography and family outings, none of which is particularly lightweight. I've increasingly been using medium format, usually a Mamiya C330s, which I love, but carrying that, plus the Nikon is a bit over the top. I have an old OM-1 that has been sitting unused for some time, and I've found that coupling that with a Zuiko 35mm f2.8 makes a very portable combination for general family stuff. However, the lack of TTL flash and an aperture priority mode is a bit limiting, so I was considering looking at another body and I'd value your opinions. The options are:

1. get an OM-2n - the downside is the decaying prism foam which I assume I'd have to get removed (as I did from my OM-1). I used to have an OM-2n and liked it.
2. get an OM-2sp the downside being the battery life, the upside being a program mode for family snaps plus a spot meter.
3. get an OM-4 the downside being the battery life, the upside being the spot modes plus they're cheap(er) because of the battery issue.
4. get an OM-4ti, the downside being the price for a good one, the upside being that it's a very capable camera.
5. go mad and get an OM-40 which does loads of stuff and is dirt cheap but isn't quite a pro spec camera (and what I like about the single digit OMs is the quality feel and the amazing viewfinder).

MattKing · Sep 10, 2019

Not all the OM-2n bodies suffer from the prism foam problem. Mine doesn't appear to.
My OM-2s (same as OM-2sp) has been owned and used by me since I bought it new from current stock. It gives me decent battery life, and it is incredibly easy to carry around two extra batteries. They can even be the cheap alkaline ones.
Same goes for the OM-4, although I do have an OM-4T,

Les Sarile · Sep 10, 2019

The single digit OM series are all quality products . . .

Regarding the short battery life, I understand that Olympus put out a fix back then so it is possible that cameras out there have gotten this updated board. You can easily distinguish it by simply putting it in battery check mode and the beeping stops at about 30 seconds.

John51 · Sep 11, 2019

For a do everything 35mm slr, I'd go for the OM2n. Prism rot won't affect IQ and a dead OM10 will provide a foam fee prism should you need it. A contact print of the first roll through my OM2n shows identical exposures. Portraits both in the shade and in bright sunlight. Plus a few taken with an 18A UV pass filter. It's going to make printing so much easier.

Frank53 · Sep 11, 2019

I’ve been an om user since 1974 and although I own OM1, OM1n, OM4, OM4ti and OM40, I never had an OM2. The OM40 has been my go to camera for years, in fact it has everything you can wish for. Problem is the battery drain and finding a working one nowadays, but beside that I would suggest option 5. Just for the reasons you mention.
Regards,
Frank

EdSawyer · Sep 11, 2019

I have a couple spare OM2 bodies (can't recall if N or S/SP models) I can part with along with a good lot of other OM gear I need to unload. I just am not using it much anymore. Feel free to be in touch.

StepheKoontz · Sep 11, 2019

I've owned an OM1, an OM2, OM2n and an OM4. The 2n was by far my favorite. Know the OM4 viewfinder isn't as bright as the OM2n (semi silvered mirror for the metering) and to me the OM4 just felt clunky compared to the OM2n in use plus the battery drain issue. The metering on the 2n in aperture priority is faultless, it's still "the reference" for metering accuracy in a camera IMHO. And I never had an issue with prism foam in mine, which I still own.

MFstooges · Sep 11, 2019

I'd just use the mamiya and cellphone camera for the program shot

benjiboy · Sep 11, 2019

The early OM 4s had the wrong I.c chip in them the later ones didn't the OM4 Tis were OK for battery drain if you left them on B when you were not using them.

M-88 · Sep 14, 2019

I'm too late to the party, but here's my input:

My first OM was OM-1. It's reliable, fancy looking and all, but we all know its metering isn't stellar and then there is battery issue which is a big problem for some people.

Then I hopped to OM-2n with separation on prism. I must say its metering system is so good that it can't easily be fooled. I ha OM-10 in parallel with it as a backup body (colour stock in one, BW in another).

Then I bought OM-2S. I wasn't impressed: body had curtain desynchronisation which ruined images on certain shutter speeds in manual mode and it made it difficult to use. Besides, its viewfinder isn't as bright as OM-1/2. OM-4 was an obvious upgrade and it ate through batteries like there's no tomorrow!

Okay, battery drain wasn't as terrible as people like to rant. One thing I found out was: if I used battery check, or LCD illumination button, it effectively killed batteries. In any other time it was working alright and batteries lasted around a month. And I'm talking about LR44. Had I used Silver Oxide cells they'd last longer. And OM-4's viewfinder is just like that of OM-2s - not as bright as older cameras.

Then I sold my gear and went to Pentax, Ricoh and Nikon. Only to get them all sold and went right back to OM-4. Is the body worth 100$+? I don't know. Paint is chipping equally easily from body and lenses and film advance feels like using a sandpaper for a toilet paper. But it gets slide film exposed spot-on! Multi-spot metering circuit is something rather handy and it works in aperture priority mode too. One myth is that leaving shutter dial on red 60 or B prevents battery drain. It doesn't. It just turns the LCD off.

P.S. I had OM-40 but never actually used its ESP mode (which is something similar to matrix metering). So can't really comment about it.

xtolsniffer · Sep 14, 2019

Thanks for the input - that pretty much agrees with my experience. I've borrowed an OM-4 to try it out and it's a pretty nice camera but the exposure compensation flashes from time to time in the viewfinder even when it's set to zero which makes me question the robustness of the electronics.

M-88 · Sep 14, 2019

xtolsniffer said:
Thanks for the input - that pretty much agrees with my experience. I've borrowed an OM-4 to try it out and it's a pretty nice camera but the exposure compensation flashes from time to time in the viewfinder even when it's set to zero which makes me question the robustness of the electronics.

You mean "+ -" sign? It usually happens when its control ring is misaligned. ISO settings, exposure compensation and mode selector dials are three concentric rings which are a bit tricky to align if one has not enough patience, or imporper tools.

Either way, OM-2 is one of two OM system cameras I would buy without second thoughts. And mind you, prices have doubled since 2016. Other one being OM-20. Essentially same as OM-10 only with integrated manual shutter speed dial.

xtolsniffer · Sep 14, 2019

Yes, that's the one - it only happens for a few seconds after I press the shutter or if I take a spot reading, so I wonder if it's a consequence of power consumption and voltage drop (new SR44's fitted as well).

M-88 · Sep 14, 2019

Mine didn't exhibit the problem in such way. Clearly that's an issue which is different from mine. OM-4, just like any other electronic camera has its issues. I had two Nikon FEs with electrical issues, Pentax ME Super and Super A, also with electrical issues and don't get me started on Canon of A series. So pretty much every camera is like playing a russian roulette. The only difference is that those other bodies cost far less than OM-4.

xtolsniffer · Sep 14, 2019

What happened with your OM-4? I've been quite lucky with my Nikon kit, though my F4 has just started with the LCD bleed. I removed the prism foam from my OM-1 myself, it was an easy fix, but I had another that I had to send it to get it fixed as I couldn't get the rewind crank off to take the top off as someone had glued it on. I guess as all these cameras get old we're likely to see more and more problems.

Les Sarile · Sep 14, 2019

Obviously in the used market, cameras may have issues but that is not to say they apply across the board. My OM3&4 exhibit no battery related - or any other issues.

M-88 · Sep 14, 2019

xtolsniffer said:
What happened with your OM-4? I've been quite lucky with my Nikon kit, though my F4 has just started with the LCD bleed. I removed the prism foam from my OM-1 myself, it was an easy fix, but I had another that I had to send it to get it fixed as I couldn't get the rewind crank off to take the top off as someone had glued it on. I guess as all these cameras get old we're likely to see more and more problems.

Spot metering function stopped working on mine. I had to disassemble it and resolder loose wiring. I also cleaned it thoroughly - owning various OM bodies for several years had its benefits. Of course I had no spare circuit so never fixed the battery drain issue. Instead I sold it and bought another one, which luckily exhibits no problems whatsoever. Must be one of those with replaced circuit.

Les Sarile said:
Obviously in the used market, cameras may have issues but that is not to say they apply across the board. My OM3&4 exhibit no battery related - or any other issues.

Indeed. Most of what I owned needed some kind of repairs from simple light seal replacement to serious calibration of electronics. But I wouldn't expect something like that from your gear, quality and amount of which always makes me take my hat off.

xtolsniffer · Sep 14, 2019

I'm impressed that you got into the top of your OM4! I've serviced a few FM series Nikons and they're pretty straightforward, but I've looked at getting into an OM4 and backed off - too many things that I'm not sure how to dismantle!

M-88 · Sep 14, 2019

Took me several days and a lot of nerves, nothing to be impressed about really. That's something I wouldn't want to repeat.

Les Sarile · Sep 14, 2019

M-88 said:
Indeed. Most of what I owned needed some kind of repairs from simple light seal replacement to serious calibration of electronics. But I wouldn't expect something like that from your gear, quality and amount of which always makes me take my hat off.

I really like seeing local listings that lists a camera that belonged to an older relative who no longer use it and that they themselves don't know anything about it so just getting rid of it. Sure beats the typical auction listing of "rare" and therefore expensive item.

Of course if I want a sure thing - and in great condition, I always check KEH first. This OM3 came from KEH and was listed as not working and even then it was not inexpensive. I needed to fill the gap in my OM lineup so I took a chance knowing I can always return it for any reason. I installed new batteries and it still works perfectly today going on 8 years now. Easily one of the best finds I ever got.

Les Sarile · Sep 14, 2019

M-88 said:
Took me several days and a lot of nerves, nothing to be impressed about really. That's something I wouldn't want to repeat.

I 've opened up a few for typical mechanical failure - jammed film advance won't fire types, as practice runs for future more in depth disassemblies.

M-88 · Sep 14, 2019

Les Sarile said:
I really like seeing local listings that lists a camera that belonged to an older relative who no longer use it and that they themselves don't know anything about it so just getting rid of it. Sure beats the typical auction listing of "rare" and therefore expensive item.

While "rare" and "vintage" make me frown, "belonged to an older relative and I don't know anything about it" makes me sad.

Les Sarile said:
Of course if I want a sure thing - and in great condition, I always check KEH first. This OM3 came from KEH and was listed as not working and even then it was not inexpensive. I needed to fill the gap in my OM lineup so I took a chance knowing I can always return it for any reason. I installed new batteries and it still works perfectly today going on 8 years now. Easily one of the best finds I ever got.

Unfortunately as a resident of third world country, I don't have such luxury (this is also why I service my own cameras as much as I can). KEH never shows actual photos of items for sale and I feel like I'm missing out on a lot of their "ugly" and "as is" items. For me, usedphotopro is a better option, because I can at least see what I buy.

Les Sarile · Sep 14, 2019

M-88 said:
While "rare" and "vintage" make me frown, "belonged to an older relative and I don't know anything about it" makes me sad.

I hear you as I am already in that "older relative" category!
I think that even the unitiated can feel the substance of these fine electro mechanical works of art and post it for someone who can appreciate it rather then throw it away.

xtolsniffer · Sep 14, 2019

M-88 said:
Took me several days and a lot of nerves, nothing to be impressed about really. That's something I wouldn't want to repeat.

Well you have my admiration! I always find at least one part I can't remove easily and then my nerve goes and I put it back together again.

abruzzi · Sep 14, 2019

M-88 said:
Unfortunately as a resident of third world country, I don't have such luxury (this is also why I service my own cameras as much as I can). KEH never shows actual photos of items for sale and I feel like I'm missing out on a lot of their "ugly" and "as is" items. For me, usedphotopro is a better option, because I can at least see what I buy.

You do have the best food though.

I’ve heard people claim they got great cameras from KEH in as-is condition, so a few months ago, when they had 20% off as-is and ugly item, I tried an experiment. I bought a Nikkormat FT2, a Pentax KX, and a Minolta XD7, all in as-is condition for under $50 shipped (in the US). They ended up all functional, with a few quirks.

The Nikkormat was the best deal, except for a medium sized dent on the prism, it is in excellent condition and 100% functional. The KX is in decent cosmetic condition with a broken self timer and a blocked aperture viewer. The condition of the Minolta is somewhere between the other two cameras, is functional, but the aperture viewer doesn’t work and the shutter speed viewer doesn’t always open when it should.

If you can live with those kind of issues, or can undertake those kind of repairs, I think the as-is cameras make a fun little lottery. I’m extraordinarily pleased with the Nikkormat, and am shooting it more than any other 35mm camera at the moment. The KX I might repair, and the Minolta I will probably repair as I like it a little more than me X700.

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