OM1 versus OM2 viewfinders

[BetterSense]

I just got an OM1n to supplement my beloved OM2n and I'm a bit disappointed at the viewfinder. On my OM2n, the Zuiko 50mm lenses perfectly match the viewfinder magnification to real-world dimensions so that looking through the camera is almost like looking through a rangefinder window in that the image in the viewfinder is life-size. The OM1n, however, has the same size magnification but the viewfinder suffers from a parallax error so that the image I see through the viewfinder is offset compared to the real world. I'm wondering if all OM1s are like this or if mine is somehow knocked out of whack. I'm really loving the OM1n because it works without batteries but the viewfinder is sort of bumming me out. The OM2n has the best SLR viewfinder I've ever personally seen.

 

[jmcd]

If the viewfinder of the OM1n is short of glorious, something is out of whack. If you get a different image on your film than you see in the viewfinder, perhaps the focus screen or mirror is out of adjustment. If this is the case I would also expect focus error.

I recently had a camera shipped to me that had only the cardboard box for padding. That type of situation can surely mess up fine adjustments.

 

[mr rusty]

Hi I can tell you absolutely definitely something is wrong. I have OM1 and OM2 and the viewfinders are identical. Your OM1 needs a bit of adjustment.

 

[hugopoon]

If you're having parallax issues on an SLR, something's definitely wrong…

 

[Les Sarile]

The OM1 & OM2 are identical in this respect as they have the same viewfinder coverage of 97% with a magnification of .92X at infinity with a 50mm lens while the OM3 & OM4 are the same with 97% coverage with a magnification of .84X at infinity with a 50mm lens.

 

[BetterSense]

I haven't noticed any focus shift yet, but I suppose it could be the mirror. Maybe I will have a look at it.

 

[MattKing]

Is there a diopter correction lens installed on one of the cameras?

 

[John Hermanson]

OM-1 and OM-2 viewfinders are identical in mirror, focus screen, prism and eyepiece placement. Something is wrong with your camera. Possibly camera had been apart and they did not seat the prism properly. If you start changing things (like mirror angle) without actually knowing what's wrong, you could end up with a 1N that's really messed up. John

 

[Pumal]

+ Diopter

 

[BetterSense]

Well, if there's a diopter thing, I don't know how to get it off; it looks utterly normal to me. Is a +diopter a semi-permanent installation?

I just checked again and at 12 feet, the OM1n puts the image about 4-5 inches high and 4-5 inches to the right of "the real world". Note that I'm not sure if there's an actual parallax error between the viewfinder and the film. I do know that if the focus is off, it's only off a very tiny bit because I shot a roll in this camera, including some macro shots, and they came out pretty good.