Which Olympus OM?

[EdSawyer]

I have a nice OM-4t with a Zhou half-case (as new) and strap, I would let go for $200 for anyone interested. Works great, nice cosmetics overall.

 

[Les Sarile]

The OM-4T has only the second widest metering range of any camera - past or present, that allows it to aperture priority auto expose a scene up to 4 minutes long while monitoring in real time off the film and adjusting exposure according to changes in the scene's lighting. Only the Pentax LX has a wider metering range. However, the OM-4T adds multi spot metering, exposure lock and with the Olympus F280, flash at all shutter speeds. The OM-4T is likely the most sophisticated manual focus SLR.

 

[Tony Egan]

I bought one of these kits from The Olympus Guy many years ago for my OM1. I rarely use the camera now except for copying with the lovely 1.4 50mm lens, but the original replacement battery is still going strong and metering accurately. There are other options on EBay as I believe the Olympus guy is not as active any more.

http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/Battery-...t=US_Camera_Battery_Grips&hash=item3a7fa9265c

 

[Konical]

Good Morning, Roundabout,

I have an OM-1n and have no problem recommending it, with the usual caveat about condition being everything on cameras several decades old.

Don't overlook the much more recent OM-2000. It's not a "real" Olympus of course, but finding one in excellent condition shouldn't be too hard. It has a vertical shutter for higher sync speed, takes all or virtually all Olympus lenses and accessories, and uses readily-available batteries.

Konical

 

[BetterSense]

I have OM1, OM1n, and OM2n. I rarely use the OM2n. They are small cameras but not exactly lightweight. Metering doesn't matter to me and I usually leave my OM1's turned off. However with the OM2n, leaving it "off" actually means leaving it on "auto". The only way to use it on manual is to turn it on and deal with that annoying meter needle in my viewfinder. Also, the OM2n doesn't work without batteries so I'm thinking about trading it away.

 

[Roundabout]

Thanks everyone for the comments and suggestions. Very helpful.

Reading upthread about the OM-1 battery, I did some Googling and there seem to be a few sources for this MRB625 battery. Even B&H.

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/96457-REG/Wein_W9901201_MRB625_Cell_1_35v_Zinc_Air.html


If this really does work with this camera, then an OM-1 does seem to be a good option for me.

 

[Ulrich Drolshagen]

Thanks everyone for the comments and suggestions. Very helpful.

Reading upthread about the OM-1 battery, I did some Googling and there seem to be a few sources for this MRB625 battery. Even B&H.

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/96457-REG/Wein_W9901201_MRB625_Cell_1_35v_Zinc_Air.html


If this really does work with this camera, then an OM-1 does seem to be a good option for me.

Don't bother about the battery. For every OM1 a CLA is mandatory, as this deteriorating foam under the cap which is destroying the prism must be removed. Alongside this every repairsman worth the money will make the conversion. As far as I know the OM1n doesn't have this kind of material though. In this case you may, depending on the condition of the camera, get away with weincells.

 

[Roundabout]

Well, I bought an OM1n, with a 50 1/4 lens. Also bought some of the Wein batteries and the meter seems pretty accurate, when compared with an iPhone app meter. I'll probably only be shooting B+W, so it just needs to be accurate enough .

Haven't run any film through it yet. The foam at the hinge is a bit frayed and sticky, although the camera seems very clean inside. Not even sure where the mirror foam is...

I know a good repair person, so I suppose I ought to get them to CLA it. Was hoping to get away without having to do so, though. Is it worth running some film through it first, perhaps?

Thanks for all the tips everyone.

 

[Allan Swindles]

Worth a CLA Roundabout, the seals will need replacing at the very least. It has to be worth putting a film through first as it may show other things which need attention. I would go for a battery conversion or adaptor.

 

[Roundabout]

Well I ran a film through it and no problems. With send it for a CLA anyway, as the seals are crumbling a bit.

Lovely camera. Smooth film winding (especially compared to my 'tank' of a Topcon) and feels good to hold. Looking forward to using this a lot.

 

[Bill Burk]

Great to hear you got what you set out to find.