What's the best Olympus OM?

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After spending the last few years trying out various camera kits for the search to find the "One" I've decided that 2013 is the year to scale back all the equipment I've collected and take more pictures rather than buy more cameras.

My focus is to sell/ trade the kit I rarely use for just a handful of "camera greats". A year back I had my first experience of a OM 1, I was blown away at how quiet and smooth the shutter was and of course, it's size.

Regretfully I didn't buy that particular OM, only to take a look at another a few months later and find that it felt not as smooth as the first. Someone then told me that the OM 2 was possibly a better model - The Models just seem to keep going OM 10, 20, 30!

So the question is what's the best OM to buy?

What's the "One" to go for?
 
Any 2-digit model is a much cheaper variant. Personally, I'd stick with the 1, 2, 3 or 4 (the last goes for very high prices, in the UK at least).

A lot of OM-1, 2 and 3 cameras were used for press or other high throughput photography, so there are many very well used specimens around. I've seen a lot of OM-1s for under £40 in the UK so the older ones can be very cheap.
 
OM-2n for me. It was my first SLR camera back in the early eighties and I still have it (and use it); if I had to keep just one of my cameras, that would be the one - but I have no expensive gear...
I recently bought another OM-2n just because it was a real bargain.
....and the 50 mm Zuiko 1:1,4....
 
The OM-1 family is fully mechanical. The battery only works the meter, and the meter does not control any part of the camera. It'a also the only one with mirror lock-up, and so is prized for telescope and microscope work.

The OM-2 family adds aperture-priority auto-exposure, with the ability to set exposure compensation of plus or minus 2 stops. It also has a full manual mode.

This Camerapedia article does a good job of concisely describing the OM families.
 
I had an OM4 and was love. Just there was an issue with batteries lasting very little. The multi spot metering was an unmatched feature, even now in the digital age. Easy to use, precise and very handy.

The OM3 would have been a better choice, as it was a mechanical body and with multi spot, but it was always too expensive.

So, now that prices are low, my vote is OM3.
And the most dreamt lens was the 24 shift. wow..........

G
 
Get an OM-1 in good condition, then learn to use it, and you will find it delivers and is a pleasure to use.

I bought an OM-1MD brand new in 1979, with a Zuiko 50/1.4, and that was my only "real" camera for the following twenty years. I still use it once in awhile. It has been to a repair shop once, to be converted to 1.5V and for a CLA, but that was over 15 years ago.

Today I own several OM cameras (1, 2, 3, 4, and G), and they all have their advantages. Trying to pick *the best one* just makes my head spin - there is no *best one*. For simplicity, predictability, ease of use, a nice viewfinder, and durability, the OM-1 is an excellent way to go.
 
Hi,

The OM-1 is purely mechanical apart from the meter. There may be problems with the prism as it was held in place with foam or something that doesn't seem to like it and ruins the prism over time. Luckily the OM10 prism is available cheaply (in old OM10's) and can be fitted to cure it. Obviously they are all getting old nowadays, perhaps 40 years old or more.

The OM-1 without the MD badge won't take a motor drive without being modified. And many people chase after and over bid for the type 13 screen on ebay to replace the standard one. The 13 has a RF prism in it.

The OM-2 improves on the 1 and doesn't need mercury batteries or modifying to take modern ones. It also adds automatic use as well as manual.

There's also a Mk 2 version of the OM-1 and OM-2 called the OM-1N and OM-2N with some improvements.

I mentioned the OM10 (no hyphen, btw) which is a purely auto version with what many think is a nice exposure system, off the shutter blind. Being auto only people despise it and so they often can't give them away on ebay. I like them, they make good cheap back-ups and often come with decent lenses on them for a pittance. And you can get a manual converter for them.

All OM-1's and 2's come without a hot shoe and getting the right one can be a major PITA. There's even an unlabelled one for the early OM-1's. Do your research on this before buying. The OM10 has a hotshoe fitted: the 1's and 2's don't but it's part of a system*.

Olympus make decent flashes for these cameras and a brilliant little gizmo that can be used to raise the flash by a few inches to avoid red-eye.

Regards, David

PS Michael Spencer is the man to go to with your OM for repairs.

PPS As soon as the OM-1 had taken the world by storm the other major makers decided to make a small, slim camera. Many of them are the equal to the OM system but are over looked. The Pentax M and Minolta X ranges are what I'm thinking of...

* There's books by the dozen about the system. In the UK avoid ebay and try any of the combined bookshop websites. I bought my one for a penny a while ago!
 
My first camera was an OM2, I worked 6 weeks to buy it when I was 14.

Since then, I've also used OM1, OM3, OM4 and OM4TI.

I remain with OM1, OM2 and OM2n, all three CLA'ed by John. I love their simplicity and clear viewfinder, and can not emphasize enough how important the CLA, and in particular the prism foam removal is.

The OM1 is for me the Leica of the SLRs. And I love the OM2 for its long exposure capabilities. You don't need to look beyond those two bodies, IMO. If you have extra cash, spend it on lenses, where I recommend late 28/2, 50/1.4 and 180/2.8 as a great all around kit.

Roland.
 
I have OM-1, OM-3, OM-4 and OM-10, I had OM-2 and tried the Om-4Ti.
As already said the one digit models are the good ones and I think they were all very good when they come out. Now, a few decades later some of them might have old electronic's problems. Briefly. The OM-1 is all mechanical and is the only model to have mirror lock-up, the meter however is not very precise and they use discontinued batteries. The Om-2 has aperture priority and the same "usual" meter but they use LR44 batteries. The Om-3 is mechanical but has a highly sofisticated meter with spot, highlight and shadow mesurement. They use rather old electronics and many of them dry the battteries in a few weeks, mine included. Even keeping the shutter speed to B till the last minute doesn't help much so for me it is battery in just before using and battery out once it goes back into the bag. Apparently The Ti version (very rare and expensive) has sorted this out but cannot comment since I never had one for any extended period of time. The OM-4 has the same meter as the OM-3 but sports and electronic shutter. Apparently it also suffer from batteries problems but mine (old beaten up and bought second hand) doesn't which leads me to think that maybe there are also OM-3 without this problem out there. The Ti version should be better. Since for all of them when electronic if gone is probably very hard to repair (but you can find the main board and many spare at high price on specialized sites) I would go for a mechanical model: OM-1 or OM-3 and since of the two the one with the best meter is the OM-3 I would go for it, also since the Ti version is better I think that if your question is really "which is the best" I would say the OM-3Ti, but that's expensive. On the other hand any other model should produce beautiful pictures, so if you find one at the right price go for it.
The OM-3 and Om-4 have also a usual hotshoe if you use it, OM-1 and Om-2 had a funny accessory shoes (OM was supposed to be a completely modular system) which breaks easily and is har to find. The OM-10 which I have works perfectly but it is only aperture priority unles you buy another strange accessory (or you build it yourself if you are into those things). Mine resisted a fall from some 50 feets during a mountain trip (but falled on grass) with no problems, so the build is not bad...

GLF
 
OM-1n or OM-2n.
Make the choice depending on whether you find a mechanical shutter to very important for you, or whether you don't mind battery dependence and enjoy using AV mode.

Despite owning an OM-4 Ti, I'd rate the OM-2n as best value for money.
 
I have used Olympus OM's since they were first released and own all the single digit models (with the exception of the OM-3).

My personal favorite is the OM-1n for its simplicity and straightforward operation.

A close second is the OM-2n, which is smoother and quieter in operation than the OM-1n. (Unfortunately, the OM-2 does not function in colder temperatures, a serious disadvantage in Canada!)

As for the OM-2s, OM-4 and OM-4Ti, I never did "bond" with these particular cameras. Perhaps because their operation is not as straightforward as their older siblings.
 
One thing to keep in mind is that if you like shooting at EI 3200, the only OMs that allow you to set that speed for the film are the OM-2SP, OM-3s, and OM-4s. You can adjust manually in the others, but it is a pain, especially with a needle meter that doesn't indicate actual shutter numbers.

I really liked the meter display in the viewfinder of the OM-4. It's the only one that I've used that allows you to see the actual shutter numbers while in manual mode. This lets you meter once, adjust the settings without your eye at the viewfinder, and then shoot. The spot meter is also nice, and another advantage of the display is that it shows a little tick mark above the shutter speed that it meters at, which again lets you quickly adjust.

You can, for example, walk into a room and take a very quick spot meter reading off of a person's face, adjust the camera, and then go around and shoot. There is less time spent adjusting things while looking through the viewfinder, which is nice when you want candid shots. I'm not sure if I'm describing this well, but it is a nice feature.

I've never really used the multi-spot metering feature, but I could see how it would be useful for slide film.

I think the OM-3s have the same meter setup, but with manual only. Of course, they also function without a battery (except the meter).

The only thing I can really say about the 2 digit OMs is that they can be had for cheap. You can sometimes find a 2 digit OM with a 50mm 1.4 on eBay for less than the lens would go for by itself due to fewer people searching for 2 digit bundles.

-Greg
 
Diff'rent strokes for diff'rent folks. Each offers something different.
If you want mirror lockup, the 1.
If metering is key, 4.
If you want to induce envy, 3.
If you want a 1 but would sacrifice a hair of mechanical feel for AE, 2.

FWIW, the 4 finder is 1 to 1 with a 50. The 1 is 1 to 1 with a 55.
 
If you can do try the film advance on the OM-4 before you decide. The feel is completely different from the OM-1 or OM-2 and I think the OM-3 has the same advance as the OM-4. The shutter sound is also different. You may not like the film advance on the 3 and 4 compared to the 1 and 2 models. Just something to think about.
 
There's nothing like an OM-1n with a complete overhaul.

I just bought into the OM system about a month ago (coming from Nikon), and I'm in love with this camera. Full manual systems are the best, you don't get lazy relying on aperture priority and such.
 
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