Any advice re: Oly OM4-Ti

OurManInTangier

OurManInTangier

An Undesirable
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I've got the chance to grab myself an Olympus OM4-Ti with a Zuiko 1.4 50mm Auto-S lens. It's lost plenty of paint, I've heard this happens, but is mechanically and electronically in great condition.

It's the widow of an old colleague ( an incredible 'old-timer' with aeons of time for those starting out, truly lovely chap) that wants to sell it so I'd like to make sure that I offer a respectable figure for it...unfortunately I have no idea what that is these days.

Also, I have no idea if the lens is any good, reputation wise. I have a 50mm 1.8 'Made In Japan' jobbie which is a great lens plus a 35mm 2.8 so I'm not looking to spend on the lens unless its worth having ( it will also mean she gets everything taken off her hands without the hassle of selling the lens on its own.)

So...if you have any advice, warnings, guide prices or general comments I'd really appreciate your input.

Thanks
 
These are fine cameras and the 50/1.4 is a superb lens. I would offer $250 to $300 for the whole lot if I were you.
 
For one on good condition, that is, little or no paint loss, those of us on the Olympus Email group have bought and sold OM-4T bodies to each other for $400-$450. Some sellers on ebay demand far more, but I don't think they actually sell. The $400-$450 range for a nice one seems true on ebay as well. If your friend's is beat up bad, lot of paint gone, I'd say $200, assuming all works good. Thats for the body. The lens can vary in price depending on which version of the 50/1.4 it is. The latest one, serial number over 1,100,000 is the very best (I have two of them and have used some of the earlier ones) and typically goes for $80 on ebay in near-perfect condition. Older versions, $50. If the lens is beat up, then probably no more than $30 for any version.
 
The lens is an early version I believe, I think the serial number is in the 200'000 range if I remember correctly.

Chris, am I right in thinking I've heard you praising the later model 50mm 1.4 before? I currently have one of the 'Made In Japan' 50mm 1.8 which came with my OM2 SP...a great little lens which I'm happy to keep but if I get the chance to go for a later version 1.4 you'd recommend it would you?

£200 ( $300 or thereabouts ) seems like a decent price to me and would give me two OM's which would certainly get used alot, so long as I'm not 'stealing' them from her I don't mind.
 
Go for it.
I was once in a similar situation where the widow of an aquaintance called me to sell to me some of what was left behind. I advised her to sell the huge collections of SLR equipment through a local camera dealer.
 
loneranger said:
Because most people prefer the black ones, and I could be wrong on this, but I think not as many of them were made compared to silver.
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Hmm, something to bear in mind. I've had a look on ebay and some dealer websites as a rough guide to price, it seems that the dealers still hold out for a premium whilst privately they go for considerably less...in some cases!

I've had very little luck finding much info beyond the really rubbish review sites so if anyone knows of a good info resource I'd appreciate it.

Thanks everyone for the info so far. Its tough trying to ensure that both parties get a fair deal.
 
OurManInTangier said:
Hmm, something to bear in mind. I've had a look on ebay and some dealer websites as a rough guide to price, it seems that the dealers still hold out for a premium whilst privately they go for considerably less...in some cases!

I've had very little luck finding much info beyond the really rubbish review sites so if anyone knows of a good info resource I'd appreciate it.

Thanks everyone for the info so far. Its tough trying to ensure that both parties get a fair deal.
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You checked out KEH.com, didn't you? They currently have a 4T chrome in bargain condition (sounds like yours would be bargain) for $189. Very good ones (EX) are going for $465. By the way, the 4T and 4Ti are identical cameras, just different export targets.
 
OurManInTangier said:
The lens is an early version I believe, I think the serial number is in the 200'000 range if I remember correctly.

Chris, am I right in thinking I've heard you praising the later model 50mm 1.4 before? I currently have one of the 'Made In Japan' 50mm 1.8 which came with my OM2 SP...a great little lens which I'm happy to keep but if I get the chance to go for a later version 1.4 you'd recommend it would you?

£200 ( $300 or thereabouts ) seems like a decent price to me and would give me two OM's which would certainly get used alot, so long as I'm not 'stealing' them from her I don't mind.
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Yes, I love the last version 50/1.4. I actually have two of them! The mij version of the 1.8 is VERY sharp but has horrid bokeh, in my opinion. The last version of the 1.4 is a lot sharper than earlier versions of the Zuiko 50/1.4 (which I don't think were very great), equals the mij f1.8, and has a lot better bokeh plus the extra stop of speed. I have three of the mij 1.8 lenses so i have used them extensively too.
 
I pretty much agree with Chris, though I find my 6xxxxx range 50/1.4 to be at least acceptably sharp. I'd love to have a 1.1M+ sample to compare.

The "problem" with an OM-4T is scarcity of parts and cost of repair/CLA, so I would not pay much more than $230~250 for the kit, counting on having to send it to John for rehab anyway.
 
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On my OM1
I have the 50 1.4
serial#: 232637
and its OUTSTANDING / Quite Sharp & Crisp
Wide Open Creamy Lovely dof

OOOPs & Forgot to Say ....Nice to see YOU back Simon :cool:
 
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Thanks Helen.

I like the Flickr album, makes me think that maybe I should try it again....though I just didn't have the time or inclination to joins hundreds of different groups when I first tried it.
 
Any of the 1.4s will give you fine results. There were 5 different 1.4s made by Olympus. Oldest version has silver edged filter ring. As Chris pointed out (and he is very knowledgeable on the subject) the last multicoated version is very desirable. John, www.zuiko.com
 
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