I'd like some AE, please - OM-2 or 4?

EthanFrank

EthanFrank

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I'm finding that I might benefit from having a camera that does aperture priority, and I quite like my OM-1 and the glass I have for it. The OM-2 seems the obvious choice...or should I go for the OM-4?

I'm sure a spot meter might come in handy from time to time, but the OM-2 is supposed to have a bigger, brighter finder. What to do?
 
I have used mostly different om2 cameras and i needed to change to the om-4 (ti) as i had difficulties using the om-2n as i use eyeglasses. The om4ti is better regarding this and i feel like i can better handle the view and i like its meter and that it has the option to lit up the meter in the viewfinder when its dark and the spotmeter is handy also.
 
OM2n is great. I don't have a problem with my glasses. The OM4 I have chews batteries and they have a reputation for that. The AE of the OM2n is ingenious. There are three metering modes: manual, auto and off. When the camera is turned off it will still take a perfectly exposed photograph so long as the calculated shutter speed is 1/30 or shorter.
 
I faced the same dilemma some time ago (I had OM 1 and wanted AE) and I went for OM2 SP. I am very satisfied so far. On the other hand I never had OM4...
 
Another plus for the OM-4 - I'm sure a 1/2000th second shutter speed will come in handy, especially with the Canadian winter coming up. I've actually found an OM-4 for about the same price as one would find a decent quality OM-2. Should I just bite the bullet, so to speak?

Any recommendations of moving to another system? Am I missing out on anything by not going with, say, Nikon?
 
Circuit boards for OM-4 battery drain NLA

Circuit boards for OM-4 battery drain NLA

The OM-4 camera was notorious for a circuit board problem that drained batteries. For all it's other attributes, buying an OM-4 is iffy. Not all suffered the problem. Scavenging the circuit boards from OM-4's that have otherwise failed seems to be coming to an end as the process continues and the original boards have been NLA for some time.

Choices as far as I am concerned are the OM-2 and the OM-4ti.
 
A spot meter and an extra stop of shutter speed are little advantage over what the OM-2 offers in day to day shooting IMO. My first OM-2 (and first OM) came from eBay with a 50mm f1.8 lens for $56.00 and it's been rock solid without a problem in the three years I've owned it. If there's a better SLR with better AE available for this sort of money I've never noticed it.
 
granted that is true....

granted that is true....

FrankS said:
There are a few good OM4's out there.
Click to expand...

The problem was most common on early OM4's, considering a better circuit board from the later OM4's was used in repairs.

It would be nice if one could find information on the serial number range for the OM4 and the point at which the new circuit board came into assembly.
 
I had an OM-2 and an OM-4ti. I ended up selling the OM-2. Both cameras were fantastic, but the OM-4Ti simply did more for me. The OM-4Ti is lighter, has a better damped shutter, a stunning metering system including a multi-spot meter as well as center weighted and off-the-film metering. I can even save exposures in memory. The LCD readout in the viewfinder is the best and most intuitive I have seen on any camera period. Also, the focusing screen in my OM-4Ti is much brighter and clearer than the one in the OM-2. Things 'pop' into focus in a way I haven't seen on another camera. The full stop of extra shutter speed goes a long way when shooting wide open in daylight as well. And I still haven't killed the batteries in my OM-4Ti after a year of constant use.

The choice was easy for me...
 
Om2 or Om2n if you don't need the spot meter, or AE above 1600 iso. It has a buttery smooth film advance compared to the OM2s or 4. These have a matchstick meter display, no light so hard to see at night although if you just leave on AE at night I've had excellent results.

Advantage of the OM2s is spot meter and AE up to 3200. Also the hotshoe doesn't crack and you get that handy light to light up the LCD meter.

The OM4 has the extra stop of speed but there's always that issue with the circuit. I've seen some for sale in the past where the owner said it had OM 4ti circuit. not sure if that's true or possible.
 
Last edited:
AFenvy said:
I had an OM-2 and an OM-4ti. I ended up selling the OM-2. Both cameras were fantastic, but the OM-4Ti simply did more for me. The OM-4Ti is lighter, has a better damped shutter, a stunning metering system including a multi-spot meter as well as center weighted and off-the-film metering. I can even save exposures in memory. The LCD readout in the viewfinder is the best and most intuitive I have seen on any camera period. Also, the focusing screen in my OM-4Ti is much brighter and clearer than the one in the OM-2. Things 'pop' into focus in a way I haven't seen on another camera. The full stop of extra shutter speed goes a long way when shooting wide open in daylight as well. And I still haven't killed the batteries in my OM-4Ti after a year of constant use.

The choice was easy for me...
Click to expand...


I hate reading these sorts of posts .... I really don't need an OM-4ti! 😀
 
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