Nikon Vs Olympus Dilemma

denmark.yuzon

denmark.yuzon

Streetographer
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Ive had enough dreaming of a Voigtlander or any other RF that would cripple my bank account..

instead, i looked for SLRS, with my current nikon system... a Nikon F2 would be a good choice, since i have lens for it, and the seller would give me a free Non Ai 50mm f/1.4 lens along with it...

but here comes another contender..

ive found someone selling his olympus om1n setup... with a 50mm zuico f/1.4, and a 28 f/2.8 (finally my dreams of having a wide angle lens have come true!) plus a 80-200 zoom.. which i dont think i will need except for paparrazzi shots at the beach.. anyway,

im familiar with the nikons... how about this Olympus om.. i know a lot of you guys prefer the olympus... but OM1n? is it good? both priced reasonably.. im just so confused! at one point, ill go with the F2, then id change my mind and go with the OM1n... i just cant decide!
 
both cameras are fantastic. IMO, the best manual film SLRs are the pro nikons, the pro Olympuses (OM1, OM2, the prosumer ones were OM10, OM20, etc), and the pentax k1000. One thing to make sure of with the F2 is that if it has a Photomic head, be sure to check that the meter works, because once it dies, parts are NLA. There are others more familiar with the olys that can tell you what to look out for there. If they both work well, and they are both in good condition, it is pretty much six of one, half a dozen of the other, and a lot of it will come down to availability of lenses in your area, the price, whether you like a large, heavy, stable camera, or a smaller, more whippy camera, and any number of other intangibles. Both are pretty much equally capable of making fantastic photos.
 
I'd go for the OM1n and build a nice 28, 50, 85/100mm setup. :)
Its light, small and compact, plus a pretty quiet camera.

I have a F3HP and 50mm f1.2 and it weighs a ton, i turn to my OM-1MD for the above reasons.


Shawn
 
I think that if I would be in your shoes I would think in terms of camera mount. This is the lady which which you have married and the lenses are your common sons. Accordingly I will look for a non-heavy Nikon as backup.

Having the Oly as your mistress will be cheap at the begining but then you will find yourself paying rent and school for the boys.

I woud even consider a digi Nikon able to mount your existing lenses without adaptor, if there is such camera.

Cheers,
Ruben
 
payasam said:
Back-up usually means the same lenses. Nikon lenses do not fit Olympus cameras.
Click to expand...

makes a lot of sense! haha.. thank you!

but if Olympus OM1n is good, its kinda hard to pass up dont you think?

but hey, back up or a new workhorse is the goal, thanks for the advice!
 
You are already in the Nikon system and the FM2n is as tough as nails. If you need a back up camera another FM2n would be the way to go and look for a 28/2.8 ais if want a 28mm lens. OTH the is absolutely nothing wrong with the Oly OM1 but if you go that route then sell your Nikon gear and get another ON1 for back up. Personally I would go the first route as you are already in that system if you are happy with it. BTW the non ai 50/1.4 will not work with the FM2n unless you ai it.

Bob
 
Nikon Bob said:
You are already in the Nikon system and the FM2n is as tough as nails. If you need a back up camera another FM2n would be the way to go and look for a 28/2.8 ais if want a 28mm lens. OTH the is absolutely nothing wrong with the Oly OM1 but if you go that route then sell your Nikon gear and get another ON1 for back up. Personally I would go the first route as you are already in that system if you are happy with it. BTW the non ai 50/1.4 will not work with the FM2n unless you ai it.

Bob
Click to expand...

yes Bob, the plan is to get more Ai-s lenses so i can use both cameras... and leave the 50mm non-ai on the f2 while i get more lenses... i probably get a wider lens for a two lens, two camera setup...

I guess nikon is the way to go... yeah... thanks!
 
DY,

In looking at the Nikon Fs (F, F2, F3) or the OM-X (1, 2, 3, 4) series of cameras you will not go wrong. Both Nikon and Olympus have made some world class glass over the years, along with a few duds. I sold off my OM system and kept the nikon because of the fact that it handled the same as my nikon rangefinder. The OM was not the exact same as my Leica cameras.

Do some research on the glass in each system and map out where you want to be. 24 or 28 or 35, do you need a 50? what about an 85 or 105, and why not a 180 or 200.

The options and questions multiply. Hold each camera and see how they feel to you if you can. In high school the OM was too small for my hands, but now it felt pretty good. Not sure why.

B2 (;->
 
Ah c'mon- you are all so rationale here - didn't the OP just wanted an absolution from us to buy a new, a different camera? Are we all so monogamous? I am a Nikon guy myself, with 6 bodys... (whats the backup here??) but if some beautyfull olympus would make me an offer, well I couldn't say no...
 
If I have to narrow down to the last three SLR kits. It would be Olympus, Contax, and Nikon. That's all.

In your situation, I'd pick up the OM kit. It's not going to cost much -- unless you later fell in love and became a certified zuikoholic.

So if you don't like it, sell it and get your F2 (or F3). My personal Nikon favorite camera would be a black Nikkormat FT3.

How does that sound? ;)
 
I'm not really into all the marital infidelity metaphors, but I have both Olympus OM (a 1n plus 4 lenses) and Nikon (5 bodies plus 10 lenses) systems. The Olympus is a gem, I love how it works and feels, and the lenses are second to none. But it is an orphan system. No new lenses are being made, no innovations are up-coming for it. I will continue to use it, and have it serviced until the last spring in it has broken!

The Nikon is a current system. There are two film bodies you can buy new, and new digital bodies come out at increasingly quick intervals. Lenses are in development and are announced every few months. But in hand Nikon cameras feel utilitarian, rather than artistic. If I could get by with only the Oly and Leica, I would. But as I work in the field, I need to have reliable tools, and for that my choice is Nikon.

I have been packing my OM1n with a 50mm f/3.5 on it all week. Simplicity at it's finest! But tonight I have a job so I put the Nikons in the trunk - along with lights, brackets, cords, batteries, data cards, card readers, ... etc. Sheesh!
 
Roger Vadim said:
Ah c'mon- you are all so rationale here - didn't the OP just wanted an absolution from us to buy a new, a different camera? Are we all so monogamous? I am a Nikon guy myself, with 6 bodys... (whats the backup here??) but if some beautyfull olympus would make me an offer, well I couldn't say no...
Click to expand...

Certainly, but why make absolution easy.

Bob
 
Another thought about the F2. The metering heads on these can be problem to get repaired and they are getting long in the tooth. As someone else said they are known to develop problems. That is why I said to get an FM2n if you rely on in camera metering.

Bob
 
With apologies to Chris101, the original poster seems to be saying, "I dislike my wife, so instead of taking her sister (who wears the same ear rings) as a mistress I shall look outside her family."
 
The OM1 is great, but one warning - you can't get the mercury batteries for them any more. I've had mine converted to use silver cells, but it cost as much as an OM1 would cost now. I think there are other battery alternatives, but I don't really know what they are.
 
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