OM-1 advice

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AJShepherd

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Just 'won' an OM-1 with 50mm f1.8 lens on eBay (for £40). Got a few scrapes on the bottom plate, the odd bit of dirt in crevices, and its missing a lens cap (must go and get a lens cap or at least a filter at lunchtime - the lens looks perfect though so maybe the previous owner kept a filter on it) but everything appears to be working OK as far as I can tell. So I've stuck a film in it and I'll give it a test run.

Any advice on possible problems to look out for, where to get replacement meter batteries (it came with one installed, but I think that's the kind that's not available in the EU), or recommendations on must-have lenses to look for ?

I always liked the look of the OM series, and I can't get over how tiny and neat this looks compared to my DSLR!
 
The early ones have foam rubber on the prism that needs to be replaced before it rots and damages the silvering, and I had one die with a sticky mirror/shutter thing that was too expensive to fix.

The slow-speeds can hang a bit but the clean and lube is an easy DIY fix the escarpment is under the mirror-box floor.

PS on the early models the top of the escarpment comes through the mirror-box floor so don’t unscrew it thinking it fixes anything.🙂
 
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Get a CLA from John Hermanson (he calls it an overhaul) for a little over a hundred bucks at zuiko.com. I sent him mine a few months ago, and it came back like it was brand new. He updated the meter so it takes regular, alkaline batteries, replaced all the foam with new stuff, and fixed the shutter and everything that was broken.

For lenses, just about every Zuiko prime is excellent. What focal lengths will you want?
 
Chris101 said:
Get a CLA from John Hermanson (he calls it an overhaul) for a little over a hundred bucks at zuiko.com. I sent him mine a few months ago, and it came back like it was brand new. He updated the meter so it takes regular, alkaline batteries, replaced all the foam with new stuff, and fixed the shutter and everything that was broken.

For lenses, just about every Zuiko prime is excellent. What focal lengths will you want?
Click to expand...

Don't use alkalines in your OM-1, they're not accurate. John H. himself says that his upgrade is for Silver Oxide batteries only, alkalines change their voltage as they discharge, making them innaccurate for cameras like the OM-1 even if the OM-1 has been modified for 1.5 volt batteries.
 
Ken at K&S camera used to be an Olympus repair tech, and he did a great job overhauling my OM-1 cameras. He also puts in the above-mentioned diode so that the camera meters accurately across its range using available silver oxide batteries.

K&S Camera Repair
364 W. Shaw Ave
Fresno , CA 93704
559 222 3686
 
Oh yes, I would check the light seal foam by the hinge on the back door.

I have two versions of the 50 1.8 lens, and both produce very good results, and they are small too.

I hope you enjoy your new camera.
 
Thanks CC - It must be mid-life dementia or something, but I knew that! On the other hand, my meter has been innacurate for years, and I never noticed! 😱

Chriscrawfordphoto said:
Don't use alkalines in your OM-1, they're not accurate. John H. himself says that his upgrade is for Silver Oxide batteries only, alkalines change their voltage as they discharge, making them innaccurate for cameras like the OM-1 even if the OM-1 has been modified for 1.5 volt batteries.
Click to expand...
 
I use a criscam adaptor obtained at criscam.com. I found that the meter on the OM-1 was inaccurate at the wider aperatures with other replacement batteries. (This a a common problem with this model. Somewhere else on the net there was posted a discussion ref. batteries for this model.) You may not need to do anything further.
 
the lenses will impress you at decent print size. 🙂 Best thing is to keep it in regular use. (noting above comments re: batteries and sticky foam)

From what I've heard, a John Hermanson CLA makes these cameras silky, silky smoooooth 🙂
 
AJShepherd said:
Any advice on possible problems to look out for, where to get replacement meter batteries (it came with one installed, but I think that's the kind that's not available in the EU), or recommendations on must-have lenses to look for ?
Click to expand...

If you write some long sentence like "mercury battery replacement for old cameras" or something like that in a search engine you should find a file with all the details on how to make yourself an adapter. Essentially it consists in drilling out a battery from its shell and soldering a Skotchy (spell?) diode to that shell. I am now in a trip abroad but if you can wait a few days I can look for the file in my main computer at home and send it to you.

GLF
 
Most of the leses are excellent, and Olympus has some truly exceptional lenses, no real dogs. For exceptional ones try these:

24mm f2.8: Canon users keep buying these because Canon's 24mm sucks on their fullframe digital SLRs, and it is very sharp on film too (I use mine on my OM-4T bodies).

50mm f2 Macro: One of the sharpest lenses ever made, actually works better as a standard lens than a Macro...it is sharper at normal distances and only goes to 1:2 anyway. Fast enough for normal work, but big and bulky...worth it for the sharpness.

100mm f2.8: A sleeper, this lens is incredibly sharp and is cheap! Also has VERY smooth Bokeh. Usually $60-70 on ebay. There's an f2 version too but it is insansely priced.

85mm f2: Not as sharp as the 100/2.8 mentioned above but still very sharp and has great Bokeh. I like the focal length better than 100 for portraits, but the 100 is good and cheaper if money is an issue. The 85 is Expensive, usually $300.
 
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