OM 2S or OM 4? Help me choose

[mr. cooper]

Hi all,

I know that a lot of this was discussed in the last post but I was hoping we could get a little more specific between these two bodies. I am planning on buying one or the other to replace my OM 1, mostly for the spot metering and also the black body because I prefer discreetness. I have never used a multiple spot metering system so I have no idea how important that is to me. I will be purchasing this body from an ebay camera store most likely so I am concerned about the battery drain problem I am hearing about and other potential problems that could come with a camera that is listed as "excellent" but probably hasn't been used by the seller and therefore probobly doesn't know or isn't gonna tell me if it has a battery drain problem.

SO, anyone have opinions/advice about the OM 2S vs. the OM 4? Is the OM 4 much heavier or bulkier at all? I really like the compactness of the OM system. How about the shadow/highlight buttons? Price advice?Thanks a lot for any advice!

 

[Richard Ross]

I have both, and never use the OM-2SP. Reasons? The multi-spot metering and highlight/shadow buttons of the OM-4 are so quick and easy to use, and IMHO so much more useful than the manual-only spot meter in the OM-2SP. All the metering functions of the OM-4 can be used in auto or manual. Any differences in size and bulk between the two are not noticeable.

Both bodies are alleged to have the "high battery drain problem", but I have never had an issue with either. My 2SP does drain batteries a bit faster than the 4 but they still last a couple of months. I suppose that's not that long, but compared to a digital or a modern motorised SLR I can't really see a problem - SR44 cells cost pennies. Just be sure to carry spares!

Price-wise I'd normally expect to pay a little more for an OM-4, although one UK dealer I just checked (ffordes) lists a few of each at more or less the same price.

Hope that helps!

Regards
Richard

 

[shadowfox]

Hi all,
SO, anyone have opinions/advice about the OM 2S vs. the OM 4? Is the OM 4 much heavier or bulkier at all? I really like the compactness of the OM system. How about the shadow/highlight buttons? Price advice?Thanks a lot for any advice!

The only thing I like more about the OM-2SP compared to OM-4 is that the meter display is on the left.

So I didn't feel that I have to take my eyes off the composition when I check and re-check the meter; as I tend to feel with the OM-3 and OM-4, whose meter display is at the bottom of the viewfinder.

But that's my personal opinion, there has to be a good reason for Olympus to move the display to the bottom for those cameras which are newer than the OM-2SP.

 

[FrankS]

The RFF answer to this repetitive question of whether to buy A or B, is always, "Buy both!" 🙂

 

[Chriscrawfordphoto]

The OM-4 display is on the bottom because it displays a lot more stuff. The LCD had to be big enough to show the highlight and shadow indicators for when you use those modes, and the OM-4 does something cool when you use flash. Most TTL flash systems indicate if there wasn't enough light, but few tell you if you got overexposure from using an aperture too big for the auto system to give correct exposure. The OM-4T actually blinks the words UNDER or OVER after a flash exposure if it wasn't perfect!

Why choose one camera over the other? well if you like flash, the aforementioned flash stuff is a good reason to go for the OM-4. You can also use spotmetering in auto or manual on the 4, while the 2sp only does spot metering in manual.

On the other hand, the 2sp spot system is always on in manual mode, no spot button to push, so if you never use centerweight for manual exposures, thats a little more convenient. The 2sp also has program auto if you're lazy. LOL

The cameras are the same size...backs, focusing screens, motors and winders, and the optional grip are all totally interchangeable between the 4 and 2s.

 

[oscroft]

I've had both, but I sold my OM2S and now my most used OM body is an OM4T (even though I haven't had it very long). The reason I much prefer the 4 is that, as others have said, all of its metering features work the same in both manual and auto modes.

My biggest gripe with the 2S was that there was no spot metering in auto mode, which is when it is most useful - in manual mode I can easily point the camera at something approximating mid-grey to meter. And I love multi-spot too - it's so useful when you want to average over two or three different parts of the shot.

In fact, with the 4's multi-spot metering, and highlight/shadow options, I pretty much find I never have any need for manual metering at all.

Cheers,

 

[mr. cooper]

Ok great, thanks for all of the advice! I am going to go with the OM4. Now to decide if it is worth it to wait for an excellent OM4t to come around or have faith in the non-t model...

thanks again! I know these topics have probably been posted over and over but I am a newbie round these parts.

 

[Trius]

An OM4 with the newer circuit that does not drain the battery as fast is a better choice, IMO. The T just doesn't look as nice to me when the paint wears. To check an OM4 (non-T) for battery circuit, you switch on the battery check switch ... if it goes off within 30 seconds, it's a new circuit. At least that's as I remember it, perhaps John can confirm or deny, or you could google it.

BTW, my OM4 is actually an OM-1 and a handheld spot meter. 😀 IOW, I've never owned an OM4, although I would go for one if I weren't saving up for a Leica M4-2/P. 🙂 Seriously, if you do not require auto exposure and do "slow" photography, an OM-1 and spot meter are great for precise metering.

 

[shadowfox]

Now to decide if it is worth it to wait for an excellent OM4t to come around or have faith in the non-t model...

A clean and working OM-4 is just as reliable as an OM-4T. It's just cheaper and (to me) tougher. To me it's a no brainer choice.

 

[Alexandre Gabriel]

A clean and working OM-4 is just as reliable as an OM-4T. It's just cheaper and (to me) tougher. To me it's a no brainer choice.

+1

I got mine for $200 incl. shipping to Brazil. Nice camera if you don't mind changing batteries every 4 months or so - OM1 battery lasts forever, I guess 🙂

 

[giellaleafapmu]

As everybody...OM4 but...didn't you consider the OM3? It is the same but with fully mechanical shutter, if I have to pick only one camera for a trip that's what I get, should I have any problem with batteries I can still take pictures.... Sure that's more expensive than both the models you mentioned but it does come in black... ;^)

GLF