OM2N metering

[vic225]

Hi! i just got a om2n and the meter is a bit weird, in lower light situations it seems to match my VC meter and my digital cameras, but in bright situations the meter reading seems like it is under exposing... what could the problem???

 

[Liquid-Sky]

hi, the camera need a film to read the light off the film (OTF) plane to give correct exposure, did you load it?

 

[Richard G]

What lens? I've seen questions like this where underexposure is with a wide angle lens taking in too much sky contribution to the reading. If it works one end and the batteries are new it ought to work other times as well.

 

[ulrich.von.lich]

don't forget the camera has two meters : one for exposure and one for indication. the indication needle is completely dead on my om2 but won't prevent the camera from making perfectly exposed photos.

as to the incorrect reading of the indiction meter, it might also result from the characteristic and the age of the material (selenium?). for me, needles are not made to be taken seriously. and luckily on an om2n, you don't have to.

 

[vic225]

ah, so the OTF meter is separate from the needle.. yes i loaded it and will give it a try... im using a 50 1.8 mij version.. so i shouldn't worry about anything i guess? the OTF will work better than the indication needle/ manual mode meter?

 

[dtcls100]

Make sure you are using the right batteries -- silver oxide, not alkaline, batteries.

 

[vic225]

well... i cant find sr44 here in hong kong yet.... using lr44 for now.. the previous owner used it too and he used slide in it and it works fine. =]

 

[dtcls100]

The alkaline LR44 batteries you are using will power the OM-2 meter -- but not accurately. Alkaline batteries have a varying discharge curve of their lifetime -- their current output declines over time, thereby affecting meter readings. In contrast, silver oxide batteries have a very consistent current output almost until the time they die. If you are complaining about meter accuracy, you need to get the right batteries.
Of course, you can choose to ignore this, but then you have no one to complain about meter inaccuracy. Olympus specified using silver oxide, not alkaline, batteries for a reason. You can get silver oxide batteries delivered via eBay or the internet.

 

[vic225]

i guess i will have to go hunt for sr44 then 🙂

 

[Dave Jenkins]

#357 silver oxide batteries are even better if you can find them.

 

[vic225]

cool! i'll look for those too

 

[vic225]

got some sony 357/sr44 at the end... cost so much more than lr44!!

 

[wblynch]

got some sony 357/sr44 at the end... cost so much more than lr44!!

The cheap alkalines are worth nothing because they are useless so that actually makes them more expensive.

 

[John Hermanson]

If calibrated properly, the needle indication will be as accurate as and hand held meter. Meter will not be accurate with alkaline (LR44, A76) or lithium (CR1/3N) batteries. The OM-2 was designed before those battery types were made (and the 2N meter is essentially identical to the 2). Silver oxide (357, SR44W, G-13, MS76, KS76) are the only correct batteries. .John

 

[vic225]

Using sr44 now.. But the needle still acts weird sometimes... But its ok as i use auto more often.. Just gotta trust the auto meter is correct unlike the needle🙂

 

[kanzlr]

ah, so the OTF meter is separate from the needle..

yes. thats actually a good thing, because the exposure is taken from what really lands on the film 🙂

 

[Snapper_uk]

Ah. My Om2n was metering about half a stop out compared to a handheld meter and a couple of modern cameras. I'm also using silver oxide batteries.

So I've set the compensation dial to make up for that half-stop - but are saying the camera could have been exposing correctly once the shutter is fired, different to what the needle is saying?

 

[John Hermanson]

There are 2 - cds cells on either side of the eyepiece lens that read light off the focus screen. This is the reading for the meter needle only. The 2 cells in the mirror box (pointing back at the film) are silicon blue cells. They compute actual auto exposure in real-time as the mirror goes up as the first curtain starts to move. Low light exposures (below 1/45th or so) are read off the film during the exposure. John