:1. You can't see the shutter speed looking down at the
:camera, because the prism housing obscures it. Since the
:aperture is not shown in the viewfinder, you can never see
:shutter speed and aperture together. This is especially
:bad when the camera is mounted on a tripod for macro work.
The latter is true, but any experienced OM user can determine which shutter
speed any OM body (except the 2000 :-) is set to or what aperture any Zuiko
is set to wearing a blindfold. Non-Zuikos that have a reversed aperture
setting direction, or have intermediate click stops can give problems. Turn
the aperture ring of any Zuiko/2.0 all the way anti-clockwise, then 4 click
stops clockwise, and you (should) know it is set to F8. Turn the shutter
speed ring of the OM-4 all the way anti-clockwise, then 4 click stops
clockwise, and you know it set to...think...think....1/125. In manual mode,
that is :-) Besides the shutter speed is displayed in the viewfinder, and
the viewfinder can be illuminated allthough this eats batteries alive :-(
This shutter speed ring / aperture ring design is now commonly accepted (at
least by us) but when the OM-1 was introduced it was flamed by the
Members-Of-The-Shutter-Speed-Dial-On-Top-Church. This is probably why the
film speed dial had a lock button - to facilitate the Olympianization
Process...
:
:2. In manual mode, an LCD number line is shown in the
:viewfinder, but it is *backwards* from mathematical convention.
:+ is to the left, and - to the right! Since I am in the
:minority of people who hold a camera vertically with the
:shutter release at the bottom, it's OK in vertical format.
:On the OM-1 and OM-2N, this scale is at the left of the
:viewfinder with + to the top, and therefore correct for
:me in either format.
When you would have given you and the camera a bit more time to get
acquainted to each other, you would have discovered the logic of the
movement of the bar and the direction of the shutter speed numbers. Manual
and Auto mode follow the same directions, and the logic is that the bar
follows the direction in which you turn the aperture ring. So when the
camera is in Auto mode, you know you have to turn the aperture ring
anti-clockwise to achieve the shorter shutter speeds that are displayed at
the left, needed to prevent those shaky shakers. When in Manual mode, the
bar follows the same rules - following the aperture ring. This automatically
means that when you use the shutter speed ring to set exposure, you must
turn it in opposite direction.
:
:3. The exposure compensation dial is likewise backwards
:from expected, with + proceeding anticlockwise. Even worse,
:the *scale* rotates around the *dial*. When setting the
:film speed, you have to perform a mental triple-negative.
:
The compensiation / ISO setting combi dial on the original OM-4 can develop
a bigger problem: after a while the ISO lock can become malfunctioning,
which can lead to a change in the ISO setting while compensating. This has
been improved in the 4Ti. As to the direction in which to turn it: again I
think it was designed to operate w/o having to look at it. When you do a
brief comparison between the compensation dials of the OM-2 and the OM-4,
you might think they have changed the direction. But this is not the case.
On both cameras you turn the dial clockwise -away from you- to get a
negative compensation.
:4. An LCD bar graph is much harder to use than an
:analogue swing needle. There have been scientific studies
:done in the avionics industry to prove this. If the
:reading is between two values on the LCD scale, the last
:block blinks in a very distracting way. The LCD is just
:a cost-saving by the manufacturer - on what was supposed
:to be the top of the range model.
But it is more precise and allows multi spot metering, and that's what the
OM-3/4 are all about. The only circumstance where I prefer the OM-1 or OM-2
needle, is when I'm taking shots of a computer screen or TV. Just point your
OM-4 (if you haven't ditched it yet :-) to a TV, and you know why...
:
:4. There is no spot metering manual mode. You have to
:start in centre-weighted manual mode and push the "spot"
:button. Then you centre the bar graph (drawn, per (2),
:backwards, from right to left). Meanwhile, a second
:moving diamond - the next spot reading, which the
:camera is not using - is blinking away, distracting you.
:There has to be a SPOT button in order for multi-spot
:to work, but I'm only interested in a single spot reading.
:In this respect the OM2000 and OM-2SP are both much
:better cameras.
This second diamond that was distracting you, is exacly what you were asking
for: real time spot metering in both modes. The fxed diamond is the EV value
you've just measured and stored, the moving diamond is a real time spot
metering that moves with every subject you point the 2 enter to...
:
:5. The camera gets sick of you after 120 seconds and
:unilaterally throws away all your work. If you are using
:the spot meter manually, it also changes the mode back
:to centre-weighted, with very little in the viewfinder
:to warn you. There should be a three-way switch
:OFF-CENTRE-SPOT and another one MANUAL-AUTO. The second
:would be left in one position by many people.
Two minutes gives you plenty of time to perform a couple of dozen spot
meterings (alas, only the last 8 are remembered... :-), focus, refocus,
compensate, recompensate, compose, recompose and then discovering that you
subject has flown away...
If you're afraid you're running out of time, just move the mode switch from
Auto to Manual and back (or vice versa if you were working Manual). This is
an alternative way to turn on the meter, or to reset the 120 period. Its my
preferred method to turn on the meter; I'm always a bit concerned I press
the shutter release button a bit too enthousiastic...:-) Anyway I think it's
much better than forgetting to turn off the switch and running out of
batteries in just one night.
:
:6. You have to read the instruction book from cover to
:cover to figure out how to stop the camera from beeping.
:Beeps are *always* evidence of poor interface design. When
:you do switch it off, you find out why it was there: the
:viewfinder doesn't indicate how many spot measurements have
:the one value.
Ah, but now that you've discovered how to turn it off, you'll never forget,
now will you? :-) If you want to count your blessings, just step into a
camera shop and ask for the Nikon F5 manual.
But I do agree with you that the three way switch that combines two totally
unrelated functionalities (sound on/off and self timer) isn't likely to be
award winning in any User Interface Design Contest :-)
:7. The highlight and shadow buttons are pointless features,
:since there's already a compensation dial. I don't happen
:to agree with 2 2/3 stops for shadow with the film I use,
:but that's a moot point, since I can't actually push the
:button with my fat finger. I have already suggested in (4)
:that the SPOT button is a bad idea too.
These buttons provide a fast way to compensate with a fixed setting. Agreed,
it would be nice if you could set the exposure compensation factor
associated with these buttons. Agreed, they are not designed for big hands;
same is true for just about any modern camera where you can open a door and
find a cute set of mini-buttons. Maybe Olympus should design an underwater
version of the OM-4 :-)
:
:8. The TTL socket is exactly where I like to rest a finger.
:When a cord is attached to it, it tends to drift into the
:field of view for macro work.
:
As been pointed out by another list member, use the small hook attached to
the cord to hook it into the strap eyelet.
:9. The MEMO mode looks deadly. If you should accidentally
:bump this switch, *every* exposure from then on will be wrong.
:I am so afraid of doing this I have taken to pressing CLEAR
:(which cancels MEMO) every time I pick up the camera and
:between every frame. More mental overhead.
:
Accidentally bumping this switch is not enough to turn it on. You must use
some force and really turn it anti-clockwise, to activate it. It has never
happened to me, anyway.
:10. The instruction manual actually says to remove the
:batteries between sessions. They have to be joking.
Well, in the last period you were able to read Everything You Would Want To
Know About Battery Drain But Were Afraid To Ask For (including several
things you DIDN'T want to know :-). You wrote it had the new 4Ti board
installed. You don't have to remove the batteries. On my OM-4Ti I never do.
On my OM-4, and OM-3, that both have the old circuit, I do. I remove the
batteries after each shooting when I'm not going to use it anymore the same
day. W/o doing so, 3 months, no more.
:
:11. I spent quite a while centreing the dioptric adjustment,
:even though I wear contacts and don't need it. This knob
:doesn't lock securely enough to prevent it being moved
:in use. Even after this, the viewfinder is not as clear
:as that of the OM-1 and OM-2N, although mercifully smaller.
Never happend to me. Again, you must use quite some force to pull it
allowing it to turn. But maybe there's something worn in your specimen.
:I know now that it wasn't lack of marketing or keen pricing
:which lost Olympus the SLR market. They no longer *have* a
:product worth marketing. I would not buy this camera new at
:any price.
I would. A brand new OM-4Ti for 500 ero... ahh.. uhh...euro? An 3Ti for 600
Euro? No problem. I might even consider buying the new OM-6AF when it
costed... 700... hell... 800 Euro!
Btw, did it show I'm a Zuikoholic OM-1/2/3/4 lover :-)? It didn't, now did
it?
Hans
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