Here is something to ponder. Perhaps the OM List, by collectively
repeating "conventional wisdom," puts an undeserved bad rap on certain
OM System components? Case in point: the circuits in an OM-2S. OK, we
all know correctly that they are no new ones available anymore. But,
there are old ones from carcass cameras, if it even made sense to
transplant one. It is kind of like giving heart surgery to your old cat.
There comes a time when it's best to let the cat pass on and, when you
are ready, replace it.
Do we really know if bad circuits are a significant problem in OM-2S
bodies? I don't think we do, but the conventional wisdom is that they
are a problem. I would argue that the "problem" isn't the reliability of
the circuits, it is their availability and the cost of replacement. We
really shouldn't even care if they are available - it would cost too
much to put a replacement in, anyways. John H. used to think that
putting an OM-4Ti circuit in an OM-4 didn't make financial sense. But I
guess there was a niche of users will to pay the price, perhaps due to
the rising costs of new OM bodies?
The economics of circuit board replacements might be a problem to
someone who can't really afford to replace anything they own. One can
easily get a "keep fixing it" sentimentality and "I can't afford to get
another" case of misplaced frugality. When the "old reliable" gets
unreliable to every observer but yourself, it is time to chuck it and
make it a parts camera.
The reason I question if the OM-2S circuits should even be considered
unreliable is that doing an analysis of what was wrong with all the
OM-2S parts and as-is camera sold on eBay in the last three years, only
two were related to circuits. Well, it turns out the shutter is more
problematic! Meters on OM-1 bodies, oily magnets on OM-10 bodies and
film advance mechanisms on everything are the most prevalent repair
issues in carcass or as-is cameras being sold on eBay. Maybe this does
or doesn't match the frequency of various maladies for the cameras that
the repair shops get in (not counting gummy seals). But its all the data
I have to go on and my conclusion is that the OM-2S gets a bad rap here.
Some conventional wisdoms that do match the as-is data:
Battery covers on OM-77AF
Oily magnets on the OM-10
Foam rot on OM-1 prisms
Undiscussed Achilles Heels:
Cords on the Recordata Back 1 and 2
Screw anchoring on the Eyecup 1
Flimsy fresnel frames on the T-32 Zoom Adapter
Gary Reese
Las Vegas, NV
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