Well, I've run into an interesting thing with an OM1n that I got
recently. I was about to load some film a few days ago, and was playing a
bit
with it, and I noticed that the light readings seemed to be off some. So I
started checking it and found it was off by at least 2 stops, or even almost
3 stops. I noticed it checking it against the sunny 16 rule, which I take to
be asa 100, f/16, 1/125. It was definitely off about 3 stops. Then I checked
it against my OM2s, and found it different by approximately the same stops .
So, I took out the mercury battery that was in it, thinking it might be
run
down, and put it in my Olympus RC. It gave correct readings in the RC. Then
I put the 1.4v hearing aid battery that I'd been using in the RC in the
OM1n. It still was reading off by the same stops, so I concluded it was not
the battery run down.
Since it was reading too much light, which is what my RC does when the
battery is run down, I decided to put a new Varta alkaline battery, 1.55v,
in the OM1n. It gave a correct reading for the sunny 16 rule! So I got out
my OM2s and OM10, and checked it against them both, using a 50/1.8 on all 3
cameras. With the 1.55 volt battery in the OM1n, they read the same. I tried
the cameras at several asa settings from 25 to 1600, and at various speeds
from 1/4 to 1/1000, and from f/1.8 to f/16, in sunny scenes and in shade,
all with consistent equal readings. Then I tried a zoom lens, switching it
between cameras, and still got the same correct readings. So I concluded the
OM1n reads correctly using the 1.55v battery.
So, this has got me asking some questions.
1. Might this camera have had a battery conversion? There are no stickers
ar anything to indicate a battery conversion.
2. I had it apart to remove the foam around the prism, so is it possible I
might have done something to it to put it off? I didn't actually remove the
prism, or even the clamp holding the prism, but cleaned it off very
carefully leaving it in place. So I can't see that I'd have bent the needle
or anything. But I did have to take off the hot shoe bracket that is over
the old foam. I think I got the asa dial back together correctly, as it
seems to work consistently in comparing with the other cameras. If it was
together wrong, I'm thinking it wouldn't be consistent with the other
cameras at all the asa settings.
3. Might the meter just be reading off that many stops, and the 1.55v
battery corrects it by coincidence? (If this is the case, would it be
reading consistently correct at all the different settings?)
Which leads to question 4. If this is the case, would I damage anything by
using the 1.55v battery?
The last question is what concerns me the most. I don't want to use the
1.55v battery if it might damage the metering.
Thanks,
Wayne
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