OM4 Ti questions

<p>I recently came across a very nice Olympus OM4 Ti camera (black in color). The camera includes a 50mm 1.4 Zuiko lens. I was interested in getting something a little more compact and ligher in weight than my Canon F1. I know nothing about Olympus OM cameras, their features, or values. What is an OM4 Ti worth? And why or why not should I pick this camera up?<br>

Thank you,</p>

<p>Compact, great handling, rugged pro-spec 35mm SLR with superlative metering system. Great lenses (especially the primes) and system accessories. If you're like most of the people on this forum once you use it you'll probably love it.</p>

<p>http://olympus.dementia.org/eSIF/om-sif.htm</p>

<p>Best camera I ever used.<br>

The 50mm 1.4 is a beaut too.</p>

 

<p>beautiful camera, I hope you decide to keep it and use it.</p>

<p>It's probably about as good as you can get for a manual focus/manual wind SLR.</p>

<p>Rather than rant on about what features it has, I'll tell you my top 4...<br>

- Great rugged construction (nice and solid, quality build)<br>

- Great range of top class lenses with the zuiko OM glass, very versatile system of lenses<br>

- The spot meter is brilliant (multi-spot)<br>

- Mirror lockup & aperture prefire with self timer</p>

<p>Many people think it's the best manual focus SLR ever made. The spot exposure system is still state of the art. It feels great, and the viewfinder is superb.</p>

<p>As to its worth, I think it varies widely. The 4Ti's I've seen seem to either be clearly used ones and pristine collector examples. The LN copies seem to have sellers asking for over $1,000 maybe more. I don't know how many actually get buyers. The users, depending on condition, seem to fetch $400-$600. The champagne version is less expensive, and as a user it seems to be readily available for $400 or less. Same camera but looks lousy.</p>

<p>The lens is probably worth $125 by itself.</p>

<p>All the above is just my impression from eBay and KEH prices and having owned, used, purchased or traded the OM4T's and lenses a number of times in the past 10 years. Which isn't to say that you can't find a bargain or that someone is totally unrealistic about the price.</p>

<p>For what it's worth, if you planned on using the camera in the next few years, I would buy a user and factor in the cost of a CLA by John Hermanson, who posts here from time to time. John is the guru of these cameras in the US, and charges a fair price. Whether the body has a few dings or not, after a CLA it will feel factory new. (I have no connection with him, but he did revive my 4Ti a couple of years back). Good luck.</p>

<p>One more thing,</p>

<p>I noticed you have a F1, and I assume you mean the F1N. I used to use that system before gettting into the OM4T line. The F1N is probably the second best manual SLR ever made, so you can't go wrong. If I were you I'd keep it, it's a classic.</p>

<p>And I still use the OM4ti, even though I have digital and like medium format. The camera with a Zuiko 40/2 is a great combination to go shoot a few rolls in New York.</p>

<p>I concur with the other posters - the OM-4T is arguably the finest manual focus 35mm SLR ever made. Compact. lightweight, well constructed and weatherproofed, phenomenal metering and a clear easy to follow viewfinder display handles auto, manual and multispot metering - fully informative without being cluttered (wish it had an aperture display, but that's a small quibble), access to excellent Zuiko lenses, great flash and macro systems and a full SLR system to back it up, including high performance and lightweight motor drives. There is almost nothing that the OM-4T can't do, and usually better than, and with less fuss, than any other 35mm camera.<br>

I alternate between an OM-4T/OM-1n system and (when I think I might need to smash in doors with my camera) a Nikon F3HP/F4S system. I love the "gravitas" of the Nikons, but in almost every respect, the OM-4T is the superior camera.</p>

<p>Thank you for your advice, I will take a closer look at the camera tomorrow. Are there any problems particular to this camera that I should check for?</p>

<p>I can't think of any problems inherent in the OMs. I hears vague rumors about the reliability of the OM-2S electronics, and the OM-2S and OM-4 tended to chew through batteries, but these issues were fixed in the OM-4T. Bear in mind that any OM, even the latest ones, are going on 15 years old, so the mirror foam and door seals may be showing their age. This is an easy fix, and one that I routinely do on any old camera that crosses my path. Make sure the shutter curtains are pristine - the cloth shutter is the only possible point of weakness I can think of. If/when you need work done, I second the Camtech recommendation. I had two OMs (IM-1N and OM-2N) repaired/serviced by John Hermanson, and I was very happy with the work done.</p>

<p>Buy it. A great example of 35mm hardware. Well built, tons of features. For the record, in 30+ years of servicing the OM line, I've NEVER had to replace a curtain set due it's "wearing out". If seen some rough looking OM-1 curtains, but they worked, had no holes and weren't ripped. They are rubber impregnated silk. I have seen curtains ripped out buy the use, or burned by the sun. Go for it. John</p>

<p>David you are right that the OM's are generally getting on in age, but Olympus was selling the OM4Ti in the US until at least 2002 or 2003. I bought what may have been one of the last batch from the Olympus eBay store in 2004 as a reconditioned unit. It was brand new. Unfortunately I don't know of a source for serial numbers, but I assume someone does, that could help figure out whether one is an early or late model.</p>

<p>Jeff, I will suggest that given the price disparity between an OM4ti and an OM4 (the older, non-titanium top and bottom plate version), getting an OM4 is a low-risk proposition to see if you like the system. On a whim last summer I bought one of those together with a 35/2.8 Zuijo and the rare handgrip for about $175 from an eBay auction. The camera had sat around for maybe 15 years, according to the seller, and it was a bit dusty and the vinyl was peeling off. I cleaned it, replaced the foam and got new leather from a source for about $35-40. It looks great and works perectly. The film advance lever on the OM4 has a smoother feel than on the OM4Ti. The top and bottom plates are made of brass which has a nice look where the enamel has worn off. Functionally they are the same camera, with the OM4 feeling just a bit heavier in your hand.</p>

<p>Well here's a start - I bought my black OM-4T new in Summer 1993 (B&H, IIRC) SSN 1201605.<br>

Andy, as far as I know, Olympus reworked the circuitry of the OM-4 late in the production run to fix the high battery consumption, so late OM-4s and OM-4Ts are a better bet than early OM-4s. For a point of reference, I had an OM-4B(rass) (date of manufacture u/k) with the "old" circuitry, SSN 1112691. The easiest way to tell if you have the updated circuitry is to switch on the battery test - if the "beep" shuts off automatically after ~30 sec, you have the updated electronics - if it keeps going, you have the old stuff...not "bad" as such, just less efficient in term of battery consumption. The other thing that the OM-4T has that the OM-4 doesn't is the ability to synch at all shutter speeds with the FP 280 flash.<br>

Another point for the OP - OM-4s being passed off as OM-4Ts is not unheard of - make sure it really is the titanium version - the easiest way to tell (apart from scratching the paint off the top plate - not advisable) is to check the little red self timer light on the front of the body. The OM-4 has a round central light - the OM-4T light extends upwards from the center to the top of the self timer knob.</p>

<p>Okay, I went to look at the camera, and it is a genuine OM4 Ti. It seems in nearly pristine condition but for one thing, the viewfinder is terribly out of focus. I can't get it to focus a lens properly, and the meter at the bottom of the viewfinder is blurred as well. I noticed what appeared to be a diopter adjustment knob on the viewfinder, but I'm unsure how to work it. I wasn't able to get it to turn (I may not have been doing it correctly). Any advice? The battery check beeper does shut off after about 30 seconds, and the serial number is 117### (I live in Japan, BTW).<br>

Thank you all for your help so far, hopefully this problem with the camera is nothing too serious, I would very much like to buy it. As it is, the shop is willing to discount it now due to the blurry finder.</p>

<p>You have to pull the diopter knob out to turn it - just like you would pull out the winding crown of a watch to adjust the time, then push it back in to lock in the adjustment. It doesn't turn easily - you have to grip the knurls with your fingernails to get some purchase. The fact that meter is also blurred suggests that is is a viewfinder issue - if the meter readout had been sharp while the image could not be focused, I would have suggested an out of alignment mirror.<br>

I just messed around with the diopter on my OM-4T, and was easily able to blur out the meter readout...of course, everything else was blurry also, because of my crappy eyesight. If you wear glasses, try adjusting the diopter to get a sharp meter readout without your specs and then see how the focusing goes.</p>

<p>David, thank you for going to the trouble of checking your camera for me. I returned to the shop and found that the diopter setting was indeed out of adjustment. I ended up buying the camera, and the shop was good enough to throw in a Zuiko 35-70 zoom lens to sweeten the deal. The camera and both lenses ended up costing about $350 USD. The seals and such all look to be in good shap, and I was happy that the mirror was free of dust and blemishes. I loaded a roll of film to shoot this weekend (now I have 3 cameras in my bag), I'll develop it in my "darkroom" (bathroom) on Tuesday and see how well it really works.<br /> Thank you everyone for your well-given advice. I am now a fellow Olympus shooter :)</p>

<p>PS, I'll take some pics of the camera and post them next week...</p>

<p>jeff, you got a great deal, you should be very happy. Happy shooting! Glad to see you're shooting B&W also, keep up the good work!</p>

<p>Also, for the reference. since the OM-4 vs OM-4ti was mentioned. I have a OM-4 (non ti) and it has the low-drain circuit. It works perfectly and I see no compelling reason to upgrade to a ti (not really much difference between the two in terms of features).</p>

<p>Good luck with your new OM Jeff - spend a little time with it and you'll probably come to the conclusion that if ever a camera deserved wider recognition, it was this one. I second the B/W comment. After a few years of shooting digital, I'm going back to my roots, so to speak, and I'm building a proper darkroom for B/W - making the print is half the fun, IMO.</p>

<p>Jeff, you got it for a steal. Post some photos when you're done, that's what it is all about.</p>

<p>Jeff,<br>

I owned a new OM-4T back in the 80s when I had a photography business. Simply the finest 35mm manual focus there was. Wish I still had it, even though I no longer shoot film!</p>

<p>Still use my OM4ti a lot; but reluctantly moving more and more to digital (4/3rds of course); digital processing is just so much less hassle than film processing than scanning; though the picture taking process is much less fun.</p>

<p>Things I miss most about the OM4ti?<br>

* Shutter speed and aperture right *there*, right where it should be, on my left hand, easily adjustable whilst the camera is to my face<br>

• Ultra quick to use multi spot + highlight and shadow metering accessible with a few well placed buttons. Exposures are spot on, all the time.</p>

<p>Oh for THOSE controls on a Olympus digital!!!!</p>

<p>I hope you enjoy it. The only thing I find lacking on mine is the ASA dial which I thought looked and felt flimsy when I got it ended up breaking. Meter still works, but it's virtually impossible to use since it's no longer lined up with the film speed. The meter is an absolute joy to use and is very trust-worthy in auto mode.</p>

<p>I took the camera out with my F1 this weekend and shot a roll of film while walking around Tokyo. I mixed up my chemicals when I got home this morning, and I'll develop the film when I get home from work later. I can't comment yet on the quality of the images, but I enjoyed using the camera very much. It was light, quick handling, and easy to use.<br /> While walking around Tokyo I found a very nice 24mm lens at one of the used camera shops. The Zuiko primes seem to command a strong price compared to the AIS and FD lenses, but I like how compact they are, and how smoothly they operate. <br /> Anyway, here's a pic of the OM4 with the 24mm lens on it, and an Etsumi leather strap:<br>

http://i274.photobucket.com/albums/jj268/Frontman7/August4th2009009.jpg<br>

And here's a pic comparing the OM4 to my F1:<br>

<br /> http://i274.photobucket.com/albums/jj268/Frontman7/August4th2009011.jpg<br>

I'll post some of the pictures I took with it once the negatives are scanned.</p>

<p>The OM-4 looks pretty much flawless - nice find. One thing to watch out for, is that the paint seems to come off the titanium top and bottom plates much easier than it does off the brass plates - I suppose it's a quality of the metal - the paint just chips off easier. My view is, if your camera's a keeper, it doesn't matter, but something to bear in mind. I've noticed the same thing you did about Zuiko prime lenses - they command sometimes crazy prices.<br>

BTW, don't let that F-1 push your OM around. Cheers.</p>

<p>to David Caroll:<br>

No need to check any serial numbers for production period: The OM-4T(i) has a white code in the film chamber reading TNxyz where x refers to the production year (C=1983, D=1984, ... L=1992, ...., V=2002=last production year, up to Dec.), y is the production month (1=Jan, ...9=Sept, A=Oct ... C=Dec), z=production day (sometimes in early models not shown). Your 1201605 should have TNLy or TNMy (produced 1992 or 1993). BTW, TN shows production at the Tatsuno plant (all OM-4T(i) were produced there).</p>

<p>From 1998 on, serial numbers jumped to the 2,200,000 range. The latest models are in the 2,3xx,xxx and 2,4xx,xxx range.</p>

<p>Jeff: your 1,7xx,xxx (sn should have 7 digits, not six) is probably from 1989/1990 (TNIy or TNJy).</p>

<p>Wow, that F1 sure looks huge by comparison! (mind you, I notice it has a motor drive attached - certainly this will make its 'bum look big'...).</p>