om4 battery problems

[simon_fox]

My OM-4 batteries keep going flat after a couple of rolls of film,

can anyone reccommend a reliable battery (make, number) and supplier?

 

thanks

[gavin w.]

Simon,

 

Bad news - it could well be that there is a problem with the camera. The OM-4 commonly experiences high battery drain, and if this is the case, repair may be expensive or impossible. If you do a search on this site with Google (Type site:www.photo.net after your query, it will only look in this site) you will find more info on the subject.

 

All the best,

Gavin Wims.

[johnny_johnson3]

The Energizer #357 is preferred by the folks over on the OM mailing list. One good source for them is:

 

<http://www.twincitysupply.net/catalog/product_info.php?cPath=37_38&products_id=143>

 

One other thing you can try is storing the camera on B or red 1/60, so that accidental pressure on the buttons will not turn the metering or viewfinder illumination on.

 

Later,

Johnny

[mark_bouquet1]

How long does it take for your batteries to die? Weeks? Months? If it's months your camera is typical. All the OM-3's, 4's, have current leakage problems in their circuits. It's normal, and doesn't mean there's anything wrong with your particular camera. The later Titanium models are better in this regard, but they all leak current. Eveready 357's are the best choice, as previously mentioned, but battery life is still pretty limited. I typically get seven months of use from a set of batteries in my OM-3. And it doesn't seem to make any difference whether I'm using the camera frequently or not. One solution is to remove the batteries when you're not using the camera. Otherwise you just have to live with it.

[dane_skye]

Wal-Mart carries the Duracell MS-76 for around $3.50/ea. They have become my default battery on the ease of finding a Wally World.

 

I find that I change batteries twice a year in my OM-4Ti and my OM-4. If you have frequent drain moving the camera to the 60 mech or b setting will help when storing it.

 

Look at it this way, carrying a couple spare batteries is pretty easy for us and they will still last longer than those digital guys.

[mark_bouquet1]

Looking at it from the glass half full point of view, having batteries die frequently and having to replace them often pretty much insures that you'll never have a leaking battery damage your camera, because they're never in there long enough for leaks to develop. :-)

[lex_jenkins]

If you get tired of frequently replacing batteries John Hermanson at www.zuiko.com might be able to scrounge up replacement circuitry for you. That's how he's been fixing the problem for years. However the last time I read the OM mailing list (more than two years ago) he said he was running short and eventually the OM-4 battery drainage problem would be unrepairable.

 

OTOH, my "fix" for the lack of size 625 mercury cell batteries for my OM-1 is to use size 675 zinc air hearing aid batteries. They meter accurately but last only about three months. Fortunately they're cheap. But that can't be much more inconvenient than what OM-4 owners experience.

[bill_pearce1]

The "battery problem" is highly overstated, not even all OM4's have it. The bad circuit was updated during production, and early OM4's could be upgraded by Olympus under warranty. I've got an OM4 with the updated circuit and an OM4Ti and I get years of use out of a set of 357's.

 

Be sure that you are using silver oxide cells. Because of the discharge characteristics, the alkaline cells will become useless before completely used up.

 

If you do have the oldest version, some on the OM list have had good luck with a mail order watch battery supplier in Minnesota, and pay only about seventy-five cents in quantitys of a dozen or so. Compare that to a set of lithiums!

 

While some repairmen may have replacement circuits in stock, it is generally considered uneconomical, as a replacement camera will likely be cheaper. The means to check your for the updated circuit has been discussed already on this forum.

 

One possible other cause is jamming the camera in a bag where the release button or the button for the viewfinder light is repeatedly pressed, so the camera is on continously. this will run batteries down quickly.

 

Bill Pearce

[george_shihanian]

Bill, Olympus long ago stopped doing warranty repairs, and in 2002, I believe, stopped doing any repairs on OM bodies. The OM-4 went out of production in 1987, so any warranty period is long gone. Several years ago the private repair persons on the Olympus list reported they were about to run out of OM-4Ti boards to use as replacements, and, even then, I believe the cost for the upgrade was around $400. Not really a cost effective option, IMO.

[grahams]

I have one of those little battery holders/clips on the carry strap of each of my bodies. I remove the batteries and pop them into the clip before putting the cameras to bed. It's a pain, but then I'll forgive Olympus anything just so I can use an OM.....

[francesco_fiorenza]

There is a workaround for this problem: set the speed selector on B or 60 position (the mechanical speeds) before store the camera: turn off the swich is not enought on the OM4! When you use a dedicated flash (T32/T20) remember: the red lamp indicator in the viewfinder is powered by the camera ! Turn off the flash as soon as possible !