Can I trust the light meter on an old Olympus?

[michael_onyiego]

<p>I need some help with understanding the lightmeter on a film camera.<br>

I've recently gotten my hands on an old film Olympus OM-1 (belonged to an uncle who never uses it) and I've been taking some pictures over the last few weeks for fun. I've gotten some decent images out of it, but I'm still learning.<br>

The Problem:<br>

Sometimes when I'm walking around (like today) on a bright sunny day, no clouds, no tall buildings etc. the light meter tells me my exposure settings are too low. I'm talking of course about the little wobbly pointer on the left side of the viewfinder.<br>

For instance today (with the above conditions) I had 400 speed film (bought after feeling like my camera was right in saying I was underexposed), shutter speed set to 125 with a 50mm lens wide open at 1.8, and it said I was still under-exposed. It further only seemed to approved of shutter speeds lower than 1/4-1/2 second, which makes street shooting impossible. I have trouble believing the film needs these settings to come out.<br>

Also: I've printed some pictures and they seems okay (my own talents aside), but I didn't then mark down the settings I used and many of those shots were taken with a tripod so I could make that meter happy. So i'm not sure if they are good in spite of the meter or because I listened to it.<br>

Anyone out there familiar with this camera have any advice?</p>

[William Kahn]

<p>The symptoms sound like the light meter battery is low. Have you tried replacing it? The Wein Cell (MRB625) is the replacement for the original mercury cell battery.</p>

<p>Also, remember to turn the lightmeter off when not actually shooting (that's the lever on top, left of the viewfinder) because it will drain the battery if left on for long periods of time.</p>

[dave_s]

<p>I believe the camera took the now-banned PX625 mercury button battery. These have not been available in stores for several years.</p>

<p>The old cadmium sulfide meters are fussy about having an accurate voltage delivered to them. It is possible that your old mercury battery is worn out, or alternatively, maybe someone has installed a 1.5V alkaline or silver replacement that does not deliver the exact right voltage to the meter.</p>

<p>I don't guarantee it's the battery, but if it is, there are <a href="http://tinyurl.com/33ju4ca">many workarounds you can find</a> on the web. Cheap hearing aid batteries are a solution that works in many cameras.</p>

<p>(Simultaneous post with William-- great minds think alike!)</p>

[michael_onyiego]

<p>Thanks that is helpful.<br>

I did have the battery replaced when I took in to a shop to have it cleaned, but I've just checked and the battery they replaced it with is definitely an alkaline numbered LI560, so I'm guessing it is a problem with that. I'll check out what they have around here (I'm in Nairobi so a replacement might be difficult to come by).</p>

[bgussin]

<p>I'm not intimately familiar with the Olympus OM line and no offense intended Michael, but since you posted in the Beginner forum I want to ask, have you selected the correct corresponding film speed on the camera? The OM-1 is too old to have auto film speed detecting (DX coding). So merely loading faster film will not alter the light meter. You must manually set the film speed.<br>

Here is a link to the manual on the invaluable mike butkus site:<br>

http://www.butkus.org/chinon/olympus/olympus_om-1/olympus_om-1.htm<br>

Assuming that you have set the film speed correctlyon the camera, and assuming the camera uses now hard to source mercury batteries. It may be that conventional alkaline batteries may be putting out the wrong voltage due to newness or age.<br>

zinc-air hearing aid batteries may not last as long as mercury batteries, but their discharge characteristics are more even than alkaline. All that has been covered numerous times here on Photo.net, and you should be able to find that here on the site.<br>

Also over the years the exposure meter may suffer from fatigue or dust and dirt or corrosion or "stickiness" which may affect its opperation.<br>

I believe the OM-1 has a full manual setting and may not even need batteries to operate. Many of my old cameras don't even have exposure meters. WHat I suggest Michael is googling the Fred Parker ultimate exposure guide and memorizing the sunny-16 rule and common indoor settings and ignore your light meter altogether.<br>

I will finish by telling you that while I never owned an Om-series camera, once you pick up any camera designed by Sam Mitani, you can not easily put it down. And I suspect you are discovering its amazing optics and the beauty of film.</p>

[William Kahn]

<p>Robert has a good point about the film speed setting. That's the wheel with the ISO numbers, next to the shutter release button.</p>

<p>"I believe the OM-1 has a full manual setting and may not even need batteries to operate." Also true. But, if you really want a light meter and, worst case, can't get one in Nairobi, you might consider getting a hand-held meter.</p>

<p>I shoot mainly digital, but the OM-1 is still my favorite walk-around camera for fun. I've been using the Wein Cell battery for years and the exposure is always right on, except in really high contrast situations.</p><div></div>

[CoryAmmerman]

<p>The meter may have been acting strangely because the settings were beyond the capabilities of the camera. With 400 speed film on a sunny day and aperture of 1.8 the shutter speed required for correct exposure would have been well beyond the 1/1000 maximum shutter speed of the OM-1 (something in the neighborhood of 1/34,000 second, assuming direct sunlight). 1/125 sec would be 8 1/3 stops overexposed, if my math is correct.</p>

<p>You should definitely familiarize yourself with the Sunny 16 rule. Proper exposure with 400 speed film on a sunny day in direct sunlight, the shutter speeds should be something like f22-1/200, f16-1/400, f11-1/800. Anything else is beyond the camera's capabilities. If you want to use wider apertures, you'll need to use slower film or ND's.</p>

<p>You'll probably get more detailed information about your specific camera in the<a href="../classic-cameras-forum/"> Classic Manual Cameras forum.</a></p>

[michael_onyiego]

<p>Thanks to everyone for the responses, this has been extremely helpful. I'm checking out the Ultimate Exposure guide and will spend the weekend exploring it.<br>

@Robert:<br>

The OM-1 does have an iso dial and I made sure to set it to the correct speed when I changed the film. I've gotten back a set of pictures from the first roll of 400 and most came out fine, i've just been a bit uneasy about what the meter has been showing me, I'm not an expert, but it seemed off, even from the bit I've managed to read since picking up that camera.<br>

And yes, the camera is amazing. I picked it up about one month ago and already bring it with me everywhere. Its very quickly becoming a minor obsession. I was handed a slew of lenses with it but have kind of zeroed in on the 50mm f1.8 to begin as its easy to carry around day to day. There is something to be said for carefully considering each shot and waiting for them to be developed a few days later.<br>

@Cory:<br>

That is something to definitely look into. I clearly have some learning to do about proper exposure calculation, but the meter did say it was underexposed. If the settings were beyond its capabilities would the meter just give up and drop the dial? Or would it at least indicate an overexposure?<br>

At this point I'm thinking that its got to do with having an alkaline battery inside the camera. While I would hope to learn how to judge exposure intuitively over time, I think I'll try to get my hands on an external meter to have as a reference. A quick survey of my area today for the hearing aid battery wasn't promising.<br>

Thanks to everyone, I'll put up some of my results when I get my hands on a scanner or have them developed at one of the shops which can make digital copies out here.</p>

 

[lex_jenkins]

<p>The OM-1 was an excellent camera with a few quirks. As other folks suggested, try some #675 zinc air hearing aid batteries. Those worked fine in my OM-1 and other cameras and meters even tho' they're smaller in diameter and slightly thinner than the original 625 mercury button cells. There should be enough spring tension in the battery compartment to maintain contact.</p>

<p>Metering may be a little tricky. The OM-1 has an averaging metering pattern that's nearly full frame. So it's a little vulnerable to error in some extreme or high contrast situations, which William referred to:</p>

<ul>

<li>Bright white overcast sky over a dark foreground.</li>

<li>Sunlight reflected off very light colored pavement or reflective surfaces such as glass building exteriors.</li>

<li>Performers spotlighted on a dark stage.</li>

</ul>

<p>The meter is also vulnerable to stray light entering the viewfinder eyepiece. Watch for this when the low angle sun is behind you, over your shoulder. It can fool the meter into underexposing because it "sees" more light than there really is on the intended subject or scene. Olympus offered a couple of eye cups to help minimize this problem but, frankly, they were more trouble than they're worth. Both types tended to slip off too easily and be lost. You can adjust your angle while metering or wear a broad brim hat to shield the sun in those conditions to avoid that error.</p>

<p>Compare the metering results you get against the <a href="http://www.fredparker.com/ultexp1.htm">Ultimate Exposure Computer</a> charts and you'll soon figure out how to compensate in tricky situations.</p>

[blumesan]

<p>Quite clearly the meter in this camera is malfunctioning. All of the posts above are helpful in suggesting possible solutions. However when I read the OP very carefully and interpret it literally, another possibility comes to mind.</p>

 

<blockquote>

<p>Also: I've printed some pictures and they seems okay (my own talents aside), but I didn't then mark down the settings I used and <strong>many of those shots were taken with a tripod so I could make that meter happy.</strong> So i'm not sure if they are good in spite of the meter or because I listened to it.</p>

</blockquote>

<p>I interpret this to mean that many shots were taken at wide aperture settings and with shutter speed in the range of 1/2 sec. (to make the meter "happy"). And they "seemed okay". To my mind this raises the possibllity that there may be a problem with the shutter speed, the aperture adjustment, or both. Obviously the answer is for Michael to shoot a roll of film using the sunny 16 rule (totally ignoring the meter) and check the resultsl.</p>

[rapyke]

<p>Just a thought... perhaps the original mercury battery <em>is </em>available in Nairobi... </p>

[jgaines]

<p>Another point of view for the camera is to somehow aquire another camera (friend?) and meter a scene with both cameras. This may then give you a clue to how the camera is doing.</p>