kieran_hamill

Another benefit of the old OM2 is it doesn't automagically sync to 1/60th when using TTL flash. Later models all sync to 1/60th when the flash is detected, regardless of the ambient lighting, supposedly to avoid wasted shots when the wrong sync speed is set. If the flash output on the OM2 is insufficient it just keeps on exposing OTF. That is a much better system IMO.

OM10 was my first Olympus. It features the classic OTF metering and was capable of very good photos. The manual adapter was a must for creative control and flash photography.

 

It is very light, but not nearly as robust as the singly digit OM's. It was a worldwide best seller for Olympus and there are stacks of cheap 2nd hand ones out there. The settings switches are much too small and fiddley for my tastes now though.

 

It uses the same lenses as the pro bodies, so you can be assured of identical results.

 

It's most striking omission is TTL flash, but I can't say I missed it at the time. Simple Auto flash units served me very well. OM consumer models also have limitations on low light automatic exposures - usually 2 seconds or so maximum. 99.9% of users would never notice, and you can always use 'B' manually beyond that.

 

Warning - Using OM cameras is extremely addictive.

It's centre weighted averaging. It's old, but the advantage is that it's predictable. You know when it will let you down, and can compensate accordingly. The camera meters continuously whatever it's pointed at. You set the aperture, and the camera picks the appropriate shutter speed. This is shown is whole stops, but the actual shutter speed is variable.

 

The viewfinder readout comes from a sensor at the focussing screen, but once the shutter is activated the actual exposure is controlled off the film by a sensor under the mirror. It's a very accurate system, but actual shutter speed may differ slightly from the viewfinder display. For manual exposures you are relying on the viewfinder meter and setting the shutter speed and aperture accordingly.

 

Modern systems try to pre-analyse the scene and do the compensating for you in auto mode. They will get it right more often than centreweighted averaging, but you lose the ability to know where and when. No camera actually knows what it is pointing at, so you may still need to compensate for light or dark clothing, high contrast etc etc whatever the metering system, so a predicatable one is actually better in my opinion. You may have a higher failure rate to begin with, but will get much closer to 100% success once you've mastered it. If you want 100%, buy a good incident meter and learn how to use it.

I mean that it will show every skin flaw and imperfection, which is not the perceived ideal for a portrait lens. 'Classic' portrait lenses are quite soft and flattering. Personally I think you are much better having that sharpness available and tone down with a filter if necessary, but that gauzy wedding photo look leaves me cold. At the other extreme, using this sharpness with B&W film is amazing, especially for old weatherbeaten faces. You see every whisker and pore. And that's just the women. Added to it's other uses (still life, nature etc) it's a terrific lens. I'm sure you wont be disappointed.

Whilst window shopping in my local camera shop on Saturday I came

across a pristine OM varimagnifier with case for £15. I already have

one, but it didn't stop me buying it. It makes a pleasant change, as

in the past I've sometimes paid dear for OM gear I thought I was

desperate for. What's the best OM bargain you have managed?

It is an excellent lens, as a macro lens, and will take you to 1:2 without additional extension. For portraits it is probably too surgical. It suits my tastes, but I'm not trying to sell the images to the subject. It is reassuringly heavy for a zuiko - top build quality.

 

Is it value for money? I don't doubt cheaper lenses perform closely, but I also know I would recoup most of my purchase price if I ever decided to sell.

 

Go on. Treat yourself. No one else will.

PS - make sure you test with a film loaded - I use a dummy film for this purpose. If you auto expose with the camera empty it reads from the dark back plate and the times are inordinately long. This would mislead you to think you were underexposing.

 

Not getting the winking confirmation is a sign that you have not enough power - move closer, open up the aperture, and/or use faster film.

I'm not conversant with that flash, but if it is TTL dedicated to OM cameras, the camera is in auto mode and the flash is set to TTL mode it doesn't matter where you point it, the camera will control the result through the lens reading off the film. It can only do this up to the limit of the power of the flash, so don't expect miracles. You will lose a lot of effective power using bounce, so open up a couple of stops at least, and you still have to compensate for very light or dark subjects which could fool the meter. If the camera has LED confirmation then there is no reason it shouldn't work - in TTL mode.

 

If the flash is on auto mode, it is the flash itself which senses the amount of light reflected from the subject, not the camera. You need to switch the camera to manual 1/60th and set the aperture recommended on the flash. There are usually variable power levels corresponding to diferent apertures on auto flashes. I doubt you will get viewfinder confirmation in this mode, but the flash should have it's own neon blinking light.

Another benefit of the 4Ti over the 4 is the ability to use high speed flash sync with the F280 flash, although the range is limited.

 

Shutters are on the quiet side for an SLR, as are all OM's, but it's unfair to compare to Leica's because they have no mirror slap, which is the main culprit. Compare it to a Hasselblad instead, in which case it's practically silent.

 

Yes the exposure is OTF - and you wont find a better or more sensitive meter in any camera anywhere ever. It's one of the best things about this camera, as is it's user interface. The multispot metering and analogue display are pure genius. (Does the 4 do multispot averageing like the 4Ti?)

 

The alternative to spotmetering is the centreweighted metering as per your OM2.

 

And yes, the auto mode is aperture priority. Spot metering works on both auto and manual modes, only the viewfinder display changes.

Accessory eyecups in camera shops here (eg Jessops) are marked Olympus OM / Pentax M fit - ie these are one and the same. This also implies there is more than one type of Pentax eyecup fitting.

Basically, what you describe is an off camera hotshoe? Slip one onto the camera hotshoe, attach the other to the tripod and mount the flash, connect each with a PC cord? I thought these were ten-a-penny available in any camera shop. I happened to pick mine up at Camera Mart in Middlesbrough. I'm sure Jessops would have them too.

Without a flash meter, carry out a test to determine the true guide number of your flash.

 

Load a roll of slide film. Do not use any other film type or your test will be meaningless.

 

Set your camera at a fixed distance (say 2m/10ft for ease of calculation).

 

Using the aperture suggested by your flash for that distance as a datum, take a set of shots from -2 to +2 at whatever imtermediate stop settings your lens allows. Take careful notes of everything.

 

View the slides and determine which is the most realistic exposure, and determine from your notes what the aperture was for that shot. Multiply this aperture by the distance to determine your true guide number for the flash. You can now use this number to determine the required aperture for any distance. It will always be less than the manufacturer's quoted number.

 

You will also be able to determine how far out the guidance table on your flash is, so you can apply a consistent correction factor.

 

You will also find that the most realistic exposure is not necessarily the most aesthetically pleasing. You may find you prefer slight underexposure to saturate colours or overexposure to flatter skin tones. You get to decide.

 

Factors such as size of room and lightness of surroundings will affect the results. Take a test in the open air at night if you want to determine the true raw power of the flash.

 

If you have a flash meter, use this to determine the initial aperture setting to use. You will then kill two birds with one stone by effectively calibrating your flash meter.

Henry - it's common for the motor drive caps to get lost simply because you have to remove them to fit the motor drive. Then they get lost and are never refitted. They don't just fall off as far as I am aware.

"Hehe! Fish food cap. Excellent. I would prefer an original Olympus cap though. Very anal about things like that".

 

I think you are out of luck on that one Dave. To the best of my knowledge Olympus have never made fishfood.

Re using OM lenses on E-1

I think you need to use the special lenses made for the camera to get the best out of the system. As I understand it the lenses are custom designed to suit the sensor size, and the camera recognises the characteristics of each lens to correct vignetting, distortion etc.

 

Alternatively, I am in the final stages of developing a 20MP digital back which simply replaces the back on all classic OM's. It runs on solar power and will be on sale for under £1000 in less than 6 months. Feel free to order one now even though it is a complete lie.

Unlike Bob I paid £900 second hand (Bob - I hope you bought at least three). I would only sell it to get a downpayment on a new one.

 

It is seriously heavy as Zuiko's go, and mine creeps through the zoom range when pointed verticaly up or down. Don't know if this is a function of wear, or the weight of the glass. Quality is indistinguishable from my primes and it's pretty much my standard lens now.

I must admit I haven't tried this, but recall the instructions say switch to manual at speeds under 1/60th, in which case it gets real complicated real fast, and I don't know why it needs to be this way. I'll try this next time there is no film in the camera.

 

 

It's compounded by the fact that my Sekonic can't cope with the blitz output on FP mode either, so I can't check the results of experimentation. The guide numbers quoted for the flash do not take into account ambient light, and I can't tell if the compensation dial has any effect either in manual mode (I think not). Exposure tests seem to be the only answer and I haven't got round to it yet. I did come across a distance chart at http://www.fys.uio.no/~tbryhn/main/F280chart.html

but haven't really digested it.

 

I don't see why the flash couldn't switch to TTL itself for slower speeds a-lá OM707 when the camera is in auto mode. Makes sense to me anyway.

I've noticed that the dioptric correction can play tricks when switching magnification if you also have correction on the camera eyepiece - such as an OM3/4Ti, and there are no marks to guage when it is 'zeroed'. I found it easy to disturb, and ended up using electricians tape to fix it in place, seeing how only I would be using it. Other than that it is very useful for macro and telescopic focussing. It really slows things down though, but this is not always a bad thing. I personally didn't find the left/right transposition too hard to get used to.

Please spend your money on Jack Neubart's excellent book "Electronic Flash" first. You will save money in the long run, and know exactly what you are looking for when the time comes to buy.

Erica,

If you rely on auto camera setting you must make sure the auto speed is below the maximum sync speed for your camera. In aperture priority mode (where the camera chooses the shutter speed) it's best to meter the ambient in automatic, then swith to manual and set it the shutter speed yourself. For instance, if your max sync speed is 1/60 and this is displayed in the viewfinder, the true actual auto speed chosen by the camera may be 1/60th -1/3rd, (ie too fast) and your flash wont fire. Alternatively, make sure it reads at least one stop less than the maximum speed, just to be sure.

 

The coloured power levels on your flash relate to auto flash mode power levels. In auto mode the flash measures its own light, and cuts itself off when the sensor detects sufficient light. It only has a basic sensor, but it is remarkably useful in certain situations. Normally, you need to set the aperture manually on your camera that corresponds to that particular colour on your flash, to achieve balanced exposures. For fill flash you don't want a balanced exposure, and have to lie to the flash. Basically, if your ambient reading is f8, you tell the flash you have set F5.6 on your camera by setting the auto power level to the colour that corresponds to f5.6. Then the flash will shut off at 1 stop early. That's teh theory, and is probalby the easiest way for biginners to achieve fill flash effects. Results can be variable in certain situations, but don't worry about those at this stage.

 

The 1/2 and 1/4 symbols on your flash relate to the power output. Effectively reducing the guide number (and effective distance). Having multiple power settings is very useful for fill flash when you know what to do with it, and manual mode is the most accurate flash method of all if you know the true guide number of your flash or you use an external flash meter.

 

The numbers 100, 160 etc relate to film speeds. You must set the correct film speed on your camera and flash to determine the correct apertures and distances. Basically, 400 speed film is one stop faster than 200 speed film, which is one stop faster than 100 etc, etc. etc. The reason 160 is noted is because it is a popular film speed. If you are using faster film, your flash is effectively more powerful (over a greater distance) and will have a correspondingly higher guide number.

 

Finally, the shutter stays open in auto mode long after the flash has fired if the camera still hasn't measured enough light to create an 'correct' exposure. Make sure your aperture is not too small - see the distance scale on the flash. You can't exceed it.

Do the OM screens have a microprism collar as well as split image? I don't think this is not available on the Beattie screens, and I do find the microprism useful on occassion. Conversely, I do like the idea of scribe marks, which is an option with the Beattie's. I sometimes struggle to keep my horizon level through the viewfinder, although it looks painfully obvious on the slides.

I have yet to obtain a 2 series screen, but have seen conflicting information about their merits.

 

Firstly, I gather the Olympus screens have an identical brilliance to Beatie screens - is this correct?

 

Secondly, I have seen the benefit in light gain described as up to two stops, but more trustworthy info suggests a gain closer to 2/3 stop in OM cameras. Which is true?

 

Thirdly, am I right in assuming only manual mode cameras (OM1, OM2)which meter in the prism would need correction/recalibration to compensate?

Hurrah!!! In the words of the great Budha himself - OM

"Setting exposure is not rocket science; it's based on experience"

 

Ken. As someone responsible for sending cameras to photograph other planets for the first time I couldn't disagree more.

None of these concerns applies to OM cameras/lenses. It's the way olympus suggest you do it, especially in manual mode. Select aperture, set nearest shutter speed, fine tune with aperture. Only full stop settings are available on shutter speeds (unless using auto).