To OM-4 or not....

[Selidor]

OP here, Thanks for all the replies. Clearly alot of people love the Olympus OM system on APUG, and you've put to rest any of my worries regarding the reliability of the original OM-4. Having spot metering is looking like its going to be useful for what I shoot, which pretty much narrows it to the OM4 and the Leica R3 - and as much as I'd love to have the latter, prices for R lenses are rather eye watering! I could put my Tamron 28mm f2.5 Adaptall on it, but something about that setup just doesnt seem right...
Anyway Im holding off any upgrade for the time being, because 1) I need money for an upcoming holiday, and 2) I need money for putting a lens and flash on my EOS 1n. My OM-2n + T20 flash will suffice for now.
However in the autumn Ill look into it again. I could just use my EOS 1n for low light stuff, but as a poster already said its more cumbersome. Also it lacks the retro good looks

[Rol_Lei Nut]

...Having spot metering is looking like its going to be useful for what I shoot, which pretty much narrows it to the OM4 and the Leica R3 - and as much as I'd love to have the latter, prices for R lenses are rather eye watering! ....

(OT)
R lens prices are probably nowhere as high as you might think. There are several shops (= used items with a try out guarantee) in Germany which often have good bargains.

Rather than an R3, I'd aim for an R4 or later, though (or Leicaflex SL/SL2, if AE isn't necessary)...


P.S. Addition: Be warned that Leica R lenses tend to be heavy.
If transportability is a priority, then OM is probably a better choice. If absolute lens performance (in many, though not all cases), then Leica R.
I don't have enough OM experience to usefully compare the OM and Leica viewfinder and shutter/mirror damping qualities: Leicaflex cameras are probably the best ever in that category. The difference between R models (good for R4-R7, reputedly very good for R8 & R9) and OM can be debated, though the OMs should also be very good.

[Uncle Bill]

I have both a Nikon kit including two F3s and a pair of OM-1s and an OM-2n. I owned an OM-4 briefly but traded it for one of my current OM-1s. I miss my OM-4 and I am seriously considering looking for another one. They are great cameras.

[Les Sarile]

I could just use my EOS 1n for low light stuff, but as a poster already said its more cumbersome. Also it lacks the retro good looks

For low light stuff - especially very long aperture priority auto exposure, the OM's metering is not matched by even today's latest and greatest. In my research, all Canons with AV mode - FD, EOS and digis, don't auto expose longer then 30 seconds. The manual states that it gives some indication of this which I never bothered to understand but always wondered why my attempted very long exposures were always coming back underexposed . . . ;-)

Not only does the OM4 have the retro good looks and awesome spot metering, but it will meter very long exposures (I've successfully done > tens of minutes) and will actually vary the exposure time as the scene lighting changes. You won't find many that can do this as I haven't!

[John Hermanson]

Thanks John,

Is it true you can replace the mainboard (even if it isn't cost-effective)?

No. When boards were avail;able, your price would be $250- for parts. Then add $250 for labor. You could replace body with 4T for that much.

[John Hermanson]

You might also consider the OM2S which is generally less expensive and has spot metering and ASA setting to 3200.

when the asa is set to a minimum or maximum number, compensation will only go one way. Asa 3200 on a 2S is already at the limit of the asa circuit, so while you can dial in plus comp, you can't dial in any minus compensation. Like asa 12 on an OM-2/2N, you can dial in minus but can't dial in any plus compensation. John