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Re: [OM] Be careful what you wish for...

Subject: Re: [OM] Be careful what you wish for...
From: Richard Schaetzl <Richard.Schaetzl@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Date: Sat, 09 Jan 1999 16:22:47 +0100
Hello Frank,

you attempted to butcher an holly cow... guess you already noticed it.
Not every OM has to please everybody so be so free to choose another one, 
but please let me comment your notes,

you wrote:

> Here they are:
> 
> 1. You can't see the shutter speed looking down at the
> camera, because the prism housing obscures it. 

Hmm...   a little bit tilting will do the job.

> 2. In manual mode, an LCD number line is shown in the
> viewfinder, but it is *backwards* from mathematical convention.
> + is to the left, and - to the right! 

It has nothing to do with mathematics, but with the direction aperture
and shutter rings are turned.

> 3. The exposure compensation dial is likewise backwards
> from expected, with + proceeding anticlockwise. Even worse,
> the *scale* rotates around the *dial*. When setting the
> film speed, you have to perform a mental triple-negative.

Seting the filmspeed works in the same way as with an OM-2. 

> 4. An LCD bar graph is much harder to use than an
> analogue swing needle. 

Do I hear battry consumption?

> The LCD is just
> a cost-saving by the manufacturer - on what was supposed
> to be the top of the range model.

Are there any top-range model left, which did not use discrete elements?
How would you indicate multiple meterings on an galvanometer needle?
The display of the OM-4 is as good as any top-class light meter and
definitly better than any other build in meter.

> 4. There is no spot metering manual mode. You have to
> start in centre-weighted manual mode and push the "spot"
> button. 

So what? Didn´t get you the reading of the spot you´d metered?

> Then you centre the bar graph (drawn, per (2),
> backwards, from right to left). Meanwhile, a second
> moving diamond - the next spot reading, which the
> camera is not using - is blinking away, distracting you.

The second spot might be usefull to evaluate the latitude of the object.

> There has to be a SPOT button in order for multi-spot
> to work, but I'm only interested in a single spot reading.

This would be to limiting for me, but anyway you can work with a single
spot metering too.

> In this respect the OM2000 and OM-2SP are both much
> better cameras.

I had the OM-2SP and found the OM-4 spotmetering much easier to use.

> 5. The camera gets sick of you after 120 seconds and
> unilaterally throws away all your work. 

Have you heard of the memo function?

> 6. You have to read the instruction book from cover to
> cover to figure out how to stop the camera from beeping.
> Beeps are *always* evidence of poor interface design. When
> you do switch it off, you find out why it was there: the
> viewfinder doesn't indicate how many spot measurements have
> the one value.

I leave it always switched off, it doesn´t help me to figur out how many
readings have the same value.

> 7. The highlight and shadow buttons are pointless features,
> since there's already a compensation dial.

They work on an different principe, based on the highest or lowest
reading. Just meter the darkest/brightest spot you like to show details.

> I don't happen
> to agree with 2 2/3 stops for shadow with the film I use,

I was skeptic about this point also, but I fouind out it works great.

> 8. The TTL socket is exactly where I like to rest a finger.
> When a cord is attached to it, it tends to drift into the
> field of view for macro work.

Depends on the setup. Built in TTL socket is an big advantage over
earlier OMs.
 
> 9. The MEMO mode looks deadly. If you should accidentally
> bump this switch, 

There is an flashing lamp on the top and MEMO is writen in the
viewfinder when Memo is engaged (which I never did accidently).

> 10. The instruction manual actually says to remove the
> batteries between sessions. They have to be joking.

Like every manufactor of battery driven appliances.
 
> 11. I spent quite a while centreing the dioptric adjustment,
> even though I wear contacts and don't need it. This knob
> doesn't lock securely enough to prevent it being moved
> in use.

Push it in and it is secured.

You should give the OM-4 another try

Regards

Richard



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