I would like to revisit the battery consumption issue again. I have both an
OM-2SP and an OM-4T which worked flawlessly for years without any concern
for battery life. My usage pattern was little or no usage for months
followed by 10 - 20 36 exp rolls of long exposure shots (1 - 2 minutes
each). The metering systems of these two cameras were amazing in long
exposure shots and is why I am desperately trying to determine what has gone
wrong. I loaded two fresh 357 silver oxide batteries. I have read several
messages regarding this issue and thought I would try one of the suggestions
below to ensure I was using the correct batteries. The OM-4T worked fine for
that first evening. I took ten shots and then put it away for the night
stored in my camera bag at the 60 mechanical setting. The next day the
shutter immediately froze when I attempted my first exposure and could only
be released by placing the shutter back to the red 60 or B setting.
The only other possibility that may explain why the cameras worked well in
the past is that when they worked well it was some time up to the mid 90s.
Perhaps I was still able to use mercury batteries that were masking some
kind of energy drain problem. Are there any other possibilities or other
corrective actions I can take? What about the replacement of the circuit
that has been mentioned, is this still a possibility?
Thanks
Tom
Hi all !
I want to make a question... From such a long time I've been listen problems
with batteries on the OM group, specialy on the OM-2sp and the OM-4 (later
models). Some people give me "solutions" like, "it was a problem from
olympus" or "on past years the batteries where made from silver and work for
longer time" or "there is a problem with one circuit", I'm tired of that !
somebody knows the real story ?
Max
Max,
John H. has given some of the technical information and he is a definitive
source of information.
I've been using an OM-2sp and OM-4 for a while now (along with an OM-1n). I
get relatively long battery life using "357" watch cells in them. These are
also known as SR44W cells (slightly different internally than SR44 cells).
They are made for watches and are designed for the slight drain from these
camera bodies.
The Lithium double-size 3 volt cells and Alkalines are no good; LR44, LR44P,
A76, PX76A, and KX625 cells are _Alkaline_; DO NOT USE THEM IN THESE BODIES.
The OM-2S and OM-4[ti] electronic shutter bodies are sensitive to battery
voltage. If the voltage drops much, the shutter will lock up. Recovery is
made by turning the shutter speed ring to the red 60 or "B" position, or by
replacing the cells with good ones. Even the battery check is often
misleading in this regard. Lithium and Alkaline cells suffer a gradual
voltage drop as they drain. When they reach about half life the voltage is
too low to operate the shutter. Silver-oxide cells do not; they maintain
nearly a constant voltage until just before end of life. The ones designed
for watches (with the constant slight drain) hold up the best. These are
357, D357, SP357, V357, KS76, and SR44W (*not* SR44) cells.
rant
{begin
Those who insist on buying LR44, A76 or PX76A alkalines because
they are slightly less expensive, KNOWING the recommendation
to use Silver-Oxide cells, have NOTHING to moan or complain about
when the shutter locks up all the time and they run through them
faster than @#$% through a goose. The alkaline usage rate actually
costs the user more not including the PITA of frequent
cell replacement.
end}
As a practical user, shooting well above average amounts of film, I get
about 9 months from a set of cells in the OM-4 and OM-2S. How much you or
anyone else gets depends on whether you leave the "beeper" on, how much you
use the self timer, how much you make long exposures in very low light, and
how often you use the viewfinder illuminator. On an OM-2S without the flash
ready modification that powers the "flash ready" viewfinder LED, it also
depends on how much you use a "T" series Olympus (or compatible) flash and
leave it turned on. The self-timer and viewfinder illuminator in particular
are a heavy load on the camera batteries. In other words, your mileage may
vary from mine based on how often you use your camera and especially how
often you use the higher drain functions.
I believe both the OM-2S and OM-4 have a "bad rap" for "eating" batteries.
They do consume them faster than an OM-2[n] and especially the OM-1[n]. Yes,
there are a *few* that have "bad" circuit boards with much higher than
normal battery drain, but I also believe they are just a very few. I further
believe these battery "friendly" bodies have spoiled Olympus OM users and
this list has made a bigger issue out of battery consumption in these bodies
than they deserve. It should be a footnote as something to watch for when
buying a used OM-2S or OM-4 body during the first couple weeks of ownership
(see pitfalls below). The OM-4ti has an improved circuit with lower drain
and falls between the OM-2[n] (which has a OFF position) and the OM-4 in
consumption rate.
In addition to certain uses that drain the cells faster (self-timer,
illuminator and long exposures), improper camera bag storage of the body can
almost guarantee the cells will be dead when you pull it back out again. One
is something pressing on the viewfinder illuminator button. The other is
something pressing slightly on the shutter release. The first will keep the
small wheat lamp in the viewfinder illuminated. The second will keep the LCD
display in the viewfinder powered (it otherwise turns itself off after a
minute or so). The method for preventing this problem is always rotating the
shutter speed ring to the red "60" (mechanical 1/60th shutter speed) or the
red "B" (mechanical bulb) position just before storing the camera body.
Either position immediately turns off the viewfinder illuminator function
and the LCD display, and they cannot be reactivated until the shutter speed
is set to an electronic one. Most experienced OM-2S and OM-4[ti] users will
automatically rotate the shutter speed ring to one of the "red" positions
just before storing the camera. I do it now without having to think about
it.
Finally, see the following two sections in the Olympus OM FAQ:
http://brashear.phys.appstate.edu/lhawkins/photo/olympus.faq.html#ques_B1
http://brashear.phys.appstate.edu/lhawkins/photo/olympus.faq.html#ques_B3
-- John
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