At 11:32 AM 1/3/98 -0800, John Gettis wrote:
>Same features as om-4 with manuel(no battery) speeds of OM-3 add mirror
>lockup and sync speed of 250. Of course same price as OM-200 would be
>nice :)
What I wrote in my earlier post was:
I ask you to have a chat with your local Oly dealer/camera dealer to find
out what their views are with respect to a market for manual-focus SLRs in
the late nineties. If you are a lurker and don't want to write to the
list, please write to me privately about your thoughts and findings. The
last questions: 1) how much are you willing to pay for a new OM body to
replace/supplement your old OM? 2) What is the minimum spec and what is
your dream spec?
The first question is just as important as the second.
My motivation originally is to propose to Olympus Japan that they will
reintroduce one of the OM system cameras at an affordable price.
It is fine to have dreams about better specifications, but unless one is
willing to pay for it, it is useless. Please, people, include some price
range in your wish list. Or are you willing to pay more than the current
OM-4Ti price? Also do make a reality check by talking with someone at a
camera store in your area. This morning I did that myself and learned that
the US market for SLRs is smaller than that in Europe. I suppose that here
people buy P&S, not SLRs for the most part.
That brings to my mind the PopPhoto article on the 4Ti that I have scanned
and have it read off with a basic OCR software on my computer. I am
pasting below the text of the article excluding legends to the illustration
and the specs for the camera.
Significance: Why don't they still
build compact, jewel-like, precise,
all-metal autoexposure SLRs?
"They" still do. The `they' is Olympus
and the camera is the OM-4Ti, which
(along with its manual-exposure sis-
ter, the OM-3Ti) is the heart of the
last manual-focus-only full SLR sys-
tem. The OM-4Ti's legion of admir-
ers cite its small size, simple but
precise controls, analog LCD scales
in the viewfinder, incredibly lengthy
autoexposure shutter speeds to 4
minutes, and multiple spotmetering.
But more than simple spotmetering,
the OM-4T takes and averages mul-
tiple spotmeter readings, giving it
a capability desired by many pros
and advanced amateurs.
Some of its design features are
unusual. Take the lack of an onoff
exposure switch. The thinking here
was that all too often photographers
miss an important shot because
they've forgotten to turn on the
camera. But press the OM-4T shut-
ter release anytime and the expo-
sure system is alive and working.
The OM-4Ti has reached the sta-
tus of a cult camera-loved by its
proponents but avoided by some
others because of its unusual con-
trols and lack of aperture numer-
als in the viewfinder.
Features: Aperture-priority auto-
exposure from 1/2000 sec to 4 min-
utes is determined before and during
exposure by centerweighted or
spotmetering. Up to eight spot-
metering points can be measured,
held in memory, and averaged.
Meter cell measures ambient light
and flash for balanced fill-in.
Highlight and shadow biasing con-
trols let you produce black blacks
or white whites automatically.
Illuminated long-base LCD shutter-
speed scale with 1/3 EV indication in
finder has spotmetering indicators.
Although shutter is electronical-
ly controlled, powered by two but-
ton batteries, camera can be operated
at 1/60 sec or B without batteries.
Normal flash sync speed is 1/60 sec,
but camera can sync up to 1/2000
sec with Olympus F280 flash unit at
short distances. Accessory motors
and winders (allowing electronic
cable-switch remote control), data-
and bulk-film backs, plus close-up
flash units make the OM-4Ti a full-
system camera.
Capabiiity: Titanium top and bot-
tom cover plates seem effective in
minimizing usual dents and oth-
er damage from rough handling.
Possibly the best, most exact
exposure system in any non-auto-
focus camera. Excellent control
capability, particularly for the care-
ful, thinking photographer who
wishes to measure the brightness
in various parts of the picture and
then decide (or let the camera
decide) the right exposure for the
desired effect. Ability to make very
accurate, long exposures in extreme-
ly low light is quite sensational.
Convenienee: Controls are unusu-
al and require study and practice.
Depth-of-field preview and lens-
removal levers on lens are handy
but can be confused. Shutter release
is well placed, rapid-wind lever is
excellently shaped, easy to grasp.
Top rewind button is handy; diopter
correction control easy to use.
Shutter-speed ring partially obscured
by prism overhang. Setting ISO film
speed can inadvertently shift expo-
sure compensation. Lack of apertures
in finder unfortunate as is the absence
of standard flash-sync speeds high-
er than 1/60 sec. Self-timer requires
a fingenail, can't be turned off once
set. Beeper wamings are confusing
and best turned off except when need-
ed for battery cheek or seff-timer.
Are the OM-3T and OM-4Ti to be
the last of the line? Not quite. Soon
to be available: the moderately-priced,
manual-exposure-only 0M2000.
Not quite in the jewel category, but
it will have spotmetering,
Before reading the article, I did not know that no SLR other than the 4Ti
provides autoexposure with longer possible shutter speeds -- to 4 minutes.
I have used this feature to photograph some scenes in semi-darkness without
knowing that it is impossible to do this with another camera. It is
surprising to see the results of such pictures as the houses I photographed
were shown to be much brighter than I remember them!
Price information is just as important as your dream specs.
Tomoko Yamamoto
Photographer, Composer, Soprano
mailto:tomokoy@xxxxxxxxx
http://www.charm.net/~tomokoy/
-All the photos (except panorama) with OM's-
http://ep.com/ep/csp.html?csp=1130
-Olympus Equipment Classifieds-
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