Welcome to the list.
The OM-1 is a fine camera and one that you wouldn't regret getting, however...
An OM-2 would probably be a better choice for you. The OM-1 is strictly a
manual camera with nothing automatic about it. It has only the meter
needle to inform you of proper exposure and that's it. Also, it has no
provision for long shutter speeds except for bulb setting. Any of the OM-2
series of cameras (OM-2md, OM-2n, OM-2s, OM-2sp) will give up to 2-minute
exposures with average ISO film. Just put it in auto and fire away. (The
origional OM-2md will actually go longer in exposure as it didn't have the
cutoff circuit).
The OM-2 and OM-4 series of cameras have a very nice feature not found in
any other camera line: Off-the-film-metering. In laymen's terms, this
means that when you are taking your night shot and the lighting changes
DURING the exposure, the camera adjusts accordingly as it is actually
measuring the light falling on the film. This also means that the exposure
is not affected by light entering the viewfinder either. Add a flash to
this system and the camera actually controls the flash during the exposure,
shutting off the flash when enough light has hit the film.
You will not get aperature readings in the viewfinder on any OM camera.
Shutter speed, yes, but aperature, no.
Another nifty feature of the OM flash control is that the shutter speed
will be 1/60 of a second with the flash (normal usage, I'm referring to
here, not the wierd exceptions), but the viewfinder display will show what
the ambient lighting level is. If you are trying to keep your wedding
shots from appearing like they were taken in a cave this is extremely handy
as you just adjust the lens opening to achieve the flash/fill ratio that
you desire (up to 1:1).
As far as lenses are concerned. If nightime pictures are your primary
focus, I would look seriously at the 50/1.8 or the 50/1.4. Both are
excellent, but flare control is probably a bit better in the 1.8. I
primarily use three lenses for nightime: 35shift, 50/1.4, and 100/2.8.
All are top notch and produce razer sharp images regardless of the lighting.
Another option that you might look at: Olympus has the IS series of
cameras. These are Zoom-Lens-Reflex cameras that do not take
interchangeable lenses. My IS-1 just got stolen and I'm looking to replace
it with an IS-3. The lens is very good, the viewfinder bright and does
show both shutter speed and aperature. Furthermore, it has nightime modes
which bring this camera into the must have for nightime work. I have
several nightime shots that have made into print and one into widespread
use as a screen background from the IS-1. One cool feature is the zoom in
nightime mode. You press the shutter and then the zoom button of the
direction you want it to zoom and it will properly expose the shot and then
zoom in/out to achieve the "exploding lights" look. Best feature of all,
in the IS-1 is the spot metering. (the OM-2s, OM-3t, and OM-4(ti) all have
spot meters)
I wouldn't worry too much about buying a camera with the "hole in the
bottom" provided it spent all of its life on a winder or motor drive. The
big problem is that the OM-1 and OM-2 cameras (non S models) have the
internal mechanism pretty open and dirt/dust/moisture can really crud up
the internals. I would be asking serious questions about the camera's
heritage and if you can't get satisfactory answers I probably wouldn't
bother with the camera. Especially if they are asking $200. If it is in
perfect condition and an OM-1n model maybe, but it might be a bit high
otherwise.
Again, welcome to the list. I'll try to not be as verbose next time.
Ken Norton
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