On Wed, 21 Oct 1998 15:52:18 -0700, "Peter A. Klein" <pklein@xxxxxxxxxx> jammed
all night, and by sunrise was overheard remarking:
> 1. I noticed some inconsistencies between Auto and Manual meter readings,
> and after playing with the camera for a while, I think I know why. The
> meter switch is probably dirty or bad in some way. On "Auto," the meter
> will sometimes go up and down 1 to 2.5 stops' worth when the camera is
> pointed at the same spot on a blank wall.
This could easily be due to a dirty switch. It could also be a loose
contact, or something worse. Be careful, because some kinds electrical
problems are among the most difficult to get fixed correctly. Specifically,
if the problem is * electrical* in nature (dirty switch, defective wiring,
etc), a good tech can fix it. If the problem is *electronic* in nature
(defective chip), you should worry, since the part may be difficult or
impossible to track down, especially for the OM-2 series. Thing is, you
can't really be certain which is which until it's fixed, or not. So get
it looked after before you commit.
> The normal lens has the following inscription: OLYMPUS OM-SYSTEM G.ZUIKO
> AUTO-S 1:1.4 F=50mm 366340. This lens is in mint condition, no scratches,
> no marks, no wear, controls are smooth as silk. I don't know if it
> originally came with the camera or not. I don't know if it is
> multi-coated.
If it says "MC" on it, you definitely have a multicoated lens. Otherwise,
probably not (I would like to say certainly not, but I'm not certain).
"G" indicates a 7-element lens, "S" for standard, as I recall (it's been
awhile since I was a serious Olympus triva geek).
> * Most important: If the repairman will fix the meter switch and self
> timer without charge, should I keep the body, or are the problems
> sufficient evidence that I should stay away from this body?
My guess is that, if he can fix the problems, they're not of a severe
nature. But test carefully.
> * Are my lenses multi-coated? One article said if you see green
> reflections, they are, another said green or blue. I see some blue and
> violet reflections internally, but no green, and the primary reflection off
> the front element is yellow. Maybe someone can tell from the lens
> inscription, serial number and reflection descriptions above.
Again, for certainty, look for the "MC" in the inscription.
> * Looking over the lens tests on the Web, the 50mm f/1.4 has tested out so
> many different ways that it can be anything from a dog to a diamond :-)
> Some of the Modern Photography numbers are really off the wall, and I don't
> know how to compare 1970s and 1984+ figures.
There seem to have been at least a couple of different versions. All I
can say from experience is that the version of the 1.4 I got with my
OM-4, 1985-vintage, is a very nice lens, at least in my experience. I
had a 1.8 with my OM-1, but did not notice any loss of sharpness with
the 1.4. Not that I looked all that hard, but I did look. Again, perhaps
someone can unravel the mysteries of the various normal lenses, and how
they may have changed over time.
> * How cold can it get before the silver oxide batteries' voltage drops
> enough to make the shutter unreliable?
My experience with the OM-4 says "colder than it gets in South Jersey in
the winter, ever". Though I would normally keep the camera inside my
coat in extreme cold, rain, etc. so there are limits to the exposure.
> * The OM-2 body has the letters "MD" at the lower right section of the body
> faceplate. What does this mean? Did the camera originally have a motor
> drive?
That means it will accept a motor drive. Far as I know, all OM-2 cameras
took the motor drive, but early OM-1s did not. The "MD" was put there
for consistency, I guess.
--
Dave Haynie | V.P. Technology, Met@box Infonet, AG | http://www.metabox.de
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