In a message dated 1/8/99 8:41:50 PM Eastern Standard Time,
fgernens@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx writes:
< "Be careful what you wish for; it might come true."
<
>
This is wrong. + (more exposure, longer shutter speeds) is to the right, and -
is to the left. In accordance with "mathematical convention" I suppose you
could argue that the bar *starts* on the wrong side. This doesn't bother me.
In fact I think I might actually prefer if the camera only turned on 1 segment
at a time. It's only the end of the bar that matters anyway.
< 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.
I'll grant you this one. The film speed/compensation dial is probably the
worse part of the OM-4
< 4. An LCD bar graph is much harder to use than an
< analogue swing needle. There have been scientific studies
< done in the avionics industry to prove this. If the
< reading is between two values on the LCD scale, the last
< block blinks in a very distracting way. The LCD is just
< a cost-saving by the manufacturer - on what was supposed
< to be the top of the range model.
I find the bar graph easy to read. How would you propose including the wealth
of information in the OM-4 display (multiple spot readings, exposure, shutter
speed, etc...) any other way?
< 4. There is no spot metering manual mode. You have to
< start in centre-weighted manual mode and push the "spot"
< button. 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.
< There has to be a SPOT button in order for multi-spot
< to work, but I'm only interested in a single spot reading.
< In this respect the OM2000 and OM-2SP are both much
< better cameras.
Perhaps an OM-2S would have been a better choice. Personally, I love the
multispot.
< 5. The camera gets sick of you after 120 seconds and
< unilaterally throws away all your work. If you are using
< the spot meter manually, it also changes the mode back
< to centre-weighted, with very little in the viewfinder
< to warn you. There should be a three-way switch
< OFF-CENTRE-SPOT and another one MANUAL-AUTO. The second
< would be left in one position by many people.
120 seconds seems like a long time to me to not touch any camera controls. I
have never had the camera shut off unexpectedly. I use memory if I want to
retain a reading for a long period.
< 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.>>
My problem with the beeper is that I like it when in multi spot, but hate it
when it beeps to indicate overexposure.
< 7. The highlight and shadow buttons are pointless features,
< since there's already a compensation dial. I don't happen
< to agree with 2 2/3 stops for shadow with the film I use,
< but that's a moot point, since I can't actually push the
< button with my fat finger. I have already suggested in (4)
< that the SPOT button is a bad idea too.
I use these buttons frequently. *Much* more convenient than the dial. They
make the bad dial easier to live with.
< 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.
My TTL cords have a little latch that attaches to the strap ring. This has
always managed to keep the cord out of the field of view for me.
< 9. The MEMO mode looks deadly. If you should accidentally
< bump this switch, *every* exposure from then on will be wrong.
< I am so afraid of doing this I have taken to pressing CLEAR
< (which cancels MEMO) every time I pick up the camera and
< between every frame. More mental overhead.
I love the memory feature. There is a "MEMO" indicator in the viewfinder AND
on top of the camera. Works for me.
< 10. The instruction manual actually says to remove the
< batteries between sessions. They have to be joking.
Battery drain is a problem with the OM-4. I do remove the batteries if I'm not
planning on using it for awhile (1 month or more). Same for the OM-2S. With
most battery operated devices I own it is recommended that the batteries be
removed if the device is not going to be used.
< 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. Even after this, the viewfinder is not as clear
< as that of the OM-1 and OM-2N, although mercifully smaller.
Agreed. I need to reset the diopter periodically. I personally prefer the big
viewfinder on my OM-1. I think it makes composition easier. I'm probably
biased because it is also brighter, though.
< There may be more problems. (1) and (2) are the killers,
< and (4) is right up there. Fortunately the shop that sold
< this camera has a return policy.
< I know now that it wasn't lack of marketing or keen pricing
< which lost Olympus the SLR market. They no longer *have* a
< product worth marketing. I would not buy this camera new at
< any price.
You obviously should have spent more time with the camera first. OTOH, that is
what the return policy is for, and one of the advantages of buying from a
dealer, as opposed to privately. I suspect you would be happier with an OM-1
or OM-2 (perhaps not the OM-2S, though). You obviously should return the
camera. There are many of us who would love to have it! Perhaps you could let
the list know what dealer you are returning it to. An OM-4 with an OM-4Ti
circuit at a "good" price will go quickly here, IMHO.
I suspect you may get some flame back from others on the list. That would be
unfortunate. "Different Strokes for Different Folks" There are many here who
prefer the early OM's (1 and 2) to the newer models. I love my OM-1, but I
prefer my OM-2S and OM-4 in many situations.
Paul Schings
Coventry, RI
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