I purchased a used OM-PC and took it on a recent trip to the Alaskan Arctic
along with my OM-1. I put about 5 rolls of Velvia through it, plus a couple
rolls of prints. I was very pleased with the results. ESP metering handled
the dark-object-against-white-snow situations quite well. On the first couple
rolls I set the exposure compensation to +1 as a caution to prevent greyed-out
snow, but I was actually happier with the results without compensation. The
OM-PC is light, comfortable, and the controls are well-placed and pleasant to
use. The skinny shutter speed dial tucked under the slightly protuding prism
is a pain to use in manual mode, though. I wear contact lenses, not glasses,
so I can't comment on that aspect. It seems fairly rugged - it rode on the
back of a snowmobile for close to 200 miles (in a LowePro Nova 5). It took a
lot of vibration, and the whole bag got dumped off at least once going around
15 mph. No damage except a little more corner brassing. The biggest photo
disaster of the trip was that I had the OM-1 inadvertently set to FP sync the
whole trip, so none of my flash shots worked. By the way, I payed US $150 for
mine, in about 8-9 condition.
Chuck Castleton
--from Peter Klien--------
I was in Ye Olde Overpriced National Chain Kamera Emporium this weekend,
and encountered an OM-PC in the used bin, priced at $150. It was a
"9"--some cosmetic wear, but seemed to be fine functionally. It had a
50/1.8 SC mounted (sold separately). Having never met the "PC" socially, I
asked to see it. The salesman pooh-poohed it as "nothing special."
I discovered that I really liked it. I'm an OM-2 owner, and a glasses
wearer. The viewfinder image of the PC is a little smaller than my OM-2,
but I could see amost the entire frame, and it appeared to be significantly
brighter. I also found that the image seemed easier to focus. I almost
didn't need the microprism. As someone who really prefers rangefinder
focusing, I felt really comfortable focusing the PC. I didn't buy it, but
I was tempted.
I also liked the way the OM-PC fit in my hands, the lightness, and the
shutter speed visiblity in the viewfinder. It seemed a bit noisier, and
seemed a bit flimsier than my OM-2. It doesn't have spot metering like the
OM2-s, 4T{i}, or even the OM-2000. But perhaps the "ESP" metering
mitigates this somewhat--or does it? I've also read about some difficulty
with repairs/obtaining parts/circuit boards (John Hermanson, your
perspective)?
Now, I know the OM-PC has some plastic in the body, is considered a
"consumer" rather than "Pro" camera, does not take interchangeable focusing
screens, and won't do automatic long exposures greater than 2 seconds.
But since I have an OM-2 already, it seems to me that the OM-PC would make
a great second body. And for fast, dim-light shooting, it might have some
advantages.
Request for opinions on the OM-PC!
- --- Peter
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