Thomas Heide Clausen wrote:
> I've expressed some opinions before (like a few months ago) regarding my
> preferences for OM2s/p over the OM4.
So did I, in an article I posted on 9 Jan 1999, "Be careful what you wish
for...", which provoked a huge flamestorm. I have a mint OM-2SP, which
I use all the time, and an OM-4 which I put up with as a fast-film body
because of the higher top speed and faster motor drive rate.
> However, it is almost impossible for me to figure out any
> convenient way of getting my fingers onto the camera, pressing the "spot"
> button, when otherwise using the winder.
I can't solve it either. But see below.
> Now, what do you people do in such situations? I may be wierd for insisting on
> having a winder on a camera and at the same time insisting on not using
> automatic mode
Not really. It is a reasonable choice for, say, bird or sports
photography, and it should be yours to make, not the manufacturer's.
Unfortunately, the designer of the OM-4 had a certain way of working
in mind, and if it isn't yours, well, the nail that sticks up must be
hammered down. This is, I guess, culturally acceptable in Japan, but
unfortunately for Olympus most camera buyers (and probably most
younger Japanese) don't think that way.
The OM-4 does steer you in the direction of auto-only. You can
lock in a suitable spot reading using MEMO - with the spot meter you
can press SPOT, jigger MEMO and *then* take the first shot. It keeps
the reading for an hour, until you bump CLEAR, or until the button
cells run down from flashing the little red LED, whichever comes
first. This gives you control over the aperture at a fixed EV. The
exposure compensation dial is still unreachable, so the spot reading
is basically for a mid-tone. In short, just lie back and be hammered.
Some time ago someone pointed out the problems operating the shutter
speed ring and long lenses, compared with the traditional dial on the
top. In particular, it was mentioned that a third hand was needed (one
to work the shutter release, one to support the lens, and one to work
the speed ring) which is not needed on, say, a Nikon FM-2. This is a
little unfair, because at least some long Zuikos have the aperture
ring where you're already supporting the lens, while Nikon lenses all
have the aperture ring at the camera end. So, for Nikons you still
need a third hand when handholding a long lens. Furthermore, only
the OM-4 and Contaxes have true exposure locks - when provided,
Nikon etc. require you to hold the button down, and then you'd
need a fourth hand. Minolta and Pentax offer toggle locks, but
they have short timeouts.
So that's why, despite its faults, the OM-4 is a relatively
good manual focus body for handholding long lenses. In auto mode,
you only need two hands, which is all I've got. In manual mode,
you can't set exposure while shooting, which is no worse than
traditional manual cameras.
Now, you could easily work in manual with any lens if you could work
both shutter speed and aperture using your right hand fingers on the
camera body. Minolta and Canon AF cameras, and I think one or two
recent Nikons, work this way. Some of them let you set exposure
compensation using the same thumb dial(s). And they have integral
motor drives and all-matte screens. Unfortunately, they have some other
user interface problems and only the most expensive models are much good.
BTW, the OM-4's self-timer is impossible to get at with a Winder 2
and 300 f/4.5 both fitted. I don't think the winder was at all
thought out.
I hope this post wasn't too long. It isn't even seminal.
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