Hi, Tom :-)
Welcome to the fold of the Zuikoholics!
The OM-PC (OM-40) is a great camera for a lot of picture-taking situations,
but if you're considering much manual-exposure use, it shares a drawback with
the other consumer-level Olympus cameras: the viewfinder display gives you
the "suggested" shutter speed based on your aperture selection, but there's
no way to know in the viewfinder if you've actually got the camera set for a
balanced exposure. You have to remove your eye from the viewfinder and look
at your shutter setting to see if you've matched the viewfinder indication.
It's much more convenient (IMHO) to have a camera that gives you a
"match-needle" type display or an equivalent electronic display, so you can
tell if you've got a balanced exposure without removing your eye from the
finder. All the "professional (single-digit) bodies do this. The -PC is the
only OM System body with ESP, which will help in situations where the
brightness level is significantly different between the center and edges of
the frame (e.g., backlighting), but is really set up to be used in Auto mode
mainly with only occasional manual use.
Of course, the OM-1(n) is the classic manual-only body, and if you're going
to be taking courses that require manual exposure settings, is the most
economical way to go. Buying one of these should leave a little more money
for lenses than going to the next level, and the body should last nearly
indefinitely.
If you want both manual and automatic exposure control, that points you
toward the OM-2(n) or OM-2S models at the higher end of your price range. The
OM-2S has spot metering (only) in manual, whereas the OM-2(n) uses
center-weighted averaging. New main circuits for the -2S are unavailable, so
if you have a major failure, you're stuck. The -2(n) "may" be more
repairable. The OM-2n offers a very similar feature set to the -2S, with
needle-type display vs. the -2S's LCD display. Both of these bodies give you
OTF flash control with the proper dedicated flashes, as do the -PC and -4
series.
The OM-4 is a good choice, allowing the option of center-weighted or single-
or multi-spot metering in manual or automatic modes with shadow and highlight
biasing available at the push of a button, also. The -4 shares the Achilles'
heel of the -2S, however: no more replacement circuits available, so it's
chancy buying one. The -4T(i) has available main circuits, if a major failure
should occur. Both the -4 and -4T(i) are likely to be out of your price
range, though.
For additional information on the various bodies, this is an excellent link:
<A HREF="http://www.veluwen.demon.nl/om-sif2.htm";>The Unofficial Olympus OM
Sales Information File</A>
Good luck!
Greg
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