At 04:02 1/2/01, Mickey Trageser wrote:
Chris,
I have an OM-4. I absolutely love it. It does not do the hi speed flash
[snip]
Mickey
I have an OM-4 also and the battery drain issue has never been a
problem. I think it only affects a handful of them.
One thing not mentioned recently is ensuring it is not stored in a camera
bag with something depressing the viewfinder illuminator button (see tip #2
below to protect against this). This will drain 2S, 4 or 4T batteries very
quickly. (I wonder how many 2S's and 4's have been labeled "battery
eaters" when this was the real culprit.)
A 2S or 4 will consume cells faster than a 2[n], which can be completely
turned off, and somewhat faster than a 4T. Even under heavy use my 4 gets
about 5-6 months out of a good set of 357 watch cells (aka SR44W). Under
light use, it's gotten 9 months or more. Over the past several years I've
encountered two bad sets of cells (from places other than where I normally
get them). If a set goes quickly, it's not necessarily the camera
body. It could be ancient cells beyond shelf life.
A few more tips about the 2S, 4 and 4T:
(1) Turn _off_ the beeper by rotating the self-timer in the opposite
direction from the self-timer position. These bodies will beep every time
you press a button or flip a switch. Some may find the audible feedback
useful; it only reminds me of unnecessary battery consumption.
(2) Always store one with the shutter speed ring in the mechanical (red)
1/60th or B position and the mode switch in the Manual position. The
viewfinder illuminator on my OM-4 will not light up with the shutter speed
ring in one of the two mechanical (red) positions, even if the button for
it is depressed. This keeps it from accidentally draining the cells. (I
don't know if this behavior is the same for the 2S and 4T.)
(3) Heavy use of the self-timer or viewfinder illuminator will consume
cells faster. Battery mileage will be shorter than average if these
features are used frequently.
(4) Use "357" or "SR44W" Silver Oxide cells in them. They will hold a
constant voltage to nearly end of life, and are "watch" cells made for a
small continuous drain. Although alkalines may have an enormous shelf
life, they have a very short one in a 2S, 4 or 4T as an alkaline voltage
starts to drop sooner under use.
(5) Severe cold weather (below about 20F) drops battery voltages and can
cause any of the electronic shuttered OM's to quit working, only to be
resurrected when it's cells are warmed sufficiently. How long it will run
before pooping out depends on how old the cells are and how cold it
is. This is no doubt a problem for many other electronic cameras. If
you're planning on a lot of severe cold weather shooting, an OM-1 or OM-1n
with its mechanical shutter will be much more reliable. It's why I have
one of them too. The 3 and 3ti are also mechanically shuttered and very
nice, but significantly more expensive than a 4T if you can find one.
-- John
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