The Olympus OM-2n Reviewed

Simply put, this is the camera I'd recommend for anyone who has been using digital for years and is now interested in film photography. While I don't normally use 35mm SLR cameras, it has the right mix of cost, features, usability, size, and performance.

The Olympus OM-2n is a full interchangeable professional SLR system.

Olympus OM-2n with Zuiko (Olympus) 28/3.5 lens:


Cost: You can get a camera and several lenses for under $200, leaving you with plenty of dough for film. Remember 35mm is "full frame" so a 28mm lens is 28mm, not 40mm.

Camera: $60-$100. The slightly older OM-2 may go for $10-$20 less.
Lenses:
50/1.8 = $35
50/1.4 = $60
35/2.8 = $40
28/3.5 = $35
28/2.8 = $45
24/2.8 =$140
80-200 f/4 zoom = $50

3rd party lenses, such as Tokina, Sigma, or Vivitar can be decent performers for 25%-50% of the Olympus price. I'd definitely consider them for telephoto zoom lenses as it is easier to design a telephoto lens than a wide angle. Manufacturer brand lenses tend to perform better at wider angles and wider apertures. So a 24mm Olympus will likely be better than a 24mm 3rd party lens. With the 3rd party lens, straight lines may have curvature to them. The difference between an Olympus 50/1.4 and a 3rd party 50/1.4 is at wider apertures. At f/1.4 the 3rd party lens may not be as sharp: possibly less sharp in the center, but mostly likely less sharp in the corners. This is fine for portraits since that will be out of focus anyway. At f/8 or f/16 the lenses will perform the same.

Usability: The camera has two basic settings, Auto and Manual. Auto is aperture priority - you pick the aperture and the camera will pick the shutter speed. This allows for fast shooting in normal light settings. There is also a dial for exposure compensation to adjust for when lighting may fool the light meter. The manual mode allows full control of camera settings. There is a meter that will tell you if you are underexposing or overexposing the image.

A big advantage over other cameras is that the OM-2 and OM-2n take the 1.5 V SR-44 silver oxide battery which is commonly available. Many other cameras of that era may take a 1.35V mercury battery which is no longer available and substitute batteries (Wein Cell) are annoying. Remember to use the SR-44 instead of the LR-44 alkaline battery. They are the same size and some will tell you they are the same, but as the LR-44 depletes, the voltage drops. As the voltage drops, the meter will underexpose shots. The SR-44 will just die.

Dead batteries? With electronically controlled shutters (as the OM-2n is), a dead battery may mean a dead camera. This is not quite the case with the OM-2n as it has mechanical ability to fire at 1/60 shutter speed.


Size: The Olympus OM series was modeled after the Leica M series. Leica Ms still smaller because are they are rangefinders and don't have a mirror box, but the Olympus is notable smaller than competing SLRs.

Leica M with 50/2 Summicron versus Olympus OM-2n with 28/3.5 lens:

Other:

• Zuiko is Olympus's brand of lenses and is very highly regarded.
• The OM-1 are purely mechanical cameras with a build in meter, meaning the camera operations don't required a battery. The battery is needed for the meter and this is the dreaded 1.35V mercury battery for the meter.
• The difference between the OM-2 and the OM-2n is small and has features you'd probably never use. The OM-2n are newer so they may be in better shape with 27 year old electronic instead of 33 year old electronics.
• The OM-10 and OM-20 were consumer grade SLR cameras. They have aperture priority only (no manual mode). Since the OM-2 is so inexpensive today, there really isn't a reason to get the OM-10. Remember, the OM-2 was designed for professionals.