So i want a manual film camera… FM2?

Raymond Lin

Raymond Lin

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I’ve booked my ticket to go to Tokyo next year and i know the Japanese take care of their stuff generally extremely well and want to pick up a film camera there and do a project just with film.

Probably pick up a 50mm while i am at it…..so the question is…

Which film camera? Oh, with a built in Light Meter! Manual focusing is fine but Light Meter is a must.

Cheers
 
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Pentax LX, every day of the week, as far as I'm concerned. Not cheap but excellent.
 
For choosing a simple mechanical camera you can't beat Nikon, I only have the FM and fitted a +2 dioptre in the eye viewer so I don't need spectacles...lovely camera. The only problem with Nikon is:- other than 50mm their lenses are more expensive, but in Japan they are probably much cheaper.
 
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Nikon F3 would be my choice. A truly wonderful little camera and a good 50mm lens for it won't break the bank. (y) :cool:
 
Olympus OM2n with its tiny Zuiko 50mm f/1.8. The viewfinder will wow you. Excellent meter too, choice of M and A modes. A camera I'll never part with.
 
I've never had a manual film camera. I've always fancied an Olympus OM of some sort but more recently a Nikon has appealed to me especially with a Nippon Kogaku 50mm f2. Every time I use those old metal lenses I wish they could mount straight onto my Sony without an adapter.

I hope you find something suitable and lovely Raymond and I hope you'll post a thread about it and your experiences :D
 
Sky said:
Nikon F3 would be my choice. A truly wonderful little camera and a good 50mm lens for it won't break the bank. (y) :cool:
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I agree.

If you can afford it, get one with the HP prism, which I found to be much more pleasant than the basic version,
 
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H'mm An expensive manual camera is nice to have but an ordinary amateur can take great shots with a camera a lot cheaper with the same lens....and Raymond's words "pick up a film camera there and do a project just with film"...well I assume once he has done his project would be back to using his digi camera as 8,909 posts are not here.
 
Canon A1.
 
excalibur2 said:
H'mm An expensive manual camera is nice to have but an ordinary amateur can take great shots with a camera a lot cheaper with the same lens....and Raymond's words "pick up a film camera there and do a project just with film"...well I assume once he has done his project would be back to using his digi camera as 8,909 posts are not here.
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I actually do have a Canon EOS 30, mint in box and a 45mm TSE lens still. I could use that but I want that manual tactile feeling. Probably going to shoot just 1 roll of 36 in 10 days.

A part of me want something a little iconic, hence the FM2 but besides that I have no idea besides having an exposure meter built in, that would be PITA without. I’m not going to do the whole Sunny 16 rule. (Even though through experience I’m pretty good at guessing the settings I need in any given situation).

You are right that I might only use this one, or at least, very infrequently, so I am not going to spend Leica money…I also don’t want to open that door. So I think something in the region of £300 with a 50mm, 1.4 if possible then that would be ok the shortlist.
 
I have very limited experience with 35mm SLRs, so this has to be a highly personal and biased view. Of the cameras I've actually owned:

I prefer the Nikon F3 to the F2 for the film wind and sleeker lines (= better handling for me).

The Canon F1 is big and heavy, but fully featured.

The Pentax LX is small and dainty and I think it handles well.

But my first choice for an only 35mm SLR would be the OM1. It's small and light (= easy to carry) and has the best viewfinder of the lot, and I put a lot of weight on having a viewfinder that lets you see the subject. Plus I like not having to rely on batteries for the camera to work.

As an aside, my favourite 50mm lens is the Canon FD f/1.2 SSC ASPH (although it's 55mm, not 50mm).
 
StephenM said:
I have very limited experience with 35mm SLRs, so this has to be a highly personal and biased view. Of the cameras I've actually owned:

I prefer the Nikon F3 to the F2 for the film wind and sleeker lines (= better handling for me).

The Canon F1 is big and heavy, but fully featured.

The Pentax LX is small and dainty and I think it handles well.

But my first choice for an only 35mm SLR would be the OM1. It's small and light (= easy to carry) and has the best viewfinder of the lot, and I put a lot of weight on having a viewfinder that lets you see the subject. Plus I like not having to rely on batteries for the camera to work.

As an aside, my favourite 50mm lens is the Canon FD f/1.2 SSC ASPH (although it's 55mm, not 50mm).
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I've not thought about Olympus tbh, actually was just thinking about Nikon and Canon but looking on eBay, it seems I can get a mint OM1 from Japan with a 50/1.4 for about £150...which fits the bill, the fact that it requires no battery is a huge plus for me. But does that mean it won't have a Light Meter? Surely you need a battery for light meter to work.
 
Raymond Lin said:
I've not thought about Olympus tbh, actually was just thinking about Nikon and Canon but looking on eBay, it seems I can get a mint OM1 from Japan with a 50/1.4 for about £150...which fits the bill, the fact that it requires no battery is a huge plus for me. But does that mean it won't have a Light Meter? Surely you need a battery for light meter to work.
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I have that 50mm f1.4. It's not the sharpest on my A7 but it sharpens up well enough post capture but I don't know how it'll behave on a film camera. What I will say is that it gives a lovely look and colours at least on my A7, closer to the well regarded Takumar 50mm f1.4 than to the Minolta and Nikon AIS 50mm f1.4's. That lens would sway me towards Olympus.
 
Raymond Lin said:
I've not thought about Olympus tbh, actually was just thinking about Nikon and Canon but looking on eBay, it seems I can get a mint OM1 from Japan with a 50/1.4 for about £150...which fits the bill, the fact that it requires no battery is a huge plus for me. But does that mean it won't have a Light Meter? Surely you need a battery for light meter to work.
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I think it's Selenium cell meters that need no battery. Less accurate in low light but work well in decent light.
 
True, the OM1 does need a battery for the meter to work, but that never bothered me as I knew I could carry on as before without one - the camera would still work. I actually moved to the OM1 from a camera that had no meter...
 
Raymond Lin said:
I've not thought about Olympus tbh, actually was just thinking about Nikon and Canon but looking on eBay, it seems I can get a mint OM1 from Japan with a 50/1.4 for about £150
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That would be a good choice to keep the budget down. I've used them a lot and I still have the two that I bought back in the seventies. They're both in my 'need new light seals' cupboard waiting for my attention.

The standard Zuiko 50mm f1.8 is a good lens, but get the f1.4 if you can. The f1.2 is expensive now and always was for obvious reasons.

The camera only needs a battery for the light meter as it's fully manual.
 
Sky said:
That would be a good choice to keep the budget down. I've used them a lot and I still have the two that I bought back in the seventies. They're both in my 'need new light seals' cupboard waiting for my attention.

The standard Zuiko 50mm f1.8 is a good lens, but get the f1.4 if you can. The f1.2 is expensive now and always was for obvious reasons.

The camera only needs a battery for the light meter as it's fully manual.
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Whats the name of the 50/1.2 ? I am curious...
 
They did at least two (if not three or more) variants. I have the 55mm f/1.2 which (on my copy) does suffer from flare wide open. The 50mm version(s?) came later and were reputed to be better - you can pick one up here in the classified for £350... The reason I prefer the Canon is that it can be used wide open.
 
Out of all my Nikons (F3HP, FM3A, F2, FM2N), I use my FM3a and FM2n the most. The F2/F3 are great but the FMs are just lighter and smaller which I prefer. Get a K3 screen for the FM2n and it’s pretty much the same as the FM3A minus the aperture priority and TTL flash.

Lens wise I use a Voigtlander 40mm f/2 and a Nikon 28mm 2.8 AIS as my main set.
 
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Sky said:
Zuiko - have a look here: https://lens-db.com/olympus-om-zuiko-auto-s-50mm-f12-1982/
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Ooof, it is expensive, i think the 1.4 is the one to go for then.

As for CAnon, I think the Canon F-1 is a little large, there is also something about the silver aesthetic of the OM1 (and FM2). The OM1 is cheap enough to get it on eBay without the trouble of getting it in Japan too.

Edit - The 55mm/1.2 looks like a gem.....now i am really intrigue and enough to push me to this combo.

Question, how come some OM1 has a hot shoe and some don't? Which one came first? I wouldn't use the hotshoe so prefer one without but not sure what other differences are internally besides that hot shoe. .
 
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The hot shoe is detachable on the OM1 and OM2 (but not the OM2 Spot Program or the OM3 and OM4). The plastic gets fragile and cracks if the fixing screw is tightened too much. Also, being small, they are easy to lose over the years.

Picture below shows an OM1 hot shoe on the left and (upside down) the OM1n hot shoe, showing the fixing screw threads (and extra electrical contacts as the OM1n had a flash ready light in the view-finder.
0A68B946-ED71-4048-B6BE-E3D9637AC755.jpeg

OM1 without flash shoe showing the attachment point.
C32072F3-C754-40BD-9E88-27DFF5A33EB6.jpeg

OM1 with flash shoe mounted.
2E836557-69A9-4AA9-8B70-6F0C669ED0BB.jpeg
 
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Flighter said:
The hot shoe is separate on the OM1 and OM2 (but not the OM2 Spot Program or the OM3 and OM4). The plastic gets fragile and cracks if the retaining screw is tightened too much.
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So the hotshoe is easily removable?

N244Otsh.jpg
 
Raymond Lin said:
The OM1 is cheap enough to get it on eBay without the trouble of getting it in Japan too.
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This is true in one sense as it will give you more time, but the Japanese are generally very honest unlike some of the scammers we get in the UK. If you get one here you'll need to make sure it has been properly serviced with a new set of light seals etc. If you want to use the meter, then it will need to have been modified to take a current battery - you don't have to have this option, but the batteries are expensive if not.
Raymond Lin said:
Question, how come some OM1 has a hot shoe and some don't? Which one came first? I wouldn't use the hotshoe so prefer one without but not sure what other differences are internally besides that hot shoe. .
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From an Amateur Photographer Forum user:

'Shoe1. Used on the original M1/OM1. It has a single contact and is non-dedicated and is designed ONLY for those specific models.........which are the same camera but with a name change after Leica objected to the "M1" title and Olympus then changed it to OM1.

Shoe2. Designed for the OM2 but also fits the OM1 (NOT the OM2N or the OM1N!) it has two contacts and was designed to give TTL flash capability on the OM2 BUT ONLY if the Olympus Qick Auto 310 flashgun was used. IT DOES NOT provide TTL flash capability with the later "T" series Olympus flashguns (T20, T32, T45)

Shoe3. Again designed for the OM2 (NOT the OM2N or OM1N) it again has two contacts but the difference this time is that it IS designed to give TTL flash capability with the later "T" series flashguns to the OM2. It will NOT however give TTL flash capability with the earlier Ouick Auto 310 flashgun on the OM2

Shoe 4. This hot shoe has some notable differences to the previously mentioned hoteshoes. Firstly, it will NOT physically fit on any of the earlier OM1/OM2 cameras pentaprism, it will ONLY fit on Olympus OM1N and OM2N models because it has TWO locating pins for the pentaprism as opposed to the OM1/OM2's SINGLE locating pin and ALSO the shoe itself tightens onto the prism of the OM1N and OM2N to THE LEFT direction as opposed to the RIGHT direction of the OM1/OM2. The shoe 4 has THREE contacts and is designed uniquely to provide TTL flash capability with the OM2N and with the third contact on the shoe providing a "flash ready" light in the viewfinder of the OM1N and OM2N.'

Original source post here: https://www.amateurphotographer.co.uk/forums/threads/of-hotshoes-and-om2s.127722/
 
The original OM1 was released in 1972 as the M1 in honour of the designer, Yoshihisa Maitani.
2F977E62-102E-4D6F-B95C-0E1E3B71A266.jpeg

Leica kicked up a fuss and after around 50,000 units the name was changed to OM1.

The M1 and very early OM1s did not come with fittings for the optional motor-drive although they could be modified by Olympus if required. Later OM1s and all OM1ns came as standard with motor drive fittings. Most had an small square 'MD' label on the right hand front side as one looks at the camera from the lens side to signify the ability to attach a motor-drive or winder although some OM1s with the motor drive fittings did not have the 'MD' plate.

In 1979 it was updated as the OM1n with a redesigned film advance lever, a flash ready/sufficient flash LED in the viewfinder, and automatic flash synchronisation (X-sync), regardless of the position of the FP/X switch when used with a T-series flash unit mounted on Flash Shoe 4.
03F31E72-0115-4FE4-99EA-CEF96B5186CB.jpeg
 
Flighter said:
The original OM1 was released in 1972 as the M1 in honour of the designer, Yoshihisa Maitani.
View attachment 368758

Leica kicked up a fuss and after around 50,000 units the name was changed to OM1.

The M1 and very early OM1s did not come with fittings for the optional motor-drive although they could be modified by Olympus if required. Later OM1s and all OM1ns came as standard with motor drive fittings. Most had an small square 'MD' label on the right hand front side as one looks at the camera from the lens side to signify the ability to attach a motor-drive or winder although some OM1s with the motor drive fittings did not have the 'MD' plate.

In 1979 it was updated as the OM1n with a redesigned film advance lever, a flash ready/sufficient flash LED in the viewfinder, and automatic flash synchronisation (X-sync), regardless of the position of the FP/X switch when used with a T-series flash unit mounted on Flash Shoe 4.
View attachment 368760
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Okay, thanks for that. I am not concerned about the hot shoe, I rather not have it to make it more compact to fit in the bag. I am now thinking about the battery....mods???

How can I tell if i can get batteries for it or not, and what batteries do they they, with or without mods?
 
OM1 on top showing from left to right the battery chamber, cap covering the mechanical motor drive coupling, tripod socket and motor drive electrical contacts. M1 on bottom with just the battery chambers and tripod socket.

899B9CA4-CB25-4B92-8EDC-17CE05B55DE1.jpeg
 
The 1.35v mercury cell that the OM1 or OM1n takes is no longer available. There are three work-arounds.

1. The one I use is the smart MR9 adapter which allows the readily available LR44 or SR44 1.5v cell (which is smaller than the PX625mercury cell) to be used and contains the circuitry to drop the voltage to 1.35 so that the meter reads correctly.

Picture shows LR44 battery, MR9 adapter and battery compartment cover. The black square in the adapter is, I think, a surface mount diode which takes care of the voltage drop. I got mine from the Small Battery Co.
73A41ECF-3F5A-46FD-8219-E5B721AEAD9C.jpeg

2. An Olympus repair shop should be able to modify the circuitry to provide the necessary voltage drop and coupled with a dumb adapter to adjust forthe smaller size allows the LR44 or SR44 cell to be used.

3. Use a WeinCell MRB625 battery which is a drop-in replacement for the OM1 or 1.3v hearing-aid batteries. Both types require exposure to air to start working (a tab covering the airhole needs to be removed before using) and have a relatively short life once exposed (few months I think).
 
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Flighter said:
The 1.35v mercury cell that the OM1 or OM1n takes is no longer available. There are three work-arounds.

1. The one I use is the smart MR9 adapter which allows the readily available LR44 or SR44 1.5v cell (which is smaller than the PX625mercury cell) to be used and contains the circuitry to drop the voltage to 1.35 so that the meter reads correctly.

Picture shows LR44 battery, MR9 adapter and battery compartment cover. The black square in the adapter is, I think, a surface mount diode which takes care of the voltage drop. I got mine from the Small Battery Co.
View attachment 368768

2. An Olympus repair shop should be able to modify the circuitry to provide the necessary voltage drop and coupled with a dumb adapter to adjust forthe smaller size allows the LR44 or SR44 cell to be used.

3. Use a WeinCell MRB625 battery which is a drop-in replacement for the OM1 or 1.3v hearing-aid batteries. Both types require exposure to air to start working (a tab covering the airhole needs to be removed before using) and have a relatively short life once exposed (few months I think).
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Sounds like the adaptor route is easy enough.
 
Raymond Lin said:
So I guess I want the model at the top?
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I would suggest going for the updated OM1n version rather than an OM1.

Apart from the minor changes noted in post #32 above, from what I've been told Olympus no longer placed foam over the top of the prism in the OM1n (and OM2n - although I don't know for sure if this is the case for all OM1ns and OM2ns) and therefore the OM1n (and OM2n) does not suffer from the effects of foam degradation that plagues the OM1 (and OM2). What was not realised at the time is that as it aged the foam broke down into a sticky mess and corroded the reflective coating on the prism resulting in ugly black marks in the view finder.

Fortunately, it is relatively easy to replace a damaged prism (I have done both my OM1 and my two OM2s) and OM10s seems to yield a plentiful supply of suitable prisms if one keeps an eye on Ebay.

Looking through my OM1 before prism replacement, the marks at the bottom are from damage to the prism coating caused by foam degradation…
46EC679B-4D59-4E00-9F85-34970C1A3D43.jpeg
…and after prism replacement.
2E079988-F4C4-43DA-9A7E-3EEF218E9169.jpeg
Other than the foam degradation, the OM1 in my experience is a hardy little beast, I,ve had the OM1 shown in the pictures since 1977 (when I was 16) and I haven't managed to break it yet! A super little camera.
 
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