So i want a manual film camera… FM2?

I had a parcel sent (Royal Mail) to France which spent a week in New York...
 
It's arrived!!!

First, I remember to buy a lens cap and body cap but forgot to get a battery...so i can only check what i can check.

A few things to note.

Dust on the focus screen.....I REALLY want to clean it but i know i will make it worse if i do.
The corners to some of the leather bits is lifting, will sort that out with a touch of glue.
The listing says tiny fugus inside the lens, which it does, it's a little larger than what i call tiny, still small and on 2 spots. Not really a problem i think since I can't see it in the viewfinder, even at F/16 then it won't show up on the photos. Plus I can always replace the lens.

Overall, the camera itself is very nice, the condition is much better than what i can expect for a 40+ year old camera. People call it "like a jewel" and it does feel like it. Weighty, although ergonomically too short without a lens hood and vs what i am used to. Perhaps the 55/1.2 will help with that. :D

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excalibur2 said:
Erm 50mm f1.2 in F&C classifieds is £350 you sure you want to spend that money for about 1/2 stop difference.
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Not the 50, I think I want the 55. But it's only a thought at the moment. If I am going to buy one, I would get one in person in Japan I think. Just so I can check everything in person.
 
The focus screen is removable - there used to be a little tool that you used to unclip the tray holder, which flipped down above the mirror. The focus screens have a tab, that you use, with tweezers (the tool I mentioned..?) then easy to blow dust off it.

Edit - here is a page all about it

further edit...

Linking to the word 'page' won't work

https://www.mir.SPAM/rb/photography...ympusom1n2/shared/accessory/screens/index.htm
 
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I used to rinse the screens with warm water and dry them. They came up lovely :D

Some people have a worry about damage but I think unless you are quite rough there really shouldn't be any worry.
 
Nice! I've got a couple of OM10s which I fondle from time to time (one has a motor drive attachment o_O ), lenses include the usual Zuiko 50 f1.8 and 28 f2.8 and a Sigma 28-70 zoom. Both still work and I occasionally waste a roll of film through them. The first OM10 replaced a Praktica MTL3 which came in a kit with 3 prime lenses (50, 135 and something else, I can't remember). Much as I liked the Olys (they took pics of my kids growing up) I actually missed the basicness of the Praktica and the primes. Learned everything I needed to know about shutter, aperture and DoF on the old and completely manual MTL3 (y)
 
woof woof said:
I used to rinse the screens with warm water and dry them. They came up lovely :D

Some people have a worry about damage but I think unless you are quite rough there really shouldn't be any worry.
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.....and don't bother doing an easy clean of the front lens to remove fungus as to get at the front elementl Olympus glue screws etc well if same as the 50mm f1.8...usually an easy job on many other lenses.
 
checkmate91 said:
Praktica MTL3 which came in a kit with 3 prime lenses (50, 135 and something else, I can't remember
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Usually with cracking lenses the 135mm could be a Sonnar and probably the other could be a 35mm Flektogon. If Flektogon check prices on Ebay
 
woof woof said:
I used to rinse the screens with warm water and dry them. They came up lovely :D

Some people have a worry about damage but I think unless you are quite rough there really shouldn't be any worry.
Click to expand...

I removed the screen and blew it with a rocket blower, now much better. Mainly i removed a large piece in the center which is the main thing. Still a few pieces on the 1/3 of the way in, but it'll do. It's a 40 year old camera, what can I expect?

Granted, knowing me this camera will be more an ornament than a tool...being so expensive and whatnot.
 
Raymond Lin said:
I removed the screen and blew it with a rocket blower, now much better. Mainly i removed a large piece in the center which is the main thing. Still a few pieces on the 1/3 of the way in, but it'll do. It's a 40 year old camera, what can I expect?

Granted, knowing me this camera will be more an ornament than a tool...being so expensive and whatnot.
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It'll be there if you want to use it as a film camera and if you want to see it just as an attractive thing to own, fondle and look at then why not? Plus you can use the lens on just about any mirrorless camera via a dumb adapter.
 
woof woof said:
It'll be there if you want to use it as a film camera and if you want to see it just as an attractive thing to own, fondle and look at then why not? Plus you can use the lens on just about any mirrorless camera via a dumb adapter.
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For a paperweight, it's certainly pretty :D
 
woof woof said:
I used to rinse the screens with warm water and dry them. They came up lovely :D

Some people have a worry about damage but I think unless you are quite rough there really shouldn't be any worry.
Click to expand...
They are fairly easy to clean and handle, I used to draw a 10x8 crop on them to make framing easier if I was in a hurry.
 
I've got three OM2ns, one of them mint, the other two VG, and they've all needed a service, as the shutters get sticky. I recommend Allan Smallbones at Luton Cameras. The minty one was turned away by a repairer in Amsterdam as they needed a donor camera for shutter parts. Luton Cameras have specialised in these little cameras for ever, and they have a good inventory of breakers for parts.
 
horrocks said:
I've got three OM2ns, one of them mint, the other two VG, and they've all needed a service, as the shutters get sticky. I recommend Allan Smallbones at Luton Cameras. The minty one was turned away by a repairer in Amsterdam as they needed a donor camera for shutter parts. Luton Cameras have specialised in these little cameras for ever, and they have a good inventory of breakers for parts.
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Oh cool, I might drop them a line for a service, it looks mint on the outside but want to get rid of that foam at the very least.

The battery came today and tested it and works in Av mode.
 
Raymond Lin said:
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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Something with a Mechanical Shutter and access to good old lenses……..Nikon FM, F2AS (heavy), Olympus OM1, Contax S2 or if Rangefinder Canon P (the old Canon LTM rangefinder lenses are brilliant)…….. the Nikon S3 was also relatively easy to find last I was there………
 
Tylaar said:
Something with a Mechanical Shutter and access to good old lenses……..Nikon FM, F2AS (heavy), Olympus OM1, Contax S2 or if Rangefinder Canon P (the old Canon LTM rangefinder lenses are brilliant)…….. the Nikon S3 was also relatively easy to find last I was there………
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The Nikon FM is extra useful as it can also use pre AI lenses, but I find that many old cameras can be a bit of a PITA at times e.g. a shot of a small bridge and the subject in sunlight, but at the left side are bushes in dark shadow and if your camera is given the meter reading, in the viewfinder, at the side in dark shadow...it's a job seeing it esp if you wear glasses. More modern battery operated cameras (like my favourites) i.e. Canon A1 or T70, T90 etc give you a instant bright red LED readings at the bottom and no fiddling with LEDs up and down to get correct reading like e.g.Pentax ME.
Strange Nikon didn't learn from Canon and their F4 metering on manual setting is annoying well for me.
 
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Nikon FE

Out of all the 35mm I’ve used , this is the only one that I can honestly say I miss not that I have a yearn to return to the small format.
 
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