Sturdy, light, metering, accuracy, reliability and 2nd hand retained value

Battery life (switching the shutter speed to "B" when you have finished work, turns off the circuitry)

Nothing written for nearly a year about this amazing camera. Still nothing on the 35mm SLA market to touch it. Digital is not an option yet for passionate landscape photographers. My OM-4 (not the Ti model)is still my favourite: trusty, light, sturdy, accurate, metering to die for, Zuiko's crisp contrasty lenses, what more could a photographer want...apart from Olympus to wake up and realise what a mistake they have made in ending OM series production .

Customer Service

Isn't it wonderful how so few people have ever used it...how reliable a 1980's camera is that?

Similar Products Used:

Olympus OM-2n Mercedes E300 Turbodiesel (similar engineering)

Both the range and accuracy of the meter are astounding. Others may argue, but on this point I’m not sure it has ever been matched. The multispot metering facility is sublime. Why aren’t all cameras like this? The highlight/shadow buttons are not something I use, but they do work beyond the range of the max/min ISO settings where manual compensation is not possible. The normal metering method is simple centreweighted averaging, which I happen to like. It’s consistent and predictable. That’s all that a meter needs to be. It has an exposure lock/clear facility which I am amazed in this day and age is still not a standard on all cameras. The viewfinder itself is large, clear, and bright, with dioptric correction, and the viewfinder display is a work of genius. The analogue bar graph indicates the actual averaged exposure to 1/3 of a stop accuracy, while at the same time displaying each individual spot reading, and thereby the overall contrast range. All this is assimilated as instantaneously as reading a clock face. No mental gymnastics required. You just look at the viewfinder and it’s there in your brain. The manual metering display is equally clever. The absence of aperture readout in the viewfinder is an often pointed out omission. The positive side of this is that Olympus have never needed to update their lens mount, with the benefit that all the lenses I have ever bought (and ever will) are guaranteed to work on this camera. Of the two options, this is by far the most important to me personally. B setting is entirely mechanical, and a back-up mechanical speed of 1/60 is also available, so the camera can be used when the batteries fail. This setting also doubles as an off switch to prevent battery drain. The locking switch is small and fussy though (and unnecessary?), and not easy to access when tripod mounted. The OM range of lenses and equipment is vast, and it’s largely all still out there somewhere. The good lenses are very very good, the best are superb, and a small number even legendary. For macro/micro photography, even now the OM system is probably unmatched. The downside is the good quality stuff that was expensive to buy new, still is. The plus side is you have a system that holds it’s value well.

Minor comments:- The ISO setting/compensation dial rotates in reverse of what I expected – ie minus compensation is forward. It is also possible for the clumsy to disturb the ISO setting when adjusting auto exposure compensation, and a positive locking mechanism would have been nice. Because of its nature it is impossible to dial-in auto compensation beyond the minimum and maximum ISO settings range available. However, you may not notice the film speed resetting itself when you try. The 1/60 max flash sync speed is probably the most limiting feature of the camera in comarison to more modern combos. The FP flash gives pleasing enough results, but is not nearly as flexible or predictable (without effort) as more modern variants, and quite limited in range in certain situations. Normal TTL flash though is as superb as it ever was. Mirror prefire is available with the self timer, but the timer itself is not adjustable, and I would have preferred a separate mirror lock-up à la OM1. A double-exposure button would also have been nice. The black paint on some models is quick to show brassing (titaniuming surely - ED). This is of no consequence to me. It’s a defunct system, no longer made or supported by the manufacturer. By the same token third party lenses and associated equipment are now rarely if ever available new in OM mount, though for the time being compatible flash strobes still seem to be.

This is a full system pro 35mm camera from an era when some of us think SLR camera design and build quality were at their zenith, and this one is probably the pick of the bunch. It is no exaggeration to describe it as a jewel. Small and light for a camera of this type and build quality, it is extremely robust and supremely well screwed together. It’s pretty much weatherproof. Excellent ergonomics. There are no useless exposure modes to clutter the user interface. No whistle or bells are provided, only features. Just as it should be. Buying second hand made for an extremely good value purchase in my case. In all honesty I don’t think I was ever going to pay the full price new though, but my value rating is based on what you are likely to pay for a good used example now. Chances are it will at least hold it’s value, and this camera had collectible classic written all over it from the day it was born. I would not necessarily recommend anyone entering a defunct system from scratch, but anyone already with lenses or looking for a new body should definitely treat themselves to this camera.

Customer Service

Not used

Similar Products Used:

OM1, OM10, OM40

Metering system and build quality

Lack of f-stop in the viewfinder

Dear Reader The Olympus OM4 must be considered one of the best 35mm SLR's of all time. It is well made, compact, and sports a great metering system. It can match the Canon F-1 (New) and the Nikon F3hp on all accounts. It's only flaw is the lack of f-stop information in the viewfinder. Think of the OM4 as a Leica M series, but in an SLR format. Thank You Russell Ruggiero

Customer Service

N/A

Similar Products Used:

Canon F1-n, Nikon F/Nikon F2, and Olympus OM 1n

Feel (solid, precise shutter release, perfect ergonomics) Fabously small, light sharp lenses Satisfying involvement in the photographic process A truely great travel camera & system (especially if you take a mechanical OM for utter reliability. My OM1 has never let me down over 30 years!

Battery drain on the OM4 (cured by replacing the chip with the OM4T chip)

Over a period of 40 years I have bought and used well in excess of 20 cameras including 3 OM1's, an OM10, OM40, OM4, OM2000 and my favourite the OM4Ti plus more than 20 Olympus lenses. The single digit Olympus cameras are definitely for those who like to think and compose their photos rather than rely upon automation. I still use my OM1, OM4Ti, OM2000 (and less often my OM40) virtually on a daily basis. I have used these magniificent cameras & lenses to record the most important events in our lives and now looking back over some 30K+ slides & photos am so very pleased that I chose this system to entrust such precious moments to. The little extra effort needed to operate the manual cameras in particular has been more than rewarded by a truely exceptional record of our lives together. When I went back to the OM1 & 4 after a lazy period using the mostly auto OM40 I was immediately struck by how much better & sharper my images were. I soon realised that this is due to the extra attention to detail which a manual camera forced me to take. I won't waste people's time listing all the virtues of this system which have been expounded upon at length by so many others except to say that if you are getting or have got an OM4 or the T/Ti version upgrading to one of the new bright focusing screens will totally transform the experience of using a manual focus camera. Having recently played around with the new Nikon F5 & FM3A & the Canon EOS1 any dispassionate reviewer would have to agree that the OM with the new screen is beyond belief & is probably the best in the world. Quite supurb. I have recently contemplated changing to a digital system but have to decided to stay with my existing system for as long as possible as no digital system can yet match what this one has to offer. If the object of photography is to take great and memorable pictures (as opposed to providing entertainment via novelty and change) then this system will record your life and world in the most satisfying way for a lifetime. If you are comtemplating getting into the system see what others have written about the OM1 & the associated lenses. This camera and lens line was an incredible achievement & it is nice to see this acknowledged by so many thoughtful photographers. Enjoy the experiece of being fully involved in recording your world. The more involved you are & the more you think about what you ar

Customer Service

Up to now very good here in Sydney but with distribution being taken over by Olympus direct service is open to question.

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See above - a vast list of cameras over the years but I have always come back to Olympus.

Solid construction! Awesome metering. Titianium body! Feels and looks great.

OM line is dying, no more new stuff. hello used gear. There is no 10 on the rating scale below!!!

A true classic jewel, an elegant machine, a precision camera. This is like a Porsche- a true users camera that sadly most people will never understand. I have used OM''s since 1985, first a OM-2, then I bought a used OM-4, finally I saved up for a new OM-4Ti!. What joy to own one! This is such an awesome camera, simple, reliable, sturdy, and accurate. Takes outstanding images. finest meter I have ever used. when teamed with great glass like the 100/2 or the 24/2.8 or 28/2 it will blow you , your friends and any auto focus camera away! When Olympus announced they were ending OM production, I was sick. I looked at other cameras for a possible new system. After trying out an Elan7, EOS-3, N80, N90 and some minolta stuff, I started laughing. They were all junk compared to my OM-4Ti! They were confusing to use, waaaayyy too complicated (is it too much to ask for 2 dials!), they felt and looked cheap. Dont even start me on "modern" plastic lenses. The OM-4Ti is such an incredible camera. If you like cameras, understand how to take pictures, and dont need a computer to do everything for you, then this is the promised land!!

Customer Service

not needed.

Similar Products Used:

Canon, AE1 (shoddy) Canon Rebel-2000 (horrid) Pentax ZX-M (not half bad!) Canon Elan 7 (weak and disappointing)

Very rugged, amazing metering, exceptional lenses

Slow flash sync with a regular flash and limited range with Super FP flash (which syncs at all speeds). Motor drive a little on the fragile side. The wrong Zuiko lens can be a big disappointment.

I bought my first OM4T in 1988 and it''s still going strong. It''s been in the shop a couple of times but I''ve shot thousands upon thousands of rolls in conditions ranging from the Arizona desert, to the coast of Belize, to Antarctica. My OM4Ts have held up beautifully. Spot metering is not the easiest, but once you understand how it really works it''s by far the most accurate and controllable system. I''ve also used Nikon and Leica and my Zuiko lenses (21 2.0, 24 2.0, 28 2.0, 40 2.0, 50 1.2, 100 2.0, 180 2.0), are the best I''ve ever used, period. For travel photography, the light weight and compact size are a godsend.

Customer Service

Not too bad - they get my repairs back to me quickly.

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Nikon F2, F3, FE2. Leica M3, R4

- Absolutely brilliant light metering system. - Very sturdy. - Perfect camera for learning photography and constructing your images. - Big selection of medium-to-very-high quality lenses and accessories. - A camera for people with a brain & a heart for photography, and who love a well-built camera when they touch one.

- End-of-life series, i.e. not available through regular retail channels. This is actually not a disadvantage (yet). There''s a big 2nd hand market, and a number of highly skilled independent repairmen. - After using OM cameras for years, I start understanding why other brands put the shutter speed selection on top of the camera. On the OM cameras, you need to use the same hand for 2 movements when you select both the diaphragm and the shutter speed. But this OM-4Ti has an automatic shutter speed selection, so you hardly touch the shutter speed ring at all anyway.

This camera is clearly aimed at the professional maker of photographs, not at the amateur picture shooter. It would be the ideal camera to learn photography, if only it wouldn''t be so expensive. Second hand, the price is a steal if you''re getting more serious than an occasional snapshot. I got the legendary 90mm/f2.0 lens at the same time, and they make a great combo. They way you work with an OM-4Ti is elaborate, but it becomes intuitive quickly as you build up your experience in constructing images. I usually start by focussing on the nearest object I want to have in focus, and checking the distance on the lens. Then, I do the same with the object that''s most far away. When I know these distances, I know what diaphragm I need to use to get the depth-of-field I want. (when the DOF is too high, it becomes a matter of chosing what is most important, and doing "focus bracketing"). After having selected the DOF, I either trust the built-in center-weighted light meter, which works wonders, even in very complex light situations. Or, I can use the spot meter to check all the dark spots first, and the bright spots afterwards, so I get a feeling for the contrast of the picture. When I measure the light myself, I usually finish by selecting the brightest and the darkest spot only. The camera averages the spots you select, so I get a fine exposure over the whole contrast. More than just a nice advantage, the camera is small, solidly built and feels comfortable in the hand. A perfect hiking camera.

Customer Service

OM cameras never break :-)

Similar Products Used:

OM-1, OM-3. I''ve played around a bit with a Nikon F-3 and an old Pentax, but I don''t really know them.

Very accurate metering, light and beautiful.

Non-durable black paint. Temperamental circuit (on mine anyway). Drains battery fast especially during long exposure mode. Looks like end-of-product line finally.

I bought this camera 10 years ago. A truly outstanding and beautiful camera, in particular the multi-spots metering with highlight and shadow compensation. (How many modern camera today has this ....) I used it mainly for jungle trekking. There was some circuit problem now and then, where the metering bar will go haywire - probably due to moisture in the high humidity. When it works, the metering is beautiful, especially in high constrast environment. Also wonderful for urban nightime shots. Pity Olympus seems to have forgotten about this beauty. Can hardly find any OM stuff in Singapore or SE Asia at all. Seems the agent in Singapore has stopped supporting it. Does not even provide metering calibration service, let alone spares... Olympus US web site also not responsive.

Customer Service

Wrote a few times to Olyumpus US for a spare part; no response. Waiting for Olympus UK to response.

Similar Products Used:

OM-1n for backups. Sony digital camera for snapshots. May have to change to Nikon or Canon soon if I cannot find spares for the OM4. (Opening up the top is quite simple.)

Very accurate metering, light and beautiful.

Non-durable black paint. Temperamental circuit (on mine anyway). Drains battery fast especially during long exposure mode. Looks like end-of-product line finally.

I bought this camera 10 years ago. A truly outstanding and beautiful camera, in particular the multi-spots metering with highlight and shadow compensation. (How many modern camera today has this ....) I used it mainly for jungle trekking. There was some circuit problem now and then, where the metering bar will go haywire - probably due to moisture in the high humidity. When it works, the metering is beautiful, especially in high constrast environment. Also wonderful for urban nightime shots. Pity Olympus seems to have forgotten about this beauty. Can hardly find any OM stuff in Singapore or SE Asia at all. Seems the agent in Singapore has stopped supporting it. Does not even provide metering calibration service, let alone spares... Olympus US web site also not responsive.

Customer Service

Wrote a few times to Olyumpus US for a spare part; no response. Waiting for Olympus UK to response.

Similar Products Used:

OM-1n for backups. Sony digital camera for snapshots. May have to change to Nikon or Canon soon if I cannot find spares for the OM4. (Opening up the top is quite simple.)

Size, Meter, Build Quality, Optics

Not supported by Olympus

I stumbled across one used because someone owed me money and gave me an OM-4T and 50 macro to pay his debt. I had planned on selling it to get some dollars out of it. But I looked at it and then used it. Guess what, it isn't going anywhere. This is a wonderful camera. The metering system is the best I have ever encountered, it feels nice and solid. It is so compact, I am actually carrying it all the time. Then, the lens is outstanding. Why did I not shoot this before? If I had discovered this years ago, it would be all I shoot outside of 6x17. Olympus did a great job putting this camera together but a horrible job marketing it. I do NOT miss autofocus here, it is a pleasure to look through the viewfinder and create images with this camera. I'll probably look for another body as a back up. This one will be with me a long, long time.

Customer Service

Don't know

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You name it, from Leica to Nikon to ...You name it,