Olympus OM-4

I’ve talked about the OM-2 in a previous post. Today I’d like to talk about the OM-4. As far as SLR film cameras go, the Olympus OM-4 is one of the best – at least in my opinion. I was shooting with mine the other day – and I am continually impressed by the electronics and the metering system. The OM-4 was the first camera to have a multi-spot metering system. It allows you to meter several spots (up to 8) in the scene you’re shooting – and it averages the readings for you. It also allows you to specify one of the readings as a shadow reading, or a highlight reading and compensates the exposure accordingly.

I love the titanium body construction of the OM-4T. And, I think the Champaign colored body (introduced in 1986) looks way better than the black. Initially, OM-4 and OM-3 bodies came only in black.

Here’s another thing. I love the feel that all the OM bodies have in my hands. This body is fairly small compared to other major cameras of the day, and it feels very well built – very solid.

Olympus made their early SLR cameras (the OM System) so that you could see all the major controls from the top of the camera. Things like the film rewind button, on the bottom of most other cameras, was on the front or top of OM cameras.

If you ever get a chance to use one of the OM System cameras, give it a try. The OM-4T is one of my very favorite models. If you do use one, let me know what you think.