Im 62, i got an OM2 for Christmas when I was 16…. The camera has never failed me. With some prime lenses it suits my needs perfectly.

another nice video, and considering long running preference for Olympus optics, not a surprise that this is the preference between the FE and the OM2 - we were well served with great cameras from great manufacturers that offered variance to suit every taste. Back in 1980 when I had saved up enough money to upgrade from my very dodgy Praktica PLC2, whose exposure was really unreliable, i did a laborious marking matrix comparison of cameras I was aiming towards. A1, AE1, OM2, OM1, XD5, XD7 and FM and FE. A close run thing as the Duke of Wellington said, particularly close between the XD7, A1 and FE. The OM2 had a different kind of meter sensor and was marginally smaller which wasn't really a factor for me, the A1 had shutter priority but was more expensive, XD7 felt lovely to hold, and the FE was the best built with all the automation I needed and a beautiful looking lens, conventional and very simple operation, so it won. My uncle got the OM2N a bit later and it was lovely too, real shame that Olympus are apparently pulling out of the camera business now. PS - i can't think how the cameras had any effect on the grain - it must have been an issue with the film batch or how it was developed to give that difference.

Thanks for taking us out for a shoot! Great timing by the way. Seeing that you shot film in your previous videos, you motivated me to try. This morning I shot film for the first time in 20 years on a Minolta X370 with Rokkor 50 F1.4 which I know you love. As soon as I get back I saw your video. Perfect! Thank you - Alberto

If this was a boxing match I'd pay to see it. Two great cameras in 2022 and years to come.

Bought my OM2n in 1980 and I,m still using it a great camera.

Wonderful to see you out shooting . More MORE I say sir.

I bought a second hand OM10 - same exposure system and when it arrived it also over exposed. I sent it back, and who ever adjusted it got it spot on. After that it produced the best exposed slides and negs I ever had. So get it twiddled !

The Nikon FE was my first Nikon in 1982 (after my Canon AE1P broke in 1981) I have four now and another that needs repair but alas it is too expensive to have it done, nice video, thanks.

I had a Om2n and loved it. I have a Nikon FE with a 55mm2.8 Ai micro (macro) lens and really enjoy using it. So many amazing features, double exposures are a breeze. The FE is in another league compared to the Olympus. So dependable. I have a 75mm to 150 3.5 e series zoom which is a great cheap performing Nikon lens.

Picked up an Olympus OM1N and OM2N with some lenses at an estate sale. Have shot some B&W through them already and plan on running some Portra 400 through them as soon as I am allowed to go out and about. Thanks for your video. Enjoy all your videos very much!

I frequently use an OM-2N and I have found the exposure accuracy to be very good indeed. My negatives are very consistent. However, I also get equally as good results with my OM10 and I never bother using the manual adaptor with it because it's just so good!

The thing I love about the FE series over the FM, F3, or any other manual SLR I've used, is the meter display with the match-needle. Unlike something like the FM, it quickly shows you exactly what the ideal exposure is and how much you're off by. I find this particularly useful in low light because I often shoot at a fixed shutter speed and am okay with underexposing by around 1 stop (but not more). With most cameras, whether you're underexposed by 1 stop or 5 stops, the meter will read the same - not very helpful. Also, the Nikon FE and FM use a fairly simple 60/40 center-weighted metering - in other words, they expose for the center of the frame. While this is not perfect if your subject isn't in the center of the frame, its predictability and simplicity make it easy to compensate for. You will likely already have your subject in the center of the frame to focus, so at the same time, you can dial in exposure either with manual settings or with the AE lock.

Well presented and thank you for nuancing the analysis. I have an OM2 and agree with you on how it handles.

Back in those days, over forty years ago, when I decided to go for Olympus OM2, instead of Nikon FE and Canon A1. The reason was, it was a little cheaper than the Nikon, and better light meter. That meter, with very long exposures will meter the light as long as the exposer, and will cut off if there's more light. My OM2 never failed any way, and is as you say, much faster to use than modern digital cameras.

I'm lucky enough to own one of each, and I can safely say they're both very good cameras indeed. The Nikon has a slight edge for me because it's that little bit more comfortable to hold and feels slightly more solidly built, but you really can't go wrong with any of them. I would agree that the light meter is generally better in the Nikon, but like yours, mine underexposes a bit from time to time. Nice video as usual!

I enjoyed this new format!

The over exposure you are getting from the OM-2 is due to dirty shutter magnets. the OM-2 is very consistent and gets exposrures spot on. Whenever my OM-2 over exposes now and then I have the shutter magnets cleansed and there will be another decade of correct exposures. The grainy OM-2 shots are again down to the shutter magnet issue causing under expossre now and then.

I have an Olympus OM 20, one thing I particularly like about it is that it's one of the very few SLR's which will sit flat on a surface due to its size. I find most other cameras sit on the edge of the body and lens due to the amount of body below the lens. It's a small thing, but it adds to the feel of the camera

The OM-2 will work correctly in auto exposure between 1000th and 15th second when the main switch is set to off. It does this bacause auto exposures are measures off the film/shutter curtain not the screen. The electronics will wake up and do thier job in auto when the shutter button is pressed.

It’s strange The Nikon takes less grainy, better exposed, sharper images and better built as well as a better on/off switch But you still prefer the Olympus It goes to show how powerful emotions are over tangible logic is Great video

Awesome. Thank you!

I had dream: Olimpus OM-4Ti.

The OM-2 meters off the film directly when the shutter opens, that's probably why the river shot was overexposed. If you lift up the mirror you will see a randomly checkered pattern on the shutter curtain.

Great video on 2 beautiful cameras. I have mostly Nikon cameras, FM, FM2N and F3 but I'm very intrigued by the Olympus OM series, specifically OM2/2N. Is there much difference between the OM2 and OM2N to justify the extra cost? I don't use flash or shoot night photography much.

Like the outside broadcast ;-) Does either camera have adjustable dioptres? I need them these days!

Nice video. Sometimes things wear out or can be misaligned. I have 3 Olympus OM2ns and they just work brilliantly. My last OM2n needed an overhaul, as it exhibited unreliable metering similar to yours. Recalibration and/or replacing an ageing meter is unfortunately our lot in life, as we love what I can safely say are “Antiques”.....like me. I must say that I’m stumped by the grain issue, unless it is due to post processing and having to pull the detail back. It looks like 2 to 3 stops over exposing, so it’s bound to be an uglier representation.....no matter how fine the grain on the film. Keep up the good work. I enjoy your take on cameras and lenses and have learned much from your informative videos.

2 metering comments. The main cause of the om2 overexposing is using alkaline e.g. lr44 batteries. The camera needs silver oxide sr44 batteries. The alkaline batteries have the voltage, not the current. That is also the source of the grain, you are underexposing the film. The FE uses 2 lr44 or sr44 batteries or a 3 volt lithium battery. The exact voltage does not matter. The meter itself is center weighted. 70% of the sensitivity is in the area equal to the microprism circle in the viewfinder. The proper way to use the camera is aim the circle at your main subject, push down the shutter button until the exposure locks and then compose.

Hello Mr. Zenography. I have used the OM-1 and OM-2n a lot and if something I learned is that the on off lever only interrupts the exposure meter for manual mode, if by accident one shoots in M mode or in A mode with the suitch on off, the camera simply takes the photo in A mode automatically so the photo is not wasted if you forget.( the same does for the M-10) The pictures seem to have a lot of contrast, what sensitivity and film did you use for the photos? Could it be that the difference is in the lenses? The Nikon 85 will probably let more light through at a similar aperture.

Hi Sir, I like this video especially because you put to use the cameras and showed us the results rather than the monologue type video. You have so many lenses, I believe. Why don't you take those out for a photo walk, click a roll of film and show us the results? That will be very much interesting to watch. Do you do your own development? If so, what are the procedures you follow? By the way, I am a regular visitor. With love...

Isn't Lomo Earl Gray 100 just re-badged Fomapan 100? Do you think it's worth paying Lomo prices for cheap Fomapan 100? I love Fomapan 100 BTW. Regarding film grain between shots on the Nikon vs. Olympus...Did you develop both rolls at the same time in the same developer? What developer did you use and is it possible that you agitated more with the Olympus roll if done separately? More agitation means more grain and potentially overdeveloped shots compared to the same roll with more gentle agitation.

I have both OM-1 and OM-2 cameras I also have two FM and two FE's. The reason I have the extra Nikons is within a year the original FM and FE camera developed issues. To get them repaired would cost more then what they are worth. My Olympus cameras which I have had longer have had no issues. As an old Nikon lover from the 70's I thought the Nikons would hold up better. The only thing I don't like about The Olympus is having the speed on the lens which with my big fingers I have to take my eyes off the view finder to change speed or f-stop. On the Nikons the thing that is a pain is I'm a lefty and the need to have the advance lever out to pock me in the eye. I'm getting rid of the four small Nikons and purchased an F3. I'll get an additional F3 body when I find a good deal. The F3 is a little larger but I still have the OM cameras when that's an issue.

The overexposure apparently inherent with the OM2 will cause graininess.

The Olmpus is a great camera but the Nikon FE is when a camera maker finally got the ergonomics Right...

Nice video! How widely available is 35mm film, processing and camera batteries in the UK? Being near London you probably have better availability than most people. I was a huge fan of my Canon A-1 and AE cameras, but local availability of film related necessities and places to buy them in a more rural area has very nearly dried up. Yes, manual focus on SLRs with a split screen was easy to use compared to focus peaking.

It's great to have an automatic setting. So the FE wins for me.

Hello great review ... a question, if for some moment the om2 circuits fail, could I still use it in manual mode? Thanks 🙏🏼

Morning this is a bit of a departure :-)

More Canon FD SLRs please!

Are you sure you are using the right batteries and that they have charge? I have had 2 OM-2ns, and I have never had an issue with the exposure. The only case in which I have had issues is when the aperture got stuck because the batteries were low.

Doesn't the Olympus have an Exposure Compensation Dial?

More (frequent) actuations durning hand developing can cause more grain, despite using the same film and developer. If you didn't developed both films in the same tank at the same time that is. Just saying...

you look a little like Steve Buscemi

You have just put me off the Nikon - as I get older, I get more left-eyed; that wind -on would not work for me.