Re: Olympus Om 4 Ti Serial Numbers
Francesc Benjamin
Looks like you need some reading for manual flash. You should consider to start with auto flash mode. The T20 supports auto flash. Set the T20 to one of the 2 auto mode that it supports. The two modes should be color coded (for ISO 100 they are design for f4 (auto 1m to 5m) and f8 (.5m to 2.5m). To use, simply set the aperture to either f4 or f8 (with ISO 100 film) and make sure your subject is with-in the two ranges of distant.
Tommy... I am aware of how manual flash mode works with a manual camera. The 35RC is a shutter-priority camera. There are manual aperture settings, an A mode for shutter priority and a Flash mode. I have used the camera in manual mode, but I want to experiement with the Flash mode. I assumed that the A mode on the flash itself only works with OM cameras with the correct flash shoe, thats why I mentioned using the flash in its manual mode. When I engage the Flash mode on the 35RC, there is friction on the focus ring when I move it. I assume that in this mode the camera is moving the aperture with the focus. When I press the shutter button half way, it seems that the focus and the aperture are directly linked. The camera has GN settings on it so somehow it coordinates this with the specific flash.
I do understand the basics of manual flash... being that as the subject recedes, there is less of the flash hitting it, so the aperture must be opened more. Prior to getting this camera I had never even heard of the Guide Number system as any cameras I had used previously either used manual mode or totally automatic flash. I have done Google searches but all the information I found seemed to assume that I already had an understanding of the GN system. :(
So on this camera the maximum aperture is f/2.8... so do I divide 20 by 2.8? And that would give me 7.1 meter as my maximum distance for 100 ASA film? So if im using 400 ASA film then I would multiply that distance by 4 to get 28.4 meters? When I play with the camera, it reads out the same aperture setting for a specific distance regardless of the film speed I select. Does that make any sense... shouldn't it change the aperture based on film speed? In flash mode, it also seems that the shutter speeds do not effect it either, I was assuming that it should stay at 1/30th since it is numbered in red. However should I be matching film speed to shutter speed somehow?
The shutter is a leaf-type, so it will sync at ALL shutter speeds just like any other camera with that type shutter. Leaf-shuttered cameras/lenses are the ultimate type shutter for flash photography with a film camera.
The one thing you'll need to consider is the "actual" guide number of the flash, as the published numbers typically were not always accurate (and never on the high side)... over the years a flash units performance can deteriorate...they were often close, but if you see your negatives being a little thin (underexposed), that would mean the flash's guide number is not actually 20 and you would need to adjust the guide number used. I still have my basic flash meter. If you have one of those or can borrow one from someone, the easiest way to confirm the actual guide number on any flash is to stand 10 feet away from the meter with the unit, pop it in the direction of the dome of the meter and take a meter reading.
You can divide the GN with distance to get required aperture. Or with aperture to get the correct distance. In above example, 10 meters would be F/2 on ISO 100, F/2.8 on ISO 200 (one stop smaller aperture because film speed is one stop faster) and F/4 for ISO 400.
You reduce the guide number if you diffuse the flash or change the angle of coverage e.g. when using the wide adapter for the T32. You increase the GN if you concentrate the beam e.g. by using the zoom adapter for the T32.
well first you get up the courage to ask. then you make reservations at a really nice restaurant and wear a tie. Pick her up on time and compliment her on her outfit.
Nah...I got nothing. Probably it has to do with whether it's an N etc or not and the serial number, but that's just a guess.
ages ago(permalink)
OM1 released in 1973 replaced by
OM1MD released in 1974 replaced by
OM1n released in 1979.
Most of the OM single digit camera bodies didn't make it past 1988. I have an OM system catalogue dated 1987 and all bodies are present but the up dated 1988 one only has the OM4Ti included.
In 1981 Olympus introduced a dating system we can all use if we know the codes. For example I have an OM2SP. To check the date it was produced one needs to open the back and look in the film chamber were you load the film. Here there are a series of letters and numbers. On my body the following are displayed: TNE3. Ignore the first two letters. The third letter is the year of manufacture. E = 1985. A being 1981. The fourth figure is the month of manufacture. My body is number 3. This is March. 1 being January. October, November and December are represented by letters: X, Y and Z respectively. So my OM2SP was made in March 1985.
The same code is also on lenses made from 1981. Here they are located on the lens mount.
Cheers Chris
Originally posted ages ago. (permalink)
Chris*4 edited this topic ages ago.
I think this thread needs dusting off. Could've opened a new one, but hey...
Dating your Oly OM-1 may be fairly easy. I just re-sealed two OM-1's and had to take the pressure plate off to get at some old seal gunk. On the back of the pressure plate I saw something familiar from my 4 Oly Trip 35s: a rubber-stamped date code.
Over at the neighbours (the Olmpus Trip 35 group @ www.flickr.com/groups/olympustrip35/) there's a lovely explanation of how to date your Oly from that code.
The gist of it is, that there's a letter or Japanese symbol followed by two numbers or a number and a letter. Numbers run 1 through 9 with second letters being X,Y or Z.
The first letter or Japanese symbol denotes the plant that produced the camera, The second character, a number, denotes the year. This is tricky as the decade is NOT marked, but on an OM-1 it will either be seventies or eighties. The third caharacter denotes the month. Mine are from either november '77 and march '78 or '87/'88 respectively, but build details will put more perspective on that. An M-1 is always seventies. N-models fall into a certain period. MD-models likewise. Etcetera. From there, it should be possible to cross-reference with serial numbers.
Example: An OM-1 without MD, with a date code of, say, N3Y should be from november 1973, not 1983 as by then AFAIK all OM-1's were MD equipped (from '74 onwards if I'm correct).
Now, I'm not knowledgeable enough about specific details of all OM-versions - I've had mine for all of two days now... But I'm sure others are, so with this bit of information it should be possible to get to a fairly precise date of an Oly OM-1 (or, I suspect, 2, 3, 4, 10 etc.)
I'm surprised this hasn't been brought up here (or I might not be looking hard enough, that's entirely possible - if so, do not refrain from pointing that out...), but read up about these codes over at the Trip 35 group and check your OM dates :-)
ages ago(permalink)
If the pressure plate is the only place where the manufacture date (and place) have been marked, there is a significant shortcoming in accurately dating a camera: Camera backs can be exchanged very easily. Especially with items of this age where multiple backs exist (no film reminder, film reminder, data backs,...), it is thus very difficult to say whether the manufacture date suggested by the back is in fact that of the camera.
Example: An OM-4 Ti back marked as a "3-year" would suggest a manufacture date of 1993. When switched to an OM-1, it would suggest a manufacture date of 1973 even if that's not the actual year in which the OM-1 was manufactured.
ages ago(permalink)
This is completely correct, of course, and if it weren't, there's still the fact that pressure plates are easily swapped. However, I'm pretty certain mine have their own backs seeing as to how they came in a kit with no such things as date-backs or bulk-backs. This is a factor to take in account: what are the odds a back has been swapped at some point?
Also, this system was AFAIK dropped somewhere in the 1980's so an OM-4 with a '3'-year should be '83 - but this deserves re-reading the current knowledge about this dating system.
Then, of course, I'm not saying this is the defininite way to date an OM-1 - there's too many snags, some of which I've already pointed out. But it may still serve as a guideline or at least a starting point, methinks.
There should be a fair few OM-1's on which the back is still original. From there, it should be possible to build something of a serial number reference. This would involve a lot of research & labour to gather up these details, but it's not at all impossible. Mind you, as long as we don't know by which logic serial numbers were allotted, we're still not on the definitive way. But it's somewhere to start.
ages ago(permalink)
bimmer1502 wrote This is completely correct, of course, and if it weren't, there's still the fact that pressure plates are easily swapped. However, I'm pretty certain mine have their own backs seeing as to how they came in a kit with no such things as date-backs or bulk-backs. This is a factor to take in account: what are the odds a back has been swapped at some point?By film reminder i did not mean bulk backs. I meant those backs which have a little window to put in the cardboard of your film to remind yourself what's inside.
The other standard back is the simple flat back without such a film reminder.
I have exchanged backs between my OM-4 Ti and OM-1. I have also exchanged backs between my current OM-1 and another OM-1 I no longer own. Seeing how often I did it, I wouldn't say it's unlikely that other people have changed their backs through time.
ages ago(permalink)