r/zuikoholics

The El Dorado by Margon, Holder & Emery Roth taken with the 35-80mm f2.8 lens at 50mm f/8 on Ultramax

Apologies if posting ebay ads is against the rules, I'm new here. I came across this listing for a 40mm lens on eBay which looks quite old and nothing like the pancake version which sells for much more. I've been reading up on lenses recently and haven't seen anything like this. What is it?

Dusty gravel bike tour up to an alpine lake in Oregon. No cell reception or running water for 3 days​. Tons of cooking delicious food together, swimming in the lake and picking huckleberries. ​​

I stumbled upon some heated debates about the quality of the different 50mm f/1.8 Zuiko lenses. People say that the "Made in Japan" version is the sharpest, provides better contrast, and handles light better (flare, ghosting, etc.).

Can you spot the difference here? Which picture do you think was taken with the “Made in Japan” lens?

1.6 iso film. All shot on 8/7/26

Long story short, I've fallen in love with both film photography, zuiko lenses, and olympus cameras.

I set myself a very modest budget <$250 to explore the OM's and XA's, and currently have

• XA
• XA2 + A11
• OM-2
• OM-2n
• OM-4

and a few lenses

• 50mm / 1.8 F
• 50mm / 1.8 MC
• 75-150mm / 4

the gang

All except for the OM-4 were "used" eBay money back guaranteed purchases, and all are in pretty great working condition (aside from a little bit of the black foam on the inside of the OM-2 viewfinder).

With the OM-4, it was actually the first one I got to see in-person. I had done a considerable amount of preliminary research and came to the conclusion that I was primarily interested in the 2/2n, but when I saw it and actually held it, it felt better than any film camera I'd ever had in my hands.

I was headed out to check the thrift stores around town and see if I could find anything fun, so I went to the camera shop to get a consultation on best practices when buying used, and they had an OM-4 right there that they were selling as-is for $50 because of what I now know to be the "testing with no battery, mirror locks up, don't know about reset/bulb procedure, won't/can't google" phenomenon. I purchased it with a 50/1.8 lens, and new that if it was a sub-$100 fix I'd still be on top, and even if the body was a total loss I'd still have a lens and could purchase a body later and maybe cannibalize for parts.

I got it working (lol) and shot a test roll, and it was such an amazing experience that I was just immediately head over heels for the OM-4. It has a 1,04X,XXX serial number, the updated circuit so the batteries don't drain, the viewfinder is clean, no corrosion anywhere. Super clean. The only thing wrong is that the leather wrap is just starting to come unglued at some of the edges, and missing the rubber cap for the aux flash cord.

OM-2 (with 75-150/2), same deal, but on eBay. Used with that guarantee..

OM-2n, used with guarantee.

XA + XA2 were the hardest to find in good condition (and the most expensive of them all) and they are for cute photo dates with my lady.

I've shot test rolls with the OM-4, OM-2n, XA, and am almost through with the OM-2 test roll. I'm learning something new with each roll and with each frame.

Before I started all this, I made contact with a local olympus specialist to make sure I had access to someone with parts and experience. I'm a musician by trade, and I frequently interact with vintage, antique, and period instruments, so I understand just how much a pain it can be when you're working with anything that hasn't been manufactured for decades.

This community is a wealth of knowledge in regards to these olympus cameras and their idiosyncrasies. I've found many helpful bits of wisdom already.

I'm wondering what the best course of action might be now? I enjoy using the OM-4, and I also enjoy the differences in operation between it and the OM-2 models. I had initially planned on testing all of them and keeping the big one I liked the best, with the XA and XA2 staying indefinitely for dates pending successful test rolls.

I want to future-proof so I was thinking about selling the OM-2 + OM-2n and purchasing another super clean OM-4.. but I've found that I do enjoy the variety, and I've found that the OM-4 isn't necessarily even the most future proof of the lineup! Perhaps I should stick with cameras that John H. still works on (OM-1N, 2N, 3Ti, 4T and 4Ti), and see if I can have him do a full workup on them such that they'll be in top working condition for another 10-20 years.

If I'm shooting film with these cameras in 10 years I may try to find an OM-3 to celebrate the occasion! lol

TL;DR, in your opinion, what are the most fun and future proof iterations of the OM line? What are your favorite OM accessories? What are your favorite of the Zuiko lenses? Which cameras do you have? How large is your collection? Please brain dump in the comments!