If you read the last post you will know that I acquired another OM10. This must be the third one I have owned and I really regretted selling the last one I had. I actually thought about it more than I should and was on the look out for another one.

So when I saw one for sale near where I would be travelling and it was a collection only, I thought, “ooh possible bargain” and it was. This was the photo from the sale post.

It seemed like serendipity. Honestly, if it had been any other camera I probably wouldn’t have bought it due to my financial situation. It was previously owned by a lovely couple who had not used the set up in years, it had been languishing in their loft for many years. They thought it should be ok, but no longer needed it. All interactions socially distanced of course.

It was pouring down so I quickly took the camera to my car and I headed for Elvaston Castle to have a socially distanced meeting with my extended family…in the rain. It hasn’t rained for over a month and I finally get to see my family and this is the weather. Thanks.

I was early and while waiting inspected the camera. Knowing I was picking it up, I had brought some film and batteries with me. Though I did find some batteries inside the body, then I feared the worst. But it was all good, the lovely couple had put some in to make sure it worked. Phew, I was dreading seeing battery damage. The meter did seem to be acting a bit weird though, so I put the fresh batteries in just to be sure. The meter still flickered a bit, I didn’t quite trust it but I didn’t have a manual adapter with me. Also, part of the hinge seal dropped off in my hand, I thought there might be enough left to get through the day as long as I didn’t open the back again. I was sure every other seal would need changing too. Other than that it seemed useable.

Taking this photo I noticed the skin was also starting to come off, time in a loft is not a friend to glue and skins. No worries, I could fix the skin and the seals later. In the lovely bag was a Vivitar 80-200, a flash, and a roll of boxed film from 2001. I loved the bag and will probably use it a lot in the future. I didn’t use the zoom lens due to the weather.

I also decided not to try the film in the bag as it would have to be set to 50asa and it was too dark for that. So I loaded some Ilford HP5 400 plus, and set the camera to 800 as I intended to push process it later. It was still raining and quite dull. Luckily as soon as I stepped out of the car it stopped raining. I then wandered the grounds trying the camera in various settings before my family arrived.

All the time the meter flickered between 1/125 and 1/1000, rarely hitting anything in between. The OM10 has two metering systems, one for what the camera will choose and one for what the camera shows in the viewfinder. Well, that is what I have read in a few places. Normally these two systems sync. Please correct me if I am wrong.

I didn’t know this at the time and tended to take a photo when the viewfinder settled on a useable speed. I hoped, when I finally attached a manual adapter, the camera would still work well as the shutter actuations seemed fine. For now I had to rely on the meter. Once I finished the film my family arrive. I made them play hide and seek to find me, sending them photos from my phone for clues. It took a surprising amount of time before they did. It was a lovely day.

In the end I wasn’t sure I would get any photos from the OM10, but I developed the film and here are the results.

Well, there are definite light leaks, but the exposure choices seem fine despite the metering issue. That means the viewfinder information cannot be relied upon, but for now the camera’s actual metering can. I think I might stick to the manual adapter though.

As for the camera’s other issues… I fixed the light seals, including the mirror cushion. Plus I replaced the skin.

I am happy to be the owner of an OM10 again. I will definitely not sell this one, mainly due to the metering issue.