Everyone has heard of the Olympus OM10, its probably one of the most recommended 35mm SLRs for beginners alongside the Canon AE-1 and Pentax K1000. However there is never much talk about all of the other SLRs have to offer!
The Olympus OM-2n was the first SLR that entered my collection and it was my primary camera for about a year. All Olympus OM cameras that have a single digit are professional grade cameras whereas those ending in 2 digitals (such as the OM10) were produced for more amateur photographers.
Olympus OM-2 vs OM-2n
While these 2 cameras are very mostly similar there is an important difference. The Olympus OM-2 have an issue where the mirror would lock up if the batteries ran out. As a result of this Olympus released an refined version called the OM-2n that had a dedicated switch to reset the mirror. This gives the Olympus OM-2n the added benefit of being slightly newer. 
Resetting the mirror is achieved by rotating the switch beyond the auto setting
Features
The Olympus OM-2n can be shot in full manual mode where you need to select the shutter speed and aperture. Alternatively you can set the camera to auto which means that you only have to select the aperture and the camera will decide the shutter speed for you. This is the same as the Olympus OM-10 therefore making the OM-2n a good choice for beginners.
One of the reasons that I choose the Olympus OM-2n over the Olympus OM-10 was the build quality. The top and bottom plate are made from metal rather than plastic making it more durable. It also means that the OM-2n is a little heavier although this isn’t very noticeable and actually makes the camera feel more premium.
In my opinion the Olympus OM-2n is one of the best 35mm SLRs of any brand, not just Olympus. One feature that is yet to be beaten by any other SLR that I have used is the viewfinder. For what is a relatively small camera the viewfinder is big and most importantly, bright. This makes it much easier to accurately focus especially in low light situations.
Some other notable features include:
- Self-timer
- 1/1000s – 1s shutter speeds including a bulb setting
- Exposure compensation dial
- Access to the fantastic range of Olympus OM lenses
As a mentioned earlier the Olympus OM-2n was my own personal camera for a little over a year. In my time using this camera I learnt a lot about photography and took a few of my favourite photos too!
