Convenient OM accessory.
Written: Jul 21 '02 (Updated Jul 21 '02)
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Reliable. Enhances camera handling. Batteries last well. Optional manual operation.
Cons: Noisy. Weak battery compartment. Tripod socket not deep enough.
The Bottom Line: The Winder 2 makes a good, practical addition to an OM camera but it also increases size, weight and noise.
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| ray_moth's Full Review: Olympus Winder 2 |
The Winder 2 is an add-on motorized film advance for Olympus OM cameras. It is attached by removing the motor gear cap from the base of the camera and fitting the Winder 2, so that the guide pin lines up with the hole in the camera base-plate and the Winder’s screw can be tightened to clamp it to the camera’s tripod socket. (Be careful not to lose the cap, because it will be needed again, if the Winder is removed, to guard against light leaks and dust).
The Winder 2 has its own tripod socket but it’s not deep enough and most tripod screws will ‘bottom’ before the camera is securely clamped. This design fault necessitates a thin washer of some sort to be placed between the Winder 2 and the tripod head, to avoid the camera rotating freely.
OM cameras are known for their very compact size and it must be admitted that the Winder 2 adds quite a bit of extra bulk; however, it does help to stabilize the camera. It weighs about 290gm without batteries and adds about 2.5cm to the camera’s height. There is a very good grip for the photographer’s right hand with a shutter release button at the top. Use this release button for motorized advance. For manual advance, simply use the camera’s own shutter release and manual film advance lever. One reason the photographer might want to do this, on occasions, is because the Winder 2 is quite noisy.
The Winder 2 has a three-position rotary mode switch on the base, to select Off, Single or Multiple. I liked the idea of being able to select Single mode because I don’t usually need Multiple mode, which has a speed of 2 frames per second, and I don’t want the Winder running away if I hold down the shutter release for too long.
The Winder 2 takes four AA batteries and battery life seems good. I only used alkaline batteries and could expect them to last for more than forty 36-exposure films. Rechargeable Ni-Cad batteries can be used but I never used those. There is also a jack socket on the Winder 2, to enable an external power source to be used but I never tried it. There is a gear wheel, which has a rotating cover to protect it from damage or dust, for use with the 250-exposure back.
The Winder 2 is quite well made, apart from the battery drawer, which is not very strong and can distort if batteries are left inside for a long time. As with all battery driven devices, it’s best to remove batteries if the Winder 2 will not be used for a long period of time. The Winder batteries do not power the camera, which is a pity because the tiny silver oxide button cells that must be used in OM cameras don’t last very long in some models. The OM-2S, for example, is notorious for its battery drain.
I bought the Winder 2 for use with my OM-2n and OM-2S cameras, mainly so that I could take follow-up shots more quickly and to avoid disturbing the camera when using a tripod. It served these needs very well and proved to be reliable. The Winder 2 doesn’t offer automatic film advance to the first frame after loading, nor can it rewind the film. Those operations have to be done manually.
Recommended:
Yes
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Epinions.com ID:
ray_moth
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Reviews written: 23
Trusted by: 3 members
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