Official Olympus PDF, which Olympus no longer publishes: the link opens the copy kept by Internet Archive’s Wayback Machine.
Getting started
Batteries It takes two 3 V CR123A or DL123A lithium batteries. With the camera off, turn the cover screw under the grip to OPEN with your finger or a coin, open the cover by the notch, fit the batteries following the + and − signs, close it and turn the screw to CLOSE. When you switch on, a blinking battery symbol means you need fresh batteries.
Loading Push the latch on the side upwards to open the back, without touching the shutter curtain. Put in the cartridge, pull the film leader to the mark keeping the film flat, without overlapping the guides, and close the back: the film winds on to the first frame by itself. Switch on: the counter should show 1. If E blinks, reload the film.
Sensitivity Nothing to set with DX-coded film: the camera sets itself from ISO 25 to 3200, and an intermediate value is rounded down to the step below. The window in the back shows the cartridge, so you can check the speed of the loaded film.
Your first photo Push the switch to ON: the lens extends, its cover opens and the top display lights up, in Full Auto mode. Frame with the T and W buttons at the top of the back, put the autofocus frame in the viewfinder on the subject and press halfway: a beep and the green viewfinder lamp confirm focus. Then press all the way. If the lamp blinks, the shutter button stays locked.
Rewinding At the end of the roll, it rewinds by itself and the counter counts down. Only open the back once the motor has stopped and E is blinking on the display. For a part-used roll, press the small rewind button under the body with your fingernail, never with a sharp object.
What it can do
An SLR with a 28-110 mm zoom: the viewfinder shows the image seen through the lens. T button to zoom in, W to zoom out. First set the dioptre dial, to the left of the eyepiece (−2 to +1), until the autofocus frame looks sharp.
Four direct modes around the FULL AUTO button: action (fast shutter speed, up to 1/2000 s), portrait (wide open, blurred background), landscape (everything sharp, preferably at wide angle), night scene (exposures up to 4 s, tripod recommended. Raise the flash if there’s someone in the foreground). FULL AUTO, or switching off and on again, restores the standard setting.
Aperture priority: each press of F.No. closes the aperture by one step, then goes back to the widest aperture. The camera chooses the shutter speed. If the exposure lamp blinks in the viewfinder, change the aperture until it stops.
Spot metering: put the subject, a backlit face for example, in the small spot frame in the viewfinder and press SPOT/L.T.: the exposure is locked. Reframe and shoot. The mode cancels after the shot. No spot with the flash raised, in night scene or in long exposure.
Long exposure, for fireworks: hold down the night scene button (star and moon, marked L.T.) and press SPOT/L.T. to choose 1, 2, 4, 8, 15, 30 or 60 s, at f/8. Tripod recommended.
The flash
Push the switch beyond ON, to the lightning bolt: the flash pops up and charges in 0.2 to 3.9 s. The FLASH button chooses AUTO, AUTO-S or FILL-IN. Folded down, it doesn’t fire.
AUTO: it fires by itself in low light or against the light, and the shutter speed switches to 1/100 s. If the lightning bolt blinks in the viewfinder, the flash is charging and the shutter button stays locked: let go of it and wait.
AUTO-S adds about twenty pre-flashes against red-eye: hold the camera still until the shutter fires. No pre-flashes in action mode. FILL-IN makes it fire for every shot, backlit scenes included, but only in Full Auto and aperture priority.
Range with colour negative film, at wide angle and telephoto alike: 0.75 to 4.5 m at ISO 100, 6.4 m at ISO 200, 9 m at ISO 400. With slide film, allow about 70%.
With the flash folded down, a lightning bolt blinking in the viewfinder warns of a risk of camera shake: raise it. In the dark, it also lights the subject for the autofocus, with brief flashes at half-press, up to about 5 m.
Good to know
Focus from 0.75 m to infinity. Any closer, the green lamp blinks. On a low-contrast, very bright or repetitive-patterned subject, aim at an object at the same distance, keep the shutter button half-pressed, reframe, then press all the way. Half-press also locks the exposure.
Self-timer: press the self-timer/REMOTE button, to the left of the eyepiece, until its symbol appears, then press the shutter button: the front lamp lights for 10 s and blinks for 2 s. Keep your eye to the eyepiece as you press, so that light doesn’t get in through the viewfinder. The optional RC-200 remote control fires 3 s after the beep, up to 3.5 m. Then press the button again to leave this mode.
52 mm filter. A thick filter, a circular polariser for example, can darken the edges or stop the cover from closing. Switch off before screwing it on. The lens may then turn slightly, it’s not a fault. No infrared film.
Two fresh batteries last about 20 rolls of 24 exposures, with flash on half the shots. Cold weakens them: keep spares. After use, switch off and close the lens cover. Remove the batteries if it’s going to sit unused for a long time. If it locks up, remove the batteries and put them back.
The manual shows a QUARTZDATE date unit on the back (display and MODE, SELECT, SET buttons) and, to the right of the eyepiece, a panorama switch, set according to separate leaflets missing from the PDF. The date unit only exists on the QD version: if your body has neither, those references don’t apply to it.
IS-200 specifications
Format
DX-coded 135 film, 24 × 36 mm frames, motorised loading, film advance and rewind
Lens
Olympus 28-110 mm f/4.5-5.6 zoom, 11 elements in 9 groups, 52 mm filter
Viewfinder
SLR, 0.72× magnification at 50 mm, 85% coverage, −2 to +1 dioptre correction
Shutter
electronic focal-plane, 1/2000 s to 4 s, long exposure from 1 to 60 s at f/8, flash at 1/100 s
Focusing
TTL phase-detection autofocus, from 0.75 m to infinity, half-press lock, AF assist light from the flash
Metering and exposure
TTL ESP, centre-weighted or spot metering, program, 4 direct modes, aperture priority, long exposure
Sensitivity
ISO 25 to 3200 by DX coding, intermediate values rounded down to the step below
Flash
built-in pop-up IVP, 0.75 to 4.5 m at ISO 100 and up to 9 m at ISO 400, charges in 0.2 to 3.9 s, AUTO, AUTO-S, FILL-IN
Power
two 3 V CR123A or DL123A lithium batteries: about 20 rolls of 24 exposures, flash on half the shots
Dimensions and weight
123 × 88 × 115 mm excluding protrusions, 650 g without batteries
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