The Olympus OM System was a line of
35mm 35 mm may refer to:
* 135 film, a type of still photography format commonly referred to as 35 mm film
* 35 mm movie film, a type of motion picture film stock
* 35MM 35 mm may refer to:
* 135 film, a type of still photography format ...
single-lens reflex
A single-lens reflex camera (SLR) is a camera that typically uses a mirror and prism system (hence "reflex" from the mirror's reflection) that permits the photographer to view through the lens and see exactly what will be captured. With twin le ...
camera
A camera is an optical instrument that can capture an image. Most cameras can capture 2D images, with some more advanced models being able to capture 3D images. At a basic level, most cameras consist of sealed boxes (the camera body), with a ...
s,
lenses
A lens is a transmissive optical device which focuses or disperses a light beam by means of refraction. A simple lens consists of a single piece of transparent material, while a compound lens consists of several simple lenses (''elements''), ...
and accessories sold by
Olympus between 1972 and 2002. The system was introduced by
Olympus in 1972. The range was designed by
Yoshihisa Maitani
Yoshihisa Maitani (January 8, 1933 – July 30, 2009) was a designer of cameras for Olympus Corporation.
Maitani joined Olympus in 1956 and worked for them for 40 years. He was involved with the design of many of the company's most well-known came ...
, chief designer for Olympus, and his staff; ''OM'' stands for ''Olympus Maitani''.
The nucleus of the system was a series of compact bodies divided into an advanced series and a later consumer-oriented series. The first model was the all-mechanical M-1 which, after pressure from
Leica (which already had an M1 model), was renamed OM-1. At the same time the M system was renamed OM System. The camera included a full-aperture TTL Cadmium-sulphide (CdS) exposure meter, and a bayonet lens mount of relatively large diameter. By the end of the 1970s it was joined by the semi-automatic OM-2 and consumer-oriented OM-10. Olympus continued the naming pattern with the 'professional' OM-3 and OM-4, and the consumer-level OM-20, OM-30 and OM-40. The cameras were accompanied by a series of Zuiko-branded lenses, as well as a generous selection of accessories. The majority of OM bodies and lenses were manual-focus only; the OM-707 of 1986 was the only true autofocus model.
Camera models
Olympus produced a wide variety of OM camera models over the years. These were divided into two distinct series. Cameras with single-digit model numbers were the 'professional' series, optimized for more advanced features and durability. Two-digit (or more) model numbers, or letters, meant a 'consumer' camera designed for ease of use.
All the consumer-grade models were discontinued after 1992, since the market for manual-focus SLR cameras had declined greatly in favour of autofocus SLRs. The consumer line returned in 1997 with the Cosina-sourced OM-2000 model. Professional and advanced-amateur demand for the high-end models continued, and they were produced until 2002, along with the consumer-grade OM-2000.
Professional cameras
Image:Olympus OM-1 MD Chrome.jpg, Olympus OM-1 MD
Image:Olympus OM-2 with Zuiko 50mm f1.8.jpg, Olympus OM-2
Image:Olympus OM-2 SP.jpg, Olympus OM-2 SP
image:olympusom3.jpg, Olympus OM-3
Image:OM-4T-1.jpg, Olympus OM-4T
OM-1
The Olympus OM-1 was a manually-operated 35 mm single-lens reflex camera forming the basis of the OM system in 1972. At first called the Olympus M-1, Leica disputed this designation and it was changed to OM-1. It was designed by a team led by
Yoshihisa Maitani
Yoshihisa Maitani (January 8, 1933 – July 30, 2009) was a designer of cameras for Olympus Corporation.
Maitani joined Olympus in 1956 and worked for them for 40 years. He was involved with the design of many of the company's most well-known came ...
with a through-the-lens exposure meter controlling a needle visible in the viewfinder. It was noted for its reduction of size, weight and noise. One feature unique to the OM-1, compared to the rest of the OM system, was its mirror lock-up facility which made it ideal for astrophotography and macrophotography.
OM-2
Introduced in 1975, the Olympus OM-2 was a semi-automatic, aperture-priority camera featuring an electronically controlled shutter. It was based on the OM-1 body, and retained compatibility with OM-1 accessories and lenses. It boasted automatic through-the-lens (TTL) off-the-film (OTF) metering, and exposure was considered very accurate. This was calculated by the measured light reflected off the surface of the shutter, and/or the film surface during the actual exposure. The camera also offered a manual-exposure mode, as in the OM-1. It also introduced the integration of electronic flash into the exposure system using the TTL exposure system.
OM-3
The OM-3 was an updated version of the OM-1, a manual camera without automatic exposure modes, and an entirely mechanical shutter. It featured a multi-spot metering system (shared with the OM-4) in addition to the centre-weighted metering of the earlier body. It also featured an LCD similar to the OM-4 which could be illuminated in low light. Its main advantage over the OM-4 was its ability to operate without batteries due to its mechanical design. Batteries were only needed for the exposure meter and LCD. It lacked a self-timer and mirror lock-up functions, however.
In 1995, nine years after the OM-3 was discontinued, the OM-3Ti was released. It shared the improvements over the OM-3 that the OM-4Ti held over the OM-4.
OM-4
The Olympus OM-4, an improved version of the OM-2, was manufactured from 1983 to 1987. It was introduced at a US$685 list price for the body alone. It was a battery-powered, electromechanically controlled, manual focus SLR with manual exposure control or
aperture priority
Aperture priority, often abbreviated ''A'' or ''Av'' (for aperture value) on a camera mode dial, is a mode on some cameras that allows the user to set a specific aperture value (f-number) while the camera selects a shutter speed to match it tha ...
autoexposure. It used a horizontal cloth
focal plane shutter
In camera design, a focal-plane shutter (FPS) is a type of photographic shutter that is positioned immediately in front of the focal plane of the camera, that is, right in front of the photographic film or image sensor.
Two-curtain shutter ...
with a speed range of 240s (in auto mode) to 1/2000s plus
bulb, and flash
X-sync
In photography, flash synchronization or flash sync is the synchronizing the firing of a photographic flash with the opening of the shutter admitting light to photographic film or electronic image sensor.
In cameras with mechanical (clockwor ...
of 1/60s.
The OM-4 featured a built-in
spot meter f a narrow acceptance angle, see Canon FTb(2% of view; 3.3˚ with 50 mm lens) and was the first camera capable of measuring eight individual areas and averaging them. The
light meter
A light meter is a device used to measure the amount of light. In photography, a light meter (more correctly an exposure meter) is used to determine the proper exposure (photography), exposure for a photograph. The meter will include either a Di ...
used a dual-concentric segmented silicon photo-diode to provide spot or centerweighted readings. It used a graduated linear
LCD for the shutter speed at the bottom of the viewfinder to precisely indicate its readings versus the actual camera settings.
In 1986 the OM-4 was improved to a tougher OM-4Ti (OM-4T in USA) version, with
titanium
Titanium is a chemical element with the Symbol (chemistry), symbol Ti and atomic number 22. Found in nature only as an oxide, it can be reduced to produce a lustrous transition metal with a silver color, low density, and high strength, resista ...
top and bottom plates, improved weatherproofing and high-speed flash sync. This last version was discontinued in 2002.
Consumer-grade cameras
Image:Olympus OM-10 without lens.jpg, Olympus OM-10
Image:Olympus OM-20.jpg, Olympus OM-20
image:Olympus OM-30.jpg, Olympus OM-30
Image:Olympus OM-40 with clear random shutter pattern.jpg, Olympus OM-40
OM-10
The OM-10 hit the markets in June 1979 at the same time as the OM-2N. The camera was a 35mm
focal-plane shutter
In camera design, a focal-plane shutter (FPS) is a type of photographic shutter that is positioned immediately in front of the focal plane of the camera, that is, right in front of the photographic film or image sensor.
Two-curtain shutters ...
aperture priority
Aperture priority, often abbreviated ''A'' or ''Av'' (for aperture value) on a camera mode dial, is a mode on some cameras that allows the user to set a specific aperture value (f-number) while the camera selects a shutter speed to match it tha ...
AE
SLR camera with an electronic shutter. Only aperture-priority AE was available with the camera unless the optional manual exposure adapter was installed. This allowed the setting of shutter speeds between 1s and 1/1000s, (bulb mode was also available). The camera was equipped with a fixed
pentaprism
A pentaprism is a five-sided reflecting prism used to deviate a beam of light by a constant 90°, even if the entry beam is not at 90° to the prism.
The beam reflects inside the prism ''twice'', allowing the transmission of an image through a r ...
viewfinder which contained an LED exposure indicator. The finder coverage was measured to be 93%.
Exposure control was aperture priority AE using
center-weighted light metering. Film speeds of the camera range from ASA 25 to ASA 1600. Film winding was done by using the film-wind lever located on the top right of the camera. Film rewinding was done manually using the film-rewind crank located at the top left. The camera body measured 136 × 83 × 50 mm and weighed approximately .
OM-20
The OM-20 (sold in the United States as the OM-G) was essentially a refinement of the OM-10, replacing that model's rather tricky mode switch with one that was easier to use. The OM-20 also had a built-in shutter-speed dial, a mode display in the view finder and a much stronger winding mechanism which permitted it to be used at 5 frames per second on the OM Motor Drive 2. The shutter magnet and release system had other minor design improvements.
OM-30
Essentially an OM-20 with auto-focus capability. With a normal lens there were lights in the view finder to help the user with manual focusing.
When used with a motor drive or winder unit and the M-In Focus Trigger cord, the lens could be pre-focused on a specific point. As soon as an object moved into that focus zone the camera would trigger a shot.
A special motorised 35-70mm autofocus lens was also available at the time, but is now very rare.
OM-40
A further refinement of the OM-20 with features that were more of interest to serious photographers. It had a lighter, slightly more modern and ergonomic body design. It also had an early form of matrix metering, and a
mirror lock-up
Mirror lock-up (often abbreviated to MLU) is a feature employed in many Single Lens Reflex (SLR) cameras. It allows the operator to reduce vibration-induced motion blur during exposure. It also allows the mounting of lenses which extend into th ...
facility. This was activated when the self-timer was switched on, a feature still rarely found in non-high-end cameras.
Also known in some markets as the OM-PC, the OM-40 had a program mode that automated the selection of both the aperture and the shutter speed.
OM-2000
An Olympus model made by
Cosina
is a manufacturer of high-end optical glass, optical precision equipment, cameras, video and electronic related equipment, based in Nakano, Nagano Prefecture, Japan.
History
Cosina is the successor to Nikō (or "Nikoh"), a company set up as ...
,
[photoscala.de 10 August 2012, Schöne Geschichte: Cosina](_blank)
(German), retrieved 23 October 2020. the OM-2000 was not considered by Olympus 'die-hard fans' to be a 'true OM' camera.
The OM-2000 had a mechanical, vertical-running shutter in contrast to the traditional OM cameras with their horizontal-running shutter. This allowed the OM-2000 to synchronize an electronic flash at 1/125s. Many photographers found this capability an advantage for the use of "fill flash" in daylight.
Prototype cameras
OM-X
During development, the Olympus design team led by Yoshihisa Maitani worked on a completely modular set of units called the MDN (Maitani-Darkbox-Normal), which resembled a 35 mm Hasselblad. This camera was built as a prototype, and is sometimes referred to as the OM-X. A more conventional camera which integrated the shutter, film transport, mirror and viewfinder was called the MDS (Maitani-Darkbox-Simple). The MDS developed into what became the OM-1.
Lenses
![Olympus Zuiko OM 50 mm lens](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/2c/Olympus_Zuiko_OM_50_mm_lens.jpg)
The OM Series lenses had the aperture control ring located at the front of the lens barrel. This was done to move it away from the shutter speed control, which was a ring on the camera body concentric with the lens mount. OM lenses also featured a depth-of-field preview button on the lens, in contrast to most other SLR camera systems, in which the button was placed on the camera body.
The OM lens was designed to sit 46 mm (measured from the lens mounting ring, or flange) from the film plane. The combination of on-lens aperture control and the generous '
flange focal distance' make OM lenses adaptable (with limited functionality) to a variety of other camera systems – including Canon EOS models – by using a mount-specific adapter.
Prototype lenses
Manual Zuiko lenses that were never marketed:
* 18 mm/f3.5, prototype of 18 mm/f3.5, L.zuiko with 12 elements 10 group, fixed 72 mm thread
* 50 mm/f2 pancake, prototype of 40 mm/f2 pancake
* 85 mm/f1.4, prototype, with GRIN (GRadient INdex of Refraction) elements
* 160 mm/f3.5, prototype
* 300 mm/f6.3, prototype
* 400 mm/f4.5, prototype
* 500 mm/f5.6, prototype
* 800 mm/f9, prototype
* 1200 mm/f14, prototype
* 24–40 mm/f4, prototype
* 90–250 mm prototype of 85–250/5
Accessories
Being a system, Olympus made numerous accessories for professional
portrait
A portrait is a painting, photograph, sculpture, or other artistic representation of a person, in which the face and its expressions are predominant. The intent is to display the likeness, personality, and even the mood of the person. For this r ...
,
photo journalism
Photojournalism is journalism that uses images to tell a news story. It usually only refers to still images, but can also refer to video used in broadcast journalism. Photojournalism is distinguished from other close branches of photography (such ...
,
sport photography and scientific photography.
Olympus OM-1(n) & OM-2 (n) SLR cameras
Rick Oleson, Bruce hamm, Simon Evans & Mark Dapoz; Photography in Malaysia
* motor drives and exchangeable camera back for 250 exposures
* lighting: dedicated flashes, shoes, cords, connectors, power sources, adapters and filters
* interchangeable focusing screens instead of bulkier exchangeable finders
* macrophotography
Macro photography (or photomacrography or macrography, and sometimes macrophotography) is extreme close-up photography, usually of very small subjects and living organisms like insects, in which the size of the subject in the photograph is gre ...
: extension tubes, stands & bases, lightings and accessories
* : systems and connecting, focusing, automatic and manual exposure units
* technical photography: data recording backs, endoscope and astrophotography
Astrophotography, also known as astronomical imaging, is the photography or imaging of astronomical objects, celestial events, or areas of the night sky. The first photograph of an astronomical object (the Moon) was taken in 1840, but it was no ...
adapters
* cases, grips, cable release, battery holders
See also
* Four Thirds System
The Four Thirds System is a standard created by Olympus and Eastman Kodak for digital single-lens reflex camera (DSLR) and mirrorless camera design and development.
The system provides a standard that, with digital cameras and lenses availabl ...
* Micro Four Thirds system, a derivative of the Four Thirds system specifically geared to digital mirrorless interchangeable-lens cameras (MILCs)
* Olympus OM-D series, the 2012 resurrection of the Olympus OM System
References
External links
Olympus Chronology
Olympus Corporation history page.
{{DEFAULTSORT:Olympus OM System
OM system
Lens mounts