Olympus OM-1/2/3/4

The Olympus OM system was released by Olympus in 1972. The Olympus OM bodies were divided in a high range and a middle range. The one digit models were the high range. The middle range were the two digit models OM-10/20/30/40. All these bodies could take the Olympus OM lenses.

The OM-1 and OM-2

The very first model was presented at the Photokina of Köln in 1972 and was called the Olympus M-1. Thirteen years earlier, the release of the Nikon F had made the 35mm SLR the standard choice for professionals accustomed to the Leica rangefinders, but it had driven the market towards heavy and bulky cameras. The Olympus M-1 changed this and with it began a reduction of size, weight and noise of the 35mm SLRs. It was designed by a team led by Yoshihisa Maitani, who had already created the Pen and Pen F cameras, noted for their compactness.

Very soon a complaint from Leica forced Olympus to rename the M-1 to OM-1, and apart from the name the two models are identical. Today bodies and lenses with the M name are rare (5000 M-1 bodies were made according to Olympus) and sought after by collectors.

The OM-1 is an all mechanical single lens reflex. It has a very large viewfinder with interchangeable screens but a fixed prism. It also has a through the lens exposure meter commanding a needle visible in the viewfinder. It has a very compact body, which will be essentially retained on later models.

Originally, you had to modify the bottom plate to mount a motor winder on the OM-1. In 1974 was launched the OM-1MD, MD for Motor Drive, on which a motor drive can be attached with no modification. This new version wears a small plate marked MD on the front.

In 1974 at the Photokina in Cologne was presented the OM-2, which looked alike the OM-1. The body is externally nearly the same, but the shutter is an electronic one and the exposition is automatic with aperture priority, or manual. The exposure meter is able to measure the quantity of light reflected by the film and compensate any variation of light during longtime exposures. It was the first time this feature was introduced.

The OM-2 introduced for the first time the automation of the flash with a through the lens measure. This feature simplifies greatly the flash exposure, and is today used in all the cameras. The dedicated flash is the Olympus Quick Auto 310, and the system is unfortunately not compatible with the later T series flash units, introduced in 1979 together with the new OM-1n and OM-2n.

The OM-1n is the same as the OM-1 with the following modifications:

• a redesigned film advance lever
• a flash ready/sufficient flash LED in the viewfinder, as well as automatic X-sync regardless of the position of the speed ring and the FP/X switch, when it is used with a T-series flash unit mounted on Flash Shoe 4.

The OM-2n, based on the OM-2, has the same modifications plus:

• a direct contact inside for Recordata Backs
• an exposure compensation warning flag
• full-frame averaging at all shutter speeds
• 120 second exposure limit on auto (OM-2 limit was 60 seconds).

All these models existed in chrome or black, except the M-1 for which it seems no black body is known.

The OM-2SP / OM-2S

The OM-2SP was introduced in 1986, after the OM-3 and OM-4. On some markets, it was called OM-2S. Although its name suggests it is a continuation of the OM-2, it has more in common with the OM-4.

Compared to the OM-2n, the OM-2SP adds:

• programmed exposure automation (camera chooses both aperture and shutter speed), added to the aperture priority and manual modes
• a spot meter for use in manual mode
• a slightly modified body, with the hot shoe not removeable
• the ISO range is extended from 1600 to 3200
• the viewfinder indicators are LCDs
• the self timer has mirror prefire.

The OM-2SP / OM-2S only existed in black.

The OM-3 and OM-4

The OM-4 and OM-3 were higher end bodies, released in 1983. With them Olympus introduced a new versatile light metering system, in a body slightly modified from the OM-2. Besides the normal "center-weighted" metering the camera offered Olympus' new "Multi Spot Metering" system which allowed storage of upto eight 2%-spot's EV values before making an exposure. The camera's computer electronics calculated an optimal shutter speed out of the memorized light values. The calculated value could be used for several exposures. Several modes helped in special situations to preserve shadow as shadow or highlighted objects as highlighted, or gave "Exposure Compensation". The LCD display (visible through the viewfinder) supported these modes, showing exposure time and other informations.

The OM-4 was released about the same time as the Nikon FA, which introduced the matricial metering. The two systems were innovative but quite different, with the OM-4 the photographer is assisted but has to think more, with the FA the camera begins to think for him. Of course today everyone has taken the path shown by the FA.

The OM-3 is a mechanical body with a mechanical shutter, but with the same metering system as the OM-4, of course without electronic shutter speed control by the metering system. It has no TTL flash automation. It was a popular camera, produced from 1983 to 1986, but did not sell in great quantities while it was new and expensive. People who wanted a mechanical body went on buying the OM-1n, which was sold at least until 1987, and those who were attracted by the multi-spot system would buy an OM-4.

Both the OM-3 and the OM-4 only existed in black.

The OM-3Ti / OM-3T and OM-4Ti / OM-4T

The OM-4Ti was released in 1987 and replaced the OM-4. It was called OM-4T on some markets. It is the same body as the OM-4 except it is made in titanium, and it introduces a new flash system, with a stroboscopic flash unit called the F280, allowing to take flash pictures with any speed until the maximum 1/2000. This system was called Super FP sync. It was an answer to one of the OM's weaknesses: the X sync speed is low at 1/60.

The OM-4Ti was released first with a champagne finish, and later in a black finish. The production ended in 2003.

The OM-3Ti is a reproduction of the mechanical body OM-3, like the OM-4Ti with a titanium housing and a good viewfinder with dioptric correction, but it has an all mechanical shutter. It has the same metering modes and the same high-speed flash support as the OM-4Ti. Such a flash mode with sync-speed from 1 sec. up to 1/2000 sec is a rare feature on a mechanical body.

It was called OM-3T on some markets. At the same time was released a 35-80/2.8 zoom in OM mount.

The OM-X

During the design study of the OM-1, the Olympus design team led by Yoshihisa Maitani had worked on a completely modular camera, like a 35mm Hasselblad. This fantastic camera was built as a prototype, and was called the OM-X. You can find some details and pictures here.

Links

• on M-1
• OM SLR FAQ
• OM-1(n), OM-2(n) and OM-2SP at Modern Classics
• Maitani's fan page, with some details about the OM-X

Reviews and Opinions

• Manual Camera User's Opinion:
  • on M-1
  • on OM-1
  • on OM-3
  • on OM-3Ti
  • on OM-4Ti

Repairs

• Olympus hardware resource page - online repair manuals
• OM-1 Repair - Basic shutter job
• Top Cover removal
• Prism Foam replacement

Photobloggers Using the OM System

• The Other Martin Taylor's OM2spot Pictures

Bibliography

• Histoire de l'appareil photographique Olympus de 1936 à 1983, by D. & J.-P. Francesch, ed. Dessain et Tolra