Olympus OM-1
     


Olympus OM-1


The Olympus Om-1 was launched in 1972 as a revolutionary light and quiet 35mm single-lens reflex camera. Its original designation was simply M-1, after its designer, Yoshihisa Maitani: but after the Leica company complained this name infringed on its legendary M-series, the Japanese camera was rebaptized to OM. For a fully equipped SRL, it is light indeed, with its body clocking in at roughly half a kilo. The camera came with a wide range of lenses and accessories, making it 'an SLR that could be used to photograph anything from outer space to bacteria,' as its designer would later put it. In 1974, a slightly adjusted variant was launched that allowed using a motordrive: the OM-1 MD. The camera would remain in production until 1988, while a whole range of successor models were also brought on the market, ranging from the OM-2 in 1975 to the OM-2000 in the late nineties.

Although it needs battery power for its internal lightmeter (which I never used anyway), the OM-1's photo-taking mechanism itself is purely optical and mechanical.


back to homepage  view sample pictures
                              
ruben van luijk: waalhaven z.z.