View previous topic :: View next topic |
Author |
Message |
tikkathree
Joined: 19 Jun 2010 Posts: 755 Location: Lovely Suffolk in Great Britain
Expire: 2012-12-28
|
Posted: Fri Jan 18, 2013 11:26 pm Post subject: OLYMPUS OM SERIES - HOW "GOOD" ARE THEY REALLY? |
|
|
tikkathree wrote:
Okay, time to 'fess up. I like Olympus OM series 35mm cameras because they're just so compact and light and yet there's a feeling of real engineering about them. I look at some other contemporaries and they'r much heavier, significantly bulkier.
I wasn't a film photographer when the OM single digits the 1, 2, 3 and 4 were current models so I want to ask: how were they perceived then: were they so-so? good? better than good? shocking? _________________ I used to think digital was fun but then I discovered film, then I found old lenses and then, eventually I found rangefinders.
EOS 5DII, loadsalenses
Canon G9 IR conv,
MF: TLR, 645 and folders
35mm: Oly OM Pro bodies 1, 2, 3 and 4; Soviet RF kit |
|
Back to top |
|
|
Attila
Joined: 24 Feb 2007 Posts: 57865 Location: Hungary
Expire: 2025-11-18
|
Posted: Sat Jan 19, 2013 12:56 am Post subject: |
|
|
Attila wrote:
You will be happy with any of them , I was happy with most common OM 2. _________________ -------------------------------
Items on sale on Ebay
Sony NEX-7 Carl Zeiss Planar 85mm f1.4, Minolta MD 35mm f1.8, Konica 135mm f2.5, Minolta MD 50mm f1.2, Minolta MD 250mm f5.6, Carl Zeiss Sonnar 180mm f2.8
|
|
Back to top |
|
|
Jesito
Joined: 24 Aug 2007 Posts: 5745 Location: Olivella, Catalonia, (Spain)
Expire: 2015-01-07
|
Posted: Sat Jan 19, 2013 1:02 am Post subject: |
|
|
Jesito wrote:
That's also my opinion, well built, reliable. Good light measuring, and the lenses are well known (zuiko 50mm 1.8, etc.). _________________ Jesito, Moderator
Jesito's backsack:
Zooms Sigma 70-300, Tamron 35-135 and 70-210 short, 70-210 long, 28-70 CF Macro, 35-70, 35-80, Vivitar 70-210 KA, Tamron 70-250.
Fixed Industar-50, , Tamron 24mm, Tamron 135mm, Sands Hunter 135mm, Pancolar 50mm, Volna-3, many Exakta lenses
DSLR SIGMA SD9 & SD14, EOS 5D, Sony A700 and NEXF3, Oly E-330, E-400, E-450, E-1
TLR/6x6/645 YashicaMat, Petri 6x45, Nettar, Franka Solida, Brilliant
SLR Minolta X300, Fuji STX II, Praktica VLC3, Pentax P30t, EXA500, EXA 1A, Spotmatic(2), Chinon CM-4S, Ricoh, Contax, Konica TC-X , Minolta 5000, 7000i, 3Sxi, EOS 500 and CX
Rangefinders Chinon 35EE, Konica C35 auto, Canonet 28, Yashica Lynx, FED-2, Yashica electro 35, Argus C3 & C4, Regula Cita III, Voigtlander Vitoret (many), Welta Welti-I, Kodak Signette 35, Zorki-4, Bessa-R & L, Minolta Weathermatic, olympus XA2
Compact Film Konica C35V, Voigtlander Vitorets, Canon Prima Super 105, Olympus XA2 and XA3
Compact Digital Olympus C-5050, Aiptek Slim 3000, Canon Powershot A540, Nikon 5200, SIGMA DP1s, Polaroid X530, IXUS55, Kodak 6490, Powershot G9 and G10
CSCCanon EOS-M, Samsung NX100 and NX210, Lumix G5, NEX-F3 |
|
Back to top |
|
|
Pontus
Joined: 18 Dec 2011 Posts: 1471 Location: Jakobstad, Finland
Expire: 2016-08-25
|
Posted: Sat Jan 19, 2013 1:12 am Post subject: |
|
|
Pontus wrote:
As with almost any line, there are some that are better than others. A few are legendary (the 90/2 Macro for example) and most are very good to excellent. I don't think there are any lemons in the OM line-up. For normal use most of the slower versions are good enough (and cheaper) but I love the f2 series. _________________ Follow this link for my FOR SALE list (partially updated 19.11.2015) |
|
Back to top |
|
|
berraneck
Joined: 24 May 2009 Posts: 972 Location: prague, czech republic
|
Posted: Sat Jan 19, 2013 12:10 pm Post subject: |
|
|
berraneck wrote:
tikkathree try searching for sales figures, this can tell you how they were perceived back then, also user nesster was uploading some reviews from 70´s and 80´s so look for them.
do you ask to assure yourself about buying one or are you just curious? _________________ equipment doesn´t count, good photographs do |
|
Back to top |
|
|
tikkathree
Joined: 19 Jun 2010 Posts: 755 Location: Lovely Suffolk in Great Britain
Expire: 2012-12-28
|
Posted: Sat Jan 19, 2013 1:22 pm Post subject: |
|
|
tikkathree wrote:
berraneck wrote: |
tikkathree try searching for sales figures, this can tell you how they were perceived back then, also user nesster was uploading some reviews from 70´s and 80´s so look for them.
do you ask to assure yourself about buying one or are you just curious? |
Well I've bought an OM1 a 2 and two 4s (bit of a silly bidding moment there), you know I'm interested in a 3 to make the set complete so, no, my question was an honest one. _________________ I used to think digital was fun but then I discovered film, then I found old lenses and then, eventually I found rangefinders.
EOS 5DII, loadsalenses
Canon G9 IR conv,
MF: TLR, 645 and folders
35mm: Oly OM Pro bodies 1, 2, 3 and 4; Soviet RF kit |
|
Back to top |
|
|
Nesster
Joined: 24 Apr 2008 Posts: 5883 Location: NJ, USA
Expire: 2014-02-20
|
Posted: Sat Jan 19, 2013 1:30 pm Post subject: |
|
|
Nesster wrote:
They made for a significant revolution in SLR's back then. A lot of pros went with olympus, at least for a while. All the camera makers had to start downsizing their cameras and lenses... schools bought them in cart loads for photo classes... the OM was hip, was hep, was cool and was hot.
Eventually the big money of Nikon pushed back via 'pro support' and ruggedness and extent of system. No doubt the OM is not of the heavy duty rugged variety. And whispers about the lenses -- Ivor Matanle snarks something about Zuikos having the apparent punch but lacking the ultimate resolution is an example -- Ivor is not on the OM bandwagon. Which indicates the market impact Olympus had.
I've rhapsodized about rediscovering the OM. It just feels right to me. But then, I grew up with a Pen FT and the OM Revolution. _________________ -Jussi
Camera photos
Print Photographica
|
|
Back to top |
|
|
berraneck
Joined: 24 May 2009 Posts: 972 Location: prague, czech republic
|
Posted: Sat Jan 19, 2013 1:57 pm Post subject: |
|
|
berraneck wrote:
tikkathree wrote: |
berraneck wrote: |
tikkathree try searching for sales figures, this can tell you how they were perceived back then, also user nesster was uploading some reviews from 70´s and 80´s so look for them.
do you ask to assure yourself about buying one or are you just curious? |
Well I've bought an OM1 a 2 and two 4s (bit of a silly bidding moment there), you know I'm interested in a 3 to make the set complete so, no, my question was an honest one. |
oh yes sir, it was no mean to dispute your intentions
I would say the OM series must have been a good seller - if you look to any secondhand camera shop/ebay, there are loads of them for sale, but ussualy the 2-digit series and cheaper lenses like zooms or slower primes. And the main advantage of the system that it was from beginning constructed as smallest as possible, not like those huge Nikon and Contax cameras - that´s why I chose this system. OM-4 with 28/2 is maybe smaller than simmilar Leica M setup. _________________ equipment doesn´t count, good photographs do |
|
Back to top |
|
|
tikkathree
Joined: 19 Jun 2010 Posts: 755 Location: Lovely Suffolk in Great Britain
Expire: 2012-12-28
|
Posted: Sat Jan 19, 2013 4:40 pm Post subject: |
|
|
tikkathree wrote:
berraneck wrote: |
I would say the OM series must have been a good seller - if you look to any secondhand camera shop/ebay, there are loads of them for sale, |
Like Sony NEX you mean?
berraneck wrote: |
but ussualy the 2-digit series and cheaper lenses like zooms or slower primes. And the main advantage of the system that it was from beginning constructed as smallest as possible, not like those huge Nikon and Contax cameras - that´s why I chose this system. OM-4 with 28/2 is maybe smaller than simmilar Leica M setup. |
Oh I love big Canons digital and SLR but I'm looking at the collection of Mamiya 35mm SLRs and Rangies and thinking... In fact I've sorted them by type, I'll give the Oly OMs a month of almost daily use to get used to the location of the shutter speed control and though I don't want to say it I could see the Mamiyas going... _________________ I used to think digital was fun but then I discovered film, then I found old lenses and then, eventually I found rangefinders.
EOS 5DII, loadsalenses
Canon G9 IR conv,
MF: TLR, 645 and folders
35mm: Oly OM Pro bodies 1, 2, 3 and 4; Soviet RF kit |
|
Back to top |
|
|
Lloydy
Joined: 02 Sep 2009 Posts: 7793 Location: Ironbridge. UK.
Expire: 2022-01-01
|
Posted: Sat Jan 19, 2013 5:36 pm Post subject: |
|
|
Lloydy wrote:
I bought an OM1 and a few lenses from a charity shop, I'd never had an Olympus before. I'm hooked. I took it out today with a Hoya 24 / 2.8 to photograph the snow in the woods. I came home about 3 hours later with a big grin, it's that kind of camera, it's a joy to use.
And despite it's age, it worked perfectly in the cold. _________________ LENSES & CAMERAS FOR SALE.....
I have loads of stuff that I have to get rid of, if you see me commenting about something I have got and you want one, ask me.
My Flickr https://www.flickr.com/photos/mudplugga/
My ipernity -
http://www.ipernity.com/home/294337 |
|
Back to top |
|
|
tikkathree
Joined: 19 Jun 2010 Posts: 755 Location: Lovely Suffolk in Great Britain
Expire: 2012-12-28
|
Posted: Sat Jan 19, 2013 7:07 pm Post subject: |
|
|
tikkathree wrote:
Lloydy wrote: |
I bought an OM1 and a few lenses from a charity shop, I'd never had an Olympus before. I'm hooked. I took it out today with a Hoya 24 / 2.8 to photograph the snow in the woods. I came home about 3 hours later with a big grin, it's that kind of camera, it's a joy to use.
And despite it's age, it worked perfectly in the cold. |
Good job! _________________ I used to think digital was fun but then I discovered film, then I found old lenses and then, eventually I found rangefinders.
EOS 5DII, loadsalenses
Canon G9 IR conv,
MF: TLR, 645 and folders
35mm: Oly OM Pro bodies 1, 2, 3 and 4; Soviet RF kit |
|
Back to top |
|
|
|
|
You cannot post new topics in this forum You cannot reply to topics in this forum You cannot edit your posts in this forum You cannot delete your posts in this forum You cannot vote in polls in this forum
|