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OLYMPUS OM SERIES - HOW "GOOD" ARE THEY REALLY?
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PostPosted: Fri Jan 18, 2013 11:26 pm    Post subject: OLYMPUS OM SERIES - HOW "GOOD" ARE THEY REALLY? Reply with quote
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?


PostPosted: Sat Jan 19, 2013 12:56 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
You will be happy with any of them , I was happy with most common OM 2.


PostPosted: Sat Jan 19, 2013 1:02 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
That's also my opinion, well built, reliable. Good light measuring, and the lenses are well known (zuiko 50mm 1.8, etc.).


PostPosted: Sat Jan 19, 2013 1:12 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
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.


PostPosted: Sat Jan 19, 2013 12:10 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
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? Wink


PostPosted: Sat Jan 19, 2013 1:22 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
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? Wink


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. Laughing


PostPosted: Sat Jan 19, 2013 1:30 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
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.


PostPosted: Sat Jan 19, 2013 1:57 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
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? Wink


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. Laughing
oh yes sir, it was no mean to dispute your intentions Smile

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.


PostPosted: Sat Jan 19, 2013 4:40 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
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? Question

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...


PostPosted: Sat Jan 19, 2013 5:36 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
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.


PostPosted: Sat Jan 19, 2013 7:07 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
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! Laughing
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