The lens of the Olympus OM-20 is interchangeable. Lenses with an Olympus OM bayonet can be used with the camera. A variety of lenses with different focal lengths from Olympus can be used. The lens is focused manually and does not have an autofocus. The Olympus OM-20 is equipped with a built-in light meter. 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 35mm 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. [4] Lenses [ edit ] Olympus Zuiko OM 50 mm f/1.8 OM system lenses. In its standard configuration the OM10 offered aperture priority automatic exposure, simple and accurate enough for a consumer camera in most lighting situations. It also offered exposure compensation for more complicated lighting situations and for more advanced users. Selection dial upon the top allowed for selection of Aperture Priority, B and Manual adapter, The small plug-in manual adaptor was available as an accessory to enable manual control of shutter speed, if no Manual Adapter was plugged in and the camera switch set to Manual Adapter then the camera shutter speed was set to fixed 1/60 for flash work. In aperture priority mode, the shutter speed chosen by the camera is displayed in the viewfinder as LED numerals, so the photographer is kept well-informed. If there is too much light, the word 'OVER' is displayed in red at the top of the left-hand side and there is another indicator at the bottom of the left-hand side which lights if exposure compensation is enabled. 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.

The only downside to this, is that the camera is always on. While I’m not sure if the meter is constantly running or is only on when the shutter button is pressed, I still feel safer keeping the lens cap on at all times lest I find my batteries have died. The Lens Anyone who has personal experience of purchasing a second-hand camera knows that the first roll you expose is a test roll, but for me, it was more than one. Using a mixture of both lenses, most of the images – if not all of them – came out blurred. After a few rolls and testing different things, I was starting to get frustrated. This wasn’t my first time with film, so I felt that I knew what I was doing, but this was really testing me. I decided to put the camera away for a while so I could save up and find a camera store that still did services and repairs whilst I continued my university studies. Kodak Colour Plus 200 Kodak Colour Plus 200 It also uses the same accessories as other OM cameras. So, you don’t have to worry about using anything other than the incredible Zuiko lenses. So, if you’re one of those people who prefer shutter priority shooting, the OM-20 has got you covered. Unlike the OM-10 which required you to plug a manual adapter to use shutter priority, the OM-20 comes with an inbuilt manual mode.All features of the camera have been designed ergonomically to make the camera easy to handle—even for beginners. There’s enough metal here to make one feel that they’re holding something more meaningful than the latest batch of DSLRs, and it shouldn’t surprise anyone that these 40-year-old machines are still working today. A reputation for high-quality construction is further reinforced by a well-documented history of OM cameras operating successfully in the theater of war. Suffice to say, this is a robust machine. Use of the program mode requires the user to manually stop down the aperture to the smallest they wish to use. The camera will hold the aperture open until the shutter is released and will choose a medium or high speed that correlates to a correct exposure, stopping down to the user-set minimum if necessary, but no further. In practice, the user would generally use f/16 in program mode, and shutter speeds good enough to freeze action (e.g. 1/250s) would be used. I’ve read that it apparently limits the shutterspeeds, but even then, it still seems to fire at all speeds when “off”. This is actually a pretty handy little feature as there’s been a few times where in my haste, I forgot to turn the camera on, but the image still turns out fine.

Optical vignetting is caused by the physical dimensions of a multi-element lens. Rear elements are shaded by elements in front of them, which reduces the effective lens opening for off-axis incident light. The result is a gradual decrease of the light intensity towards the image periphery. Optical vignetting is sensitive to the aperture and can be completely cured by stopping down the lens. Two or three stops are usually sufficient. There’s the weird and wonderful Olympus O-product from 1988, an industrially-designed point-and-shoot film camera created by a truly characterful Japanese designer, Naomi Sakai. This point-and-shoot looks like no other camera out there, functions surprisingly well, and can actually make really pretty photos ( a full review was penned last year). The best things in life are free, right? I’m sure many followers, contributors and readers of 35mmc can recount stories of being handed over cameras for nothing – “I’ve got an old camera in the cupboard, would you like it?” – I do like to tell people I’m into old cameras!

Olympus OM-10 Photos

As a camera designed for the consumer with an aperture priority mode, the Olympus OM-10 also has a built-in light meter that can be used with the camera in manual with the special manual adapter that plugs into the side of the camera. This is something that I found incredibly helpful when I recently used it for the first time. Whilst at university, I was taught how to take exposure readings with an off-camera light meter of the Sekonic brand, but once I graduated and no longer had access to this I had to find a suitable and affordable solution for the time being. This resulted in me using a meter reading app on my smartphone instead. Fast-forward two weeks and I just can’t fathom why the OM-2 is so often regarded as second-rate to its competition. This often overlooked and undervalued machine offers so much more than its contemporaries in the areas of detail-oriented conveniences, ease of use, and innovation. With fantastic performance, unprecedented compactness, and sheer fun-factor, it’s clear that the common opinion of the Olympus machine is completely incongruous to its actual value as a photographic device. First up is the Olympus OM20, the lightweight and small SLR from the early 1980s. This was handed down to me from a deceased relative some time ago now, actually at a period when I had aborted film photography. Along with it’s flashes, filters and lenses it remained in it’s aluminium Helios carry case for at least ten years. I got it out, I think in 2013, to use the Zuiko 50mm lens for reverse lens macro work with my DSLR. Every now and then I run a film through it, but in all honesty it’s not a camera I particularly like to use. What I found out is that the off position on the switch just limits the shutter speed to 1/30th or faster to save on battery power, but my experience with my camera suggests that isn't the case. I found the shutter would run much slower than that, with the shutter being open for up to 16 seconds when a small aperture was used in almost dark conditions. The one thing that is different in 'off' mode is that the viewfinder LED's don't show. We test lenses using a mix of both real world sample images and lab tests. Our lab tests are carried out scientifically in controlled conditions using the Imatest testing suite, which consists of custom charts and analysis software that measures resolution in line widths/picture height, a measurement widely used in lens and camera testing. We find the combination of lab and real-word testing works best, as each reveals different qualities and characteristics.