Olympus OM system
The Olympus OM camera system is a single-lens reflex camera system introduced by Olympus in 1972 . Within this camera system , camera housings , lenses , flash units , motor drives and many other accessories were offered. In 1997 the development was stopped, the system was sold until 2003.
history
The system is made up of single-lens reflex cameras, until 1986 only with manual focusing. The chief engineer in developing the OM system was Yoshihisa Maitani .
After Olympus had been producing half-format cameras for 35mm films since 1963 , the Olympus OM-1 was introduced in 1972 , with which the OM system was founded. It was initially presented as the M-1 (named after Maitani), which was changed to OM-1 after protests by Leitz because of the feared confusion with the range- finder cameras of the Leica M series .
The OM-1 is a semi-professional camera, the dimensions of which were significantly smaller than those of comparable cameras from other manufacturers. This construction principle was strictly retained for the cameras with a single-digit designation. In 1975 the Olympus OM-2 was added.
From 1978 onwards, starting with the Olympus OM-10, cheaper models were added, in which the case dimensions were slightly larger. They are not compatible with all accessories in the system, as the viewfinder screens, for example, cannot be replaced. Both camera lines were subsequently expanded.
In 1986, the Olympus OM-707, the first autofocus camera of the OM system, was introduced, with which there was only limited compatibility. The OM-Zuiko lenses that had been released up to then could only be used with limited functions on the OM-707, whereas the new autofocus lenses on the previous cameras could not be used at all. In 1988 the Olympus OM-101 PF was added as a simplified version without autofocus, but with motorized focusing of the autofocus lenses. Both cameras were primarily designed for automatic programming. Both cameras were discontinued in 1991 without a successor. This left only the Olympus OM-4 Ti with manual focus in the range. Olympus thus effectively gave up the contemporary further development of the OM system and subsequently concentrated mainly on compact cameras and single-lens reflex cameras of the entry-level class with permanently attached lenses.
In 1995 the Olympus OM-3 , which had been discontinued in 1986, was revived as the OM-3 Ti . In 1997 the Olympus OM-2000 was added. This is a very simple camera from Cosina that has been adapted for the OM bayonet. Similar cameras from Cosina were on offer as the Canon T60 and Nikon FM10 .
This system, which was exclusively geared towards manual focusing, became almost meaningless in the late 1990s. On January 17, 2002, Olympus announced the immediate discontinuation of cameras and sales of most accessories for March 2003.
In the fall of 2003, Olympus presented the digital E-System , but it was not compatible with the OM system. The lenses of the OM system could only be reused with a mechanical adapter and all other functions were lost.
The designation "OM" was taken up in 2012 with the digital camera housing E-M5 within the Micro Four Thirds system. The design is also reminiscent of the OM system, with no direct compatibility. Beyond the purely mechanical bayonet adapter MF-2, of the difference in flange compensates lenses can the OM-system to the digital camera housings of the OM-D system are used, having to be adjusted manually, however.
Camera models
| designation | Construction period | |
|---|---|---|
| international | North America | |
| OM-1 | 1972-1979 | |
| OM-1N | 1979-1987 | |
| OM-2 | 1975-1979 | |
| OM-2N | 1979-1984 | |
| OM-2SP | OM-2S | 1984-1988 |
| OM-3 | 1983-1986 | |
| OM-3 Ti | OM-3 T | 1995-2002 |
| OM-4 | 1984-1987 | |
| OM-4 Ti | OM-4T | 1987-2002 |
| Olympus OM-10 | 1978-1987 | |
| OM-20 | OM-G | 1983-1987 |
| OM-30 | OM-F | 1983-1987 |
| OM-40 | (OM-PC) | 1985-1987 |
| OM-707 | OM-77AF | 1986-1991 |
| OM-101 PF | OM-88 | 1988-1991 |
| OM-2000 | 1997-2002 | |
Web links
Individual evidence
- ↑ "OM SYSTEM" 35 MM SINGLE LENS REFLEX CAMERA SALES TERMINATED ( Memento from February 5, 2012 in the Internet Archive )
- ↑ MF ‑ 2 OM Adapter , Olympus, accessed October 11, 2016
