A classic camera, perfect for the beginner (Olympus OM 10)

Member Name: jamesontheroad

Product:	Olympus OM 10
Date:	23/01/09 (545 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Lightweight, great build quality, plenty of compatible OM system lenses

Disadvantages: Not all second hand examples come with a good lens or the useful manual adaptor. Rarer lenses pricey

At age 16, I was treated to a life changing birthday present: a second hand Olympus OM-10 camera. Ten years on, this fine SLR (single lens reflex) 35mm format camera is still with me, and I expect it to outlast every other film or digital camera than I will ever own.

The OM system was developed by Olympus in the seventies, and although production of the cameras, lenses and various compatible accessories was wound up by the time I got my OM-10, you can still find plenty of good condition examples online and in specialist camera shops. The OM series of camera bodies are numbered by professional grade and order of release: single digit models (OM-1, OM-2 etc) are professional, double digit models (OM-10, OM-20 etc) are consumer grade.

That said, the OM-10 is perhaps one of the best ways for a young photographer to get into the art of making and taking fine photographs. Apart from the automatic exposure, everything is manual (although if you want to set your own exposure using the viewfinder light meter, the optional manual adaptor is very useful: look for it as part of a camera package, because its more expensive to buy separately).

My camera came with a good quality Zuiko lens, but the popularity of the OM system means that there are still plenty of compatible lenses available. More obscure ones are more expensive.

Using the camera on a day to day basis, I simply love the feel and sound of the body. The camera's winding action is robust and satisfying, and 100% reliable (provided you keep it in good shape and watch out for dusty, dirty or sandy conditions). The light meter is a reliable tool if you're still learning how to manually expose your pictures, and with the manual adaptor the camera is flexible and offers great resolution.

Not being a pro photographer, wither in digital or 35mm formats, the OM-10 has been a great toy that produces consistently good results. There's no auto-focus, and later OM models were successively better featured and better designed. But, if like me when I was 16, you yearn to have a bit more control over your pictures than you do with a modern automatic or digital camera, the OM-10 is an affordable and enjoyable way into the world of amateur photography.

SPECIFICATIONS
(check before purchase, some of these I've transcribed without appreciating their meaning!)

Format: 35mm
Lens mount: Olympus OM Mount.
Shutter: Electronically controlled cloth focal plane shutter. Manual exposure: B, 1 - 1/1,000 sec. with adapter.
Synchronization: X type contact, hot shoe.
Automatic exposure control: Aperture preferred automatic exposure control electronic shutter type. TTL Direct Light Measuring System, center-weighted average light measurement.
Measuring range: ASA 100 from F1.2, about 60 seconds to F16, 1/1,000 second.
Programmed Automatic Exposure: TTL direct, measuring range : approximate. -5 EV ~ 18 EV , 50mm F 1.4
Manual exposure: With a Manual Adapter
Self timer: 15sec. delay
Metering system: Olympus direct metering in body. Full aperture center weighted metering.
Measuring range: EV1.5 - EV17 (ASA 100 with F 1.2 standard lens).
Film speed Setting: ASA 12 - 3200
Power source: Two 1.5V silver oxide batteries
Viewfinder: Pentaprism type finder.
Finder view-field: 93% of picture field.
Reflex mirror: Quick return without lockup
Manual film advance: Lever with 130° angle for one long or several short strokes, pre-advance angle 30°
Exposure counter: Progressive type with automatic reset.
Film rewind: Rewind crank
Weight: 430g, body alone
Dimensions: 136 x 84 x 50mm

Summary: My SLR for life.

Processing/Quality:
Reliability:
Ease of use:
Features: