OLYMPUS CELEBRATES 100 YEARS
OLYMPUS PEN F
1963
The economics – and size advantages – of the half-frame 35mm format were the catalysts behind Olympus’s hugely successful Pen series of cameras. The SLR designs were hugely innovative too, with the reflex mirror turned sideways to allow for a very streamlined body.
OLYMPUS PEN FT
1966
The FT model had a built-in TTL exposure meter, albeit uncoupled. A rotary-type focal-plane shutter allowed for flash sync at all speeds.
OLYMPUS M-1
1972
Christened the M-1 when it was unveiled at the 1972 Photokina exhibition, Olympus’s all-new 35mm SLR – and its OM mount lens system – changed everything both for the company and for 35mm photography.
OLYMPUS MDN
1969
Yoshihisa Maitani’s original ideas for a more compact 35mm SLR involved modular, box-form cameras with interchangeable film backs, viewfinders, lenses and a handgrip.The M-1 was developed alongside the MDN and a lower-end model, the MDS.
OLYMPUS OM-1
1973
The M-1 eventually launched as the OM-1 after Leica complained about the original model designation. Regardless of what it was called, the OM-1 was always going to be a huge success.
OLYMPUS OM-10
1979
The “Two Digit” line of OM SLRs were aimed at entry-level users, and the OM-10 was an aperture-priority auto model (although a manual mode adapter became available later on).
OLYMPUS XA2
1980
Yoshihisa Maitani’s other great triumph at Olympus was the XA series of 35mm sub-compacts which employs a clever clamshell design so serve as both the body casing and lens cover.The first XA appeared in 1979 and the last of the line was the XA4 from 1985.
OLYMPUS OM-3
1984
Designed as a replacement to the long-serving OM-1N, the OM-3 wasn’t nearly as successful, perhaps because demand for an all-mechanical 35mm SLR had steadily declined over the previous decade.
OLYMPUS OM-4
1983
Olympus was committed to developing more accurate TTL metering and the OM-4 introduced multiple spot measurements (up to eight) with the option of biasing to emphasise either highlights or shadows.
OLYMPUS OM-30
1983
In the early 1980s everybody was experimenting with autofocusing in 35mm SLRs and, in the OM-30, Olympus, like others, first dabbled with focus-assist, which delivered full AF via a motorised lens.
OLYMPUS OM-40 PROGRAM
1985
The OM-40 employed a new multi-area metering via a system Olympus called “Electro-Selective Pattern” or ESP. It employed two zones to separately measure the centre of the frame and the surrounds.
OLYMPUS OM-2 SPOT PROGRAM
1985
Next-gen OM-2 adopted the restyled body design of the OM-3/4 series along
