Last week I spoke about my Olympus OM-1 getting a much needed service and I posted a few images I had taken with it. I wasn't totally happy with them as I had basically chosen the wrong film for the conditions. It happens, I got over it. To make amends and really get the best out of my OM-1, I kept a better eye on the weather and also purchased a new battery as the old one was, well, old. This does pose it's own unique challenge as the original PX625 battery for the camera has long since been banned as it contained mercury. Not the kind of thing you want to mess with, but in the 60's and 70's they were legal and several manufacturers used them in their camera's. Other notable camera's that used the same mercury battery include the Pentax Spotmatic F, Canon F1, Nikkormat F, Minolta SRT and the Leica M5. I needed a replacement and hit the interweb for info.
A swift search soon found the perfect replacement, the WeinCell MBR 625. This battery by Wein products uses Zinc and a catalyst that keeps a reliable 1.35 volts supplied to the light meter built into my camera. After I had peeled off the tab and allowed the battery to breathe for around an hour as recommended on the label, I put my new battery into my OM-1. For peace of mind I checked it against my DSLR and my Gossen Trisix meter and all three were showing the same 1/500th at f16 on my test subject, my fence at 400 iso/asa. I popped a roll of kentmere 400 into my OM-1 and headed off to the local farm to say hello to the horses again.
There is something special about an Olympus OM-1, It's design has for many years been described as Yoshihisa Maitani's masterpiece of engineering. When I put my Pentax SP500 next to my OM-1 the size difference is definitive of Maitani's design philosophy, compact and light. Both camera's have a built in light meter and both can be used manually if you choose to leave it switched off. A battery running flat during a photo walk is not a crisis with either camera. The difference is in the smoothness of the operation.
My Pentax, much as I love to use it, has a very definite clunk as I actuate the shutter. It is a reassuring clunk, a bold clunk, a clunk that says "I have taken a photograph!" at a volume level a heavy metal band would be proud of. When Pentax designed the Spotmatic range they knew it would need to be up to the rigours of the press photographers scrum as a world leader went on a walkabout or The Beatles came to town. As an interesting side note, The Beatles all had Pentax Spotmatics. Ringo was the bands unofficial photographer and has published a few books of his photo's during that time. The Pentax Spotmatics and accompanying Takumar lenses were built like tanks which is why you see so many of them still being used and traded to this day.
The Olympus OM-1 was Maitani's answer to the big clunkers from Nikon and Pentax. Maitani wanted a camera that was akin to a swiss watch in it's elegance and movement and he succeeded. The OM-1 is light at just 510 grammes/18 ounces. it's compact design means you can easily carry it in your pocket if you wish. The shutter is also definitive on the OM-1, but it isn't as clunky as my Pentax. It's more of a precise movement of mirror and curtains that are timed to reduce camera shake. Compared to my Pentax it's so light I have at times forgotten I have taken a photo when looking for a composition. The precise engineering that connects the shutter to the release button is as smooth as silk. It is certainly quieter than any camera I have used, including my DSLR's.
All camera's are dependent on the quality of lenses they are designed to be used with and if you think Olympus were going to save money on research and develoment by skimping on the lenses, think again. The Olympus Zuiko OM series lenses are amongst the finest ever made. Mine came with the 50mm f1.4 and it is a formidable combination, especially now my OM-1 is back to it's best thanks to the capable hands of Pierro Pozella. Olympus made their name from designing and making Microscopes and optical inspection equipment. They used their knowledge of making precision optics to give them a head start when they entered the Camera market in 1936. Olympus Zuiko lenses are probably the sharpest I have used, indeed the 42mm fixed Zuiko lens on my Olympus 35RC rangefinder is simply outstanding.
Maitani wanted professional photographers and beginners to be able to use his camera with minimal training and gave us the best tools he could. The range of lenses available covers everything you will ever need. I have the 50mm f1.4, a 28mm f3.5 wide angle, a 135mm f3.5, a 35-70mm f4 zoom and a 75-150mm f4 telephoto zoom. I don't need anything else. All are just as at home on my OM-1 as they are on the consumer grade OM-10 that followed in 1979. As Maitani continued to develop the OM series each new model brought a new feature to the system. With the OM-2, which I also own, it was aperture priority and off the film metering, making it more user friendly, and switching the mercury battery for an easily available eco friendly battery. When the final version of the OM-4 hit the shelves it had an advanced metering system and a shutter speed of 1/2000th housed in a Titanium casing. Each new model advanced from the previous, yet all were so familiar in looks and feel that you can easily switch between them and begin taking photo's shortly after picking it up. I know you can do this with any make of camera, but the compact size and light weight of the OM-1 wth a prime lens on just feels better in my hands. It's a joy to use.
Olympus brought the OM series to an end in 2002 after 30 years in production and made the move to digital camera's. For some fans of the system this was a sad end to a brilliant system. For Yoshihisa Maitani it was a natural end to the camera that bore his name (OM = Olympus Maitani) and he was content to have been able to contribute to the world of photography the best camera he could design. I always wanted one and to finally get to own and use one is so satisfying, especially when finally, after three years of trying, I shot a roll of film and am happy to be able to show them all to you. When was the last time you shot a roll where every single one made you smile? Yeah, me neither! Here's a few of my images of the local horses taken on a sunny afternoon on Kentmere 400 and you can see the entire roll by visiting my Flickr album An Afternoon with my OM-1
Childhood dreams do come true, they just take a while....
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