35mm SLR · 1972–2002

Olympus OM mount cameras

Olympus launched the OM bayonet in 1972 with the M-1, renamed OM-1 after Leica disputed the name. OM stands for Olympus Maitani, after chief designer Yoshihisa Maitani, whose team set out to cut the size, weight and noise of an SLR. Zuiko lenses for the mount ran from 8 mm to 1000 mm, fisheye and macro included. The OM-1, the OM-2 of 1975 with off-the-film metering and the OM-10 of 1979 all share it, and the system lasted until 2002.

The OM-10 is aperture priority only out of the box. Manual shutter speeds need Olympus's optional manual exposure adapter, so look for it in the listing.

3 cameras we cover.