Olympus OM-2
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The Olympus OM-2 was a single-lens reflex camera produced by Olympus of Japan.
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[edit] Main Features
The Olympus OM-2 was an aperture priority automatic camera (with full manual operation selected via switch), based on the earlier, but successful OM-1 body. Introduced in 1975 [1], it added automatic exposure to a light and sturdy camera body. One of the selling points of the OM-2 was that all of the OM-1 accessories and lenses fit without modification, offering a complete photographic system which could be carried easily and allowing OM-1 owners an easy upgrade path. Although the camera was touted in various trade publications and magazines as technically superior, Olympus as a company did not have the same recognition as Nikon or Canon and, as a result, some professionals considered the lenses inferior due their lighter weight.
[edit] Technical Details
Of the many features the OM-2 boasted in most promotional literature, the mostly commonly advertised feature is that it was the first camera to offer a TTL direct metering system for film [2]. This OTF metering (off-the-film) was the first ever,(the Contax RTS was second). Another feature of the OM-2 was the integration of two available electronic flash guns into the system. [3] The camera set the duration and intensity of the flash during exposure using its inbuilt sensors and then measured the amount of light reaching the film. This ensured excellent results under difficult conditions. Exposure calculation was unique thanks to the twin "blue cell" sensors which measured light reflected off a paint splatter-patterned surface on the lens side of the shutter for shutter speeds above 1/60 sec. while exposure was calculated from light reflected off the film surface during the actual exposure for shutter speeds below 1/60 sec [4] . The camera also offered a manual light-meter mode,the same as in the OM-1's, and actually is the light meter the user sees in the viewfinder.
[edit] Physical Appearance
The cameras came in chrome or black. The later OM-2N was a slightly improved version. The OM-2S added a spot meter and a new meter display with a white bar graph display instead of the "old fashioned" needle.
[edit] External links
[edit] References
- ^ Functional Photography Published by Photographic Applications in Science and Technology, inc., 1979, v.14-15 1979-80, pgs 22-24
- ^ http://www.olympus-global.com/en/corc/history/camera/om.cfm Olympus Official Historical Site
- ^ The British Journal of Photography By Liverpool Photographic Society Published by H. Greenwood, 1983
- ^ McBroom's Camera Bluebook: The Complete, Up-to-Date Price and Buyer's Guide for New and Used Cameras, Lenses, and Accessories By Michael Mcbroom Published by Amherst Media, Inc, 2000 ISBN 1584280131, 9781584280132
