excalibur2
My F4's Broken...
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Well if this thread gets on google the price for OM10s should drop 
and help to keep the site free for all
Olympus OM10 why :-
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So much looking must mean that you really, really want one lol. I wouldn't utter a word to try and put you off.
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Steve Smith
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Let me know when the count goes above seventy... and you still buy another one!
Steve.
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I have had an OM4 since circa '93.. why on earth does every-one keep vaunting them as some sort of icon? I MUCH prefer my OM10... The batteries don't keep going flat before I finish a roll of film for starters! ;-)
The controversy of the 10's manual adapter, though, I don't think will ever end.
Interesting to note that the OM10, when conceived, was meant to be a totally Aperture Priority AE camera.. The manual adapter was an option added, I believe, after evaluation models had been critassed for the lack of obvious 'manual' shutter settings, in focus-group, & marketing/press review.
The 'Dynamic' Off-The-Film metering system is very clever and it's party trick is low and changing light situations where it can adjust the shutter-speed mid exposure. Offering 1/3 stop shutter-speed increments, as well, the system is far more 'refined' in AE mode than using the manual adapter, that over-rides the dynamic metering, and only offers shutter-speeds in 1-stop increments.
In use, there is little or no practical advantage to the manual adapter, IMO, and you can pretty much set whatever aperture/shutter combination you preffer if wanted with a little judicuouse tweeking of the Exp-comp/ASA control, if you know the camera and how to make it do what you want. The presence of a shutter-speed dial, or its more or less convenient location, is unnecesserily 'picky', to my mind.
Whole idea of the ten, was to keep the camera as easy and Point & Shoot freindly, uncluttered and unconvoluted, as possible, and keep people looking through, not at, the camera... something it acheves pretty well, I think.
It would probably have been better, and certaily attracted less critasism to have held to concept and NOT offered the manual adapter at all, to my mind!
Interesting to note, as far as I can tell, on this thread, almost every-one responding seem to be men.. yet, AFAIK, the OM Ten, thanks to its 'fuss-free' 'almost' P&S freindliness, attracted quite a significant number of women buyers, into more enthusiast SLR cameras, away from 110 cartridge compacts... certainly 'some-one' had to buy them for so many to still be in circulation, given so many enthusiasts seem not to apreciate them!
It's interesting to note that around 1980, the OM10 and the XA2 compact, sat side by side in the shops, at about the same price, and the OM10 often won a lot of women buyers, on the suggestion that it was as easy to operate as the XA, had a better lens, and did everything a 'blokes' more convoluted SLR did, without the 'fuss'.
As an asside, Olympus pioneered AF with the OM30 in 1983.. the 101 'power lens' came along half a decade later and was something of a Dodo.... and something of a marketing muddle with the fixed lens AZ 'super-zoom' series path-finding what has become the modern 'all in one' Bridge camera, 1/4 century before it's time, as Olympus, sort of lost the plot with where they could or should go, with new 'consumer' technology, and were left languishing with the more covetional pro-grade OM4, and its bad reputation for fragle electronics, that actually lasted into the new milenium in the catalogues, curiousely.
Back to the OM-Ten... Fact that today they rarely command more than £50, with lens, is actually some sort of testimony to how good they are, given that that is more than half thier original list price!
My OM4 in 1993 was listed at aprox £1200 body only! This is a camera being vaunted in this thread!! Yet, on the open market would be lucky to command more than £250, less than 1/4 catalogue price, with lens, in close to mint condition, (and new batteries!)!
Tens are cheap, because they were always 'cheap', and in modern market the buyer has so much choice of 'old' film cameras, in whch the OM10 doesn't particularly stand out from the crowd. Yet, its still a great camera, and that cheapness, was and is probably its greatest asset.
As an impoverished student; I bougt 2nd hand Tens, for less than the price of a 'decent' roll of film!
Fantastic for getting into the thick of things, whether in the shower of beer at an SU rock-gig, of hanging off a cliff on a rope on an out-door adventure day, or sliding down a mountain on a pair of planks come Christmas. Who cares if it gets filled with muddy-water, chucked at a wall or dropped off a mountain.. it was barely any more valuable than a petrol-station disposeable.. yet offered pcture quality in a completely dfferent legue, but it was no great loss... missing a picture... that was and still is!
Short answer as to why they are so cheap, and under rated, is that they always were!
But, useless they were not, and I would still recommend one as a cheap and easy way into film SLR's, over 20's 30's or Practka's and Zenits! (And save the extra £25 towards whatever came next!)
The controversy of the 10's manual adapter, though, I don't think will ever end.
Interesting to note that the OM10, when conceived, was meant to be a totally Aperture Priority AE camera.. The manual adapter was an option added, I believe, after evaluation models had been critassed for the lack of obvious 'manual' shutter settings, in focus-group, & marketing/press review.
The 'Dynamic' Off-The-Film metering system is very clever and it's party trick is low and changing light situations where it can adjust the shutter-speed mid exposure. Offering 1/3 stop shutter-speed increments, as well, the system is far more 'refined' in AE mode than using the manual adapter, that over-rides the dynamic metering, and only offers shutter-speeds in 1-stop increments.
In use, there is little or no practical advantage to the manual adapter, IMO, and you can pretty much set whatever aperture/shutter combination you preffer if wanted with a little judicuouse tweeking of the Exp-comp/ASA control, if you know the camera and how to make it do what you want. The presence of a shutter-speed dial, or its more or less convenient location, is unnecesserily 'picky', to my mind.
Whole idea of the ten, was to keep the camera as easy and Point & Shoot freindly, uncluttered and unconvoluted, as possible, and keep people looking through, not at, the camera... something it acheves pretty well, I think.
It would probably have been better, and certaily attracted less critasism to have held to concept and NOT offered the manual adapter at all, to my mind!
Interesting to note, as far as I can tell, on this thread, almost every-one responding seem to be men.. yet, AFAIK, the OM Ten, thanks to its 'fuss-free' 'almost' P&S freindliness, attracted quite a significant number of women buyers, into more enthusiast SLR cameras, away from 110 cartridge compacts... certainly 'some-one' had to buy them for so many to still be in circulation, given so many enthusiasts seem not to apreciate them!
It's interesting to note that around 1980, the OM10 and the XA2 compact, sat side by side in the shops, at about the same price, and the OM10 often won a lot of women buyers, on the suggestion that it was as easy to operate as the XA, had a better lens, and did everything a 'blokes' more convoluted SLR did, without the 'fuss'.
As an asside, Olympus pioneered AF with the OM30 in 1983.. the 101 'power lens' came along half a decade later and was something of a Dodo.... and something of a marketing muddle with the fixed lens AZ 'super-zoom' series path-finding what has become the modern 'all in one' Bridge camera, 1/4 century before it's time, as Olympus, sort of lost the plot with where they could or should go, with new 'consumer' technology, and were left languishing with the more covetional pro-grade OM4, and its bad reputation for fragle electronics, that actually lasted into the new milenium in the catalogues, curiousely.
Back to the OM-Ten... Fact that today they rarely command more than £50, with lens, is actually some sort of testimony to how good they are, given that that is more than half thier original list price!
My OM4 in 1993 was listed at aprox £1200 body only! This is a camera being vaunted in this thread!! Yet, on the open market would be lucky to command more than £250, less than 1/4 catalogue price, with lens, in close to mint condition, (and new batteries!)!
Tens are cheap, because they were always 'cheap', and in modern market the buyer has so much choice of 'old' film cameras, in whch the OM10 doesn't particularly stand out from the crowd. Yet, its still a great camera, and that cheapness, was and is probably its greatest asset.
As an impoverished student; I bougt 2nd hand Tens, for less than the price of a 'decent' roll of film!
Fantastic for getting into the thick of things, whether in the shower of beer at an SU rock-gig, of hanging off a cliff on a rope on an out-door adventure day, or sliding down a mountain on a pair of planks come Christmas. Who cares if it gets filled with muddy-water, chucked at a wall or dropped off a mountain.. it was barely any more valuable than a petrol-station disposeable.. yet offered pcture quality in a completely dfferent legue, but it was no great loss... missing a picture... that was and still is!
Short answer as to why they are so cheap, and under rated, is that they always were!
But, useless they were not, and I would still recommend one as a cheap and easy way into film SLR's, over 20's 30's or Practka's and Zenits! (And save the extra £25 towards whatever came next!)
Mr Badger
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Snip:
No, the collecting habit is under control for the time being, in fact I'll be selling my Dad's old OM10 and lenses soon, as I've got more than enough film cameras to use without going down the OM route!
So what's the reason the price of the OM10 has risen lately? Well, my theory is that the hipsters and 'retro' enthusiasts who've taken up film photography want a camera that's silver and black (coz that looks vintage and retro!), and when it came to finding a reasonably capable 35mm SLR that looks the part, then the Canon AE1 (or less specced variants thereof) fitted the bill. Owing to demand, the AE1 has started to get a bit pricey of late, so what camera looks similar but costs less? You guessed it, the OM10. So cue a run on that too.
Not that this is a bad thing, as it encourages more people to discover the challenges and joys of film photography, and puts old SLR cameras back to use instead of them probably going to landfill if no one wanted them, which has got to be a good thing. OK, so the OM10 might not have been everyone's favourite, but it served as a relatively cheap into auto-exposure 35mm SLR film photography almost 40 years ago, and now it appears that it's doing it again. And, if for nothing else, surely that must make the OM10's detractors like it just a little bit more?
No, the collecting habit is under control for the time being, in fact I'll be selling my Dad's old OM10 and lenses soon, as I've got more than enough film cameras to use without going down the OM route!
So what's the reason the price of the OM10 has risen lately? Well, my theory is that the hipsters and 'retro' enthusiasts who've taken up film photography want a camera that's silver and black (coz that looks vintage and retro!), and when it came to finding a reasonably capable 35mm SLR that looks the part, then the Canon AE1 (or less specced variants thereof) fitted the bill. Owing to demand, the AE1 has started to get a bit pricey of late, so what camera looks similar but costs less? You guessed it, the OM10. So cue a run on that too.
Not that this is a bad thing, as it encourages more people to discover the challenges and joys of film photography, and puts old SLR cameras back to use instead of them probably going to landfill if no one wanted them, which has got to be a good thing. OK, so the OM10 might not have been everyone's favourite, but it served as a relatively cheap into auto-exposure 35mm SLR film photography almost 40 years ago, and now it appears that it's doing it again. And, if for nothing else, surely that must make the OM10's detractors like it just a little bit more?
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I really like my OM20, it only cost me £35 with a bundle of lenses, motorwind, filters and a flash from a charity shop.
Ebay is getting worse for bargains as people (eg hipsters) jump on a bandwagon and bid and bid, pushing the prices up.
I did have a Practika MTL5 which was good but clunky, I do also have a Pentax Spotmatic which is lovely, but the OM20 is really nice to use.
If I could afford/justify the prices of the OM1/OM2/OM4, then I would buy one, but I really don't have a justification for spending that much on a film camera.
Ebay is getting worse for bargains as people (eg hipsters) jump on a bandwagon and bid and bid, pushing the prices up.
I did have a Practika MTL5 which was good but clunky, I do also have a Pentax Spotmatic which is lovely, but the OM20 is really nice to use.
If I could afford/justify the prices of the OM1/OM2/OM4, then I would buy one, but I really don't have a justification for spending that much on a film camera.
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There was an OM-10 delivered to Brentwood & District Photographic Club for me by a Lady -- I gave it to another Club member as i had an OM-2n from my Boy who never uses it -- anyway, the Club member hardly used it and said I could have it back as it was " Not Working" -- i had a look -- he had it set to 'Manual Adapter' and mirror was stuck UP -- batteries didn't light the red LED so i put in new batteries and set to 'Check' and LO and BEHOLD !! It creaked into life -- i took off base-plate and carefully lubricated all the cogs and levers with Sewing Machine Oil and now it all works and winds on 'sweetly' -- I did a VIDEO about it here :
View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x3eaYhLv0WE
excalibur2
My F4's Broken...
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Steveo_mcg couldn't have seen my post?...who was the kind member that gave me an OM2 years ago? I still use it occasionally, although I am not an Olympus fan, as I have some excellent lenses for it.
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Nope sorry, missed the post. Wasn't me Brian lots of good folk come and go round here though.
excalibur2
My F4's Broken...
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Our memory can be very annoying at times as I remember posting that I got a OM2 at the bootie for a few quid as the shutter button didn't work, tried to fix it but made it worse so now useless, anyway IIRC a member (over the years now a gap in my memory) posted he had a spare and wasn't sure (or couldn't remember) if it was working 100%, but all that was wrong with it was the meter was out a stop and the seals needed doing.
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I had an OM-10 that I didn't get on with (ergonomics mostly, and no shutter lock). Always lusted after the OM-4Ti but since having one to borrow and use, again the ergonomics just don't suit me. Which I'm glad I figured out before I dropped a lot of cash on one!
excalibur2
My F4's Broken...
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Same here...and would think the OM10 has a similar metering system to the OM2, and thanks to the OM2 (
) I decided to get a Nex3 why? Well I took a shot of the family in low light in a restaurant (no flash gun) and it made a complete cockup with the exposure..I'm not a newbie with the Om2 and know I set the camera correctly, even resting against a wall to help prevent camera shake
Mr Badger
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Compared with the nicely angled and ergonomic film winder lever on the Canon A1 the rather straight type one on the OM10 is like shaking hands with a plesiosaur! The rest of the camera doesn't feel too bad to use though, as has been said above, for the 'bang for buck' at it's time of launch it was a good little camera, and they certainly sold enough of them.
excalibur2
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Well if you want more of a point and shoot camera the Canon AV1 is good (well one without the cough)..but I'm going to play my worn out record again
why get OM10, the cheaper Canon A series, Nikon EM and so on when the Canon T70 is going for peanuts
Mr Badger
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It's got to be down to the retro/vintage look, Brian. For instance, last week I got a 'mint -' condition Canon Sureshot Supreme for £5. If I'd gone for the previous Sureshot model, which is squarer and looks a bit more 'vintage', I'd have probably had to pay another £20, plus I believe the newer model is a slightly better camera. As I just wanted a cheap but good-quality compact 35mm to carry around in the car in case I spot something worthy of a photo, and not to wear as a fashion accessory, the £5 version will do me just fine! Mind you, the T70 is pug-ugly, so it's understandable about that! 
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excalibur2
My F4's Broken...
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It's got to be down to the retro/vintage look, Brian. For instance, last week I got a 'mint -' condition Canon Sureshot Supreme for £5. If I'd gone for the previous Sureshot model, which is squarer and looks a bit more 'vintage', I'd have probably had to pay another £20, plus I believe the newer model is a slightly better camera. As I just wanted a cheap but good-quality compact 35mm to carry around in the car in case I spot something worthy of a photo, and not to wear as a fashion accessory, the £5 version will do me just fine! Mind you, the T70 is pug-ugly, so it's understandable about that!
Well it's me that's the problem in that I can understand digi guys trying film but being a filmie all my life just want to take pictures and basically don't care what SLR (don't like compacts or rangefinders) I use..of course prefer some cameras over others for horses for courses.
Well it looks like many filmies care about looks otherwise they would agree with me
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Although the OM10 is a great little camera, I much prefer the OM1. It is simple, and feels the best with lenses when I shoot with it. I also have an OM2N, which feels clunkier, but is a good camera.
Again, I think the reputation for the OM10 comes from a lot of the being around, but they are cool little cameras. A great way to get into the Zuiko OM lenses.
Again, I think the reputation for the OM10 comes from a lot of the being around, but they are cool little cameras. A great way to get into the Zuiko OM lenses.
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The primes in the OM system are the best Zuiko lenses made back in the day, I love the lenses in this line.
From my experience, the best lenses in the range are:
24mm F2.8
24mm F2
28mm F2 - The sharpest/ most beautiful
40mm F2 - Fantastic small lens and a great compromise for the poorer performing 35mm lenses in this range.
50mm F1.4 - Great character, lovely looking.
50mm F1.2 - Probably THE 50mm to own.
50mm F3.5 and F2 macro - the F2 is probably the sharpest of the 50mm’s
85mm F2 - perfect for portraits
100mm F2 - just a lovely lens
Worth keeping an eye out for some of these. The 50mm F1.8 is a great lens in its own right, and the 28mm F2.8 is a great lens sitting in between the F2 and F3.5.
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The 135mm’s are pretty cool. The list I put above is basically wide, standard, and short tele/portrait lenses. From my experience of using them week in and week out on the streets. You can’t go too wrong with any of Zuiko’s, and you will be paying a lot more for those listed. I feel they are the pick of the bunch. I don’t have experience with the 200mm/300mm etc. Etc. As I am a street photographer mainly. I would love to get my hands on them though.
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The Nikon F cameras are great cameras, and you can’t go wrong with them. An F2 is a comfortable choice, and I think a lot of people (including myself) would be happy picking one up. A great choice of lenses, and the F2’s and F3’s are built like tanks and will last.
The Olympus OM cameras and lenses have a lot of character. They won’t be for everyone, and are also built well, but investing in the OM system lenses means having access to a great flavour of glass.
The Nikon has more lenses that work better when adapted to digital, but there are a couple of stars in the OM range.
For anyone sitting on the fence, and OM10 with a 50mm F1.8 is a fairly good place to start.
excalibur2
My F4's Broken...
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H'mm well if you must start with Olympus I would still say OM20..but Canon, Minolta, Pentax and quite a few more, have one advantage over Nikon and Olympus in that you can use an adapter to mount screw lenses M42 (saves buying a screw camera body to use em) ...of course you can only use these screw lenses in stop down mode i.e. not auto like using a screw camera body AND the screw lens must have switch on the lens to set manual\auto (lucky many have this).
Also it is possible to use M39 lenses with converter ring to M42..I have one and yet to try it out using a M39 enlarger lens to see if it works.
Also it is possible to use M39 lenses with converter ring to M42..I have one and yet to try it out using a M39 enlarger lens to see if it works.