Olympus OM-1n | c1979

This post gives details of my primary 35mm camera, an Olympus SLR introduced in 1979. The Olympus OM-1n was deemed to be a slight upgrade on the original OM-1 (introduced in 1972), with motor-drive functionality and somewhat enhanced flash capabilities.

Olympus claimed that this camera was one of the lightest and most compact semi-professional SLR bodies available on the market at the time. This camera is still tiny by comparison to modern, digital SLRs, and feels a lot more solid and seemingly reliable than a number of entry-level digital SLRs on the market today.

Fully manual, with only one battery-operated feature (the TTL light meter), this camera has forced me to learn a great deal about the basics of exposure settings and the ever-relevant issue of depth-of-field (more on this in a later post). The ISO/ASA dial (on top of the camera) ranges from 25 to 1600, covering a multitude of different films and photographic situations. The shutter speed ring (found on the front of the camera, behind the lens mount) can be set to the regular intervals from 1/1000s to 1s, along with a bulb setting for use with flashguns and for very long exposures. The aperture ring (which is located on the front of the OM-mount lenses) can be set to varying positions, dependent on the lens in use. For the standard 50mm f/1.8 kit lens, however, the aperture ranges between f/1.8 to f/16.

Overall, the layout of the controls on this camera are fantastic, and combined with its small size and light weight, make for a perfectly ergonomically designed body.


The solid, metal chassis and lens mount make for a very sturdy-feeling camera. The film-advance lever always feels very positive, as does the shutter speed selection ring and shutter release button. If you are starting out in 35mm photography and would like to learn more about manual exposure settings, this camera is highly recommended. It's fantastically simple to use and coupled with its effective light meter, you really cannot go wrong. It has taught me a great deal about the basics of SLR photography, all of which can be applied to modern, digital photography as well.


These cameras should be available from around £50 - £80 on a popular online auction website, either as a body only or with the standard Olympus Zuiko 50mm f/1.8 kit lens. I will give more detail about the Olympus OM-mount lenses that I own in future posts.

I hope you have found this post informative. Keep checking back for more detailed descriptions of the equipment I use, and also for example images taken using this particular camera.


Thanks for reading.


Tom Parkes
London, UK