International Camera Museum : Blue Moon Camera and Machine

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Olympus OMPC / OM-40

The Olympus OM-PC (also known as the OM-40) was one of the last consumer-level, manual focus, SLR cameras made by Olympus. It was the successor to the earlier OM-10, 20 and 30 cameras. It was the first Olympus camera to use the ESP (Electro Selective Pattern) metering system, which was an early form of matrix metering. The camera also used OTF - off the film - metering to monitor light during exposure and adjust, as necessary. The camera was both an advanced and inexpensive when released to the market in 1985, and was in production until 1988. The OM-PC can use the entire line of Olympus OM lenses, and features program, aperture-priority, and manual metering modes, as well as a self-timer, DX film coding, and a top shutter speed of 1/1000th.

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Olympus OMPC

This Olympus OMPC is a camera that we don't favor quite as highly as its OM-1 and OM-2 brethren, but every camera has some redeeming qualities. We took it to our resident camera tech, Mike, who has been selling cameras since these OMPCs were new and asked him, "So, Mike, why would I want to buy this OMPC?" His initial response was simple enough, "Because its less expensive." It's true, the OMPC is less expensive; at least less so than the aforementioned OM-1/OM-2. It is also less expensive than the Nikon FMs and FEs or the Canon F-1s, all the while, still being a fully manual camera with some extra features. Mike's point was valid, a student on a budget might very well favor an OMPC over another camera simply because of that lower cost.

We weren't satisfied solely with that answer. Surely Mike could think of another reason that this OMPC was noteworthy - so we pressed him. He thought about it a minute and then answered back, "It has program auto exposure, and is one of only two Olympus SLRs that use the OM lens mount to have that mode." That caught us and got us to thinking, "...really, though?" Mike loves to do this, throw out obscure camera trivia, about which he is right 95% of the time. It is the reason we asked him about this camera in the first place. We remained skeptical that only two Olympus OM SLRs had program auto exposure, surely that couldn't be so. At this point, Mike asked, with a bit of a mischievous twinkle in his eyes, if we could name the other OM camera that had program exposure. We thought about it and made a guess or two but weren't able to come up with it, at which point, Mike gladly told us the answer.

We love this back-and-forth banter that exists behind the counter of the shop. The constant testing, quizzing, and sharing of camera knowledge, often obscure, and always enjoyable. We thought we would share it out with you. How about it, can you name the other Olympus OM-series that had program exposure? Is Mike even right, were there only two?

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