The Rose Gold color that our technician Michael Knight used on this Olympus OM-1 repaint is subtle at a distance, appearing as the standard silver chrome finish. Closer inspection reveals the rose hue and sparkling flake in the paint, making this OM-1 a true one-of-one. This camera has just left our shop with a happy new owner, but check out our site for the other custom-finish cameras we have available. 

The Zuiko lenses that Olympus made for their OM series of SLR cameras are seriously underappreciated.  While some camera systems tailored lenses to either professionals or amateurs (increasing or decreasing price and quality in relation to the target market), Olympus decided to make the best lenses they could all the time.  This 24mm f2 is but one example of the stellar optics that lucky OM users can have access to.

The Olympus OM-1 is one of those cameras that makes us happy every time we get to go out adventuring with it.  It is like the old saying "An apple a day...", except in this case it would be more like "A day with the OM-1 keeps the doctor away".  Alright, maybe we are stretching to make that connection a bit, but seriously these cameras make us happy to hold and use.  In general this is one of the things we so enjoy about film cameras: the tactile pleasure that many of them impart.  The world is full of some beautifully designed cameras that have wonderful heft, or fit perfectly into the hands, or cause your eyes to widen and your heart to speed up a little bit every time they show you a slice of the world on their bright focusing screens.  Regardless of the images they can and will produces, there can be a joy in celebrating how that camera feels to be with and used by you.  This is different for every photographer.  Some photographers get lost in the waist level finders of Hasselblads and love their kah-clunk.  Other photographers swoon over the smooth actuations of the Leica M3 film advance.  The robustness of the Nikon F (or F2.. or F3) is the secret joy of other photographers.  It is a fun question to ask a film photographer "What film camera do you enjoy the most and why?"

For us, one of our many answers is the OM-1.  It's design is genius and as you get to know it more intimately this genius is fun to appreciate.  It is an elegant camera - at least we think so.  

You know what the world needs more of?  Olympus OM-1 cameras out making photos in it. 

The OM-1 may be one of the most sneaky-elegant cameras ever built: from it's compact size to its over-sized viewfinder, to shutter, aperture, and focus controls all located under the same hand.  If you have never held an OM-1 in your hands, you need to remedy this ASAP.⁠

⁠And, if by chance, you have an Olympus OM-1 sitting around with no plans to be used again, you ought to get in touch with us about consigning it.  We never have enough of these cameras and we certainly have no trouble finding good homes for them, especially given the earnest passion we possess when discussing them.⁠

⁠So here is some OM-1 love for the day.  If fortune smiles on you and you see that "For Sale" link show up in the side menu, click it fast, these cameras always sell too dang quickly!

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Creativity, including the act of creating itself, is a slippery thing.  Sometimes we wait for it to come to us... and sometimes it obliges.  Other times, we go searching for it and, if we are fortunate, we come across it.  Yes, at one end of the scale, inspiration can strike with little warning, hopefully catching you ready.  At the other end of the scale, space for creativity is scheduled, carefully made, like a garden plot primed for growth. 

There is an area between these two poles as well.  A nebulous zone where creativity is not necessarily planned nor does it wander in all on its own.  This is probably where most of us find ourselves most of the time.  We're not sure which area of this scale is better to occupy.  We suspect that this is a question each individual must explore and answer for themselves.  But we do think it is important to be aware of where you often find yourself. 

An example of what we mean?⁠

⁠Imagine you find yourself frustrated that the creative juices just aren't flowing, that nothing exciting is coming to mind.  Then again, you never plan for this, you are only waiting for it to strike.  Maybe you shouldn't be hanging out on that end of the spectrum waiting for creativity to find you?  Maybe you should set aside some time in your schedule to go find it?  Or maybe, you ruthlessly schedule creative time and sit in your studio or in front of your computer with artist's block, banging your head against the proverbial wall with little to show for the effort?  This may be where it helps to loosen up a bit, step away, turn your mind to other things and maybe, just maybe, something will sneak upon you, once you stop paying attention to it.  

Perhaps you do neither.  In this case, you have to remind yourself to be ready when it happens.  When the thread of an idea starts to form, it may be best to set aside what you are doing and make the time for the idea to fully be realized.  It is a hybrid approach and sometimes this is what works.⁠

⁠The making of this camera portrait happened under such conditions, and inspired today's musings.  Hopefully it gives you something to think on.  Enjoy.

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It never fails to surprise us how much photographers love new leatherette coverings on classic cameras. Mike brought this beautiful OM-1 in on Monday morning, after putting a lovely slate gray covering on it over the weekend, and it sold before even two hours had gone by. We were lucky to get this portrait of it before it left the building.  ⁠

⁠Let this OM-1 serve as a little reminder that re-skinning cameras is a service we offer! Most reskins cost only $50 for a 35mm SLR (though please check with us first, there are so many different camera models out there and a new leatherette is not available for every camera, sadly). The price is even more affordable if you do it at the same time as a full refurbishing of the camera; then, the price drops to $30 for the new covering (in addition to normal refurbishing costs, of course). So, if you have an ailing Canon AE-1 or Minolta SRT, send it in to be revitalized inside and out!⁠

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In 2017, we celebrated our 15th annual Blue Moon Camera Customer Show!  Leading up to the show, we shared some of the show prints, along with the cameras that made them - this photo was made by Darren Hanlon on his Olympus OM-1.

What is the Customer Show?  Throughout the year, tens of thousands of images pass through the lab – some destined for the walls of a gallery, others for an esteemed place on the refrigerator.  Regardless of what our customers do with them afterward, each photo that comes through the lab is, at one point or another, held in the hands of a staff member and looked at.  We count the prints, check for dust, and make sure that they reach our standards of quality before they make it back to the customers themselves.  In all the bustle of the lab, there are the wonderful moments when we hold a print in our hands that makes us feel something and we have to just stop.  It may be an especially creative image, it may be the perfect execution of technique, it may be touching, profound, or just plain lovely.  When this happens, the staff member brings this stop-inducing photo around to the rest of the staff to share the experience and, if the majority approves and the photographer gives their blessing, the photo is selected for the Blue Moon Camera Customer Show.  We're always excited for this show as it is an opportunity to exhibit the work of our incredibly talented customer-base.  It's also an opportunity for a unique community of creatives to get together and have a fantastic time.  

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From a design standpoint, the OM-1 stands out from the pack of cameras we consider our 'go-to' student SLRs.  With the OM-1, Olympus set about redesigning the SLR from the ground up. 

The first important, and most noticeable, change is the size and weight of the camera.  The OM-1 is a very slim, very lightweight camera that, nonetheless, offers all of the mechanical, all-manual control that makes for a good student camera.  As small as the body is, it still offers one of the largest viewfinders found in an SLR.  One quick look through an OM-1 and you'll note just how easy it is to focus on your entire frame.⠀ ⠀

More significant still is the change in the control layout.  Forget what you already know about the orientation of camera controls; on the OM-1, the shutter speed dial is now located on the lens mount, instead of on top of the camera.  While this may throw you for a bit of a loop at first, you'll quickly realize the main advantage – focus, aperture, and shutter speed adjustment are all controllable with the same hand, all accessible without having to look away from the viewfinder.⠀ ⠀

Metering is likewise simple and intuitive, done via a match-needle system, similar to that of the Pentax K1000.   Another aspect of Olympus' rethinking of camera controls is the depth of field preview.  Instead of being built into the body of the camera, it is instead incorporated in the lenses themselves, allowing all Olympus lenses the use of this helpful feature.  The OM-1 also includes a self timer and mirror lock-up lever, giving it a well rounded list of additional abilities.⠀ ⠀

The advantages to this camera are its compact and elegant design; it is one of the smallest SLRs available.  The camera is all mechanical, needing battery power only for the light meter.  Another advantage is access to the entire range of superb quality Olympus lenses.⠀ ⠀

Some disadvantages to this camera are the adjustment to the layout of the cameras controls, although once accomplished, the slick design does lend itself to more intuitive handling.  Also, being the smallest out of the five, main camera manufacturers does make it a bit trickier to track down Olympus equipment, especially when compared to Nikon or Canon.⠀ ⠀

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Twins, featuring Olympus OM-1 and Olympus OM-1.  The only thing better than one OM-1 is two of them, right?  Coincidentally, two of our staff happened to dress near identically on the same day we happened to have a pair of matching black Olympus OM-1 cameras for them to model.  We love when serendipity works that way.

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The Olympus OM-1, a little camera full of big ideas.  In the pantheon of the reliable 35mm SLR, the Olympus cameras generally get overlooked.  They certainly hold their own against the K1000, SRT, AE-1, or the FM.  They are marvelously designed, compact bodies yet they possess some of the largest viewfinders.  Shutter, aperture, and focus are all located under one hand.  Depth of field preview is built into the lenses... And those Zuiko lenses!  In the immortal words of Teddy Roosevelt, "they walk softly and carry a big stick when it comes to quality."  The OM-1 is one of those cameras that is easy to overlook but the better you get to know it, the deeper your appreciation for it will become.

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We were given a super secret roll of film to put through a beta test recently, so we decided to try it out in style.  We had this Olympus OM-1 waiting to hit inventory and in need of testing, as well as this 55mm f/1.2 already out on our shelves.

What a pairing these make. The icing on the cake, of course, was the St. Johns Bridge as subject matter.

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You need all this glass to capture the full potential that each roll of fresh film will bring you. Additionally, the next time you can lay hands on an Olympus OM-1 check out that viewfinder: so big and so bright for such a compact SLR; it pairs wonderfully with a lens like this.

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