The Olympus OM10 is by no means a classic go-to wedding camera – it’s certainly a great camera though. If you’re after a film camera to play all hipster with, this is a great one to look at. In fact, it’s so good Olympus has just come out with a digital version.
OLYMPUS OM10 REVIEW
The OM10 first went on sale in 1979 and as such this camera is 35 years old! That makes it 9 years older than Rach and I. This was in fact my Grandad’s old camera. “So what?” you might say. I’ve come over all hipster with my film camera. The reality of it is though, that this is a great camera. Without the optional Manual Shutter Speed selector add-on, this camera is permanently AE. So you set the aperture, faff about manual focusing and hit the shutter release. What more could you want?
The viewfinder in this camera can only be described as expansive – even though it’s only 93% coverage; 5% less than our 70D. With the standard Zuiko 50mm f1.8 clamped firmly to the front, you have loads of light to play with, which is just as well, because the focusing prism eats through quite a bit of that. Much like the more modern Eg-S high-accuracy focusing screen available for some of the EOS range, the OM10 has a split-prism focusing screen. Simply play with the focus until the tiny triangles around the central circle stop shimmering and the image lines up. Frankly it’s almost easier than focusing a more modern SLR with AF-confirm.
Handling-wise, coming from an SLR, the big thing missing is the grip. Back before you had to put a huge battery in an SLR, manufacturers didn’t need to bother with the huge hand grip on the front of the camera. As a result you just got a sturdy looking cuboid with a lens on the front. It’s lovely to hold, and to say it’s 35 years old you wouldn’t know it. This camera hasn’t aged at all. It’s classic industrial design fits in great with all the new mirrorless cameras around today.
So what about image quality? Everyone who owns one seems to think they’re great, which is probably why there’s so many around. Lomography love the OM10 too!
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