Olympus time capsule.

lxmike

lxmike

M2 fan.
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A five hour round trip today to pick up an Olympus OM-1 and I was flabbergasted when I picked it up. The person selling it was doing so on behalf of its 92 year old owner. I must point out that I have been buying, using cameras since the mid 1970s and I have not come across a camera in such good condition for its age Its mint with no signs of use what soever, as are the accessaries that came with it including hoods, filters olympus paperwork, 28/3.5, gadget case and lens case. I feel like I have hit the jackpot and all for just £120. They even through in 8 rolls of film. Needless to say I am very happy.


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lxmike said:
A five hour round trip today to pick up an Olympus OM-1 and I was flabbergasted when I picked it up. The person selling it was doing so on behalf of its 92 year old owner. I must point out that I have been buying, using cameras since the mid 1970s and I have not come across a camera in such good condition for its age Its mint with no signs of use what soever, as are the accessaries that came with it including hoods, filters olympus paperwork, 28/3.5, gadget case and lens case. I feel like I have hit the jackpot and all for just £120. They even through in 8 rolls of film. Needless to say I am very happy.
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Wow... congratulations on that, Mike. It looks absolutely pristine. What a find!
 
A few years ago, I found a Yashica Electro in very good condition. Likewise, it had been stored for some years.
The Yashica is very good order, but not - I would say - as close to new condition as your Olympus.

Anyway, enjoy the OM-1 Mike. Great camera!
 
I hope you love using the OM-1 as much as I love mine. Mine looked as nice as yours but it should have as I bought it new in 1978. I went all that time with my original 28mm, 50mm, and 135 but bought another lens that really rounded it out, a Zuiko Macro 50mm f/3.5 in 2021.
 
Great little cameras. I'd inspect the door seals and mirror foam, that stuff will deteriorate from age, even if the gear has been stored in the best of conditions.
 
Congrats, especially on the spotless viewfinder! There is a foam that touches the prism from above and usually the prism starts to desilver there.
 
Worth every penny, and all the emotional highs and lows of it acquisition. I'll bet even your wife will (grudgingly) admit you did well! At least, I hope so...
Now, the important question: Will you remove or retain the JCII sticker? I've always hated those things, but others seem to feel they give the camera an additional retro aura. This question will no doubt start a fiercely impassioned debate amongst the collectors here. I'm always happy to stir up a little trouble!
 
tbhv55 said:
A few years ago, I found a Yashica Electro in very good condition. Likewise, it had been stored for some years.
The Yashica is very good order, but not - I would say - as close to new condition as your Olympus.

Anyway, enjoy the OM-1 Mike. Great camera!
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Many thanks , I still cannot believe I got the camera in such a great shape.
 
neal3k said:
I hope you love using the OM-1 as much as I love mine. Mine looked as nice as yours but it should have as I bought it new in 1978. I went all that time with my original 28mm, 50mm, and 135 but bought another lens that really rounded it out, a Zuiko Macro 50mm f/3.5 in 2021.
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Many thanks, I much admit I have always had a soft spot for Zuiko glass.
 
Retro-Grouch said:
Worth every penny, and all the emotional highs and lows of it acquisition. I'll bet even your wife will (grudgingly) admit you did well! At least, I hope so...
Now, the important question: Will you remove or retain the JCII sticker? I've always hated those things, but others seem to feel they give the camera an additional retro aura. This question will no doubt start a fiercely impassioned debate amongst the collectors here. I'm always happy to stir up a little trouble!
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Funny enough she did say, 'ooo thats a pretty thing', which is unusual for her, as for the JCII, well the nostalgic side of me kind of likes them.
 
lxmike said:
Our cameras could be twins, my seriaView attachment 4823358l number is 1545750, heres another image of it.
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Ah, lucky you. Your OM1 belongs to the batch of OM-1 that *does not* contain any foam on the prism. That is why it is spotless. After this batch, the "n" variant started and Olympus put foam on *all* OM-1n cameras. You cannot find a OM-1n without prism damage.
 
p.giannakis said:
Ah, lucky you. Your OM1 belongs to the batch of OM-1 that *does not* contain any foam on the prism. That is why it is spotless. After this batch, the "n" variant started and Olympus put foam on *all* OM-1n cameras. You cannot find a OM-1n without prism damage.
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Thank you for taking the time out to reply and the information is so interesting, it explains why the prism is the most spotless I have ever seen
 
p.giannakis said:
Ah, lucky you. Your OM1 belongs to the batch of OM-1 that *does not* contain any foam on the prism. That is why it is spotless. After this batch, the "n" variant started and Olympus put foam on *all* OM-1n cameras. You cannot find a OM-1n without prism damage.
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So what age would that make my camera?
 
lxmike said:
So what age would that make my camera?
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In order to do that, you need to remove the film pressure plate and check the code stamped on it. Hopefully no-one swapped the film backs on yours.
Mine says "S946" - first digit is a factory code. Second digit is the year and third digit is the month. Mine is "1979 June". Not sure what is the last digit.
Your code might be different- early om1 used letters for the month (I.e a=jan)

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p.giannakis said:
In order to do that, you need to remove the film pressure plate and check the code stamped on it. Hopefully no-one swapped the film backs on yours.
Mine says "S946" - first two digits are factory code. 4 means april and 6 is 1986.
Your code might be different- early om1 used letters for the month (I.e a=jan)

View attachment 4823359
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thanks thats very useful tip to know.
 
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