In the late 70’s I was a teenager and I saved up my summer job money for an OM-1. I rode a city bus downtown to buy it from a camera shop. It was my main camera until digital came along. I loved that camera and I still have it
Sounds exactly like my story. Mom and dad chipped in too. I still have that camera from Intentional Camera in Casselberry, Florida and I still have mom and dad too at 96. 😊
I worked in a camera store in the mid to late 70's. A customer came in one day with a Nikon F, we didn't deal with second-hand cameras but I bought it from him for personal use. A year or so later we got the new Olympus OM-1 into stock and I instantly fell in love with it. It was so much smaller and lighter than my Nikon F, so I bought one (with a nice staff discount) and I still have it today. I sold the Nikon F to someone but I wish now that I'd kept it! Pretty soon after we got the new Pentax ME and MX in stock. They were smaller and lighter than the previous K1000/KM/KX bodies, Pentax obviously took notice of what Olympus had done with the OM-1.
Love these cameras, I held out for ages trying to find a good condition black MX and just last month I managed to find one for sale from the original owner.
Would love to see a complete CLA of a Pentax MX. Like a detailed instruction on how to disassemble and clean the prism, viewfinder and focusing screen. Haven't really been able to find anything out there like that. Also how to fix the infamous stuck mirror.
These two are incomparable as all-mechanical SLRs. The features combined with their small size makes them unmatched - their only competition being each other. Both also have enormous viewfinders for people who don't wear glasses. The MX is - to my knowledge - the largest viewfinder of any 35mm SLR. I think the magnification is like 0.97 or something? Basically with a 50mm you can shoot with both eyes open. The OM1 is pretty similar. I used the MX for a very long time and it was my true introduction to photography. My old beast is still working but sadly the light meter is not. I'd love to get it fixed because the LED system is wonderful. Saying that, I love the shutter dial on the lens (I have an OM4). It's just a pity that they didn't think to design it with a window on the shutter speed and aperture (it would probably have necessitated putting the aperture ring at the back of the lens which would have made operation a bit tight between it and the shutter ring) for true operation while looking through the lens. You can technically operate the shutter dial of the MX with your right thumb - though this doesn't turn out to really be practical.
It's nice to see these two compared. I still have my MX I bought in 1977. I'd challenge the assertion that these were designed, considered or even called 'Pro' at the time. I certainly don't remember these ever marketed as such. I was a young photographer in the 1970's and in 35mm the Nikon F/F2 and Canon F1 were considered a 'pro' model. The OM1 was a first SLR design from Olympus targeting anyone while the MX was considered as a simpler ME/Spotmatic but not a 'Pro' models.
I too have the Pentax MX which I bought around 1980. The Pentax LX was the pro model, but I thought the MX was at least a semi pro model. Unlike the more amateur models like the ME/ME Super etc, the MX had pro features/accessories such as interchangeable focusing screens (of which I have two; a plain screen and one with grid lines. This was additional to the split circle screen). It had interchangeable backs like the data back (which I know the ME had available as well), but the MX also had a bulk film back allowing you to shoot up to 250 exposures. There was also both a winder and motor drive (for up to 5 fps) and a battery grip as an extra power source. From memory, the ME only had a winder capable of shooting up to two frames per second. I never had the OM1 and always wanted one, but I believe it too had very similar features and accessories which made it more than just an amateur focused camera (that the OM10/20 etc was).
Yeah because its one handed and therefor ergonomical despite the tiny format it is not until the Pentax ME Super till pentax had a reasonable almost close competitor.
Nice comparison. For the Pentax MX reliability, often times to fix a sticky shutter/mirror all it needs is a flush of alcohol which you can access from the bottom and cycling the shutter 20 or 30 times. Will need a good CLA at some point though to replace the lubricant.
I have an early OM-1 and used it for a couple years without a problem. The meter stopped working. No problem, sunny 16. Last month the shutter stopped and it won't advance. I love it and will send it off to get fixed. I've dropped back to using my OM-2SP which is fantastic as well. I just love the simplicity of the OM-1 better.
When using color slide film in the Olympus OM-1, then be aware that the shutter times 1/500 and 1/1000 is slow, so you have to "underexpose" to get correct lumination of the image.
Easy fix. Basically there are two gears under the bottom plate that control the mirror and they get really sticky. Clean with alcohol and then lightly oil. Same for spotmatics so if you find a video on fixing a spotmatic sticking mirror it's the same procedure.
I wish I liked LED/LCD meters. I just can't stand them. Just due to that, I strongly prefer the Canon New F1 over Nikon F3/ Pentax MX, LX, etc. I like the Nikon FE2 with the needle meter, and Konica T3, but the mechanical "feel" of the F1 won out over those I love the OM1 as well, but I don't need more than one manual focus SLR. I dislike the nFD lenses, so I pair the F1 with the SSC 50mm or the SSC 35-70mm F2.8-3.5. I had the zoom retrofit with teflon internals so it works like new 😁 Sure, it's not crazy sharp, but at 5.6+ it's got classic rendering and it's sharp enough.
They each have their own pros and cons; It's easier to see how over/under exposed a shot is with a needle, and it's a lot easier to see an LED readout in dark conditions. Personally I've never let it be a deciding factor.
Honestly I love the meter on my MX. It tells me if I'm 1 stop or half stop over or under and mainly it's really easy to see when it's dark out which I end up doing a lot during winter time.
One advantage of the Pentax MX over the Olympus OM-1: the MX is not power dependent on the battery for anything but the meter. If the battery goes dead in the MX, the camera, minus the meter, is still useable throughout its full range of functions. Such isn't the case with the OM-1, which is completely power dependent.
Neither camera is battery dependent for operation, they both only use battery for the light meter. Later OM-1s have an optional battery-powered motor for film advancing but the camera still works and can be operated manually without it.
I have an unusual question about the Olympus M-1 - the original Olympus film SLR. I always wanted to get an original Olympus M-1, made before Leica forced Olympus to change the name to OM . I am considering one now, however, the serial number on it is 2xx,xxx. I thought that Olympus started the production of M-1 with 100,000 and only made about 52,000 before switching the name to OM-1. I also heard that there are a number of fakes with M-1 top plate fitted on OM-1. Does anyone know the serial number range for the original Olympus M-1 film SLR? Thank you
