17 interactive lens diagrams
Olympus OM manual-focus SLR mount, 1970s-2000s | 35 mm SLR
Olympus OM was built around the idea that professional 35 mm SLRs could be smaller, quieter, and more elegant without giving up capability. The OM-1 arrived in 1972 after starting life as the M-1, and the mount supported compact Zuiko lenses and bodies such as the OM-1, OM-2, OM-3, and OM-4.
The system's design philosophy shows up in the lenses as much as in the bodies. OM lenses often emphasize small size, refined mechanical handling, and restrained barrel dimensions, while still covering a full 35 mm frame and preserving SLR viewing.
Wide-angle and macro designs are especially important in the system, and many Zuiko primes remain notable for fitting serious optical correction into barrels smaller than competing SLR lenses. In this catalog, OM designs make a good comparison point for compactness-driven manual-focus SLR engineering.
Flange focal distance 46 mm, bayonet mount. 0° at 12 o'clock from the camera front; the lens-side view is the horizontal mirror. Dotted strokes mark photo-scaled or schematic (not-to-scale) dimensions.