Completing the Trinity - the M1

 If you have read the previous posts, you will know that having three cameras is better than having one. While OM1s and 2s have come and gone over the last couple of years, three seems to have been the average number kept at any one time. 

One of the earliest posts mentioned the fairly elusive Olympus M1, the very first version of the OM1, renamed after the people at Leica pointed out that their M1 got there first. Around 50,000 M1 bodies were made before the name change, and while they do appear for sale, mostly in Japan, the prices are pretty steep compared to the run of the mill OM1. So when an M1 came up for sale in this country, all apparently working well, and for only a bit more than normal, I dived in.

The date codes under the film pressure plate say it was made in December 1972, about seven months after production began, and shortly before the name change in early '73. And does it work as promised? Yes it does. The light meter is slightly out, but I think setting the film speed one stop faster will bring it back into line. The first film through a new (to me) camera is always a bit of a gamble, so I tend to go for something cheap - Fomopan or Kentmere - and process it myself. The results are fine, so the M1 joins the OM1 (chrome) and OM1 (black) to complete the line-up. 


Olympus M1, Zuiko 24mm, Kentmere 100




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