Designed by Yoshihisa Maitani, the Steve Jobs of the camera world, The OM-1 was a revolutionary masterpiece. It was significantly smaller, lighter, and probably better than any 35mm camera that had been released at that point. Despite that it had a large bright viewfinder, some of the best lenses on the market, and was robust enough for professional photo journalism or field work. I have heard OM cameras being described as the Saabs of the camera world - sleek designs, impressive engineering, a cult following, and a little bit up their own arse. It sounds about right to me.

This all-black version holds an exceptionally special place among purists and street photographers. Originally favoured by field photojournalists for its low-profile looks, a well used version develops a gorgeous golden brass patina along the edges as the black enamel wears down. this one is still very black after a mere 50 years. Maybe if I keep using it I might see some brass for its 75th birthday - which will be around the same time as my own.

The OM-1 is a purely mechanical camera worked entirely on clockwork and Japanese mechanical brilliance. It does (or can) take a batter for the light meter in the viewfinder, but it then utterly ignores it and mechanically fires to the settings you have locked in - all the way up to 1/1000th of a second.

The production code on this camera is S6Y. I used this link to try and work out what that means....

S: Signifies the assembly plant facility :Shibuya
6: Identifies the exact year of the decade: 1976.
Y: Represents the month of production. The Olympus internal alpha-calendar utilised digits 1–9 for January through September, meaning X was October, Y is November, and Z was December.

Purchased on eBay in 2026 for £133. Came with a standard 50mm 1.4 Zuiko.