5 Frames with a Olympus OM-1n – By Paulius Gailiunas

By Paulius Gailiunas

Olympus OM-1 is one of those cameras that everyone knows, and for good reason.  Once you pick one up you will definitely know what I mean – the whole thing oozes of quality – solidly built, nice to look at and has all the essentials for photography – nothing more, nothing less. It is also complemented by a huge selection of great lenses, needs no batteries to work and will probably last you a lifetime.

I’m often amazed at how Olympus managed to cram such a huge viewfinder in a camera body so compact. Coupled with the removable hot-shoe (one of my favourite features!), OM-1 barely obstructs the view in front of you – in use it feels totally different from most other SLR cameras.

Currently it is attached to a Zuiko 50mm f/1.4. It’s the silver nose version. I am yet to shoot any color film with it, but so far I’ve really liked how it renders B&W pictures. I know this lens gets a lot of hate on the internet, but so far I’ve been very happy with it.

Aside from Leicas, this particular Olympus is by far my favourite film camera and one of the few SLRs I actually like using. Most probably, because it creates that “…they don’t make it the way they used to…” feeling. And for most part, it is true – in these days of bloated, plastic, feature-rich cameras it is very pleasant to pick up a camera so small and simple, and yet be able to stay in full control of your photography.

All photos taken with the OM-1n and Zuiko 50mm f/1.4 (silver nose) on 400TX at box speed. Developed in HC-110 at 1+31. I’ve only recently began developing B&W  film myself. You learn so many things along the way. Plus, the time and effort involved really puts a certain value on each and every frame – something that is not the case with digital cameras.

I’ll share a few family moments here, I hope you enjoy these shots. One of the photos shows signs of light leaks but that has now been repaired and the camera is once again like new!

Visit my website at www.gailiunas.com

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Comments

Kodachromeguy on 5 Frames with a Olympus OM-1n – By Paulius Gailiunas

Comment posted: 20/02/2018

Paulius, these are wonderful negatives, and they have that classic Tri-X look. And what a nice family. 100 years from now, these negatives may still be in the family, while digital files will have disappeared into failed cloud companies or dead hard drives. As for black and white, it is, in many ways, a more effective way to evoke the emotions of the subjects. Don't worry about the black and white haters on the internet. Much of that hatred comes from the ignorant pseudo-photographers in comment cesspools like Dpreview.
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Reinhold Graf on 5 Frames with a Olympus OM-1n – By Paulius Gailiunas

Comment posted: 20/02/2018

Thank you for sharing this information. I'm keen on shooting a first film on my OM-1n :)
Did not know that the 1.4/50 get's a lot of hate on the web. What I read was loads of positive feedback about that lens.

Some really nice pictures ... go on )
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Dan Castelli on 5 Frames with a Olympus OM-1n – By Paulius Gailiunas

Comment posted: 21/02/2018

I liked your review. I was never an Olympus user, but I had high respect for the camera & system. What is the significance of your particular lens? I was only aware of the all-black versions of their lenses.
I like your pics of your family. Lots of love showing through.
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Lucas replied:

Comment posted: 21/02/2018

The silver nose means it's the earliest version of the lens being the first ones made. They are very similar to the black ones except that all silver nose lenses are single coated

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Karl Valentin on 5 Frames with a Olympus OM-1n – By Paulius Gailiunas

Comment posted: 21/02/2018

I tried the OM-1 for a while but it was to small for me even with a motordrive
Looking at the pictures I miss sharpness itself and sharpness at the right spot
but maybe it´s just because I didnt practice film for a long time now and are used
to the oversharped, photoshoped digital pictures......
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walker on 5 Frames with a Olympus OM-1n – By Paulius Gailiunas

Comment posted: 21/02/2018

lovely pics! being a OM-1 zealot I've only praises for this camera and zuiko lenses (I own both the 50mm f1.4 silver nose and the multi coat f1.8 lenses)
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Paulius Gailiunas on 5 Frames with a Olympus OM-1n – By Paulius Gailiunas

Comment posted: 21/02/2018

Thank you all! It is true that lots of digital pictures these days are oversharpened, and ever since I started shooting more film, I pretty much stopped sharpening all my digital photos. The only sharpening that goes on now is for prints only - and it works great.
As for the lens, the silvernose 50mm 1.4 is single coated and that coating is known to be radioactive. Not as much as to harm you, but still... That is my only worry about the lens, to be honest.
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Danny on 5 Frames with a Olympus OM-1n – By Paulius Gailiunas

Comment posted: 13/01/2019

These are stunning family portraits and beautifully demonstrate the magic and beauty of film. Thanks for sharing them with us!
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