Olympus OM10 review by Ian Clements
The Olympus OM10 film camera is classed as an aperture exposure mode model that is simple to use. On the top left of the camera, you have the metering on/off switch with battery check and self-timer and on the right, your ISO setting - which should be lifted and turned to adjust the film speed being used. This also allows you to adapt some composure compensation if required. On the base of this dial, there is a switch allowing you to set the shutter speed to auto (recommended), bulb and manual adapter. You also have the film wind-on lever and shutter- count window as well. The manual adapter is an add-on Olympus produced to allow the user to adjust the shutter speed as well. The rewind switch is located on the front of the camera instead of being a button on the base. Just below this switch, you'll find the red light which flashes and beeps when you set the on/off switch to self-timer.
When framing up your shot through the eye-piece (which is very clear and easy to use), the shutter speed scale which ranges from 1 second to 1/1000th and the flash sync speed of 1/60th. When the camera is switched on, a red line appears next to the shutter speed the camera selects. It is worth noting that there is no window showing the film canister on the back of this model.
I left the store with a roll of Fuji Colour C200 film, set the ASA/ISO dial to 200 and headed out into the sunshine and Plymouth City Centre. Setting the aperture to F11, turned the camera on and focused on my chosen subject and with a soft touch on the shutter button, pressed. First picture taken.
After exhausting my fill with the City Centre, it was time to become a tourist and head up to The Hoe for some more pictures.
My second trip out with the camera was to The Garden House. There, the benefits of shooting using aperture priority came into its own by adjusting the aperture setting to maintain a shutter speed equal to or faster than the lens focal length or to achieve the desired bokeh effect the shot required.
One point worth mentioning is whenever I left the camera switched on, a power-saving mode kicked in, necessitating the need to switch the camera back on again to use the internal metering.
It was a pleasant couple of days with this camera which I found very easy to use. Yes, I found a couple of foibles in its handling – taking a shot when forgetting to turn the camera's metering system on and the battery-saving when the camera was left turned on … but actually, the latter is probably a good thing.
Would I recommend the Olympus OM10? Yes, I would. It makes an ideal beginner's camera for those who wish to shoot with something they can have some control over or as a second camera for those more experienced in camera use.
