Olympus OM20 Vintage SLR 35mm Film Camera with f/1.8 50mm Prime Lens

Product Information

The OM20, also known as OM-20 and OM-G, was a 35-millimeter single lens reflex (SLR) film camera with an electronically controlled horizontal focal plane shutter manufactured by the Olympus Corporation of Japan in 1983. It was a competitively priced alternative to the OM10 with additional functions, and capable of using the same lenses and accessories available in the OM system. This film camera requires a pair of SR44 or LR44 batteries to operate, and without battery power, the film advance lever and shutter will appear jammed.

The Olympus OM-20 was made as a consumer version of the very popular Olympus OM cameras, which were introduced in the mid 1970s. Practically speaking, the OM-2 is a wonderful machine to use primarily due to its small size. Through the dogged work of famed designer Yoshihisa Maitani (whose name is immortalized by the “M” in “OM”) Olympus was driven to create a new world in which SLRs could be well-made and full-featured while still maintaining a tiny footprint. They succeeded with the OM-1, and that legacy carried on to subsequent OMs. The only downside to this, is that the camera is always on. While I’m not sure if the meter is constantly running or is only on when the shutter button is pressed, I still feel safer keeping the lens cap on at all times lest I find my batteries have died. The Lens Introduced in 1983, the Olympus OM-20 (OM-G) was the second camera in Olympus’ double-digit OM series. Built as a consumer version of the OM-2, the OM-20 had the same features as the OM-2, but a less strong build with some compromises in design. The Olympus OM system has a long history of both exceptional and under appreciated machines. While the OM1 was received by professional photogs, the press, and industry insiders as a marvel of miniaturization, design, and engineering, the brand didn’t seem to gain such a strong reputation with the casual user. Despite what Olympus had achieved in designing the OM, the company’s cameras were often considered by the masses to be somehow less than the cameras of Canon and Nikon.Debuting in 1986, the OM-4Ti enjoyed a remarkably long production run for a film camera, not being discontinued until 2002. It was a new and updated version of the earlier OM-4, enhanced with titanium top and bottom body plates, improved weather sealing, and a higher-speed flash sync. But beyond these important improvements, the OM-4Ti retained the earlier camera’s core DNA. And this is wonderful, considering that camera’s spec sheet. It’s also quite lightweight making it easy to carry around, and hold in one hand. Like many cameras of the era, the shutter release button and film advance lever are close and in a position that allows you to take an exposure, advance on, take an exposure, advance on with one hand with ease. The same can be said for the shutter speed if you decide to go for the manual adapter route. The aperture control, of course, can be found on the lens you choose. The ISO dial next to the shutter release allows you to set the ISO, as well as exposure compensation too.

This article needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. The 50-200/2.8-4 will be easily outperformed by cheaper 3rd party 100-400/150-500 lenses"—haha, maybe in your hallucinations, surely not in reality. And then we've not even talked about its ability to take 1.4x and 2x teleconverters with good results.

Final Thoughts

I must admit, that although these results were not what I was after, they made for some great story telling.