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Re: [OM] OM Preference-Vote (Was Wish List -Summary & Petition)

Subject: Re: [OM] OM Preference-Vote (Was Wish List -Summary & Petition)
From: "Marco" <tom@xxxxxxxxxxxx>
Date: 18 Jan 98 23:11:06 +0100
On Dom, 18 gen 1998 9:10, Terry and Tracey
<mailto:foxcroft@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote: 
>What are/were the 77 and 88? I've heard of them, but know nothing about
them
>

In 1986 Olympus made an AFcamera, called 0M77 or 0M707 in Europe. The AF OM
mount was/is fully compatible with hereafter called "conventional" OM
lenses, but not vice versa, that is you cannot attach an AF OM lens on a
conventional OM body. This seems more due to marketing strategies than to
technical difficulties. With the OM77 Olympus made a small series of OM AF
lenses, not called "Zuiko" anymore. Some of these lenses are identical,
optically, to older "conventional" ones (f.i. the 35-70 3.5-4.5, the 50
1.8, the 24 2.8), other ones are entirely new. The camera features an
incorporated winder-rewinder (single and sequence settings), faster
vertical shutter, brighter fixed screen (than most 1-xx series), f/ info in
the viewfinder (digital), memory of exposure reading, program mode, auto
mode with conventional lenses, TTL flash reading (T-xx compatible), AF
flash reading, infrared help to AF sensor, PF (a kind of motorized manual
focusing called "power focus") mode, a power and flash grip (optional), a
sort of handle with four AAA alkalines and a small retractile flash. On the
lenses there are few goldn pins with the f/ and other (?) info. The AF
lenses cannot be focused or diaphragmed manually, since they  have no dial.
DX setting only.

Two years later Olympus gave birth to another new camera, called OM88 or
OM101 in Europe. This camera, similar to the 77, featured the PF focusing
mode only. Was accompanied by a smaller series of "PF" lenses, intended to
be cheaper than AF. Normal lens was a 50 f/2! These PF lenses cannot be
used on the 77 camera since they miss all the golden pins. Of course you
can use the AF lenses on the 88, instead. No memory but a backlight button.
The 88 camera featured a common OM TTL flash attachement and an optional
manual adapter called (what else?) Manual Adapter 2. This adapter let you
determine both f/ and times, since with AF or PF lenses you were in Program
mode only. This camera was intended to be a cheaper semi-AF camera. For it
was designed the T18 flash, that is a small flash TTL only. A normal auto
flash would be useless if you cannot set the diaphragm!

So you can mout and use conventional OM lenses on all OM cameras. 
You can mount and use all OM lenses on the OM88 camera.
You can mount all lenses on the OM77 camera, but can use only the
conventional and the AF ones.
You cannot mount PF or AF lenses on conventional OM cameras.

Last AF lens was the 50 f/2 macro (looks interesting?) introduced on 1991,
afaik. 

So we have three 50 f/2: a prototype of an aftercalled 50 1.8, a PF lens
and a macro AF lens. 

Marco



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