It's all too easy to forget just how much of a revolution Olympus' cameras generated in the field of post-1950s photography. They were, with Yashica, leaders in producing half-frames and then with the development of the OM-1, the whole industry (well, perhaps not Leica and Contax initially) had to start producing smaller and lighter SLRs and lenses.
The Olympus PEN series of half-frames are even today still sought-after (if you can find one which is fully working) and Olympus re-introduced the PEN name for a number of its m4/3 cameras. It's only when you look at an Olympus PEN next to a roll of 35mm film that you get an idea as to just how compact the cameras were. In one of the images below, you can see this to good effect in the form of the OIympus PEN S - and that 3cm f2.8 D.Zuiko lens is blisteringly sharp!
In the second photo, you can see just how much Olympus' influence spread through the photographic manufacturing community. There you can see the Olympus half-frame next to a 35mm full frame camera - they were 10 years apart, the Olympus dating from 1962 and the Yashica from 1972. Consumers started demanding more compact and lighter cameras - especially as this period coincided with a massive post-War expansion in international travel; non-professionals were not keen in having their luggage weighed down with heavy photo gear!
And then a few decades later, Olympus broke the mould again with the introduction of the 4/3 digital system. Theye were never one to sit on their laurels...
The Olympus PEN series of half-frames are even today still sought-after (if you can find one which is fully working) and Olympus re-introduced the PEN name for a number of its m4/3 cameras. It's only when you look at an Olympus PEN next to a roll of 35mm film that you get an idea as to just how compact the cameras were. In one of the images below, you can see this to good effect in the form of the OIympus PEN S - and that 3cm f2.8 D.Zuiko lens is blisteringly sharp!
In the second photo, you can see just how much Olympus' influence spread through the photographic manufacturing community. There you can see the Olympus half-frame next to a 35mm full frame camera - they were 10 years apart, the Olympus dating from 1962 and the Yashica from 1972. Consumers started demanding more compact and lighter cameras - especially as this period coincided with a massive post-War expansion in international travel; non-professionals were not keen in having their luggage weighed down with heavy photo gear!
And then a few decades later, Olympus broke the mould again with the introduction of the 4/3 digital system. Theye were never one to sit on their laurels...
