5 Frames With An Olympus OM10 – Gavin Bain

Firstly, I would like to confess my undying love for Kodak Gold 100. It has been one of my favourite film stocks to shoot for years, and sadly it’s not a film that you can walk into a store and buy anymore. I have 1 roll left in my fridge that I’m saving for the perfect outing once it presents itself, but as of December 2018 it is yet to manifest. I’m told Pro Image 100 is the equivalent but I haven’t tried some yet.

Before I purchased this camera, I was shooting on Prakticas, more specifically a MTL3 and a LLC. I loved them, but they were heavy and clunky. The shutter sounded like a gun going off, and I was very into street photography at the time so it was distracting and awkward. Plus my LLC had a problem that I still can’t put my finger on. It overexposed and washed out any image I made with it regardless of settings. So I hit the thrift stores near my house and found an Olympus OM10 with the F. Zuiko 50mm f1.8 and a Tokina 135 f2 for a ridiculously good price. I can’t remember exactly what that price was but I can tell you it wasn’t what thrift stores are charging these days!

A day later and a fresh pack of batteries (which are easily bought in any grocery store) and a roll of Kodak Gold 100 loaded up, I ventured into town with a friend to try out my new lightweight set up. The combination of the two resulted in sharp, vivid images with extremely fine grain! The OM10 was a joy to use in every way, and the Kodak Gold was just fantastic on the bright summers day.

I personally love the warmer feel of Kodak films, and the Gold 100 handled orange’s exceptionally well, as referenced in the shot of the Queen Victoria Building.
However, it didn’t handle skin tones favourably so I would shy away from using it for portraiture, unless you have very fair skin like myself and could benefit from a tan reminiscent of President Trump’s.

If you made it this far, I appreciate you giving me some of your time to read my experience shooting with this set up. Remember, stay broke and shoot film!

Instagram: @gavinbain
www.gavinwbain.darkroom.tech

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9 thoughts on “5 Frames With An Olympus OM10 – Gavin Bain”

  1. I’m glad you enjoyed the OM-10, and seeing posts about it mad emy day.
    I have 2 OM-1s (not 10s) and adore them. I upgraded to the 1.4 50mm Zukio lens and it is by far my favorite piece of glass.

  2. Are these scans of prints ? There’s something very timeless looking in them. I especially like the first picture. You’re right, the colors of kodak gold are really something ! Have you tried the 200 version ? The grain is more noticeable but for some application that could play in your advantage.

  3. Cool! another OM shooter!! I picked up an OM-20 (or the OMG) when I was first starting to get back into photography. I have committed to the Olympus OM line as my 35mm kit. The Zuiko lenses are fantastic, compact and produce wonderful images.

  4. Nice to read about someone using an OM10. An OM10 was the first SLR that I bought. I had saved my money from a part time job to buy a different model and when I went to the local camera shop to make the purchase, the owner of the shop showed me the new Olympus camera that had just come out that week, the OM10. I bought it and used that camera constantly for the next 8 years until it died. About a year ago I found one at an estate sale with the 28mm 3.5 and bought a second OM10 (forty years later) for $2.50. Thanks for the article. It is a nice little camera.

  5. Like Tom, the OM-10 was the first SLR that I used. I obsessed over the specs for comparable cameras before choosing the OM-10 and I loved using it. I bought a second one and used both of them for some time. I’ve owned and used a couple of medium format cameras and several stereoscopic cameras, but those two OM-10s got me started in serious photography. I’ve stuck with Olympus ever since.

  6. I’ve had a few OM10s and I really love them. Using aperture priority makes shooting much easier. The unit is a quite small compared to other SLRs of the time. That Zuiko glass is beautiful too. My 50mm f/1.8 is great but I’d love something faster! Great article and lovely images. The reds and oranges come out well on Kodak Gold.

  7. Somehow, an OM10 wound up in my collection. I don’t remember how; I know I didn’t buy it. I’ve never used it. Recently I decided to take out all of my 35mm SLRs (weather and time permitting) and shoot with them all. I’m anxious to shoot with the OM10, but there are a couple/few other cameras ahead of it.

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