tmkostoroski

I recently sold all of my Nikon gear as it was getting too much to lug around on hikes at 75. On the recommend of my sister and a bunch of other research I purchased an OM-1 with the 12-40 lens. I consider myself to be an amateur photographer. With that in mind here are some of my observations for what it's worth. No external battery charger. The battery must be charged in camera. Not a real big deal just an inconvenience I'm going to have to get used to. The main dials are difficult to access as they are somewhat recessed into the body. "The Basic manual" consists of 3 pages repeated in 28 languages. Many of the menu items are difficult to understand as I am so used to Nikon terminology. It took me an hour to figure out that the lens has a Tokina style AF/MF clutch. I'm still looking for a video or pdf that explains some of what the menu features do. I'm of the opinion that it's designed for previous Olympus owners. I've only used it once and image quality is excellent. Live ND is awesome. It has some other interesting features I'm looking forward to exploring. In short, switching from a lifetime of Nikon to OM system has been quite an experience.

redrocktom Loc: Sedona

There is a battery charger. you must buy it separately.

Try this for a good features guide: https://mirrorlesscomparison.com/guide/om1-settings-birds/#more-32031

ricardo00

Thanks for your initial thoughts! Will look forward to hearing how it works out. Any idea of which telephoto lens you will get?

wdross Loc: Castle Rock, Colorado

We all agree that it was not nice that OMDS made the battery charger an extra purchase. But this is the way many corporations are starting to operate. Like you noted, you can at least charge your battery. And buy a second battery while you are at it as backup for forgetting to charge the other battery or unplanned extra heavy use. So far I have yet to go through a battery in a day but have come awfully close.

Go to the Rocky Nook book site and buy the OM-1 book that covers the camera. You will not regret it.

tmkostoroski

I have but considering additional lens purchases but have decided to hold off for now. The learning curve seems to be a bit steeper than anticipated.

drsdayton Loc: Dayton, Ohio

Phil Norton has a great guide to the OM-1. You can find it here:

https://www.philnortonphotographyblog.co.uk

mizzee Loc: Boston,Ma

Batteries: You can go to B&H and there’s a Wasabi charger with two slots so you can charge two batteries at a time and it’s not very expensive. Manual: Darrell Young writes a lot of “Mastering the ____” published by RockyNook. I just checked Amazon and didn’t find one for the OM1 though. Olympus usually supplies a larger manual for their cameras but doesn’t include them in the box.

tmkostoroski

Thanks I went to the om system website and was able to download the full manual. The only thing on rocky nook was a pocket guide.

Peteso Loc: Blacks Hills

Learning any new camera system has a learning curve. There are several aftermarket books and guides for the OM-1. Just search on Amazon and you will get several hits. Rather than fumbling around on a trial by error basis, they will flatten your learning curve.

Also, I don’t have the OM Systems OM-1, but I do have three Olympus EM1 predecessors, and I was able to download exhaustive Olympus User Manuals. Have you checked for that? There may even be a URL in the printed materials you received with your camera.

jgm

I found this to be a very helpful- but long- video explaining the OM1s menus items with demonstrations and setup tips. Best I've come across ...

OMSYSTEM.Cameras Customising your OM-1

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IaqQD1Fzr6g&t=3926s

wdross Loc: Castle Rock, Colorado

As you can see, there is plenty of info for you to peruse. Just so you know, some of us will envy you. I am still about two years out from selling my E-M1 mkII, making my E-M1 mkIII backup, and buying the OM-1.

bkwaters

Don’t overthink it and take the fun out of a new camera. Set it to AF- C with eye focus. For landscapes use aperture priority and for kids, sports and moving animals, shutter priority. Let the camera do the rest of the work.

JimRPhoto Loc: Raleigh NC

Hello TMK. Like you, I got my first Olympus camera and lenses because of size and weight. Once you register your camera, you should be getting emails from Olympus that regularly offer webinar type tutorials. Some of their experts talk about types of photography such as landscape, macro. But other tutorials are specifically on the camera, its feature, tips and hints and so forth. Initially I found these very useful. Also I always download the complete manual to my iPad so it will always be handy and available. Hope this helps. JimR

Jerrin1 Loc: Wolverhampton, England

You only need to access the OM Systems webpage for the pdf manual. Very few electrical items come with paper manuals these days, most are downloaded as a pdf, which can, of course, be printed off. The menu is easy to understand and there are several pages of "My Menu" in which to store your most used settings. You can also assign your most used settings to C1 - C4 and access them at the turn of a dial.

Jeannie88

I also switched from Nikon to Olympus about six and a half years ago. The transition was a steep learning curve for me, as the menu system was soo much more complicated than Nikon's. Get a hold of a good book. I used Darrel Youngs book for two of my Olympus cameras, But now that I have caught on a bit better, I didn't need a book for my EM1x. Good rational, as I couldn't find one. All that being said, I LOVE Olympus, but when I buy the om1, I will buy the charger, and extra batteries. Extra batteries are a good thing, and for me, the om1 uses a different battery than 2 of my 3 cameras.