C41
Kodak Portra 400
Kodak Portra 400 is a professional C-41 color negative film known for flexible exposure latitude, natural skin tones, and fine grain.
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The Olympus OM-20 (1983, marketed as the **OM-G** in North America and some European markets) is the mid-tier consumer body that succeeded the OM-10 in the Olympus OM lineup. Where the OM-10 required a separately purchased manual adapter to access shutter speeds other than program AE, the OM-20 integrated manual exposure as a standard mode alongside aperture-priority and program. This made it a meaningfully more capable camera than its predecessor without approaching the complexity of the professional OM-2n or OM-4. The body retains the compact OM shell dimensions and accepts the full Zuiko lens lineup, while adding a limited mechanical fallback - bulb and 1/60s are available without battery power, a small but practical advantage over the fully electronic alternatives.
Reference
Recommended film stocks for the 35mm format your camera takes.
C41
Kodak Portra 400 is a professional C-41 color negative film known for flexible exposure latitude, natural skin tones, and fine grain.
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Kodak Tri-X 400 is a classic black-and-white film known for strong tonality, visible grain, and documentary character.
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Kodak Gold 200 is a daylight-balanced C-41 color negative film with warm color, moderate grain, and a classic consumer-film look.
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Labs in our directory that process 35mm film.
Before you buy used
About this camera
The OM-10's successor with built-in manual mode, program AE, and a mechanical fallback - the first truly complete consumer OM.
| Field | Value |
|---|
| Format | 35mm |
| Mount | Olympus OM |
| Years | 1983-1986 |
| Shutter | 1s - 1/1000s, electronic horizontal cloth |
| Flash sync | 1/60s |
| Meter | TTL center-weighted CdS |
| Modes | Program, aperture-priority, manual |
| Battery | 2x SR44 |
| Mechanical fallback | B + 1/60s |
| Price used | ~$80-180 |
The OM-10 launched in 1979 as Olympus's mass-market entry into the OM system. It sold well but drew criticism for requiring the optional manual adapter - a small accessory that plugged into the hot shoe - to set shutter speeds manually. The OM-20 resolved this in 1983 by integrating a full manual mode into the body alongside aperture-priority and the OM-10's program mode. The name differed by market: OM-20 in Japan and parts of Asia, OM-G elsewhere, presumably to signal "G" for a generational step forward.
Production ran until approximately 1986, overlapping briefly with the OM-PC (OM-40 Program) that launched in 1985. The OM-20 and OM-PC coexisted for a period before the older body was phased out, with the OM-PC taking over as the entry point in the manual-focus OM consumer line.
The OM-20 represents the fix Olympus should have shipped with the OM-10. The integrated manual mode transforms the camera from a program-only consumer body into a genuinely usable learning tool - a student can shoot program AE while getting comfortable with the camera, then progress to aperture-priority and manual as their technique develops, all without buying accessories. The mechanical fallback at B and 1/60s, while limited, gives a small margin of safety against dead batteries.
For contemporary buyers, the OM-20 sits at a comfortable price point: appreciably cheaper than the OM-2n and OM-4, while offering more capability than the OM-10. The SR44 batteries (rather than AA) are a minor inconvenience, but coin cells are reliable and long-lived compared to AA alkalines that can leak.
Full Olympus OM Zuiko system. Every OM-mount Zuiko lens is compatible. The most practical starter glass: Zuiko 50mm f/1.8 (compact, optically excellent, widely available), 28mm f/2.8, 135mm f/3.5, 35-70mm f/3.5-4.5 zoom. T-series flash units (T-20, T-32) provide OTF TTL flash metering. Motor drive compatibility follows standard OM system practice, though motor drives are rarely paired with the consumer-tier bodies.
BW
Ilford HP5 Plus is a flexible ISO 400 black-and-white film with classic grain and strong push-processing tolerance.
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Kodak Ektar 100 is a fine-grain C-41 color negative film with saturated color and high sharpness.
View profile →Olympus OM-20
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