OLYMPUS OM 40 User manual

Thank you for choosing the Olympus OM-40 PROGRAM. This camera is equipped with a unique ESP
(Electro-Selective Pattern) metering system. By combining this metering mode with the automatic film speed
setting mode and programmed exposure mode, anyone can take perfectly exposed pictures with ease. Before
using the camera, please read this operation manual carefully through while checking with your camera to
become familiar with this versatile SLR.

Note: All the components of the Olympus OM-40 PROGRAM are carefully designed and their production and
assembly is strictly controlled to enhance the unmatched performance of the system. If any interchangeable
lenses, flashes, or accessories other than Olympus products are used, Olympus cannot be responsible for poor
results or damage of the OM-40 PROGRAM.


                         TABLE OF CONTENTS


< Preparations before Taking Pictures >           ·

· Mounting the Lens - 11                   < Taking Photographs (II) >

· Loading the Batteries - 13                             · How to Take Aperture-Preferred Automatic
                                            Exposure Pictures 26
· Checking the Batteries - 14
                                                               · Manual Exposure 29
·Setting the Camera for Automatic Film Speed
Setting 15                                                  · Manual Film Speed Setting 31

· Loading the Film 16                                    · Exposure Compensation 33

< Taking photographs (I) >                < Other Operations >

Pictures with ESP Metering 20                         · Using the Self-Timer 35

· Rewind the Film 23                                     · Bulb Exposure 37

How to Take Programmed Automatic Exposure

www.butkus.us


< Advanced Techniques >

· Selecting the Metering Mode
                                     < OM SYSTEM >
(A Choice of Two Metering Modes) 39
                                                               · Flash Photography 62
· Selecting the Metering Mode
                                                               · T-Series Flashes / Mounting the Flash 63
(How to Use ESP Metering) 41
                                                               · How to Use T-Series Flashes 64
· Guide to Selection of Exposure Mode 46
                                                               · Bounce Flash / Close-up Flash 65
· Selecting the Exposure Mode
                                                               · Using Electronic Flashes Other Than Olympus
--PROGRAM-- ..47                              T-Series Units 66

· Program Diagrams ..48                                 · Shooting with Motor Drive 67

· Selecting the Exposure Mode                         · Motor Drive Group Units 68

--AUTO (Aperture Preferred) - 52                     · Macrophotography 69

· Depth of Field 52                                        · Macrophoto Group Units 70

· Preview Button 52                                      · Other System Units 71

· Shutter Speeds 52                       < For Longer Service of Your Camera >

·Viewfinder Display for Automatic Exposure 54    · Handling Care 73

· Selecting the Exposure Mode--MANUAL-- 55    · Storage Care 73

· Combinations of Metering Mode and Exposure    · Questions and Answers 75
Mode 56
                                                               · Description of Controls 79
Selecting the Film Speed Setting Mode 57
                                                               · Specifications 82
· Bulb Exposure 59

· Multiple Exposure / Infrared Photography 60

www.butkus.us





SPECIFICATIONS

Type: TTL auto-exposure 35mm SLR camera

Film Format: 24mm x 36mm.

Lens Mount: Olympus OM Mount.

Shutter: Horizontal running electronic control type focal plane shutter with automatic exposure controls from 2
sec. to 1/1000 sec.

Synchronization: X contact. Hot shoe with direct contact for OM T-Series electronic flash units.

Metering System: ESP (Electro-Selective Pattern) Metering and TTL Direct "off-the-film" Light Metering
(center-weighted averaged metering).

Programmed Automatic Exposure: Type; Electronic shutter with automatic settings of aperture and shutter
speed. Light measuring range; 2 - 1/1000 sec. (with ISO 100 film and 50mm F1.4 lens), EV 40 - 18.

Aperture-Preferred Automatic Exposure: Type; Automatic exposure control with aperture-preferred
electronic shutter. Light measuring range: 2 - 1/1000 sec. (with ISO 100 film and 50mm F1.4 lens). EV 0 - 18.

Manual Exposure: B, 1 - 1/1000 sec.

Auto Flash Exposure: Choice of "OTF" Auto Flash or "OTF" Program Flash. Direct contacts for "OTF" Auto
Flash. (Full automatic flash with T-Series Flash); Automatic shutter speed setting for flash exposures.

Exposure Compensation: + / - 2 EV in 1/3 stop increments.

Film Speed: ISO 25 - 3200. Selection of automatic setting for DX coded films or manual setting.

Film Advance: Film advance lever with 130° angle for one long or several short strokes and pre-advance angle
30°. Motor drive and winder usable.

Film Rewind: Rewind crank.

Viewfinder: Pentaprism eye-level type. Wide field finder with bright Lumi-Micron Matte focusing screen with
central microprism/split image rangefinder. Finder view-field: 93% of actual picture field. Finder magnification:
0.92X with 50mm lens at infinity.

Viewfinder Information: LED multi-mode display (1 min. limiter),

Self-timer: 12 second delay electronic self-timer. Setting by lever. Automatically cancelled by film advance.
Audio-visual LED and PCV indications.

Battery Check: 3-level display with LED and alarm sound.

Camera Back: Non-detachable, with window for reading DX coded film information.

Grip: Large elastic grip on front and rear of camera with non-slip texture..

Power Source: Two 1.5V silver oxide (SR44) batteries or alkaline-manganese (LR44) batteries.

Dimensions: 135.5 x 86 x 53mm (5.33" x 3.39" x 2.09") (Body only).

Weight: 460 g. (16.2 oz.) (Body only).





                              <Preparations before Taking Pictures>





The Olympus OM-40 PROGRAM is basically designed for automatic film speed setting with

DX coded film.

www.butkus.us

      Mounting the Lens





Remove the rear lens cap.



Remove the body cap.





Align the red dots and rotate the lens clock wise
until it locks.





Remove the front lens cap.



Removing the Lens:

Press the lens release button and turn the lens
counter-clockwise

Loading the Batteries





      Remove the battery cover. .



      Wipe battery surfaces clean. Make sure that +
         signs are facing upwards.

         (battery type - SR44 / LR44, very common type
          batteries. About $2 each)





            Checking the Batteries
After inserting the batteries, always check as follows:





        Rotate the mode selector dial to the "BATTERY
      CHECK" position



           If the sound becomes intermittent or the LED
         blinks, replace batteries.

www.butkus.us



Setting the Camera for Automatic Film Speed Setting




       Make sure the film you are using is marked "DX".
             If the film you are using is not marked ""DX""
           refer to page 31.





          Set the film speed dial to





               Loading the Film





          Pull up on the rewind knob to open the camera
          back.



          Place the film cartridge in the film chamber.
         (Always load film in the shade.}

Insert the film leader into the take-up spool.





Wind the film and make sure the sprocket teeth
catch both the upper and lower film perforations.



Take up the slack by turning the rewind crank
clockwise





Close the camera back until it clicks into place.
Take two blank shots. This will bring the film to
the first frame.





Checking the type of film:

The film check window in the camera back will
allow you to check the type of film loaded in the
camera.

www.butkus.us


                             < Taking Photographs (I) >

This chapter explains how to take programmed automatic exposure pictures with ESP metering.

In this mode, anyone can enjoy taking pictures with ease, even in difficult lighting conditions such as backlight.

         How to Take Programmed Automatic Exposure Pictures with ESP Metering





                          Make sure the camera is set for the ESP meter



                                   Set the mode selector dial to the "PROGRAM"
                                      position.





                                   Set the lens to its minimum aperture.





                                   Press the shatter release lightly to activate the
                                  viewfinder display.

                            (A built-in battery conserves turns off the
                                  viewfinder display after 60 seconds.)

Focus on your subject.





The    mark will appear in the finder when
ESP metering is adjusting the exposure.



Press the shutter release to take the picture.





    Rewinding the Film



When the exposure counter indicates the end of
your roll of film





Push the "R" button.

www.butkus.us





                                    Fold out the rewind crank and wind it until the
                                       film tension is released.



                              Open the camera back by pulling up on the
                                   rewind knob and remove the film.





                             < Taking Photographs (II) >

This mode a; you to respond creatively to the photo situation l free selection the lens aperture, shutter speed and
exposure compensation settings.

              How to Take Aperture-Preferred Automatic Exposure Pictures


                                           Set the mode selector dial to the "AUTO"
                                               position.



                                             Select the light metering mode.





                                        ESP Metering

                                          "OTF" Light Metering

Set the aperture.

Basic aperture setting





Press the shutter release lightly to activate
the viewfinder display.

Focus on your subject

www.butkus.us


Press the shutter release to take the photograph.





If you see an overexposure warning signal (the
number "1000" blinks), set the aperture to a
larger number.





If the shutter speed is too slow, set the aperture
to smaller number to prevent camera shake.



    Manual Exposure





Set the mode selector dial to the "MANUAL"
position





Set the aperture

Select the shutter speed.





Focus, then press the shutter release.

To Obtain the Proper Exposure:

Set the shutter speed ring to the setting indicated
in the viewfinder.


        ESP Metering


        "OTF" Light Metering





 Manual Film Speed Setting




 Release the DX ISO AUTO SET mode.

 Lift up the outer collar and rotate until the
 desired ISO speed appears in the window.

www.butkus.us




     Readjust the index line.



      If the film speed dial (exposure
    compensation dial) cannot be turned to
     the ISO number of the film used set it
    once at an intermediate value then repeat
     steps 2 to 3 until the desired ISO number
      is set.





Exposure Compensation



 For exposure compensation, set the dial
 anywhere except at "DX ISO AUTO SET".

 When an exposure compensation is set, the
 indicator lights in the viewfinder.





 · After shooting, return the dial to its
 original position.

<Other Operations>


                                     Using the Self-Timer





                                Wind the film once.





                                          Set the self-timer lever.





                                         Press the shutter release to start the self-
                                            timer. The shutter will fire in 12 seconds.

                               Wind the film for the next shot. The self-
                                         timer lever will automatically return to its
                                             original position.

                                                     If you continue to use the self-timer, wind the
                                          film in several short strokes, and it will
                                      remain activated. Take note that shutter will
                                                  fire even if you return the self-timer lever to
                                                       its original position while it is running.

www.butkus.us





    Bulb Exposure





Set the mode selector dial to the "MANUAL"
position.





Set the shutter speed dial to "B" (bulb). ("B"
is not displayed in the viewfinder.)

Advanced Techniques

If you want to improve. your pictures or refine your shooting techniques, it is important to understand the
operation of your camera thoroughly. The following pages will provide detailed technical information on the
OM-40 PROGRAM to help you create more sophisticated photographs.

SELECTING THE METERING MODE (A Choice of Two Metering Modes)


                                                                Features
                                               1. This mode can be selected for general use at all
                                            times.
                                               2. Depending on the light distribution in the
                                       composition metering is carried out as follows:

                                   * When the central part of the composition is darker
                                         than areas on the periphery, the camera computer
                                            increases the exposure to compensate according to the
                                        degree of difference in brightness indicated.

                                   * When the central area is brighter than the rest of the
                                       composition the camera sets a predetermined
                                      compensation value to reduce the exposure.

                               *When the sun or other extremely bright light sources
                                        appear directly in the composition they are ignored in
                                   making the exposure calculation.

                               *When the whole composition is illuminated evenly the
                                     camera operates in the same way as in TTL Direct
                                 "OTF" Auto Mode (using center-weighted average
                                           metering). In this case the ESP Metering symbol doss
                                          not appear.
                                               1. This mode should be selected when you do not warn
                                              to leave everything up to the camera, but prefer to set
                                            the exposure according to your own experience, 'feel'
                                     and creative requirements.

                                               2. In this mode the camera decides the exposure by
                                           taking an average (center-weighted) of the brightness of
                                            the overall composition, without analyzing light
                                              distribution in different parts of the composition.

www.butkus.us


ESP (Electro-Selective Pattern)
Metering

Generally, a photograph includes objects
with different levels of brightness. Center-
weighted averaged light metering is an
excellent method to; the majority of            · TTL Direct Off-The-Film "OTF" Light
ordinary subjects. It averages the light       Metering
intensity in a picture frame to determine      (Center-Weighted Average Metering)
exposure. With backlighting and other
types of illumination, however, this          This is the direct, center-weighted,
metering method may not provide correct    averaged light metering system which
exposure because the light level often      Olympus pioneered in the original model
differs between the subjects and          OM-2. It measures the brightness of the
backgrounds. The Olympus OM-4 OM-3     subject as the light registers on the film
and OM-2 SPOT/PROGRAM have          during the actual exposure. "OTF"
adopted spot metering systems which        metering can respond to any sudden
allow the photographer to isolate the        changes in light during exposure, and
subject for specific metering and therefore    therefore it is very advantageous for taking
to obtain more accurate exposures.          quick candid shots and fast moving
                                                subjects. In flash photography with an
The new ESP metering system has been     Olympus T-Series flash, this "OTF" Light
specifically developed for the OM40        Metering method will also fully control the
PROGRAM to simplify exposure in these    flash exposure, thereby eliminating any
difficult lighting conditions. As soon as      need for complicated guide number
you fire the shutter, the camera will         exposure calculations. You can work with
measure the light intensity in both the          all available apertures of your lens and use
center of the frame and outer area            sophisticated techniques such as bounce
separately. The micro computer then          flash and multi flash in a fully automatic
processes this information, including       mode. It has also solved difficult exposure
contrast data, and automatically sets         problems with macrophotography.
optimum exposure according to the ESP
algorithm*. By simply depressing the
shutter release, you can produce a
photograph in which the subject will
appear as you see it with your eyes.

* For further information on ESP
algorithm, refer to page 45.



            SELECTING THE METERING MODE (How to use ESP Metering)

Subjects for which ESP Metering is Specially Effective

ESP Metering is the mode to set for general use. In this mode, you don't have to worry about how the picture
will turn out. All you need do is press the shutter release. Even in tricky situations such as sharp backlighting,
the camera responds flexibly to give you correctly exposed shots. This mode assures trouble-free shooting even
with the kind of pictures that often turned out as failures because the exposure was wrong. In fact, ESP

Metering greatly increases the range of auto exposure technology. The following examples should provide a
useful reference.

* When taking pictures in ESP metering mode, activate the viewfinder display by pressing the shutter release
button lightly, then shoot.




· Backlighting

With center-weighted average
metering, this kind of situation tends
to leave the subject's face pitch black.
But ESP Metering assures even the
fine shades of the subject's expression
are faithfully conveyed. For the best
results, try to keep the main subject
fairly near the center of the
composition. Check for the ESP
Metering symbol    in the
viewfinder.





                                                             · When part of the subject area is
                                            extremely bright

                                                               If a part of the picture frame is
                                              extremely bright, the subject is
                                            underexposed under the influence of a
                                                 strong light on the table in the case of
                                                  center weighted, averaged metering.
                                                  In the same picture taken with the
                                    ESP metering, even the expression of
                                                her face is clearly seen.