An interesting article about Oly Pen series

[Spyderman]

Don't know if this was posted here before, but I found this article about Mr. Maitani and his beginnings in camera design and I thought you might like it.

Interesting reading for Olympus fans as well as the others 🙂

http://www.olympus-global.com/en/corc/history/lecture/index.cfm

 

[jesse1dog]

Thanks Spyderman.
Just spent 20 minutes reading the article.
Fascinating!

 

[varjag]

It is interesting how he mentions that Pen F failed, and half-frame SLR market in general, due to overly zealous patenting. Not something you hear from IP crowd.

 

[OlyMan]

A very interesting and informative article there. I had never considered Olympus's hand was forced to make 35mm SLRs because Kodak wouldn't entertain half-frame.

Pitty he didn't mention the FTL: it's difficult to see why it was ever conceived and marketted, with the OM series so close on the horizon. Maybe by 1971 Olympus felt they just HAD to have a 35mm camera for the all-important export markets, and the OM1 was of course another year away. Either way, Olympus made it very clear by action if not by words that the FTL was very much an unwanted child, as it was forgotten and unsupported almost immediately following the OM1 launch. I pitty those who invested in one in 1971, thinking they were investing in a system which would grow and be supported for years, then found that Olympus had totally abandoned it by 1973.

 

[shadowfox]

John, here's the answer to your question about the FTL and more:

http://www.biofos.com/cornucop/ftl.html

I've had a chance to get an FTL with the original standar lens from a seller in Australia, he bundled a boatload (literally) of "stuff", had I won the bid, I'd tell him to just send me the FTL and the lens and he can do whatever with the rest of the stuff (including several other bodies and lenses IIRC 🙂 )

 

[OlyMan]

Excellent read! Thank you! Looks like my supposition was right.