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Determining the age of an Olympus camera, especially older film models, can be done using a production code that may or may not be the main serial number. The location and format of this code vary significantly by camera series and manufacturing period.

Common Methods for Film Cameras (e.g., Olympus Trip 35, OM System)

The serial number itself is often not the most accurate way to date a vintage Olympus camera. Instead, look for a separate three-character or four-character production code usually hidden inside the camera.

1. Checking the Pressure Plate Code (Older Models like Olympus Trip 35)

For cameras like the Olympus Trip 35, the manufacturing date is often stamped on the back of the film pressure plate inside the film compartment.

The code typically consists of three characters (e.g., N1Y):

• 1st Character (Letter/Japanese Character): Signifies the assembly plant.

• 2nd Character (Number): Represents the last digit of the year of assembly (e.g., '5' could be 1975, '0' could be 1980). You need to know the camera model's overall production years to determine the correct decade.

• 3rd Character (Number or Letter): Represents the month of assembly:

  • 1-9 for January through September.

  • X, Y, Z for October, November, and December, respectively.

2. Checking the Film Chamber Code (Olympus OM System)

For some Olympus OM System bodies and lenses, a code is located in the film chamber or on the lens mount. This code can be in a different format:

• Cameras made before 1981: The code is often hidden behind the film pressure plate and follows a similar logic to the Trip 35 code.

• Cameras and Lenses (e.g., OM Zuiko lenses) made from 1981 onwards: The code may follow a different format, such as:

  • First two letters: Factory code (e.g., 'TN' for Tatsuno plant).

  • Third character (Letter): Year of manufacture (where 'A' typically denotes 1981, and the sequence continues, like 'T' being 2001).

  • Fourth character (Number): Month of manufacture (1-9, or letters for later months).

3. Serial Number-Based Estimates (e.g., Olympus OM10)

For some series, like the Olympus OM10, the first letter of the serial number may provide a rough year estimate (e.g., 'A' = 1973, 'H' = 1980). However, this is generally less precise than the internal production codes.

Digital Cameras (OM-D, PEN, etc.)

For modern Olympus digital cameras (e.g., OM-D E-M series), the manufacturing date may be embedded in a hidden diagnostic screen accessible via a specific sequence of buttons. This screen often displays the Main CPU Serial Number (MCS) line, which contains the year and month of manufacture (e.g., "710" might indicate October 2007).

Important Note: Because Olympus has used different coding systems across decades and product lines (e.g., Trip 35, OM System, digital cameras), the best way to get an accurate date is to search for the specific model's serial number or production code format.

This video shows how to access a hidden menu on some Olympus digital cameras to find information like the shutter count. Check the Shutter Count on Olympus Cameras

How to Check the Shutter Count on Olympus Cameras - YouTube

Outside the Shot · 25K views