Well, Lee's estimable website is missing one detail. The code on the camera
back tells you only the date of manufacture of the back itself. The back
(and the baseplate carrying the serial number) is freely interchangeable
between all single-digit OM bodies, so it would be entirely possible for an
OM-3Ti to have a back indicating manufacture in 1973 - that would have to be
a Wyoming-plant prototype!
Other factors would indicate how reliable the camera back code is in a
particular case - it sounds like these "stack up" in the present case, but
don't take everything at face value!
Piers
PS George, the Wyoming reference crops up from time to time - many years ago
a seller on an auction site (not your favourite one!) offered am OM-10,
described as an OM-1. On being asked to clarify the discrepancy, he
explained that this was a special prototype from the otherwise secret
Olympus plant in Wyoming. John Lind documented the story here:
http://johnlind.tripod.com/omwyfactory.html
-----Original Message-----
From: Charles Geilfuss [mailto:charles.geilfuss@xxxxxxxxx]
Sent: 19 August 2009 15:19
To: Olympus Camera Discussion
Subject: Re: [OM] Question: Early OM-1?
DrT,
I lifted this from Lee Hawkins website where he explains (courtesy of our
own John Hermanson) the code under the pressure plate:
How can I tell when my OM-{1(N), 2(N), 10} was assembled?
The serial number on an Olympus camera does *not* give you a precise date of
manufacture. The only way to tell is to remove the pressure plate and look
for a code either on the back of the pressure plate or on the back itself
behind the pressure plate.
--snip
--
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