Olympus LT1
Made in 1995, the LT 1 was a high-quality automatic compact and Tony picked one up online
They say that beauty is only skin deep, and that certainly applies to this camera. Olympus is best known for making small high-quality cameras for the keen amateur, but it also made forays into the designer market. In 1991 came the mysteriously named ‘O product’, an angular, brushed metal device with various circular openings, some functional, some decorative. This was followed by the Ecru, an ivory coloured, chrome-trimmed camera with a de nite Art Deco feel to it. Finally in 1995 came the LT-1.
Despite their very different outward appearances, all three were based on the same camera, the compact µ[mju:]. This is not to be confused with the much sought after, and pricier mju(II), which is smaller, and has rather better speci cations. I shouldn’t be too hard on the LT-1 though, as it wasn’t intended for serious photography. With a 35mm f/3.5 lens, and shutter speeds from 1/45th to 1/400th sec it covers the same range of lighting as the earlier, hugely popular Trip 35.
Leather technology
The 1990s was the era of the Yuppie and the Filofax, when expensive leather-covered accessories were de rigueur. It would be more than a decade before smartphones took over the role of both the diary and the camera, and the LT-1 was quite at home in this environment. The ‘LT’ stands for ‘leather technology’ and four colours were available: mine is brown, but it was also made in green, black and burgundy. I picked mine up on eBay a few years ago, and while it’s a little bit scruffy, everything works. The rounded edges give it a pebble-like quality, and it slips easily into a pocket.
Pretty much everything is automatic: a leather ap protects the lens when not in use, and is simply ipped over to start shooting. You still need to switch the camera on though, and it would have been nice if the magnetic strip that holds the ap closed had been linked to the electronics. Autofocus, a built-in motor drive, and electronic exposure system leave the user with little to do except compose their picture. The electronic ash comes on automatically when needed, but can be manually over-ridden if preferred.
It was October when I came to use it, and with this edition’s cover date being Halloween, I’ve chosen a suitable photo. It might look like an accidental double exposure, but it’s a horror mask in a shop window with re ections. Sadly my customary self-portrait was out of focus, as the mirror confused the autofocus. But this didn’t come as a surprise, as the same thing happened when I used the Ecru previously.