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2026-06-18 Olympus IS-1 Camera

    Back in 2010 I was given a complete Olympus iS-1 camera outfit by Gerry Harris, one of our Edmonton Photographic Historical Society members who was having to downsize from having a house to moving into a senior’s housing unit. At the time I was writing AllPhotography, a newsletter I published four times a year. In my last AllPhotography (Issue 40, 2010) I not only wrote a large article on the iS-1 but shot five rolls of film testing it.








    Last week I came across a second iS-1 for $5, and of course I had to buy it. 
The entire line of Olympus iS cameras have become a bit of spurned photographic history. Olympus liked to refer to them as ZLR cameras—as Zoom-Lens-Reflex cameras—because they coupled through-the-lens viewing with a non-interchangeable zoom lens. Sure there were legions of zoom point-and-shoot cameras with zooming viewfinders, but nothing is as exact as a reflex viewing system. Other companies tried their hand at it ZLR cameras too, but all the ZLR cameras suffered from not allowing the owner to buy additional lenses, or motor drives, or different viewing screens, or bellows units… It was thought you weren’t a real photography enthusiast if you used a ZLR.
    I should probably also mention the term “Bridge” cameras. The ZLR cameras were supposed to give advanced amateurs a step-up from the point-and-shoot viewfinder cameras, and once they had a taste of what could be done they would advance—read bridge— to real Single Lens Reflex system cameras. 
    When the Olympus iS-1 was originally introduced in 1991 it had a recommended list price of almost $800. In today’s dollars that would be almost double that price. And that price was high because Olympus did everything first class. From the 16 element in 15 groups zoom lens—with a “extraordinary dispersion glass” element— to a flash system that was described as IVP—Intelligent Variable Power—with dual emitting tubes this camera offered features no other camera manufacturer had even thought of. The zoom lens action and auto-focussing was really fast, using one drive shaft to move five optical groups. 


    As a user you could choose separate metering patterns, manually set shutter and aperture and even take over with manual power focusing. There was both Tele and Wide Macro choices. 
    Just as an aside—and I do not recommend anyone try this—while I was taking the images of the camera I placed the camera standing vertical on its lens and turned the camera on to get a display on the back (what I was trying to capture) forgetting the camera pushes its lens out when powered up. The camera jacked itself in the air pushing its zoom out! The camera weighs 875 g (30.8 oz) without batteries, and this camera had batteries.
Holding any of the iS cameras is different to regular cameras, but in an instinctively better two-handed grip familiar to many video camera users. 
    Loading film is very different too. The film starts from the cartridge directly across the shutter and then the film doubles back and is stored in the extra deep back. This sounds weird, but allows the camera to be long and slim instead of shallow and wide. 
    Even the four accessories for the iS cameras are extraordinary. The G40 flash has its own unique flash foot and its own unique features, like working with the built in flash! 
There are three conversion lenses—
  • A-200 1.5x that makes the 135mm end of the zoom 200mm*
  • A-28 0.8x that makes the 35mm end of the zoom 28mm*
  • A-Macro that allows working at 40 cm
*When using these focal conversion lenses, the built-in flash is blocked and unusable, you should use the G40 flash instead

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