The OM-2 was introduced in 1975,[1] and combined the light, sturdy camera body style of the manual-only OM-1 with a new automatic exposure system.

One of the main selling points of the OM-2 was that all of the OM-1 accessories and lenses would fit without modification, offering a compact system and an easy upgrade path for OM-1 owners.

A number of famous photographers used the OM-2, including Patrick Lichfield, Kon Sasaki, Roy Morsch, Jacques Schumacher, Robert Semeniuk, and James Sugar.

[4] The camera set the duration and intensity of the flash during exposure using its inbuilt sensors by measuring the amount of light reflected off the film.

The non-MD badged OM-2 cameras needed to go to a service facility to enable attachment of a motor drive.

The general understanding is that all OM-2's are motor drive and winder 1 or 2 capable (and included the coupler opening and removable cap), at least the U.S. "legally imported" ones from Ponder and Best.

It has more commonality with the OM-4 than the previous OM-2, a fact which simplified production for Olympus which had, by the time of the OM-2S launch, released the OM-4 and the OM-3 models.

While the older OM-2 models could routinely withstand harsh conditions, they were never advertised as having any environmental protection features.

All the previous focusing screens and accessories (with the exception of the flash shoe attachments) available in the OM system were compatible with the camera.

The camera body had a fixed hot-shoe and a plug on the front-left for coupling of the Olympus flash group's TTL connector cable (previously the OM-2N MD series required removal of the flash shoe and the attachment of a TTL connector to facilitate this).

The rewind release was moved from the front right faceplate to the top of the camera between the ASA setting dial and the advance lever arm.

The most noted was the provision of a program setting which permitted totally automated selection of aperture and shutter speed by the camera circuitry.

Information on the spot metered value was provided on an LCD bar-graph version of the older match-needle system used on the OM-2N MD.

A button to the right of the prism provided a 16-second illumination of the LCD metering display in the viewfinder for use in dark conditions.