I'm back from our backroads adventures, and the list appears to have survived
intact, thankfully.
I took nearly all my gear with me, except for flashes, on our trip to the
northernmost tip of Vancouver Island:
OM-10
OM-4T
35, 50, 85, 135 Zuikos
2X TC
Yashica TLR
The OM-10 was never used, as weather was lousy most of the time, so I didn't
feel the need for two rolls of film going at once. I shot nearly everything
with a tripod, experimenting with the limits of my 85 and 135 stopped down
fully with and w/o the 2X TC. Even with self timer, some shake was visible on
some of the 135 and 2X-135 shots, making me think about a better tripod. (I
have a cheap no-name job that was a gift. The head is plastic quick release
which gives it a less than solid feel.
After about 2 rolls, the batteries in my 4-T died. I had tested them that day
and wondered why the battery check was beeping at me... Now I know :-)
These were the same batteries (357) it came with about 10 months ago, so I'm
quite happy with this lifespan. (and, yes, I did remember spares)
I also used the spot metering a lot more, often taking several minutes on a
scene getting the feel for the ranges in it (often too wide to capture). Out of
five rolls of Reala and Royal Gold done at London Drugs 1 hour, about half of
them in each roll went back for reprinting. The operator had tried to "correct"
them, but reprinting at 0 on the machine gave the results I wanted in nearly
every case, so I guess the spot metering worked well.
My favourite shot is one of lily pads and grass during a breif break between
the rain. I saw the shot the night before, but it was windy, so I waited. It
poured rain all night, then broke in the morning for a few minutes. I walked
about 6-8 feet into the lake with my 85/2 and shot them handheld around 1/250
and f/8. (Luckily I had run out of 100 ASA and was using 400 by now). The lake
water was very warm, and like glass. I ran back to get my tripod, but by the
time I got setup, it started to rain again. I only got one shot of this scene,
which looks great at 4x6, I just hope it enlarges well. I was quite pleased
with the Fuji Superia 400, although I don't use much 400, so I can't say if
it's any better than Super G+
Enough rambling - I hope to post some pics soon, along with a trip report on
our route, mainly on gravel roads.
ps: Although the 2X TC shots looked ok at 4x6, they were definitely less sharp
and contrasty. As a result, I started dismantling the glass this morning,
hoping get an auto ~26mm extension tube out of it.
========================
Shawn Wright
Computer Systems Manager
Shawnigan Lake School
250-743-6240
swright@xxxxxxxxx
< This message was delivered via the Olympus Mailing List >
< For questions, mailto:owner-olympus@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx >
< Web Page: http://Zuiko.sls.bc.ca/swright/olympuslist.html >
|