eBay:
Without eBay, I'd never be having this much fun! Where else can you get a
look at 30-50 different Olympus items at one time, with a real chance to
buy, without leaving home?
If you seriously need a specific piece of equipment, it's the wrong place
for you. If this is a hobby, and you don't mind losing 90-950f the time,
you can get good bargains. While I haven't seen it in my hands, I just sent
a check for $81 for a Zuiko 75-150mm zoom, s&h included. Unless there's
fungus or element separation (thanks to Gary Reese, I know what to look for
now), I'm pretty sure I'll be happy. If it is defective, I'll see how
reputable the seller is. Here's what I did.
I found my target price of <$100 from Paul Farrar's Zuiko lens web site:
http://www.datasync.com/~farrar/zuiko.html which I found it in Lee Hawkins'
Olympus FAQ. It's based on Shutterbug News and various web pages.
I searched eBay for all things "Olympus" - 500+ items, including Hercules
and Xena - and looked at all the ads for Oly lenses. There were several ads
for 75-150 zooms. This ad had a generic description (in "excellent
condition" of course) with a picture, but the lens cap was on. I e-mailed to
get the exact wording on the front ring and when I saw "Zuiko" I decided
this would be worth bidding on.
Early on, I put in a low bid and tracked it using My eBay. Near the close of
bidding, I put in a bid at my highest price and ended up getting it at the
sellers reserve.
Another time, I won an auction on a 28mm f/2, but failed to meet reserve.
Such is life. It's back on eBay now, if you're willing to pay the seller's
reserve. If nothing else, the seller does a beautiful job of photographing
his wares; the picture for his 28mm f/2.8 was gorgeous!!
. . . I've also noticed that a guy from Japan is buying up wide angle
lenses. Maybe he'll get the f/2.
Zuiko 75-150mm Zoom
Comments here give me a warm feeling about this lense; on paper it's just
what I want - small, light, fast aperture for it's size, nice zoom range. In
person, we'll see.
Olympus Manuals
Yes, they are available and they are free, but as someone noted, they are
photocopies. I just got an OM-1 manual yesterday, about 10 days after
requesting it, and despite being told it was out of print. Not bad. I
learned a few things and now I have some idea just how broad the "OM System"
really is!!!
Frank
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