At 09:42 AM 4/25/99 -0700, Steve you wrote:
>
> With all the recent (ok, not all that recent now)
>praise for the om-2s, it seemed like the perfect
>camera for me.
>
Praise for the OM-2S waxes and wanes on list. The boards are no longer
available from Oly, but I hope most of the working ones will continue to
work for a long time. The "burn-in" principle.
>-I remember Gary mentioning that he could average
>multiple hi-lite and shadow spot readings in his head.
> How do you do that exactly?
>
Not to steal Gary's thunder (as if I could), it's important to learn to use
the markings on the meter display in manual mode. They show two stops above
and below middle value (Zone V) and you can interpolate higher and lower
yet. John Shaw's book on Landscape Photography has a good section on
exposure that works beautifully with a camera like the OM-2S. If you don't
know what I mean by a "middle value," check there.
>-Is there any way to take a really long spot metered
>exposure (i.e. longer than the 1 second that is
>available in manual mode)
>
Yes, bulb ("B"). In a very low-light situation, if you can get a reading
of anything like the sky that can tickle the meter a little (switch back
and forth between auto and manual to see what you are getting), you can
figure out how to do an exposure manually which is longer than 1 second.
In auto you must see at least one block light up next to the 1 second mark.
In light this low, your auto meter may actually be a little more useful.
Figure out what aperture gives you a 1 second reading (it will probably be
a large one), then add a second of exposure for each aperture you stop
down. Obviously you'll also need to figure out where you want to "place"
the exposure, whether at a middle value (Zone V) or -- quite possibly --
higher. Pre-dawn sky is often best placed at 1/2 or a full stop over Zone
V. If your exposure is now quite long (5-10 seconds) reciprocity failure
could be a factor. Take a bracket at double the "correct" exposure.
If your question is actually whether the OM-2S can do a very long auto-like
exposure based on a spot reading (as the OM-4 can), this is not possible.
>
>-Is there anything I should keep in mind about the
>camera? (i.e. weak points that I should take extra
>special care of or pay extra attention to)
>
When you use the timer for pre-fire mirror lockup or just to get yourself
in the picture, don't forget to reset it! Your next handheld shot will be
an excruciating 12 seconds of "beep-beep-beep" while you try to hold the
camera still and look at a black viewfinder.
I find it very handy to use the spot meter in conjunction with auto
exposure. You can compare your spot reading of what you consider a middle
value with the meter's overall reading in auto. If your spot reading tends
to confirm the camera's auto reading in auto, just shoot it in auto and
maybe use the exposure compensation dial to take a 1/2 stop bracket one way
or the other. In metering sunsets, I find it quite useful to meter the sky
to one side or the other of the sun in auto, adjust shutter speed to what
the meter indicates in auto, then switch to manual mode, compose with the
sun in the shot, and shoot in manual. The two modes have been ingeniously
developed and can be quite interactive.
I've still never shot a shot in program mode, but it's there too.
I hope you enjoy your OM-2S -- a great camera.
Joel
< 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 >
|