The how, why and when were in my intro message to the list earlier this
year, but most of us have slept since then so...
My first SLR was a Miranda Sensorex, bought around 1970-71. The only
Olympuses I'd seen up 'til then were those nifty Pen half frames. Cool but
not quite what I was looking for (I didn't know there were full-frame
Olympus cameras available, but blame Modern and Pop Photo for providing
incomplete info).
After the seductive Miranda's meter went kaput I got a Ricoh K-mount
sumpin'erother. Between my Miranda and Ricoh phases Olympus had introduced
the OM-1 and OM-2 series. I was tempted - and impressed due to Herbert
Keppler's favorable opinions about the OMs - but during the '70s I was a
Navy Corpsman also working part-time to support a wife and two kids, and the
Ricoh was cheaper. After the Ricoh went swimming in the Guadalupe River
during a canoe trip I went with Canon FD gear 'cause that's what all my
fellow college photojournalists used. I still use an FTbn and two T70s.
When I got serious about documenting the structures in North Central Texas
that incorporate petrified wood - mostly as decorative pieces among the
predominantly rock masonry - I realized that I never seemed to have the
right film in any camera when I needed it. At the time I was shooting this
project on Kodachrome, but my Canons usually are loaded with Fuji Superia
X-tra 800, Reala, Kodak T400CN/B&W+, or Royal Gold 100.
I figured if I dedicated one system to the project only it'd always be
loaded with the right film (I've since switched to Fuji Provia 100F). I
decided against going with another Canon body because none of 'em is small
and light enough and, frankly, it's a dead system. I love the T70s -
averaging and fat spot metering, well thought out autoexposure modes, built
in winders and great ergonomics - but they're essentially unrepairable.
Canon didn't make 'em very long and few if any parts are available. And my
FTbn had developed a disconcerting "clunk" in the prism, accompanied by a
slight shift in the viewfinder image. While this has never proven
detrimental to the photos taken with it, I was worried enough to put it into
semi-retirement.
After looking at all the other manual focus SLR systems only two made sense:
Nikon (for the FM2N) and Olympus. I'd considered Pentax but disliked the
then-still-available K1000 and the LX was too expensive. By the time I was
ready to make a decision (a year or so ago) I'd ruled out Nikon - all that
non-AI, AI, AIS, e-i-e-i-oh was more than I cared to memorize. And the OMs
and Zuikos were smaller, lighter and had the features I considered
indispensable - DOF preview and mirror lock up.
While waiting for the right OM bargain to happen along I studied the OM list
archives (so many of you folks seemed familiar long before I began
participating), including the various OM links and webring. Hans' site
proved invaluable (as we all already know). So when I lucked across a
beautiful OM-1 MD at a pawn shop at a great price I didn't hesitate.
Grabbed it. Love it.
Now, at the very least, the OM-1 and a 50/1.8 accompany my assorted and
sordid Can-not-an-OM-on gear whenever I leave the house (the longer I search
for these petrified wood structures the more I find in familiar places where
they'd been for years, overlooked). Today I found another while taking my
grandmother to the dentist, traveling a road I'd driven hundreds of times.
While I'm not looking forward to the day when my T70 bodies go belly up at
least I know there's a viable system I can switch to. From what I've been
seeing the past few years the Zuiko lenses are a better bargain than Canon
FD lenses. The Zuikos are generally younger and in better shape, and prices
for comparable lenses are about the same - in fact, many Zuikos are less
expensive than comparable Canon FDs.
But don't tell anyone else. Let's just keep that our little 500-person
secret...
===========
Lex Jenkins
=====================================================================
"We shall fight in the cities and on the beaches. We shall fight in the car
parks and under the boardwalks. We shall fight in the townships, villages
and hamlets with those funny hyphenated Welsh names with no vowels. We
shall fight in the streets and if need be in the boots of very small cars,
tho' I'd rather not. We shall fight in our skivvies and in our granny's
dressing gowns...yes, especially that. We shall fight over land, over sea
and over football games. We shall fight and we shall never surrender, nay,
'til the last draught is drunk. Yea, we shall fight unto the very last
Canadian and Australian..." - W. Churchill, early draft scribbled on
napkins.
=====================================================================
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