This past week, I bought a "new" Black OM-2n. It was advertised as EX+,
but looks as if it has *never* been used. Foam is in great shape and
viewfinder incredibly clean. Zero brassing or any sign of finish wear
anywhere except on the edges of the slot for the battery cover; zero dents,
dings or scratches; complete with screw-on plug for Shoe-4 and the PC
socket plug. Truly amazing!
I've had a chrome OM-1n for a while. Probably would be graded in EX
condition with no "comments" and it's a beauty to operate. By comparison,
a black OM-2n in pristine condition is a beauty to behold . . . and it's
also a joy to operate. Don't know why I didn't buy one some time ago.
Other recent additions to the stable:
Mamiya M-645-1000S (with two more inserts for 120 and 220):
Found myself one too many times with one film already in the 645 when I
wanted to use another. Inexpensive enough used to use the complete body as
a "film back."
Pair of Hensel 500 Joule monolights with bag, etc.:
I've used a pair of borrowed Photogenic lights and these are every bit as
good. Made in Germany, they're lighter weight and likely cannot be tossed
around quite as hard, but still have a metal frame; fit, finish and "feel"
is excellent. Work very, very well (similar to the Photogenic lights) and
recover from full dump in about 2 seconds. What a joy to use some more
powerful lights finally! Bag is compact and well designed although it
could have some wheels on it (strapped it down to a luggage cart). Has a
space for light stands in the bottom that opens from the outside on the end
and another pocket along the side for brollies. Enough space on the inside
for cords and a host of other small accessories needed for "portable"
lighting. Well designed (other than lacking wheels on the bag). The
company (Hensel) hasn't had much presence in the U.S., but watch for
them. The pricing and design/features are going to give even White
Lighting's newer monolights some competition.
Gossen Luna-Pro F:
Wow! Been using an ancient Gossen flash meter and this one is a pleasure
with ability to measure ambient also. Well made and very, very accurate
(already used it for shooting some chromes with fixed output flash). I may
still eventually get a Luna-Pro SBC for extremely low light, but this one
already has a very wide range.
Custom Brackets QRS:
IMHO Custom Brackets makes the "Mother of all Flash Brackets." Handled a
new one some time ago and passed it up ($$$), but found this one used with
a Mamiya plate for a very good price. Sturdiest and most solid feeling
bracket I've ever used. Rotation of the 645 is very smooth with positive
detents at both ends, and zero flex even with the heavy MF camera and a
heavier flash on top. Been "making do" for the 645 with a Newton 7000
which is a great bracket, but is designed more for 35mm bodes, not the size
and mass of an older medium format.
Now where were those car dealer brochures . . . I need an SUV to haul all
this stuff around now.
:-)
-- John
< 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 >
|