New Toy: Olympus OM-2n
I bought an Olympus OM-2n 35mm SLR a couple weeks ago. The people I bought it from were very nice, and came down to $50 for the camera, its excellent F.Zuiko f/1.8 50mm lens, a 300mm mirror lens, two cable releases, two filters, and a very nice camera bag. I bought it to encourage me to take more photos, since a roll of 35mm film usually contains 36 images, opposed to 15 images on a roll of 120 film. Also, this camera is very small, even in the world of 35mm cameras, and I’ve found myself carrying it around everywhere – already a good sign. Here are a few shots from the first roll:
Turns out my dog is actually a very pensive model. She likes the camera.
The OM-2n was also one of the first SLR’s ever to have an auto-exposure function, where you set your aperture, and it picks the shutter speed based on its internal meter. It was pretty accurate a lot of the time, but sometimes it would blow things out – this was the worst (best) example. I still prefer a handheld meter, but for fleeting moments, it will be handy.
Evening visit to my friend’s studio space.
self-portrait
have not tried the film camera ! but owned one cannon 550D but no experience in digital cameras ! btw, can you kindly give me some advice on this digital carema:http://www.tinydeal.com/3-touch-14mp-cmos-sensor-5x-optical-zoom-digital-camera-pxpqm9–p-48596.html
May 24, 2012 at 6:30 pm
Sorry for taking so long to reply, your comment was put into my spam box because of the link. I actually am not up-to-date with the technology of the point-and-shoot cameras, just DSLR’s, like your 550D. All I know is that it’s important to have optical zoom to give you some versatility. Since I don’t want to steer you in the wrong direction, I’d say look up user reviews of the cameras you’re interested in, and trying googling ‘best compact cameras’ to get some lists from tech companies. Hope that helps, and sorry I don’t know more.
May 30, 2012 at 7:07 pm
A really interesting piece James and I can fully understand your reasoning. My Dad has a couple of old analogue cameras in a box, stowed away in the attic that I he’s said I am welcome to use if they are of any use to me. I have no idea what they are but I’ll be seeing him again this weekend. I’m quite excited about going back to when I was a teenager and shooting some film. I think the discipline of making every shot count can only be good for my digital photography.
May 25, 2012 at 12:16 am
I’m excited for you to find out what you have. You should make a post out of it, so I can see what was in the box. Absolutely. I don’t know if I’ve seen anyone who has taken a break from digital to shoot analog that hasn’t come away with some sort of new appreciation for what they do, even if it’s just an increased desire to shoot digital.
May 25, 2012 at 8:49 am
Congratulations! Long live the analogue photography!
May 25, 2012 at 1:47 am
Thanks Borge! Hope things are going well for you.
May 25, 2012 at 8:51 am
There is a mystery in these that is hard to reproduce digitally.
May 25, 2012 at 10:58 am
Thank you, Karen. I’ve seen lightroom presets that get pretty dang close – enough to where it’s nearly impossible to tell the difference. Sometimes even those cell-phone filters make it hard to tell. But oh well, it’s the process that I like. Also, your jellyfish shots were really really nice. Would look even better hanging on a wall, I think.
May 28, 2012 at 1:29 pm
Hello, I have both, I still retain my film SLR. I have bought some rolls of B&W film and am saving them for a trip to Paris at the end of the summer, loved your article….
May 26, 2012 at 11:51 pm
Oh, I’m excited to see what you get. I’m glad you liked it, thanks Helen.
May 28, 2012 at 1:24 pm