OM, I've become a Zuikoholic!

[Keith]

Originally Posted by andreios

From the new to me 85/2

Interesting photograph ... I really like it. It's very busy but fascinating!

[pggunn]

Originally Posted by remegius

Very nice! I'm looking forward to using the new lens when it arrives. BTW, what kind of film did you use with this portrait?

Cheers...

Rem

That was Arista Premium 400, Freestyle's repackaging of Kodak Tri-X 400. It was developed in XTOL 1:1 and the negative scanned on an Epson V500.

I hope you enjoy your lens.

Take care,

Gregor

[andreios]

Originally Posted by Keith

Interesting photograph ... I really like it. It's very busy but fascinating!

Thanks, Keith! It was a quick snapshot, a rangefinder might have suited this better, but again it was proved that the best camera is the one you hold in hand.
I'll just have to buy some ND filters for my OM that would allow me to shoot TriX@1600 (wide) open during the day..

[Keith]

Originally Posted by andreios

Thanks, Keith! It was a quick snapshot, a rangefinder might have suited this better, but again it was proved that the best camera is the one you hold in hand.
I'll just have to buy some ND filters for my OM that would allow me to shoot TriX@1600 (wide) open during the day..

So true ... and isn't that 85mm f2 just an amazing lens and the 85mm focal length is suprisingly usable as a walk around!

[andreios]

Originally Posted by Keith

So true ... and isn't that 85mm f2 just an amazing lens and the 85mm focal length is suprisingly usable as a walk around!

Surprisingly it is!
I can see a nice walk around SLR combo consisting of two OMs with a 35 (or 28) and 85/2...

[Lilserenity]

The 100/2.8 is a very sweet lens, not much bigger than the 50/1.8 on the body and discrete. This lens with the 28/3.5 has me shooting my OM more than my M2 at the minute.

Here's some examples (Provia 400X, Kodak 160NC and Superia 400)


Sunseekers, The Arches, Brighton by Vicky Lamburn, on Flickr


Hiroshima Day, Willen Lake, Milton Keynes by Vicky Lamburn, on Flickr


Chips, Chips and Chips, Palace Pier, Brighton by Vicky Lamburn, on Flickr


Buskers and Performers, Brighton Seafront by Vicky Lamburn, on Flickr


Bank Holiday in Brighton by Vicky Lamburn, on Flickr

Plenty more 100/2.8 stuff on my Flickr stream if you're interested!

Vicky

[Keith]

Very nice Vicky ... my new OM friend is my recently aquired 28mm f2 Zuiko.

I never took to 28mm on a rangefinder and in fact don't have an M mount lens in this focal length ... but on an SLR I like it for some reason!

[gliderbee]

Originally Posted by andreios

Surprisingly it is!
I can see a nice walk around SLR combo consisting of two OMs with a 35 (or 28) and 85/2...

That's exactly what's in my bag right now: OM-3 with 28/2 and 85/2. Sometimes I think a 35/2 might be better for my style of shooting, but I always keep hesitating between 28mm and 35mm.

Stefan.

[nikku]

I've probably said it before, but I love the 28/2. OM-1n w/ 28/2 and Portra 160VC:

[pggunn]

Originally Posted by nikku

I've probably said it before, but I love the 28/2. OM-1n w/ 28/2 and Portra 160VC:

Nice shot! I need to start using mine more. I've never felt real comfortable going wide and shoot the 50/1.4 mostly. It's about time for me to get out of my comfort zone and learn a bit.

Portra VC is my favorite film when shooting color, but haven't shot much of it lately. Need to stock up before the leaves start changing.

[wgerrard]

Here's a chance to put some internet noise to rest:

What's the truth about mirror slap effectively canceling out a stop of a lens' capability?

I've heard and read that old chestnut many times, and assume it means vibrations triggered by the mirror preclude hand holding SLR's when the lens is wide open.

But my Oly seems as steady as any camera I've used. Has anyone found they cannot reliably use Zuiko lenses wide open and hand held on an OM body because of mirror slap?

[ferider]

Hi Bill,

not internet noise, it very much depends how close you look.

Check Gary Reese's tests (http://web.archive.org/web/200502080...ts/default.htm); he did many with and without mirror lock-up/pre-fire, and there is a noticable difference, even on a tripod. I am able to reproduce that with some of my lenses. The OM4 in self-timer is particularly useful for this, since it slaps the mirror up when the counter starts.

Then again, in practice, hand-held, etc., the difference won't really matter, I'm typically far from the lens resolution optimum anyways.

Roland.

[wgerrard]

Originally Posted by ferider

Hi Bill,

not internet noise, it very much depends how close you look.

Check Gary Reese's tests (http://web.archive.org/web/200502080...ts/default.htm); .

Interesting, Roland. Thanks much.

[dacookieman]

Some from a OM1 kit i picked up recently, i wanted to test the 50mm f1.8 MC (2 mil variant) for its wide open performance:

[philosomatographer]

The fundamental undoing of the Olympus OM system camera bodies are not mirror slap (yes, it's mostly true the rangefinder vs. slr had-holdability is an old wives' tale - few SLR mirrors have enough inertia to cause visible vibration in the hands of a human being, which have a lot more inertia than a tiny mirror) - but rather the aperture stop-down mechanism.

Unlike, say, Nikon F, where the body merely has to gently prod the aperture to stop down, which does so under the power of its own spring, an OM body provides the full force for the stop-down. The body has to slam aperture lever with all it's got, in order to be able to move giant aperture stop-down mechanisms of lenses like the 250mm f/2.0 or 1000mm f/11.

The aforementioned Gary Reese lens tests illustrates the disastrous effect this has on image quality taken with certain lenses on tripod - regardless of mirror lockup.

The effect is substantial, and often makes OM cameras much better hand-held (with "wet" vibration absorption by a human being) than on a tripod. I use a giant top-of-the-line Gitzo Tele Studex Carbon Fibre tripod (which easily holds my 4x5in large format camera and 500mm lens rock solid - 6kg or so), yet many tripod-mounted shots with my OM 250mm f/2.0 are blurred by camera shake.

On the other hand, I can hand-hold either this lens, or any other smaller one, on an OM body with surprisingly slow shutter speeds and get shake-free results. For example, this was hand-held at 1/4s:

(OM-2n, 24mm at f/2.0, 8x10 darkroom hand print)

An odd (but lovely, nevertheless!) system, the OM system.

Originally Posted by wgerrard

Here's a chance to put some internet noise to rest:

What's the truth about mirror slap effectively canceling out a stop of a lens' capability?

I've heard and read that old chestnut many times, and assume it means vibrations triggered by the mirror preclude hand holding SLR's when the lens is wide open.

But my Oly seems as steady as any camera I've used. Has anyone found they cannot reliably use Zuiko lenses wide open and hand held on an OM body because of mirror slap?

[Keith]

If you press the stop down button and hold it down as you take the shot with an OM there is definitely less reaction through the camera IMO.

[Lilserenity]

Originally Posted by Keith

If you press the stop down button and hold it down as you take the shot with an OM there is definitely less reaction through the camera IMO.

I've done this by accident a few times, maybe I'll give it a go doing it purposely to see the difference.

Vicky

[ChrisN]

With the bodies that offer mirror lockup, does this action stop down the aperture, or is the aperture only stopped down upon the shutter firing?

[gliderbee]

Originally Posted by ChrisN

With the bodies that offer mirror lockup, does this action stop down the aperture, or is the aperture only stopped down upon the shutter firing?

I just tried it:

On the OM-1, the mirror lockup is mechanical and doesn't do anything to the aperture.

On the OM-4, using the selftimer, the mirror locks up AND it closes the aperture.

Stefan

[reiki_]

Ok I just tried stoping down by button and then shooting and the decrease in vibration is really noticable. great advice .

[ChrisN]

Originally Posted by gliderbee

I just tried it:

On the OM-1, the mirror lockup is mechanical and doesn't do anything to the aperture.

On the OM-4, using the selftimer, the mirror locks up AND it closes the aperture.

Stefan

Thanks! I had to check this on my Pentax LX - with MLU the aperture is closed down, but I then must use a cable release for best effect. The same mechanism controls the self-timer and the MLU - I can implement one or the other, but not both at the same time!

[Keith]

Originally Posted by reiki_

Ok I just tried stoping down by button and then shooting and the decrease in vibration is really noticable. great advice .

And the convenient part is the stopping down button is easily operated with a fingertip.

It's funny ... I started a thread about this months ago when I discovered it and to my amazement the thread got completely ignored!

The difference in reaction through the camera is really noticable ... I'm glad someone else has actually tried it and noticed the difference!

[reiki_]

Originally Posted by Keith

And the convenient part is the stopping down button is easily operated with a fingertip.

It's funny ... I started a thread about this months ago when I discovered it and to my amazement the thread got completely ignored!

The difference in reaction through the camera is really noticable ... I'm glad someone else has actually tried it and noticed the difference!

Really really useful. Makes me want a leica less and less.

[AzzA]

Originally Posted by Chriscrawfordphoto

Azza,

Don't know about in Australia but in the USA John Hermanson sells them. He's a retired Olympus service manager who works from home repairing OM gear. His website lists the covers you want for sale.

Hi Chris. Thanks for the reply.
I had a look at the website and he does seem to have some. But at $13.79 they seem pretty pricey (understandable though).
I think though the OM-2S has the same battery cap so I might try and find a parts camera for similar or not much more $$.
Oh but if anyone has a spare battery cap and will take less than $13.79 for it let me know!

Originally Posted by nikku

I've probably said it before, but I love the 28/2. OM-1n w/ 28/2 and Portra 160VC:

lovely shot.
That Porta is terrific stuff too.

[D.O'K.]

Does anyone happen to know whether the OM 50mm f1.8 & 1.4 (which to me seem to give exceptional performance) were versions of one of the classic lens formulae (e.g. Planar,Sonnar or whatever), or were they original optical designs?

Thanks in advance,

D.