New member

[Chris Sweetman]

Hi all

Joined this forum yesterday and I have been an OM system user for over 30 years. Recently dusted off my gear to give Kodachrome a send off. KR64 was the first film I loaded into my OM1 in 1979 and Kodachrome was the most used film stock over the past 30 years. To celebrate all this time using the OM system and Kodachrome I recently purchased a mint OM2n body and several rolls of KR64. Will be using this combo again tomorrow!

So the OM2n is body number 5 to go with my six Zuiko lenses.

Read a few posts and it looks fun here!

Cheers Chris

 

[Ken N]

Welcome, Chris.

This group is not overly active in posting for some reason. Maybe you can help.

I switched years ago from Kodachomes to Fujichromes because of cost and how the films see certain colors. An occasional roll of K25 or K64 went through the cameras and I was always amazed at the nuances in colors as well as the extreme sharpness. Alas, Velvia stole my heart.

 

[MJFerron]

I'm also new Chris. Occasionally I'll shoot some Velvia but most often my camera is loaded with one B&W film or another. Never did try Kodachrome.

 

[Chris Sweetman]

With two newcomers aboard perhaps we can help with more postings! I am hoping to scan some slides in the near future and post em here.

MJFerron I did purchase a few rolls of Velvia 50 and I liked the look plus the turn-a-round was only a few days. The last Kodachromes I had processed were by Kodaks Swiss lab. When I heard it was closing I shot digital files! Now KR64 is only going to be around until the end of this year I decided to give it one last go!

Cheers Chris

 

[Chris Sweetman]

Thanks for the welcome Ken N. For me it was Kodachrome that stole my heart! 2006 was the last year that I used film on a fairly regular basis and Kodachrome 200 was the film of choice for me. In the right lighting conditions Kodachrome's performance to my eyes is amazing! The wait to receive the slides back from processing was not very good being around two weeks from Kodak's Swiss lab. I wonder how long I will wait when they are porcessed in the USA?

Cheers Chris

 

[Ken N]

YW, Chris.

For 'chromes, I'm shooting Provia 100F and Velvia 100. V100 doesn't magenta-shift like V50 does. Much better behaved and frankly I think it's a nicer film in every way than V50, although V50 had a certain acutance which I liked.

As an alternative to 'chromes, I'm firmly in the Fujifilm 160S camp. I really like the results, but my workflow and storage system is more 'chromes based.

 

[Chris Sweetman]

Hi Ken N

At present I have an OM1n loaded with V50, an OM4Ti loaded with KR64 and I have just finished a roll of ISO 200 print film in my 'new' OM2n. The latter was a test film to see if the OM2n is working OK! For a couple of years print film was prefered to slide film because it was quicker to process and easier to scan! I had a flat bed scanner that did not allow for film scanning. Also I was taking family snaps and my family wanted to view the images without holding a tiny slide to the light! Nowadays family snaps are taken on a digital camera. I sometimes use a compact digital camera as a note book when I am using my OM system for information purposes.

After a number of visits to Legoland Windsor I wanted to take some pictures of Miniland especially of the miniture vehicles. Some of these are out of reach unless you have a reasonable long focus lens. I found that the perfect combination to tackle this project was my old OM1 and a silver nose Zuiko 200mm f5 telephoto lens. The latter was bought only a couple of weeks before our visit! I used print film so that I had the option of using the gear that I had to scan images if required. BTW I had been searching for a decent 200mm f5 for many years!

Cheers Chris

 

[Prest_400]

Welcome, Chris.
I like a lot the look of chromes, my father did shoot some Agfachrome CS/CT in the 70's and 80's and this last week I had the opportunity to enjoy them, wonderful stuff; Some of the slides feel very real, I love the reds of film and it's tridimensionality. Too bad he switched to negative years later.
I'm looking forward to start with sensia (after finishing my last roll of superia 200, yuck, tired of it), that I suppose since some years is the consumer version of Provia. I don't think I will ever shoot kodachrome, it's expensive and hard to find here. E6 seems to be enough.
Probably I may use sensia and a little FP4/PX for the low speed stuff; B&W (HP5) for high speed and throw in some Portra 400VC/NC from time to time.

 

[Chris Sweetman]

Hi Prest 400

Thanks for the welcome and I am glad you enjoyed looking at your father's photographs. My OM1 has in the past been loaded with Agfa CT18/CT21 and CS200. The CT's were processed in Agfa's own soup and the CS200 was E6 compatible. However, for me Kodachrome was always first choice for colour slide film. If you want to try Kodachrome the only film left is KR64 and Kodak are only making it until the end of this year with processing ending late in 2010. May be worth doing if only to expose one roll of the stuff just to say that you gave it a go!

Never really got on with B&W film as I felt to get the best out of it one needed one's own dark room. I did have a go at developing B&W film and also some E6 films such as Ektachrome 64 and Konicachrome 100.

Cheers Chris

 

[Prest_400]

Next year I will probably travel to asia and visit some relatives living in there. I'm not sure if I'd bring kodachrome, but why not. I just need a bit more experience in slide film.
Today I just bought a pack of three rolls of fuji sensia (I plan to carry this film for the trip, cheap, and seems good enough). Now in the refrigerator (even the store had it un refrigerated, they had AirCon; temperature here has been around 35ºC most of the day and the freezer is full); I've gotten some curious reactions from some relatives, but whatever.

I just felt that this was better to post here since we had the slide film debate written here. Any advise for a slide film newbie?
Basically I might follow the expose for highlights and pray for shadows "rule"; Expose for the midtones if the situation isn't very contrasty. Subexpose better than overexpose...
The OM-1 hasn't got a very advanced meter, so I'll have to think twice before releasing the shutter. Well, the Trip 35 is also a simple camera, and those hundreds of nice slides were shot with it in AE mode. All of the film shot outdoors is nicely exposed.
I plan to shoot some of the film late this month and in autumn/fall. When the mountainside and forests are awesome.

 

[Allan Swindles]

Hi Prest 400, you'll enjoy slide film on your OM-1 and your thoughts on exposure are just about right. You won't go far wrong giving the highlights priority and definitely better to under expose rather than over expose if in doubt. A point worth mentioning with the OM-1 metering system. IT DOES NOT WORK IF YOU WEAR SPECS., unless you remove them and use the appropriate eyepiece correction lens and rubber eyecup. Light entering the viewfinder will alter the meter reading and even if you don't wear specs. a more accurate reading will be obtained by using Eyecup 1.

 

[Chris Sweetman]

I wear specs and I have had no problems in the past with my OM1 and metering. One has to take care that light does not enter the view finder but this is true for most classic SLR's before the metering sensors where placed in the mirror box. I think that the OM2 on manual used the same metering system as the OM1. It was only when the OM2 was used on auto that the 'Off the film plane' (OTF) came into use.

My OM1 is 30 years old and two years ago I tried a variety of cells to overcome the problems with fitting 1.55v batteries. It was only after I tried these that the metering system gave up. Metering now is way off! So much for taking advice from internet sources!

Cheers Chris

 

[Prest_400]

I wear specs (I suppose it's the same as glasses), and did test the metering with and without them (close to eye, so little or no light coming in). The meter read the same.
I bout my OM refurbished on eBay, and it came already converted, I suppose it's the diode type conversion. It seems to work well, no problems with color negative film.

 

[Chris Sweetman]

Hi Prest 400

Colour negative film has a greater latitude than slide film so can tolerate poor exposure technique. With slide film metering has to be spot-on! I may consider getting my OM1 converted.

Cheers Chris

 

[Prest_400]

Hi again!
So, my week in the mountains has finished, and I shot just a roll. 35 exposures. All seems to go good, but I expect some mistakes (one shot with background overexposed) and I have various exposures done with slow speeds (15-30). I don't trust myself much in speeds lower than 60-30. Most of the slides won't be amazing, since most were shot in midday-afternoon light. Few overcasts and the low speed ones were indoors with window light.
I did see "in the field" (well... in a covered porch doing a formal portrait so some relatives) how sidelight affected the exposures. My subjects were in shadow and I was lit with an afternoon sun sidelight. I thought that the reading the meter gave me was too high. Covering with a hand the lit side lowered the reading 2 stops, wow. I adjusted and exposed with that reading.
Now let's see what will come out. I don't know if I should refrigerate this roll. I fear about humidity, it has been 60-70% (here and in my holiday location). It may have to sit up for a month until I can get it developed. It's annoying to have to go to the city 60 miles away and all the labs I can reach on feet have a day turnaround. I will have to ask around for a mail order lab.

 

[Allan Swindles]

"I did see "in the field" (well... in a covered porch doing a formal portrait so some relatives) how sidelight affected the exposures. My subjects were in shadow and I was lit with an afternoon sun sidelight. I thought that the reading the meter gave me was too high. Covering with a hand the lit side lowered the reading 2 stops, wow. I adjusted and exposed with that reading".

Perhaps now, you will see what I mean.

Regards - Allan.

 

[apforever]

Hi to all. Each time that I wright something on the apug web page must to say this, my english is terrible. I'm from Spain (Málaga). Mi first SLR was an OM-10 and I remember it with affection. I sold't to buy an OM 2n, that have using for a long time. One day stolen at my house and I loose all my photo equipement (included one Bronica 6x6), but that day my Olympus is not on my photo bag, was just over a speaker of my stereo system and save it from to be stolen (I surprise of these) It's like a message from the heaven, and was for a long time the only conection with photography. Now I don't use because Olympus was one of first to let analogic systems and was a problem to have repairs and new accesories. A few years ago I buy a new Nikon F100 and a second hand Bronica SQA. But I have on mi mind as soon as possible to bay one lens for my Olympus because I have only one 50 mm. with fungus signals. I think Olympus was a very good camera and the Zuiko lens system's was famous for a high quality. It's not a bigs cameras, that's good, because makes very comfortable and easy to use.

 

[mopar_guy]

apforever, welcome to this group! Sometimes it seems that nobody uses OM film cameras anymore. It is great to have another member.

Dave

 

[eggen]

Hi guys,
I joined this forum now. I have been used OM cameras since 1977. Now I have a few Om1, Om1 N, Om2 and OM 4 Ti cameras. My lenses are from 21mm to 600 mm, all original Zuikos. I have now 13 lenses and many other gears, flashes, bellow etc. I collect and use these cameras all the time. I think it is like a desease. I use my cameras weekly and especially with b&w film.

I was lucky. I won in eBay a Jobo processor and I look forward the processor very much.
Since 1977 I have no problems with these cameras. I guess I am lucky with these cameras too. Of course these cameras are made for professional use so it is no wonder that these work still.

Best regards to all of You
Esko Hietaranta from Finland

 

[archaeo]

"it seems that nobody uses OM film cameras anymore".

I do... & you just forced me to stop lurking & join up.....

Bought a new OM-1n back in 1979 & it's still going strong, since been joined by a second hand OM-1, OM-2n, OM-3, OM-4Ti, Pen-FT, XA & Trip, plus a whole lot of lenses & other oly stuff.

Regards - Martyn

 

[mopar_guy]

We now have 80 members here! Thanks for joining and I hope to here more from you.

 

[George S.]

" "it seems that nobody uses OM film cameras anymore".

I do... & you just forced me to stop lurking & join up..... "

Me too! I have been using OMs since the late 70s too. Took a detour to LeicaLand but always had two OMs at the ready. Recently dumped all the Leica gear and came back to Olympus. Just added some lenses and a new body and am ready to go.

George

 

[Jeff L]

I was give an OM2 by a neighbour that went to a digital point and shoot. I knew digital was good for something. I am really enjoying the camera it's beautiful to use.

 

[MJFerron]

Yes Chris is a nice look for a lot of subjects. I'm usually loaded with B&W (Delta 100) But if it's color it's Velvia.