To the Heights of the Olympus Mount

I confess that after all these years, I had yet to actually use an Olympus OM-series SLR. I have several friends that given high praise to the OM series, and I have repeatedly read about the wonderful compactness of the Olympus OM-1 SLR. Last Friday I picked up a box of cameras that had been donated to the Michigan Photographic Historical Society (MiPHS). In the box, among the digital P&S Canons, the Kodak Autographic, the Instamatic 100, and other items was a brown never-ready Olympus camera case. I opened it, and inside was a nearly impeccable OM-1 with 50mm 1.4 Zuiko lens and the matched lens shade. Except for the non-working self-timer, the camera looks like it was bought yesterday. I figured that I might as well use the camera for a while before selling it for MiPHS.



I believe Olympus built a nearly-perfect SLR for its time. Yes, I am a camera gearhead, and appreciate mechanical cameras, but I wasn't prepared for the joy of using the OM-1. Would I have loved it as much if the camera had been a beater? Hard to say, but this one is really nice. I put in a fresh 625 hearing aid battery, a roll of Kodak Gold 100 (yes FRESH film this time...see previous post), and shot the roll in 24 hours, mostly around the yard and at Matthaei Botanical Gardens. There is also a mint 50mm 3.5 macro lens in a case that I tried out, and it worked very smoothly and was fun to use on flowers in the garden.



Results speak for themselves. In operation, the camera was like a Nikkormat that went to finishing school. The aperture and shutter speed control are located on the lens barrel and lens base and are operated with the left hand, resulting in not having to look away from the camera or move the right hand except to fire the shutter. Slick. Match-needle metering, which is my favorite. I'm not a fan of the green and red LEDs on the Nikon manual cameras. Shutter sound -- quiet. The stop-down DOF lever is right where my finger can find it on the lens. Really easy.







Do I really need yet another SLR system? I can envision the OM-1 as being a perfect street camera with that 50mm 1.4. Maybe I need therapy. No, the OM-1 is a lot cheaper than a visit to the doc. I guess I will have to sell something to buy it, and that Nikkormat FTN is looking kinda forlorn right now... Go ahead, try and convince me that I don't need it.

Just for reference, in case you don't know...
Modern Classic SLRs - Olympus
Camerapedia
Official Olympus site

Umm, where was that film?

Last week I obtained a like-new Pentax K1000 SE from my neighbor. Wanting to give it a quick try-out, I shot a roll of C-41 film over the course of a couple of days. Now, I am pretty good about keeping long-expired film away from my every-day film stash, but it's obvious that I should have had second thoughts about the roll of Kodak Gold 200 that had some special logo in the canister.



This was the best photo on the roll! Shot on a sunny day, and it looks like evening. Grainy, lack of contrast. YES, that is long-expired film, alright. At least I had the foresight to just have the film developed with no prints or CD. So, while there are some films that can sit around for many years and give decent results, color films, in general are not them. I have no idea where I got the roll of film, but it was probably from the remains of someone's old film stash. Lesson learned. When testing out a camera, use fresh film.

Film is Fantastic

Lest anyone think that my latest photographic trip was a digital fusillade with the Canons, I did manage to shoot over a dozen rolls of film. I still have some half-shot rolls left in a couple of cameras that will eventually get processed. The b&w rolls will probably get done next week. The C-41 color has all been processed and scanned at the lab, and I am quite pleased with the results from the Canon A-1 and The Elan II. A roll from the Yellow Peace Camera (aka Vivitar Ultra Wide and Slim) came out fantastic, as did a roll from the 35mm Holga, and The Minolta 7s.

One of my favorite shots from the Canon EOS Elan II was that of the old pilings at Lower Harbor in Marquette, taken not too long before sunset. I used Kodak Gold 200 -- really a very good all-purpose film. The lens is a cheapo Sigma 70-210 EF (film only) lens that I picked up on ebay for less than $50.



A few days earlier, I shot some Ektar 100 in the Canon A-1. The trip to photograph Canyon Falls in Baraga Co. was definitely very much the right decision, as the lighting was good, and the water flowing. This shot was with the Canon 100mm 2.5.



The "Yellow Peace Camera" worked far better than I expected in a variety of conditions, attesting to the latitude of 400 ISO Kodak color film. The images definitely have a special look to them.



What would a trip to the UP be like without a photograph of a sign that is sure to elicit a few smiles...

EOS ELan II.

One week in Marquette

Well, I arrived in Marquette a week ago tomorrow. It's been a relaxing time for me, and being all by myself, I have been keeping a strange schedule, with each day unfolding as it may. I had hoped for some overcast days for some waterfall work, and it looks there may be rain the last day that I'll be here. So, I have been getting up early some days and doing some shooting before the sun gets too high, or else I have been out late into the evening. Midday usually finds me doing other things, but a camera is always with me. Yesterday I was in Negaunee and Ishpeming, two old mining towns west of Marquette. Both have seen better days, and I think one could do a good photo essay or two on bars there. I did visit a bunch of antique shops, and found a nice vintage print of Wagner falls that looks to be about 75 years old.

Today was really pretty hot and humid, and it was partly cloudy by the time I got out and about. I hit the beautiful Peter White Library on Front Street in Marquette and read a few newspapers and took some interior shots. Peter White was probably the most influential person to make Marquette become a city.
The Shiras Room at the Peter White Library.

Afterwards, I drove over to Marquette's Park Cemetery - a truly beautiful place that has a pond amidst the graves. All the Marquette notables are buried there, and yes, so is Peter White. I wanted to visit while the graves of veterans had fresh flags and flowers for Memorial Day. I think I got some good photos there.


In the evening, I headed over to Presque Isle once again, and was amazed at how cool it was there compared to around the apartment, just a mile or so away. By the time I was finished shooting I was quite chilled, and the approaching storm was putting up a nice breeze that added to the already cool 58 deg F. I got some fine shots, despite being cold. Sometimes I think I do better work when I am challenged by the conditions.

A Hot Time in the UP

As in it's been over 90 deg. F the past two days...and it's May. I certainly have never seen it like this up in Marquette. Even when it's been hot in midsummer, there would be thunderstorms to cool things off. So, to say the least, this is unusual weather. The kind of pervasive heat that dulls your ambition. However, evenings near the lake have been very nice. This evening I shot 3 rolls of film in the Canon EOS Elan II. That's a really likeable camera, and I find it a lot of fun to use. Yesterday, and earlier in the day, I used the Canon 1000D. Tomorrow, my plan is to go to the Keweenaw peninsula. It might even be cooler there.

Little Presque Isle. There is a bank of fog just beyond due to the cold lake water and the hot air temperatures.

Oh, and this is the Canon gear I brought up with me: