Oly OM-1n, first roll after CLA

[Katastrofo]

I hesitate posting these after Skida's entry, but here goes. The first
four are using the Zuiko 2.8/28, the last is using the 2/85 that I got
from Norway:






Fuji Xtra 400>320, CVS processing/scans
using in-camera meter

[Excalibur]

Very good results..I'd like to try more Zuiko lenses (other than my 50s) but I can never pick them up very cheap so I have an OM10 and OM20 taking up shelf space

[Tesselator]

Nice!

I used to shoot with Oly gear too. me likes! http://tesselator.gpmod.com/Images/_Equipment_n_Tutorials/2004-03-05_04-07-01.JPG

[Katastrofo]

Excal, thanks, the lenses aren't that bad if you shop around. The 2/85 ran me $145 with the shipping from
Norway, but is the SC not MC like dearest Jussi's. Still, I think I was lucky to get it at that price.

Tesselator, Woo-Hoo! I guess you were an Oly OM addict, nice gear! Thanks!

I found a dark brown half case for my OM-1n, pictured with the 2/85:

[skida]

Those are lovely results. Well put together and the film is impressive too - hardly any grain apparent, even on the interior shots with less light.

[maxcastle]

Nice shots, can you tell me what the memorial is for, ww2 or korea?

[Nesster]

Very nice Zuiko goodness... Congratulations Bill! Don't worry about the coating - the black body more than makes up for it

[fish4570]

the 28/2.8 is very, very good in BW ...

[Attila]

Very handsome and small, gear with excellent IQ!

[Katastrofo]

Thanks, folks, for your comments, I think the camera works great after
the CLA.

The last picture is a fallen officer memorial, I was at the police station to pick
up a copy of the case file (first time I've been there, living here almost 10 years).

Jussi, the all-black body makes up for it? You're not just saying that...

All the lenses I have seem to be good performers: 2.8/28, 1.8/50, 4/75-150, 2/85.
I guess the 2/35 and the macro would be the next ones to look for, some day the 18mm
wide.

Thanks again.

[Attila]

[Katastrofo]

I agree, no contest! Excellent build quality, compactness, and sharp optics, winning combo!

[Tesselator]

Hehe, I guess I'll be the negative nanny here then.

Many Zuikos have a very nice IQ. A few, not so much.

I find the build quality of OM glass to be lower-mid to mid-range compared to "good ones" from the same decade or so. Until you hit the long OM primes I'm not that impressed with their BQ.

Maybe I'm too strict?

.

[Katastrofo]

Tesselator, have you met Poilu? You guys will get along great. I think your views place you
firmly in the minority, and may the god Maitani cast a bolt of lightning upon your head. j/k I have
no issues with the build quality of the lenses I have, or their IQ, but of course every one is entitlted
to their opinion, as long as they're not talking about Zuiko. j/k, again

Thanks for your comments.

[Tesselator]

Yeah I know I'm in the minority from saying this on other sites as well.

But I feel justified because I'm in the same minority with the number of lenses I own (over 300 + about 150 I have sold).

And the number I've opened up (about 40).

Many OM lenses under 150mm use press fitting and glue instead of threaded rings to position elements.
Many OM lenses under 150mm use plastic parts internally.
Most OM lenses under 300mm have a very dry low-precision noisy aperture ring.
OM lenses are the most prone to clouding due to doublet/triplet separation I've ever seen.
OM lenses are very prone to gathering internal dust.
The grease Olympus used on the helicoid in the OM line is more prone to drying out than most other manufactures.
Most OM lenses suffer from low contrast soft haloing and CA wide open and need to be stopped down 1/2 to 1 click stop to clean up.

Olympus themselves marketed the entire OM line as a "budget" economical system (similar to Nikkor E line) but with advanced body features and high ingenuity. That was their stated theme.

Now who is this Poilu fellow?

[Katastrofo]

Tesselator, thanks for this (dismaying) info on Zuiko lenses, I still like mine, though.

Poilu is one of our mods who is French but lives in Greece, and is an excellent photographer that
uses mostly Zeiss T* lenses, if not mistaken. Rolf is another mod that uses high resolution equipment
but is fitting for both of them not to be held back by lesser gear. Of course both are in my book of envy,
but that's just the way it is. Reminds me I need to make another entry, could I have the correct
spelling of your name?

All in good fun, Tesselator. I tried dismounting a fence behind my place today, caught my pant leg on something
and impaled my right wrist on a metal bar protruding from the top of the fence. 4.5 hours at the ER and 10
sutures later plus my first Lortab, and I'm good as new. Sheesh. I'm thinking I should start reading my
daily horoscope. lol

[Excalibur]

[Tesselator]

Yeah, I would still recommend OM lenses! Well, most of them! They're very compact, very sharp (after that 1st stop I mentioned) and available for about 1/2 to 1/5 of what other lenses of the same optical quality, go for. There's a few OM macros which are priced too high and aren't any better than other brands - so they don't get my mention. But there's a few very expensive specialized OM lenses which are very noticeably better than the competition - they get my mention! I even actively seek them out.

So, absolutely! I clap when I see someone getting a nice OM system or lens! But I don't want to mislead anyone either. OM probably has the best price|performance ratio of any other system lens line-up with so many of them being under the $100 mark. Just know what to actually expect. To know them is to enjoy them all the more. For example with just my general list of remarks one would know to always check for clouds and dust before a purchase, double check for helicoid smoothness, store the lenses in a dust-free environment, not buy them with the assumption that they will be easy to open and clean (without checking the specific model first), knowing that shooting them "wide open" will mostly mean one-stop down, and etc..

One of my more recent purchases was an OM lens:

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Which I got mostly for the unique Oly hood. And I've already shot with it too:

Digital Image: http://tesselator.gpmod.com/Images/_Image_By_Lens/Olympus_50mm-f1.4/_1040115_Olympus_50mm_f1.4.jpg
Digital Image: http://tesselator.gpmod.com/Images/_Image_By_Lens/Olympus_50mm-f1.4/_1040143_Olympus_50mm_f1.4.jpg
Digital Image: http://tesselator.gpmod.com/Images/_Image_By_Lens/Olympus_50mm-f1.4/_1040154_Olympus_50mm_f1.4.jpg

[Excalibur]

Thanks, it's always interesting to hear members views on lenses and AAMOI= As a matter of interest..it's handy to slip in when deviating from the main topic of the thread