OM-2: Back to Film Photography

I'm back to shooting film photography on a regular basis. This doesn't mean that I've abandoned digital. It's more of a supplement to digital photography, especially when high detail is required, equivalent to 40 megapixel or higher. Joe Hoyle and the F-troop (film-troop) encouraged me to venture back into emulsion photography.

One of my old favorites cameras is the Olympus OM-2. I acquired my first OM-2 when I was editor of my college yearbook staff. I had been shooting for many years with an old Voigtlander Bessamatic and a number of German lenses. What enticed me to go with the OM-2 was the articles that I read, that Time-Life had exchanged all of their Nikon systems in favor of Olympus. I was more than impressed. And there was third party lens manufacturers such as Vivitar. The camera and lenses were purchased at the Olde Mystic Photo Shoppe. Like my Dad, I learned how to bargain. The bargaining started with, “I'm not going to pay the store price!”

The owner, a former Brooklynite, was startled, “What do mean, you're not going to pay store price?”

“Exactly. I can make a trip to New York and go to 47^th Street Photo and purchase it at a far better price.”

“Why would you do that when you can save yourself from a two-hour drive?”

“Look, I can drive to NY, pay for the gas, and still save more than what you are asking. And besides, I know the mark-up and how much you're making off each camera and the lenses”

“Okay, you have me there. But what I can do is give you the 47^th Street advertised price and charge an extra $20.00 for your cost of gas.”

“Hmmm... that sounds reasonable. But I want the f/1.4 lens and not the f/1.8 lens”

“You drive a hard bargain.”

“That's what 47^th Street Photo is offering!”

“Okay, it's a deal.”

Later on, I bargained with the same store owner over the price of a Beseler 23C enlarger and darkroom supplies. My Dad had lived in Brooklyn, NY and had learned to bargain for most anything of high price, such as cameras, cars, and even the house that we purchased in Mystic. By watching him wheel-n-deal, I had become a good student.

Had my Dad been alive in that fall of 1976, he probably would have disowned me. He had a great disdain for Japanese camera equipment and wanted me to shoot only German cameras and lenses. But times were changing, and the Japanese had produced some good glass, maybe not the same high-quality as the German manufacturers such as Carl Zeiss and Schneider. But they were good enough for my purposes and cost a whole lot less.

I added a Vivitar Series 1 lens for the OM-2. This short and fast f/2.8 zoom lens became the primary lens of choice for most assignments. Over the years, prior to digital photography, my OM system had grown to another OM-2 body, motor drives, the fast Zuiko 55mm f/1.2, a 35-70mm Zuiko lens, a long telephoto Vivitar 75-300mm lens, and even a longer telephoto 120-600mm Vivitar lens (great sports and bird photography lens).

The OM-2 had seen many adventures and travel to places such as Italy, Belgium, Canada, and many of our U.S. States. And after all of these years and the dramatic technology changes in the photography business, my OM-2 system has endured the test of time, more than 35 years. Surprisingly, my original OM-2 camera is still functioning. The only thing not working is the small red LED light that is used to check for battery operation. No big problem! Other people have attested that this is one durable little camera.

Today, I did an experiment with the OM-2, shooting with TX-400 film and using multiple exposures on the same subject. This is the equivalent to setting up a digital camera for HDR or high dynamic range. In a few more days, the results of the negative scan to digital and the use of NIK software, HDR Efex Pro, should provide something of interest. I have yet to see anyone try this. If someone has tried this, I have not heard about it.