kieran_hamill

 

<p>"actually a zuiko 90mm f/2 macro would meet his requirements perfectly as a macro and a portrait lens."</p>

<p>Actually Tim I'm not sure it's what I would call a portrait lens. I've got fantastic results of young children with their flawless skin and old people at ease with their wrinkles, but anyone in between wont thank you for drawing attention to their thread veins. It's very surgical in that respect. But with a baby the large aperture lets you get crystal clarity on their eyes with the tip of their nose nicely out of focus. It's a very appealing effect. Fantastic macro lens though.</p>

<p>"Problem is he won't get it for under 100 pounds"</p>

<p>I'm willing to let mine go for a couple of pounds if anyone is interested. Gold or platinum, I'm not fussy.<br>

I really like the OM telescopic extension tubes. They retain full lens functionality and they're great when your out and about. There still seems to be a few knocking about.</p>

 

Lex is right. You wont be able to discern DOF effects and focus snap with that screen, but with a 24mm lens it will not be too critical and you can be guided by the DOF/distance markings on the lens. I'm not sure that there isn't some issue with exposure compensation with that screen on the OM1 variants also - can anyone else advise?

I've tried all sorts of tricks to achieve this without success. You can tape over the relevant hotshoe contact to fool the camera, but the flash will then fire at full power, so defeating the object. The only OM camera which does not auto-sync is the original OM2. They thought auto-syncing was an improvement. As I've improved myself I've found it a hindrance. At least it has forced me to learn to master manual flash, which is still the absolute best way to obtain 100% predictable results.

Nancy,

Are you sure your mean the OM10? This has no shutter speed ring does it? If you mean the dial on the plug-in manual adapter then I would think it's a case of throwing it away and getting another one.

Igor,

I have an unused boxed shoe at home but can't remember the type (it came with a job lot purchase). I will check tonight and if it's the right type you are welcome to it.

I'm flabbergasted. I think the OM3/4 is the greatest metering display ever. Analogue display is something my brain instinctivly understands, like reading a clock face. I'm not even conscious of reading it. In fact, when Ansel Adams first looked through the OM4 viewfinder he said 'One day all camera viewfinder displays will look like this' even though I just made it up.

 

Basically, in auto mode the sliding bar tells you the speed the camera will select based on centreweighted metering to withing 1/3rd of a stop, until you use the spotmeter. Then the pips tell you the contrast range of your subject and the bar indicates the speed selected based on the averaged readings - all in one dispaly. It's sublime. When I see digital displays that indicate f9.3 @ 1/340 I am lost in mental gymnastics. The OM4 tells me much more, but by simple osmosis.

The lenses may well have been made in Japan, but I suspect they bought the serial numbers in from Malaysia.

Start with the standard 50 f1.8, as cheap as chips and always very good.

It's a spider mite, not an ant I think. I also think your lens needs cleaning. If you zoom in you have difficulty telling if this pregnant female has a reticulated ovidepositor or not.

I think you would be better using a simple flash bracket and connect the hotshoe to the PC socket on the OM1. The T32 is too close to the lens axis for my liking, and the hotshoes on the OM1 seem too flimsy to take a significant moment. Make sure the T32 body isn't cracked at the hotshoe or battery compartment - both known weaknesses.

 

As you wont get the benefit of TTL on the OM1, unless you want to use it with other bodies I would go for a flash that:-

Sits higher off the lens axis,

Has more manual (and presumably auto)power levels,

Has integral fill flash facility when bouncing.

I think the ultimate disposable camera would be an M series Leica. I can't imagine any other group of owners going through such a gamut of emotions if they had to throw it away after one film.

Thanks

Ashley Vinall no longer does cibachromes and I am not enamoured with

the digital alternatives. Does anyone know of a UK processer still

offering this service for 35mm slides?

I don't have it with me, but I think the take-up spool probably is plastic. I wouldnt let that put you off an OM1(N) though. The only bit of plastic which is a problem on the early OM's are the rather lightweight hotshoes, which tend to crack with age or when overtightened. You dont need one anyway. Otherwise these cameras are superbly engineered and are wonderful to hold. I seldom use mine now for other than long night exposures, but I suspect in years to come they will be adding sound chips to silent digital cameras to mimic the OM1 whirr-crump. It works like clockwork everytime. Because it's clockwork, silly!

You can't be sure it's the OM plate to blame. You could make good money selling the shots as capturing a Venusian invasion fleet using their infra red cloaking device. Or a flock of starlings re-enacting scenes from the Dambusters.

My guess is the flash meter is telling you what camera settings would be required to illuminate your subject with 100% flash, so the background would be grossly underexposed. The disparity depends entirely on how much ambient light is around and measuring TTL flash is a bit of waste of time because of this. You'll only get harmony of readings in a dark room. TTL results are either right or wrong given all the variables the camera is using. Fill flash (ie to fill shadows at -1 or more stops)is another beast altogether and only modern combos do this relatively painlessly. My flashmeter allows me to take a reading at 100% flash then analyse different shutter speed/aperture combinations to reduce the flash ratio. Can yours?

 

Using TTL flash you have to accept what the camera flash combo gives you, which is a balanced result based on its centreweighted reading, including the background luminance, and not knowing the actual tone of the subject. You can control the flash output using the compensation dial, but this affects the background too (within the centreweighted metering bias) but you can get good results if the subject is relatively large in the vewfinder. To control it completely you have to go for totally manual control - ie manual camera and manual flash. You then run into problems of using small apertures (large depth of field) on bright days in order to keep the shutter speed down to 1/60th. You could use ND filters to counter this, and correct the background with a longer shutter speed, but it�s a pain and reduces the range of the flash accordingly.

 

There is a semi manual method. With the camera in manual mode @1/60, meter to obtain a good background exposure and set this aperture on the camera. Focus on the subject and note the distance. Set the flash to the auto mode (not TTL) corresponding to one stop larger than your subject distance suggests (ie tell the flash you are using a larger aperture than you actually are). Leave it to the flash to work out it's effect. I've found this method to work, but when it does go wrong I am never sure why.

 

Using all manual settings is at least predictable and controllable. First, use the flash meter to derive the real guide number of your flash on all manual power levels - it will invariably be less than that quoted by the manufacturer and will be affected by surroundings. Leave plenty of time for it to charge (say 20 seconds after the light illuminates) for each reading. Then, with the camera in manual mode, again select the aperture to give a good background exposure. Using the flash guide number calculate the correct distance to the subject for that aperture (or a larger aperture to achieve reduced fill) and move to that distance to take the shot.

 

All of this is a bit of a pain, and certainly doesn't lend itself to candid grab shots using subtle fill ratios. The ideal would be to have a flash with multiple manual power levels, and to set the power one stop lower than the subject distance recommends for your chosen aperture. That way you wouldn't have to move position or change your chosen aperture, or spend too much time working it out.

 

The above assumes your subject needs some fill, obviously. If it's already in balance with the background you will end up overexposing it by adding flash.

 

Hope this helps.

Angle finders can allow the camera to be closer to the ground for macro work, and also usually have some provision for increased magnification, thus helping critical focussing. They are broadly helpful for static macro work. Special focussing screens also help.

Andrew,

It's not that the tubes can only be used with specific lenses, but some specific macro lenses (such as the 80mm macro you mention) can only be used with tubes/bellows, as thy would foul the mirror if directly mounted to the camera. These tube are great fun outdoors. Extension determines the magnification and focussing is by moving back and forth. You will get great results with lenses specifically designed for macro, but any OM lens can be used.

It seems to be taking all the plaudits in the UK at the moment. Amateur Photographer's recent review gave it the best overall marks yet, and put it right up there with the best available. 'What Digital Camera' has also just voted it digital SLR of the year 2003, and it took the overall title of Product of the Year 2003. Welcome back Olympus. This might just be the digital equivalent of the OM1. Oh ye of little faith.

Richard,

 

I have checked my T32 and agree that there seems no way for the flash to tell the difference between full power manual setting and reversing the panel for TTL control. I don�t believe there is any hidden magnetic detector, so I assume it must be the camera mode only that dictates (ie auto or manual setting). I really must get hold of some instructions before opening my big gob again.

 

Presumably this means you can�t operate the flash at full power whilst the camera is in auto exposure mode. This may be a feature as far as the manufacturer is concerned but I always think of these things as limitations. Frigging around with the settings is half the fun sometimes, and defaults like TTL, flash suppression, and auto sync just get in the way for me. It�s one thing to have an exciting idea and struggle to work out how to do it, but quite another to be prevented from even trying by your equipment.

Richard,

 

I am not really in a position to argue without the instructions, but I will test my T32 against my flash meter. I would be very surprised to find that full power manual setting can ever mean variable power TTL control by the camera. I thought there was an extra tit in the corner which got activated when you reversed the back which told the flash it was on TTL duty. I will check.

 

At full power manual you use the (true) guide number to determine the exposure, based on the distance. You couldn't do this if the camera varied the flash output. I actually prefer manual control for critical work in preference to TTL. TTL is best for macro, for bounce flash (with fill) or for candid grab shots where speed is required.

 

Flash ratio is solely controlled by aperture - unless you have a clever flash like the F280. The slower shutter speed only affects the ambient background exposure for a given aperture, not the effects of the flash, which is over and done with long before the shutter decides to close.

 

OM's don't allow you to be flexible with daylight fill flash. If you like the results, no problem. You just can't change it that's all. Either you opt for a modern camera/flash combo or one with a leaf shutter (ie high speed sync) and variable power flash and assume total control (ala wedding photographer).

 

Assuming a relatively fast film, with OM's the simplest way to vary fill flash ratios is to manually select a power level corresponding to one (or more) stops less than that dictated by the aperture used, for that distance. This is easiest with a flash which actually has many manual power levels. Not many units do. So you can vary the distance instead (1.4x = -1 stop, 2x = -4 stops), but now your flash is dictating your framing for you. You will already be using a small aperture to keep the shutter speed below 1/60, so now your subject is a lot smaller than they need to be, and cant be separated from the cluttered background, which is also in perfect focus.

 

Alternatively, with the camera in auto mode, the next best way is to use ND filters to fool the camera into using a slow enough shutter speed to ensure the flash will fire, and set the flash to auto at a level one stop higher than the actual aperture in use - ie tell the flash you are using a larger aperture than you are. You don't have that many apertures to choose from, so you will need a range of ND filters to suit varying conditions. Remember that the flash auto sensor is relatively crude in comparison to TTL. Remember that the efects of the flash will be further limited by the ND filter you use, but the ambient exposure wont - so factor this in to the iso speed setting on the flash to compensate. The filters themselves can detract from the results - optical quality/flare. Like I said. It's possible to do, but not so easy with an OM.

Richard,

 

I've only just acquired a second hand T32 and have no manual, but I am sure that setting the flash to manual means full power discharge only (or 1/2 depending on setting) regardless of what mode the camera is set to. In this instance you will need to select the aperture to suit the subject distance. If you want the camera to control the flash (ie TTL OTF) the camera must be set to auto and the flash to TTL control by reversing the back. The flash auto mode can be used on both camera modes, but it's the flash itself which is controlling exposure.

 

The advantage of manual camera mode is you can guarantee the flash will fire at 1/60th. In auto mode the viewfinder may indicate 1/60th but if it's even slightly faster then firing will be supressed. Using TTL flash I always ensure the speed is 1/30 max to avoid this problem.

 

Dan,

 

Fill flash on OM's is not easy, as they are set up to achieve balanced results which look like flash has been used. Tastes have changed since they were first introduced, and nowadays most people want the effect to be unobtrusive. You can't dial in minus compensation to the flash like modern cameras. The only OM that can do this is the OM3Ti with F280 flash combo. The 4Ti and F280 gives nice results though IMO.

 

With T series or third party dedicated flashes the 1/60th sync forces small apertures to be used in daylight, which isn't the best for portraits unless ND filters are used, and you are still stuch with balanced fill ratios. The easiest way to achieve subtle fill is to use a manual flash with variable power output (full, 1/2, 1/4/ 1/8, 1/16) and select the power level corresponding to one stop less than that suggested for the aperture you are using at that distance.

 

For macro work this is not a problem, and TTL/auto is the easiest way to go. Manual macro/flash requires precise knowledge of flash characteristics, lens aperture and magnification ratios to work out the required compensation needed. The OM system was grounbreaking as far as macro goes, allowing the photographer to frame and shoot, and I still don't think there is a system out there that can touch Olympus for the range of lenses and accessories for macro work.

 

Small apertures needed for macro usually mean ambient backgrounds are underexposed, which helps to lift the subject nicely. The only concern is if the subject is small and not near the centre, when overexposure could result because of the way metering is centreweighted, in which case I would bracket exposure. Head on flash will also flatten the subject, so get a TTL cord and position the flash above and about 45° to the left or right, to simulate natural lighting angles and add form (shadows). To imporve things further, a smaller flash or white reflecter should be used to open up detail in shadows on the opposite side.

Q - If a medium format SLR takes a picture or a falling tree in a forest with nobody there to hear it, does it make a sound?

 

A - If you have a question involving photography, forestry management and acoustics, why on earth ask a buddhist monk?.

Neil,

I can't remember where I read the taping up contacts trick, but seem to remember I managed to identify the right contact (OM40), but the result was the flash only fired at full power - ie no TTL - so it was pointless.

 

Mark,

My opinion is that if the ambient reading dictated a tripod was needed I would use one. The old OM2 allows you to play with flash painting etc. The current situation tends toward overexposed subjects in underexposed locations - which I hate. The most flexible (and accurate) flash method is still to have a manual flash with variable output so that it is not dictating your aperture, and a good flash meter which indicates ambient/flash ratios, but you can forget about spontinaity. OM TTL flash is OK for bouncing in light rooms and macro, but I don't like the results anywhere else, which are hard to predict.

 

The only OM system which seems to come close to the flexibility I want is the OM3Ti with F280 because I understand the compensation dial adjusts the flash output reading TTL while the shutter speed and aperture are set manually. I have no experience of using it though.

How do you tell the various lenses for Bronica ERTS(i) apart? Are

there clear markings?