david_harris15
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Posts posted by david_harris15
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If I was going to shoot
Street I would probably take
my Olympus OM1 over my F2.
Smaller & lighter in the hand
& I find the viewfinder
easier to focus quickly than
the F2's one. The shutter is
also very quiet when fired.
The OM1 isn't as robust as an
F2 & uses an obsolete battery
(I have had mine recalibrated
for a 1.5v battery) but I
can't see what an F2 offers
over it for street
photography. I have a waist
level finder with for my F3 &
don't find it a lot of use rk
be honest.
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Have a look at the following:
ess.com/manual/nikon-fm2-
fm2n/
Probably worth double checking with the repair shop you are going to use to be sure it will work?
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<p>If you need a donor body to provide a shutter an F801 might be a cheaper choice as I think it shares the same shutter as the FM2n.</p>
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I bought a 1986 copy of
Amateur Photographer magazine
off ebay in the UK a few
weeks ago as I wanted to see
the adverts & prices for
Nikon gear back then. Maybe
look there for a 1970's
version? Had a quick look &
there is a 1978 one listed. Might be a bit too late for you?
Was surprised to see the 1986
price for an F3 was £740. Had
an idea it was less.
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<p>Have you checked with your local Nikon Spares Department to see if they still hold it?</p>
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<p>I have used a Tamron SP 500mm mirror with a Nikon D3000 for a few years now & have been very happy with the results. Focusing takes a bit of care to get right but the images are OK. Have taken some nice shots of the moon with the Tamron SP teleconverter behind the mirror.<br>
I did have the 500mm Vivitar mirror before getting the Tamron to replace it. The IQ from the Vivitar was terrible. Fuzzy images like shooting through a fly screen even with it on a tripod, but I might have just had a bad sample?<br>
I did some testing against other lenses & although Vivitar advertised it as an F8, I found that I had to stop other lenses down to F11 to get the same shutter speed that the Vivitar gave. </p>
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<p>£30 each for Nikkor 135mm F2.8 AIS & 35mm F2.8 AIS lenses.</p>
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<p>The biggest blow to my slide shooting has been the demise of Jessops over here (UK) & their process paid E6 mailers. They were around £6 to buy & for that you got good developing with the slides mounted. I haven't shot a slide film since they went under as the cost of getting it done elsewhere has more than doubled.<br>
Wonder whether there is a market for such mailers still if someone else bought them out? It would hopefully mean that the lab that they went to would see an increased volume of film going through it?<br>
Have just bought my first three slide films for a couple of years & will be looking for somewhere to get them developed. May ask in my local Snappy Snaps to see if they can help. Have been very happy with their C41.</p>
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<p>Agree. I have never found the A/F on the F4 to be as bad as people say. I had an F5 before an F4 & yes, the F5 is faster, but I have never found the F4 A/F overly slow or to hunt a lot.<br>
Another vote for the for the Nikkor 28-105 AFD. Have been very happy with mine.</p>
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<p>It would help if we knew what your budget was as what you are after may be hard to find on a low budget? The FE2 ticks most of the boxes but may be too expensive?<br /> Perhaps an OM2N?<br /> Bayonet mount, looks to have a needle in the viewfinder from what I have just seen about it on the Mir site (I have only ever used the OM2 SP which has LED's)<br /> 1/1000th top shutter speed.<br /> Finder brightness is subjective but I have never had a problem with my OM2 SP.<br /> Shutter speed dial, admittedly in a strange place around the lens mount.<br /> Interchangeable focusing screens.<br /> Hot shoe.<br /> Zuiko lenses are highly regarded.<br /> OM2N was aimed at professional users so should pass the solidity & quality requirement.<br /> OM2N is fairly compact.<br /> Olympus OM2 stuff is reasonably priced. I put together an outfit last year with the OM2 SP, 3 Zuiko lenses and a flash for under £100.<br /> Only things I would say against an OM2 are no viewfinder indication of aperture, slow flash sync speed & the foam seals may need attention.</p>
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<p>Maybe take a look at Kodak Ektar 100. Kodak Portra 160 is nice as well.</p>
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<p>Lovely pictures. Thanks for sharing.</p>
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<p>I am a fairly recent joiner of the Olympus camp but have never found my Zuiko's wanting for sharpness. Do you wet print or scan your negatives? If the latter maybe a better scanner would be worth thinking about?<br>
To be honest, given what 35mm gear is selling for these days why not give the Pentax a go? Super Takumar lenses are supposed to be very good. That is the logic I used when I got an OM2 last year even though I am heavily into Nikon stuff with no complaints about it. I always fancied trying an OM2 SP & being able to get the camera, 3 lenses & a flash for under £100 was too much to resist.</p>
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<p>I remember the first time that I tried to load a 35mm SLR. A Zenit EM. No instruction manual & over 30 years ago so no Internet to help. Utter nightmare & I had to take it back to the shop to get help. Not an easy task if you are new to it.<br>
That Zenit though managed to get me hooked for life. I am still using 2 of the lenses that I got with it to this day, but now with a Praktica MTL5.</p>
<p>Good luck with the camera now that you sound to have got it working.</p>
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<p>I looked at getting a 3rd party one & all the reviews that I read said not to. Here is a sample one:<br>
<a href="http://www.dpreview.com/forums/post/32713121">http://www.dpreview.com/forums/post/32713121</a><br>
I decided against getting a 3rd party one & sought out a used Nikon one. Managed to find a mint SD-8A from a dealer for only £10 more than a 3rd party one was new.</p>
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<p>Nikon Spares in the UK told me that the part was unavailable from them late last year when I tried to get one for my F5 after losing part of the display. Wasn't impressed as I was under the impression that they kept parts available for the Pro bodies for 10 years after the end of production & I thought that should have been 2014 for the F5?<br>
In the end I wound up buying another DP-30. The only place that I could find one for sale at a reasonable price was on ebay from a German seller at around £100. Used but in mint condition.<br>
I think that Grays of Westminister had a new one at the time. They wanted £400 for it though. Bit steep for me given that you can find an F5 is decent condition for the same money.</p>
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<p>The only area that I can think of that the EM beats an OM2 is with the flash sync speed. 1/90th for the EM & 1/60th for the OM2. Neither is really impressive as sync speeds go TBH.<br /> I had an EM briefly & replaced it as my small Nikon with an FG as it has a manual mode. A far more useful camera & it is the same size as the EM.</p>
<p>I also have an OM2 Spot Program & much prefer it to the EM & FG.</p>
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<p>Portra 160VC is lovely stuff. I much prefer it to the current Portra 160, which is too much like the old Portra NC for my taste. If it were offered to me at that price I would take a chance on it.</p>
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<p>I had a 500mm Vivtar mirror a few years back & it was the worst lens that I have ever owned. I never got a decent picture with it, even with a tripod. I got rid of it for a Tamron 500mm F8 SP Mirror.<br>
The subject of mirror lenses cropped up on a UK forum that I am a member of & I shot some test images with primes, primes with a teleconverter & finally one with the Tamron mirror.<br>
Here is the thread if you want to look at the images to see how the Tamron performs.<br>
No way would I suggest to anyone to buy a cheap mirror lens without testing it first. I have been very happy with the Tamron.</p>
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<p>Sometimes hiring a professional photographer isn't an option when money is tight. My best mate asked me to photograph his wedding but I declined saying to hire a pro as he will do a much better job. He had the money to pay for one & didn't regret spending it. My girlfriend's best mate got married last month & I was asked to photograph it. Again I said no & hire a professional but with three small children they didn't have the money.<br>
They knew nobody else with a camera & it would have been guests with camera phones so I climbed down & photographed the wedding after making it clear that I wasn't a pro, had never shot one before but that I was going to do the best that I could. End result. I won't win any awards for the photographs but I got all the ones suggested in the two wedding photography books I read before hand & the bride & groom were happy. One very relieved photographer I can tell you!<br>
My apprehension wasn't helped by only having a Nikon D3000 with 2 DX lenses (18-55 kit & a 55-200), but I was pleasantly surprised with how well it performed on the day. I used it in combination with a Nikon F5 shooting Portra 160 with a longer zoom lens & switched between the two as needed. The DSLR's instant feedback was a great reassurance on the day.<br>
I don't plan of photographing a wedding ever again as I didn't enjoy the day at all with all the worry about doing an acceptable job. Am just saying that sometimes what is advisable isn't always possible & a friend needs to bite the bullet & help out where they can.</p>
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<p>They are still available new from Nikon spares (at least in the UK). I got a 35-70mm F3.5 -4.5 AIS Nikkor off of ebay last month that was missing the prong & a new one only cost £5. Second lens I have got off of ebay that has been missing one. Unless I fix my FTN prism I doubt if I will ever use one but for me a m/f Nikkor doesn't look right without it.</p>
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<p>Would probably go with my Nikon D3000 over one shoulder & my Nikon F5 over the other. Out of choice I would use the F5 with Portra 160 but digital would probably win because of the instant feedback on what I have shot.<br>
I have to shoot a wedding in a couple of months & am dreading it & plan on taking the two above & duplicating shots with both cameras where time allows.<br>
I have tried to persuade them to get a pro photographer in as I have never shot one before but they don't have much money & I have been told it will be compact cameras & phones if I don't take my camera. No pressure there then lol.<br>
Will teach me to take my F5 to their youngest child's christening last year & come back with photographs that they liked.<br>
I have made it clear that I will do the best I can but don't expect pro standard images from me. So far have got 4 wedding photography books cheap off ebay to study.<br>
As the saying goes. Damned if I do, Damned if I don't. Can't forget the amount of posts I have read on here from people looking for advice on shooting their first wedding with the general consensus being don't if you don't know what you are doing.</p>
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<p>I had a simliar problem with an FM2 which was of my own making when I changed the top cover for a new one that I had purchased from Nikon. Under the top cover there is a spring that keeps tension on the multiple exposure lever & I hadn't re-connected it quite right. The clue was that the multiple exposure lever was very floppy & sometimes when I moved the film advance it would move with it & stop the film from advancing. Maybe check your lever to see if it is under tension? If not then the problem may be with the spring under the top cover?</p>
<p>Good luck with getting it fixed. The FM2 is a lovely camera.</p>
Olympus OM1 - Shutter speed mech broken...
in Olympus
Posted
Perhaps try MW Camera Repairs for a second opinion as what you have been quoted sounds extortionate. I have sent both my OM1's to him within the last 18 months for a clean, lubricate & adjust, foam removal from the prism area along with a diode battery modification so the meter will run off an SR-44 battery & the price for each has been £50.
His web site is at MWCameraRepairs
I have also sent a pair of OM2N's to him for CLA's & foam removal & have been very happy with all the work.
Agree with what William Kahn said above about ebay. I picked up both my OM1's off there as spare or repair & the pair of them came to under £40. Have seen working ones go for around £50 on auctions. If you do get another one recommend sending it for a CLA & a defoam at least. Most of them have light seals added around the prism which rot over time & ruin the silvering leaving you with black spots in the viewfinder.