Dateline Friday 2:00pm: My wife calls me at work and says "Merry
Christmas, UPS has come!" Yippie!!! Unfortunately the next three hours
crawl by at a snail's pace.
I rush home right after work and open up the box and inside are two fully
cared for and repaired cameras. Also in the box is a brand new 2-4 focusing
screen. I remove them from their bags (after noting the huge repair
bill--sniff, sniff), and mount a lens on each. I look through them, noting
the fact that the OM-1 actually works again!
Unfortunately, the new screen isn't installed, so I swap screens but in the
process of locking the screen in place I manage to stick the tool into the
fresnel surface. Now I got a "roadrunner" of my own up in the upper-left
hand corner. It's small and right near the edge, so I'll learn to ignore it
in an hour or two.
Thoughts on the 2-4 focusing screen: This is the same screen surface that
is used in the IS cameras. I thought it would be, but one look through the
viewfinder confirmed it. It is VERY bright and easy to focus. For wedding
work it will be perfect. For telephoto use, it is awesome! I stuck some
seriously dull lenses on doublers and I could still focus with ease.
Unfortunately, not all is rosy in the garden. The 2-series of focusing
screens are etched with a pattern that makes out of focus items not fuzzy
but have multiple images. I was comparing with the OM-1 that has a 1-4
screen installed and the bokah is much better and more accurate with the
1-series screen. Close-up work is rather interesting as you don't see
exactly what you will be getting on film. But, the extra brightness makes
focusing so much easier and more accurate. The grain of the 1-4 screen
doesn't allow the resolution for focusing that is possible with the
2-series. Which one is better for close-up work? Don't know yet--the jury
is still out. BTW, almost all focusing screens today use this new
technology and I've seen the wierd bokah on the Canons, Minoltas and Nikons.
Oh, and does the image "snap" in place when in focus? Yes!
Anyway, I'm enjoying my weekend and I've been shooting up a storm. Thanks
John.
Ken (former OM-less) Norton
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