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RE: [OM] Philosophical / telephotical advice

Subject: RE: [OM] Philosophical / telephotical advice
From: "James N. McBride" <jnmcbr@xxxxxxx>
Date: Wed, 31 Jan 2001 02:21:48 -0700
The simplicity of the OM-1 is a great thing for wildlife photography. The
aperture preferred exposure system in the OM-2 is also very handy for moving
animals in rapidly changing light conditions. With the OM-2 it is also
easier to bias the exposure in cases where you have a dark animal against a
snow background or other similar things. My preference is toward the OM-2 or
the later OM-4Ti. The spot metering capability of the OM-2S, OM-3 or OM-4 is
very nice but frequently takes too much time. Some will disagree with that.

Much of the time the lens needed for wildlife will be 300mm or longer. The
Zuiko 300 f-4.5 lens can be used effectively on a shoulder stock if the
light is fairly good. Anything longer usually needs to be on a tripod or
other firm support. This lens with the 1.4 and 2.0 multipliers makes a
versatile system that spans 300/420/600 mm at reasonable speeds with minimum
bulk. I frequently carry a Tamron 60-300 zoom that does a good job. The
Zuiko 400mm f-6.3 is a very good lens at a reasonable weight but they have
gotten very expensive. I recently sold mine to a man in Denmark for $1250
US. The 300 with the 1.4 multiplier is very good and much less expensive.
The Zuiko 135mm f2.8 is a good focal length for those animals you can get
closer to. It is light and fast enough to maintain reasonable shutter
speeds. I have an extra one of those if you are interested. Exactly which
lenses that are best for you will be determined by experimenting. List
members will offer you many alternatives to think about. A way to shortcut
the trial-and-error process is to make rough cardboard models of the
critters you plan to photograph and then place them at distances you would
expect to encounter them. Using a friends equipment determine the focal
length needed to properly fill the frame for each animal at the expected
distance. It will never be perfect but it's better than a guess. You will be
surprised at the frequent need for longer lenses.

Camera/Lens support devices are an important consideration. One thing to
think about is speed. Unless you are shooting from a blind you will usually
not have a long time to set up for a shot. Even someplace like Yellowstone
the animals are frequently moving and the shot you want may only last for a
moment. There has been a lot of discussion among list members lately on the
subject of tripods. Every person has their favorites and there are many good
ones. I carry a Bogen 3205 for a packable tripod and use a heavy Bogen 3040
for use close to the car. Tripods all take time to set up. Time you may not
have. A monopod or a walking stick with a camera mount are frequently good
for wildlife as they are quick to set up and light to carry. If you want to
use a gun stock support, the BushHawk is a good one. You can also make one
from a real gun stock but you may draw some flak from people who think you
have a gun in your hands. Bean bags are very useful if you can find a fence
post, rock or other solid object to use as a base. If you shoot from a car,
there are some good window mounts and special bean bags that are made to fit
over a window or door sill. Leonard Rue sells a very good camera mount
device called the Groofwin that is for use with a car or on another flat
surface. He also sells a very good bean bag. You can find his catalog at
http://www.rue.com. Remember that the car may not be a very stable platform
if the wind is blowing. Much bird photography is done from blinds. Leonard
Rue probably sells the best one but it costs about $225. Look at his catalog
to get an idea of the features he has found to be good. I have a more basic
one called the Outhouse Blind that sets up in five seconds and costs less
than $100. You can also make your own from military surplus materials.

You will soon find out how hard the pros work to get those razor-sharp
wildlife pictures. And......loosen up your wallet. You are embarking on a
financially bumpy ride. Enjoy.  /jnm



> -----Original Message-----
> From: owner-olympus@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
> [mailto:owner-olympus@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx]On Behalf Of Wayne Angevine
> Sent: Tuesday, January 30, 2001 4:51 PM
> To: olympus@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
> Subject: [OM] Philosophical / telephotical advice
>
>
> I've been lurking here for a while and would like to ask the list for
> some advice on a complex philosophical / technical problem.  You all
> seem a reasonably thoughtful lot.
>
> My primary interest is wildlife, especially birds.  I've been using
> a small Nikon system (remember, I just said you were thoughtful) and
> am considering essentially replacing it with an OM system.  Most of
> my shooting is on foot, so portability is important.
>
> The philosophical side of the question is, is it really sensible to
> use a manual SLR system which is now essentially unsupported for this
> sort of shooting?  I much prefer the aesthetics of the OM system
> (metal vs. plastic).
>
> A technical approach to the same question might be, is everything I
> need available?  For example, what would you recommend in the 300 and
> 400 mm range for OM?  The Zuiko 300/4.5 would probably be fine, but
> are there 3rd-party lenses available new or used that I should consider
> instead?  I'd also like to have something in the 400/5.6 neighborhood,
> but the only possibilities there seem to be Tamron or Tokina 80-200/2.8
> zooms with a 2X TC (whose?).  I would definitely want a 500/8 reflex
> or maybe even the Sigma 600/8.  Any comments on these or other choices
> would be greatly appreciated.
>
> Other technical matters are viewfinder quality and metering.  I really
> like the big, bright, high eyepoint OM1 finder.  On the other hand,
> I really like evaluative metering and aperture-priority AE.
>
> So, what do you think?
>
> Wayne Angevine
>
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>


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