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Re: [OM] International role call - just out of curiosity

Subject: Re: [OM] International role call - just out of curiosity
From: "Stephan VAN DEN ZEGEL" <svandenzegel@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Date: Fri, 5 Apr 2002 14:30:47 +0200
hello,

As everybody tells his own little story, I present myself

I'm Stephan (40), born and still living in Brussels, Belgium, Europe... I'm
french speaking even if I'm from flemish origine... (in fact speak both...)
and I began my photographical journey when I was 12... even if even before I
tried some boxes and other things... (finally inherited that old hernemann
baby folding that was in the display closet -do not touch-  and fascinated
me...)

so when I was 12 ... I broke the ears (and finally the wallet ) of my mother
to buy me a camera (ended up with a minolta Himatic 7s... very good learning
tool) that I sold two or three yaers later (also sold the electric train)...
to buy a second hand but brand new Om1md black with... 50/1,8, 35/2,8 and
135/3,5 (remember that I paid 15000bef at that time... which was cheap but
very very expensive from my point of view...)...
I remember the two or three months lurking at photo shops... and the
dilemma:  Nikon FTn was too expensive, Spotmatic was nice but... canon FTB
was heavy and so was Minolta... and Olympus was very pleasant (all those
things were around 12000bef new with a normal lens)... but one evening my
mother told me that she read about an Om1 in the classified adds ... and
that if it was ok for me, she would lend me the money... until the train was
sold... (in fact she had already phoned to set the deal... as she took good
care of my money)

My Om1 and lenses were "too much"... a black one... all my friends of the
school photo club were pale with envy...  even if they thought that such a
small thing could not be as serious as... (you know... sometimes
photographic equipment showup is  a sort of phallic substition behaviour...
even for teenagers)
Two years later I bought an OM2n (only thing I ever bought new...) and a
metz 45 because the T32 were so expensive...
At that time I was taking a lot of pictures... almost a roll a day... at
school, in the family... and so on...

Then I went to the university, discussed a lot about politics... organised
some strikes and so on... and almost left all the om stuff in the dust...
even if regularly I was the unofficial photographer at partys and for
theater plays...
After those very long studies (Sociology, Criminology and finally Urban
planning)... I started to work... and as the money came... I took the (bad
and irrepressible) habit of looking at second hand camera shops...
So came... an OM3 (never saw another used one in Belgium), some lenses ... a
lot of lenses (from prime to exotic third parties)... an OM4...  winders,
flashs (up to 6 T32, as people tends to sell them with  kits...)... another
OM1... two OM2....

Finally I took the habit of offering all the "doubles" to my brother ... and
after him my sister and my brother in law (even sold his N* Af after he
discovered the pleasure of OM)... who in return... and so on... turned the
all family into Zuiko users...

Then perversion turned into polymorphic perversion...
Even with the closet full of zuiks (forgot to speak about the XA that I
offered to my mother and therefore inherited)... I had in mind to turn AF...
(I'm wearing glasses) and found a full contax G1 kit (28,45,90) for a very
competitive price in Viet-nam (I travel a lot for my work... as a European
fundings expert... subsidiologist and project manager)... and recently
bought a G2 and 35 (on *bay germany)... but as the contax is very
practical... so is the OM3 (my prefered)...they both stay in a novamini
bag...(so I've got two bags)
I also tried medium format... (so a rolleiflex slx with a 50mm came in the
closet, won't fit in the novamini bag) and played with (cheap... or so
refered as) russian rf... (Kiev and M39... I even own a Leningrad... that
works)...

But I can't fight my zuikoaddiction...

On the printing side... I just turned digital with a N* LS30... (bought new
in box for less than 500€)... but I still like to print "wet" BW ...

My principal source of problems are... *bay (germany, belgium and france),
and the 4 or 5 decent second hand shops in Brussels...
My actual photographic obsessions (IOW  I definitvely need... ) are :
- OM 3ti... 40/2 24/shift 21/2... (That's all...)
- exchanging my contax Gs into a LeicaM (or may be an HexarRF).... sometimes
you need a silent rangefinder... but on the other the G2 is a very good body
with a lot of very technical features (second curtain flash... and so on)...
(so may exchanging is not the best option... I just saw a good used M6 for
sale...)
- finding an Exakta varex IIa and some bizarre german lenses... but that has
to be cheap...it's just for fun
- finding a true old Contax RF... even if my kievs are fine... (the
Jupiter/sonnar 85/2 is fabulous... may be better than... NO I AM KIDDING
... )
-buying some new furnitures... with drawers and displays... to put all
thoses gears away from the dust...

And now about picture... I like landscapes, architecture, portrait... macro
(insects...)

Stephan



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