Having bought 4 OM bodies and 10 Zuikos, plus loads of accesories over the
past 6 years or so, I thought that was more or less it. How wrong could I
be? In February I was innocently wandering past the window of my favourite
camera shop in Exeter, when a 300/4.5 Zuiko silvernose begged me to buy it.
I resisted of course, but about 200 yards down the road I found myself at a
cash dispenser, & well, you can guess the rest. ;) The 300 had so caught my
eye I missed the 28/2 & 135/2.8 (also a silvernose!) alongside.
Fortunately Graham, the salesman can spot a Zuikoholic at 50 paces, so he
brought out these for me to try as well. I bought the 300 of course. At
GBP279 it wasn't cheap, but I hadn't ever even seen one before, so I had to
take the opportunity. I couldn't really afford the other two. However...
I looked through Gary Reese's lens tests, looked through the archives,
read the e-sif, & 2 things became clear:
1) I wanted these lenses
2) I wanted these lenses badly ;)
The 28/2 it seems is one of the finest Zuikos, & was only GBP99. I had
paid GBP90 for my 28/2.8, and this one came with a lens hood & is in
excellent condition. Not exactly a Fang, but a good price nonetheless. The
135/2.8 is also superb, is a silvernose, which DOES give it a sense of
class. This was also GBP99, still a fair price, so I decided to trade in
my 28/2.8, 135/3.5 & a 35-70/4 zoom I no longer use. I phoned the shop at
9.00AM Monday to reserve them, offering to pay the full pice there & then by
credit card! The woman obviously thought I was quite mad, saying they would
be happy to keep them until the following Saturday, and no money need change
hands.
A second inspection did little to dull my enthusiasm, of course, and soon
they were mine. Due to work etc, it was some weeks before I had a real
chance to use them, but on Good Friday I spent all day out in North Devon on
my bike, a Suzuki GS850 going to several favourite locations, and a few new
ones too! (Suzuki GS850, now theres a SUV, especially when fitted with
Compartment Cases XL!)
So was it worth it? Well, yes obviously ;) The main benefit to me and my
failing eyesight is the brightness of the viewfinder. Even the paltry half
stop difference of the 135/2.8 makes a noticeable difference to me. The
28/2 seems very much brighter & sharper, I'm using it a great deal, It's
becoming a favourite lens for whatever reason. The 135, well when I started
photography it was a very popular focal length. A 28/50/135 setup was a
common outfit, so I've always liked 135s. My 135/3.5 was a favourite,
partly because it was almost a Fang, but I did use it a lot. I expect I
will continue to use the new one a lot, too. And as a silvernose, it does
look stunning! So to the 300. This I like a lot. It opens up different
avenues of photograhy I haven't been able to do before properly, such as
motorsports & big scary animals. It may not get used as much other lenses,
or I may need to make the effort to get out & use it, time will tell.
Which brings us to yesterday. I went into town JUST for a haircut,
honest, and there in the window of said favourite camera shop was....an
almost mint OM4Ti!! At GBP450 it was a reasoable price for the condition,
it came with box, manual & unused ERC so yes, though I really can't afford
it, out came the credit card again. Also, just before I got my hair cut I
looked in another camera shop, no, no more Zuikos, they had a camera tech in
for one day only,
doing free checks. I waited patiently while he explained the OM10 sticky
magnet problem to the chap in front. He was a bit put out when I produced
the OM4Ti &explained I had just bought it somewhere else ;)
But, he did test it & pronounced it a good one. The shutter speeds were
very
accurate, in particular. I was out with it yesterday afternoon
and it's great, the OM4 really is a wonderful camera. (My early OM4 has
been in need of repair for a while now.)
With 5 bodies and now 11 Zuikos, 2 flashes, winder, etc; I think I
shall be using the OM
system until the death of 35mm film or my death, whichever comes first :)
Finally, any visiting Zuikoholics to Exeter should BEWARE Devon Camera
Centre, in Princesshay. Let me know if you're coming & I'll be happy to
steer
you well clear of it!
Andy Gilbert
Exeter
Devon
England
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