Reason for the Tamron Adaptall II question:
Got home late Friday night and promptly ordered a Tamron 35-105/2.8 SP with
OM adaptall II that I had spotted on the internet about a week ago. The
35-105/2.8 is the slightly smaller predecessor to the current 28-105/2.8
Tamron SP. Reason? See the "fun and festivities below."
It will require testing to see how this particular one performs with
contrast and apparent sharpness before using it for anything critical. A
used 35-80/2.8 Zuiko is significantly more than I want to spend on a zoom
and 105mm at the long end is definitely preferred. I use the long end on
the Zuiko frequently. Weight and mass isn't that big an issue for me; the
camera is already on a camera rotating bracket with a Sunpak 120J. If it
doesn't work out I'll turn it around and sell it.
Friday Night's Fun and Festivities:
Shot part of a wedding last Friday night as a "hired gun" for a local
friend of mine whw wanted me to double-team a portion of it.
What he did tell me:
a. Location - a large "mansion" built for banquets, etc. - not a church
wedding.
b. Reception at same location.
c. Wedding start time: 6:30 PM (EST; no DST clock changing here).
What he didn't tell me:
a. The ceremony would be outdoors.
b. He wanted to double up on the ceremony itself (unusual).
c. Desire for some tight shots during the ceremony (requires longer
lenses).
What he didn't know until the event (neither did I):
a. Temps climbed unusually high with sweltering humidity all afternoon.
b. Severe storm warning all evening that grew into a tornado watch.
c. Severe storms the night before had dumped copious rain; the "lawn"
was very soggy.
We were watching the sky the entire time. Temps rose to near 90 F and the
soggy lawn did nothing to abate the humidity. The guys had no trouble
walking around outside, but the bride, bridesmaids, mothers and
grandmothers had an interesting time with heels sinking into the ground if
they stood in one place for any length of time! Kept waiting for one of
the women to find herself stepping out of her shoes. The bride's dress
remained pure white for about 5 seconds outside until the train and other
portions of the hem picked up mud; this in spite of one of the bridesmaids
behind her trying to keep the train off the ground. Fortunately I had
remembered my golf towel . . . a handy tool to wipe one's brow when working
in sweltering conditions . . . and I have no qualms about rolling up the
shirt sleeves or eventually ditching the tie if it gets really bad. Bad,
but still didn't approach last July's "Reception From Hell" during one of
the summer's hottest days on the second floor of a national guard armory
without any air conditioning and little ventilation.
Other than the weather warnings, it was moderately overcast giving softer
lighting when we started. Metered outside after I discovered this was an
outdoor affair. By running between f/11 and f/16 I could keep the shutter
speed just below 1/60th to force some fill from the flash if I wanted it,
but could back off to f/8 and perhaps f/5.6 if I didn't (Sunpak 120J TTL
plus panel diffuser remoted on a bracket). Sooooo . . . I bolted the
35-105/3.5~4.5 onto the OM-2S and loaded up some Portra 160. Using the
35-105 at something like this is rare for me (see the risks), but needed to
get some tight shots from a longer working distance. Didn't want to
continuously switch camera bodies with different primes "on the fly" (one
with 50/1.4 and the other with an 85/2).
The risks?
The 35-105/3.5~4.5 Zuiko is a "one touch," and its slower aperture varies
by 2/3 f-stop at both ends of its range. For accurate flash exposures it
should be used with dedicated TTL-Auto; there's more exposure variation in
Normal-Auto on the OM-1n. Adjusting focal length can easily shift critical
focus unless it's done carefully. Focusing accurately at the short end is
not as easy compared to faster lenses. In lower light even with a 2-13
screen in the 2S (or 4) the spot can go blank and the microprism ring
difficult to use unless eye position in the viewfinder is kept in a small
sweet spot . . . compounding focusing problems. This zoom has been a
phenomenal performer in apparent sharpness, including wide open, but it
works best in higher ambient light levels.
Just before the ceremony starts, nearly a half-hour late, the overcast
develops breaks allowing short periods of nearly direct sun (hazy, but
distinctly defined, long shadows). Fill was no longer an option; risk of
harsh facial shadows. However, the continously fluctuating lighting varied
by at least two stops when breaks in the cloud cover passed over the
sun. Keeping indicated shutter speed at/about 1/30th required continuously
monitoring the viewfinder and moving the aperture ring . . . in addition to
paying attention to other important viewfinder details such as focus,
composition and timing.
About halfway through the viewfinder began fogging over from keeping my eye
in it too much. Fortunately it didn't rain during the outdoor
festivities! We did get another deluge complete with impressive light show
shortly after midnight.
There's a limit to working in lower lighting with the 35-105/3.5~4.5 Zuiko
with its slower, variable aperture under conditions already presenting
other challenges to keep track of. Too much attention to any one aspect of
what's in the viewfinder can let something else slide. Time to try a fast,
constant aperture zoom.
Hoping the 35-105/2.8 Tamron is acceptable optically and its speed makes
life easier.
-- John
Who also had slightly muddy knees from kneeling on the soggy ground.
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