Well, how should I begin. Some of you might remember me, but I am
assuming my lengthy absense from this community will have ereased any
recollection at all. My name is Joshua Lohuis, I lived in Timmins,
Ontario, Canada, at the time I first joined I was 16. ( I am currently
18 )
Some history: In September of 2002 I bought my first camera with hopes
of adding another component to my astronomy hobby. On the
recommendation of one of the many books I found on astrophotography,
that camera was undecidedly an OM-1n. I shot my first roll of film
that month, and after noticing that the aperature on the 50/1.8 that
came with the camera was sticky, I went searching for some information
on how to repair it. That led me to this list. (shortly after,
someone graciously sent one from albert as a gift) In the proceding
year while my interest in photography, as a hobby and an art (my
first), grew and developed, I found the help provided by members of
this community to be indispensible. I was extremely busy in my last
year of highschool, and that did not leave me with time to do very much
photography at all, and definitely no time for the 100 emails a day.
After highschool I decided that I would not go to University right
away, as I was quite tired of the school atmosphere. I am now in
Tokyo, enjoying a *small* one year holiday.
Living in this country, working in a restaurant (chinese noodles -
ramen) and having lots of free time has led to the increase of my
photographic activeness tenfold. As I lived in a small city before,
with only a grocery store for a photolab, I find the materials
available to me in this city to be cheap and extremely plentiful. I
can buy B&W film at 2$ a roll, and the concentrate to make 1L of
developer is $1.50. I also found a Dimage Dual 4 for $250, delivered
to my door, and this device was the holy grail I had been searching for
(I didn't know it was my quest's object until it was out of the box).
I don't like to stay inside very much, so getting all of my material
from the past 3 years through the scanner is proving to be a slow
process, but once I get a decent amount I'll open a little webpage and
post a few items in hope of some constructive criticism.
For the past few months I have been visiting a few outdoor flea
markets on sundays, that have proved to be a goldmine for OM bits and
pieces at cheap prices. Zuiko's aren't the most common things, but
occasionally turn up. I acquried 2 mint condition 135/3.5 's for $15,
and an OM-1 in bad condition (parts) with a perfect 50/1.4 for another
$15. There was also an OM-10 that I haggled down to $3 (a deal
including some various cables and bits of glass). The find I am most
proud of is a set of 2 Panasonic flashes GN45, with a bracket on one,
and a 135mm zoom attachment on the other. The last item of note is an
Olympus double cable release, not a scratch or mark, complete with the
olympus plastic case. As I do not own a bellows, anybody wanting this
item please contact me (it was $2, pay for shipping and its yours; same
thing goes for any pieces required for repair from either the OM-1 or
OM-10). I suppose that is about all I want to report, but I do have a
few questions for the list:
1. I find myself wanting to take more and more photos at night, or in
low light conditions. The meter in my camera does not do well when it
must be read against a dark sky background (nearly impossible). Does
anybody have any reccomendations for a light meter model that is
economical and well suited to night/low light photography? I have been
thinking about the Sekonic L-558, despite the steep price (cheapest i
found was around $420), it seems to have the highest sensitivity and
includes a built in spotmeter. Compared to the minolta's spotmeter
attachment that I found to be very unsolid and ready to break away at
any moment.
2. Along with the above problem is the weight of a tripod required for
steadying the camera in low light situations. How much stability does
a monopod actually provide? Does it permit exposures of a second or
more, or is it only to allow a few more stops less than handheld? Is a
monopod worth lugging around, or is it better to go with a tripod or
stick to trees, buildings, etc.? Any suggestions for models, heads,
combos?
3. Are there any sources for the mercury batteries used in the OM-1?
4. Being in a large city, I have been craving wide angle capability
since arriving here. I have been waiting and hoping for something to
turn up at the flea market or elsewhere, but I have reached the end of
my rope. Does anybody have a spare or unused wide angle zuiko they
would like to sell? On a long shot; does anybody have a spare or
unused lightmeter they would like to put for sale?
Thats it for questions, I thank everybody in advance for getting
through this terribly long post. If there is anything I can do for
anybody in terms of my location on the globe please don't hesitate to
ask. This could include a list of items to watch out for at the flea
markets and camera shops I visit, or access to some of the cheaper
stores (scanners, and such). Akihabara is an electronics heaven packed
with the lastest electronics at very cheap prices. The first few times
I went it was to the more foreigner geared areas, with bic camera and
laox running the show. On subsequent visits I discovered the area that
contained the real deals, brand new laptops in milk crates stacked up
outside for a couple hundred dollars each, and the excitements go on.
Anybody living or visiting Tokyo please contact me anytime, there are a
few places you must visit (including the restaurant I work at, free
meal ;-)
Thanks again for any help. JL
PS Please excuse my english, I havent conversed or written at a native
level for 6months, and it is proving to take alittle while to get back
into it ... as I read over this it didn't seem to flow
==============================================
List usage info: http://www.zuikoholic.com
List nannies: olympusadmin@xxxxxxxxxx
==============================================
|