Two evenings ago, I went for a hike at a forest (a collection of five or
more trees within a square mile) on the way home from work. I hike out there
periodically, and our last Iowa Zuikofest featured it on stop #3.
Well, in my nicely efficient LowePro Elite III, I had the OM-3Ti loaded with
B&W film, and a handful of lenses. The OM-2S, on the other hand, was screwed
onto the top of my monopod and had the 100 F2.8 lens mounted and a roll of
color film inside. This is a very sweet, highly portable configuration.
Anyway, I shot about a half-roll of film on my walkabout, but admired the
smoothness and simplicity of operation of the OM-2S. For as much as I
really, really like the OM-3Ti and OM-4T, the OM-2S is "home sweet home." A
camera of pure handling genius. No spot buttons, no memory clears, no
exposure data at the the harder-to-see bottom of the viewfinder--just a
wonderful mating of technology and purity in a camera that is the
poster-child of a camera that doesn't get in your way. It may be because of
the extremely high mileage of mine, but the film advance is so smooth, quiet
and perfect--even the throw distance is just right.
There are simpler cameras and there are more capable cameras, but when it
comes to a camera that is no more than a single press of a button away from
getting a picture, the OM-2S lets you watch your subject and lets you fully
operate the camera without looking at it. Manual mode? Just slide the
switch to the back position, Auto exposure? Just slide it to the middle
position. Program mode? Just slide it forward. Adjust exposure
compensation? One finger with one hand. Almost all of my lenses are F2.8
lenses, so to get to any particular aperture you just count clicks. Without
even looking you can wind the aperture ring to F2.8 and click it back to
your selected aperture. F8? Three clicks clockwise. In manual mode you want
to exposure shift? Just rotate both rings the same direction.
Now granted, the last couple items are OM-system wide, but it's that kind of
forethought that makes the OM-2S so special and unique. The 3-4-3Ti-4Ti
bodies all have a different operational bend than the OM-2 series. The OM-2S
is the perfect successor to the OM-2n.
Anyway, it's like an old shoe or an old friend. A classic in any era. It's
home.
It ain't no OM-3Ti, but the OM-3Ti ain't no OM-2S either.
AG
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