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Re: [OM] olympus Digest, Vol 29, Issue 6

Subject: Re: [OM] olympus Digest, Vol 29, Issue 6
From: Nicholas Herndon <nherndon@xxxxxxxxx>
Date: Sun, 6 Mar 2011 15:24:51 -0600
Excellent point, Ken.  I often forget about the "system camera" aspect of
the OM lineup.  It's not about being small and light, but really about
functionality (which was a big driver behind the "small and light"
philosophy, as Maitani felt that a smaller camera was one you would be more
likely to have with you, and hence more functional).  But because I'm not
much for winders or motor drives or external finders or bellows or focusing
stands etc. etc. I always forget just how truly versatile the OM system is.



> Message: 16
> Date: Sat, 5 Mar 2011 12:17:30 -0600
> From: Ken Norton <ken@xxxxxxxxxxx>
> Subject: Re: [OM] Great buy
> To: Olympus Camera Discussion <olympus@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
> Message-ID:
>        <AANLkTimVvBfMg6BR1LHXkSu-PsJTH+h4VXx=d7GfvJ8z@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
> Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1
>
> > The real reason why I didn't spring for the 35-80mm is because it's such
> a
> > big beast.  I use the OM system because I like the smaller size and
> weight.
>
> I am in 100% agreement about the size and weight issues with this lens.
> However, I've learned that this lens has a certain operational sweetspot
> which is part of the uniqueness of the OM system.
>
> Yesterday, I was talking with a coworker who, like me, is a part-time
> photographer (and a very good one at that) and shoots with the
> latest/greatest Canon digital gear. Over the past couple of years, I've
> shown him several parts of my systems, but nothing too interesting. Well,
> recently, I started showing him some of the more special items and pointing
> them out in a way that is completely foreign today:
>
> The OM System was truly a "System" camera. Absolutely everything was
> interchangeable (with minor exceptions, of course). It didn't matter if it
> was the earliest M-1 or the latest OM-4Ti, everything worked together in a
> way that it was highly tunable to the specific task at hand.
>
> For example:
>
> One day I showed him the OM-3Ti with just the 35/2.8 lens. Small, compact,
> lightweight and seemingly simple. Another day, comes the 35-80. The OM-2S
> with 50/1.4 made an appearance. Each time, he's impressed, but not
> overwhelmed. Well, I've been priming him...  Yesterday, he got to see the
> OM-4Ti with MD2 regalia, and the T45 together. Slap, slap, slap. Each item
> pops together just like it was intended from the beginning--totally mix and
> match. Within seconds I had taken the camera from a simple SLR with a
> simple
> lens to the biggest, baddest event-photography setup imaginable. Then just
> as quickly, was able to break it back down to the most simple, basic and
> lightweight configuration.
>
> To say he was "shocked" and "delighted" is an understatement. Of course,
> the
> T45 impressed him. Without any film in the camera, I needed to set the
> flash
> manually to some "normal" strength and with the motordrive on sequence I
> fired off an entire roll worth of pictures at 5fps without the flash
> missing
> a single frame. Popped open the back to reset the motordrive and did it
> again right away. two rolls without a skip. If THAT doesn't get somebody's
> attention, nothing will.
>
> So, where does the 35-80 fit in all this? The lens is heavy and big, which
> is an issue for a walkabout kit, but when I NEED to photograph an event
> with
> no-excuses coverage, the 35-80 is absolutely the best possible lens I have.
> Combined with the MD2, the camera is fast, a bit heavy, but simply a joy to
> use as it just gives you everything you need without compromise or delay.
>
> I had a Tokina AT-X 35-70 F2.8 lens for many years. In fact, it remained my
> ONLY OM-mount lens I ever purchased brand-new. I really liked that lens and
> its performance is staggering good. But one thing I never came to grips
> with
> was the look-and-feel of the images from that lens. It just wasn't a Zuiko.
> As good as it is, the images have that sterile look you get from the more
> popular camera systems. I shot many weddings and events with it, though,
> and
> the lens performed admirably.
>
> The Zuiko 35-80 gives images an organic look. Where the image is sharp, it
> is blood-drawing sharp. Where it is soft, it is pillow-soft. No other lens
> I've had has this dichotomy which results in such foreground-background
> separation. Subjects you focus on have a rim-like edge around them where
> you
> can almost reach behind them and see the other side. I've seen this with a
> couple of the F2 Zuikos, but the 35-80 has it in spades.
>
> What I am saying is that the 35-80 isn't a duplication of any other lens in
> the same focal-lengths. It is an unique beast which gives imagery unlike
> any
> other lens. It is a one-of-a-kind, of which we will probably never see the
> likes again.
>
> So, my Canonista coworker just has this silly grin on his face and
> chuckling
> like a giggling schoolgirl. As he focuses the 35-80 at people at the
> office,
> across the room, at computer monitors, maps, etc., he just laughs. The lens
> and the viewfinder of the OM have rendered him otherwise speechless. When
> he
> can speak, he grunts out a "wow".
>
> I am saddened that the film era has come to a close and digital is needed
> for so much of what I do. But it's cameras like the OM-2S, OM-3Ti, OM-4T
> with lenses like the 35-80 which keep me pushing the film envelope for as
> long and as hard as I can. As a buddy of mine says, I'm kinda that cool
> uncle with the classic hot-rods. They may not be daily drivers, but you
> just
> want to tool around in the 1971 Ford Mustang Mach 1 instead of the Toyota
> Camry.
>
> I am very appreciative of the generosity of others which has made it
> possible for me to experience the greatest items in the OM system, which I
> would have been otherwise unable to afford, but the 35-80 is one of those
> lenses, along with the OM-3Ti, which had I known just how incredible they
> really are, I would have sacrificed a lot of other things to get when they
> first came out.
>
> Just like the OM-3Ti, the 35-80 is NOT about specifications--even though
> the
> specifications are terrific. The 35-80 is far more than just the
> specifications. It has a look and feel to the images which conspire to
> inspire.
>
> AG (20,000 words and counting) Schnozz
>
>
>
-- 
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