Ah, don't be mislead by the header. <g>
A small series of posts last week (OM Elegance) dealt with an interesting
factor in the OM's appeal. I grew up in a household where photography and
cameras were taken seriously. I devoured the Modern Photography magazines
and dreamed of one day owning an OM-1 or even an OM-2. I'm 32 now, so that
means that Olympus' advertising campaign had a direct affect of me. I
couldn't afford one then, but SOMEDAY I was going to get one.
My Dad's cameras included a Crown Graphic, Argus C2, Argus C3, Voigtlander,
a dead Exacta slr (waistlevel viewfinder), and finally a Nikkormat. I tore
that Exacta apart numerous times trying to get it to work, but the fact is
it never was designed to work in the first place!
By the time I was eight, I was using the Crown Graphic and knew every
control by heart. At night I'd read and reread every article about every SLR
made. I knew that the ultimate cameras to have were the Olympus OM series
or a Canon A1. Nikons were nice, but woefully out of reach of mere mortals.
I never thought twice about them again. Pentax just seemed like a "me too"
type of camera company and the articles about the lens quality just scared
me off.
Age 10: Paper route income. #1 priority was the 10-speed bicycle! Second
priority was getting a camera. I purchased a used Yashica 35GSN rangfinder
camera. I even got the lousy accessory lenses that screwed on. I learned
so much about photography with this camera and shot many hundreds of rolls
of film on it. Eventually, I got a second one. They served me well for
almost 12 years, but my heart was never with them.
College years. I was working at McDonalds, going to college and being bit
by the photography bug something fierce. I trot on by Radium Photo
(Muskegon Michigan) and there sits a used OM-2S and a zillion lenses. Some
guy had just purchased the camera outfit and promptly lost his job. The
camera store bought it all back for 50 cents on the dollar. (ouch). They
also had a Canon A1 sitting there. Decisions, decisions. For the first
time in my life I actually looked through the viewfinder of an OM camera. I
was hooked! The A1 couldn't stand up to the 2S. I bought the camera on the
spot along with a 100/2.8 lens. The following week (next paycheck) I bought
a 35/2.8 lens. This camera only had two rolls of film run through it by the
first owner. I saved almost $200 over an unused one sitting in the showcase
next to it.
I go back home and dig out the piles of MP magazines and re-read every
article on the OM cameras. I have entire passages memorized I think. One
article in particular was the lens comparison with Nikon. Herbert Keppler
took an Olympus outfit and a Nikon outfit and did identical photographs with
both cameras and then let everybody compare the slide sheets of the two
cameras. (He didn't indicate which was which). The only variations of note
were caused by metering--of which the Olympus was better.
To support my habit I started working part-time at Radium Photo (kinda like
a drug addict working in the herion lab). I purchased tons of camera
equipment (at discount) and shot even more tonnage of film. The more I used
it, the more I became aware of the geniousness behind the design. Canon
came out with the EOS line and I eagerly awaited the development of the
OM-5. The OM-5 never came. Yes, I've been disappointed, but have never
been disappointed with my stash of equipment.
I bought an IS-1 (now using an IS-3). These electronic marvels are amazing.
I can do certain types of photography with the IS-3 that I can't with the
OMs. But is my heart in it? How do you fall in love with something that
you know will be outdated in a year or two? The OM-1 is a timeless camera.
IS-1? Ya right.
I just sold my OM-2md to a friend at work. Bidding farewell is a hard thing
to do. Although it was my least favorite OM, it is still an OM. Now I am
sending off my OM-1 and 2S to John for repairs/overhaul. As I pack the box
and place the bodies in the foam, I am struck by the lightness and beauty of
the cameras. These bodies are made of metal! The OM cameras were designed
and built in the heyday of mechanical SLRs and represent the ultimate in SLR
design.
The Olympus OM-1 is the seductive lady in the love affair with photography.
How can you describe the elegance, the simplicity, the smoothness and the
perfect form? The OM-1 allows you to return to your roots, to simpler
times, to the basics of photography, to the love of light. Nothing to get
in your way, nothing to fail, nothing to distract you from your mission.
Sometimes photography is like writing a love letter. I use a computer at
work for writing articles, business correspondance and of course emails, but
for a love letter to my wife, I use a pen and paper. Photography with a
manual camera, with no motor drive and maybe with a single lens is like
using a pen and paper. Slowing down, becoming one with your subject,
thinking about the composition and just being patient. The love comes
through in the pictures.
The memories of my childhood, falling in love with photography, and becoming
enamured by a camera. Will I ever abandon the OM line for another? I will
get something else like a Nikon someday, but I could never abandon the one
that brought me here.
The Olympus OM-3T and OM-4T probably represent the end of an era of cameras.
There will never be another metal bodied non-AF camera ever designed. Lieca
or Contax may do something, but will there ever be another revolutionary
design? No. There really can't be.
I send off my OM bodies now to be cared for and prepared for many more years
of use. In the meantime, I will miss them.
Ken Norton
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