Random meandering thoughts follow--
John H. recently posted that the OM-3/4 bodies with CE stickers are
slightly different than the preceeding "versions." This is actually
exciting news! I had given the OM line as not being manufacturered anymore
but just being worked out of inventory. The investment Olympus made in
making the OM-4Ti (and 3Ti) CE compliant shows me that these models have
been made rather recently and that there was some form of commitment in
keeping the line available for a while yet. Given the existing sales pace,
I doubt that Olympus will make back their investment in CE compliance in
the European market. For Olympus to put this kind of effort into such an
"old" design such as the OM-4Ti is quite interesting--it would have been a
perfect time to bring the OM line to an end.
The biggest weakness in Olympus sales and marketing is Olympus America.
This is the corporate entity that is woefully out of touch with reality.
Since the mid-80's they completely abandoned the OM line, even though
Olympus Japan continued to develop new products. I had worked photo retail
for several years and was appalled at their total lack of interest in their
own products. It was as though they conceded the entire market to Canon.
They were unresponsive and could care less about supporting the dealers.
They were enamured with the department stores and pushed the P&S line there
and ignored the camera stores that sold "systems."
I've been following Mike's posts on TRI-X and B&W printing. I'll be back
home again next week and am planning some serious finger-soaking time in
the darkroom. I've got these great shots to get developed and
printed--including the ADITL shot. Can't wait.
Travel woes: This winter, while on the shorter trips (3-4 days) I'm only
taking my computer bag and a small duffel bag with me (Cannondale bag--7
years of travel without a single tear yet), as I'd rather not fight the
flight cancellations and waiting for an hour in baggage claim for my
misrouted bag. I've slipped on OM-2S with 24/2.8 and 100/2.8 in my
computer bag and am hoping for the best. An intruiging thought has been
going through my skull: What if I get a small "pocket" type of camera.
Would I/Could I be happy with an XA camera? Which model and which lens?
If I could only have one lens, I'd take the widest/brightest I can get.
But yet, I want the sharpest edge-to-edge lens around. Can I also get full
control over the exposure settings?
Ken Norton
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