Richard F. Man wrote:
I see, how about if anyone that is interested in contributing in writing
or photographs send me a private msg specifying what you may want to
contribute to mailto:richard@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx If it looks to be there is
enough interest, I may pick up the task. Not quite sure how easily we
can reproduce photographs in a limited run, but perhaps we can solve
that by putting them on CDs.
At 08:10 PM 12/10/2002 -0500, Tom Scales wrote:
This was a project that Gary Reese tried to start a few years ago. We
all
were going to contribute chapters or sections. Never went anywhere
since no
one but Gary really put any effort in.
Tom
-----------
Just to let y'all know how far we got last time, I was playing "keeper
of the table of contents", and this was the latest revision. The next
step after finalizing this was getting volunteers to write the chapters.
The silence at that point was deafening.
Just to let y'all know how far we got last time, I was playing "keeper
of the table of contents", and this was the latest revision. The next
step after finalizing this was getting volunteers to write the chapters.
The silence at that point was deafening.
Subject:
Re: [OM-Book] Contents, 4/25/2001
From:
Steve Goss <steveg3@xxxxxxxxx>
Date:
Wed, 25 Apr 2001 23:17:41 -0500
To:
OM-Book@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
The floor is still open for revisions on placement.
Added this time: more on collectability, and Jim Couch's offer of a
hiking/biking chapter.
I've tried to clean up the Technique and Using OM sections in the following
manner:
Technique- Neat pieces of Olympus gear, and wonderful things to do with
them.
Using OM- The pictures you want to take, and how the Olympus OM system can
help.
In other words, I've tried to make the Technique section more machine
oriented,
and the Using OM section more people oriented.
OMnibus/Olympus cOMpedium/Olympus Bible
Consolidated Content List Proposals for the OM Guide - updated 4/25/01 sdg
-----------------------------
CONTENT
-----------------------------
General history
Suggested sidebars:
The Olympus VIP Program: too little too late?
Contents:
Olympus Evolution
Basic history of Olympus corporation
Direct ancestors- Pen and FTL
The original M-system & reasons for change to OM. (including
regional
anomalies)
OM Achievements & landmarks
Maitani
Biography
Photo of the master, taken with OM equipment (extra points for a
picture taken with 9 T flashes connected by T cords)
His thoughts about OM system
What would he design today?
Camera bodies
Suggested sidebars:
How to tell a real M from a converted OM. (by Jaap Korten, Mark
Dapoz?)
How the OM-10 cost cutting hurt Olympus.
The relationship of the OM-PC to the Nikon FA - was it a knee-jerk
marketing reaction or real innovation?
Just how slow is an AF OM body compared to today's AF SLRs?
Reliability and serial numbers - what serial numbers for bodies and
lenses deserve a price premium? Which ones to avoid?
Pentax M-series lens and compact bodies: were they really a
threat to the
Olympus OM System?
The disadvantages to Zuiko petiteness (from comparative lens tests to
other manufacturer's)
Mechanical compromises from reduction of scale in Olympus OM bodies
(contrasting repair technician's points of view)
The OM-F's industry firsts, but no one really cared. Why?
Diaphragm prefire: Standard with Nikon's, but why was it abandoned by
other manufacturers (Minolta, Canon, Leica) and not incorporated till
late (the
OM-4 intro) by Olympus? Related subject: why mirror lock-up isn't the
end all
of vibration reduction.
Feature shedding: what did Olympus leave off consumer models to
keep them
from competing with their higher end professional models? Did it really
matter
all that much?
Plastics: what models and how much.
Is titanium really worth it?
What's the difference between an OM-4T and an OM-4Ti? Or, Hello gray
market.
A look back at OM-77AF and OM-88 equipment reviews: did they predict
their failures in the marketplace?
Shutter lag times (how long between shutter button press and shutter
opening)
Complete cross reference of gray market cameras- OM-3T = OM-3Ti,
OM-4T =
OM-4Ti, OM-F = OM-20, OM-G = OM-30, OM-PC = OM-40
Did Olympus drop the OM-2S so it would not cannibalize OM-4
sales? Did
the resulting lack of a mid-priced body doom OM sales?
Contents:
Intro - what's available M1 through OM-4Ti through OM-88
special medical versions (RC35, etc.)
How the cameras work
Limitations of the system (OM-2000, 75-150)
Film choices (?)
Variations
Accessories
Suggested sidebars:
The overly slow evolution of an "acute matte" (laser etched) type
screen
for the OM-2S to OM-4(Ti) family (cited by Keppler as the main reason Nikon
handled better than Olympus in the OM-1/2 days).
Ever wonder why everyone's 250 exposure backs and accessories
look the
same?
Which focusing screen to use when
Are the 2 series screens (and Beattie intense screens) that much
better?
How do you focus a 2 series screen?
Contents:
Motors, Winders & Backs
Viewfinder (screens, varimagni)
List with pictures of all screens
Flash
Third party flash
Cases
Lenses
Suggested sidebars:
Can Olympus Autofocus lenses be used on a manual focus body?
Can Olympus manual focus lenses be used on an Autofocus body?
Innovative lenses vs. those introduced to match a competitors
offering.
Who really won the manual focus performance war? Did Nikon and
Olympus
both win the war but lose the main battle (market share)?
Not all multicoating is the same.
Just how good is multicoating anyway?
Which is better- single coated with hood, or multicoated without?
What are all the 50mm 1.8 variations? Why should I care?
35-70 & 35-80 zooms- wave distortion @ 35: did anyone else do better?
The S Zuiko line as a strategy to compete against generic lenses:
what
was actually lost in cost reduction? Did it work?
The little S Zuiko that could: the 35-70mm f/3.5~4.5 and how nobody's
competing model matched it for performance.
The big mystery: did or didn't Olympus contract out some of their
zoom
lens designs? (Good as part of a 35-105mm Zuiko discussion).
The unintended success of the 24mm Shift : mount conversions for
use on
other systems.
Were the results from consumer magazine lens tests fair? How did they
hurt/help the Olympus OM System?
Did the delayed introduction of fast telephotos contribute to the
decline
of the OM System among professionals?
Why you need a fast micro lens - diffraction in practice
Contents:
General
Glass types
Coating
Variations
Wide Angle
Normal
Telephoto
Macro
Hoods & Accessories
Filters
Non-OM Lenses
OR
Lenses in a historical context, by date of release. Complete list of
M-system equipment.
OR
Consumer primes
f2 'Pro'
Zoom
White lenses
Macro - regular and bellows.
The standard 'wide-to-long' sequence could be maintained with each
section
Lens addendum - adapters
Telephoto adapters, 1.4 & 2x
IS system adapters
"Transgender" adapters (Pen to OM, OM on Canon, etc.)
Technique
Macro & Macro Flash
Use of the Telescoping auto tube
Use of the ring flashes
Use of the twin flash
What equipment will get what magnification
Metering systems, and neat tricks to do with them
Manual (OM-1, OM-1N, OM-2, OM-2N, OM-2S, 0M-3, OM-3T, OM-4, OM4-T,
OM-2000, OM-10 w/manual adapter)
Normal automatic (OM-2, OM-2N, OM-2S, OM-4, OM-4T, OM-10, OM-20,
OM-30,
OM-40, aperture priority, averaging meter)
Center weighted automatic (Early OM-2's, and National Geographic
OM-2's)
Single spot meter (OM-2S, OM-2000)
Multiple spot meter (OM-3, OM-3T, OM-4, OM-4T)
Program (OM-2S, OM-40)
ESP (OM-40)
How to do fill flash
Manual flash calculations
Fill flash with TTL and OTF
How to simulate rear curtain flash sync
Medical- ring flash, macro lenses, endoscopes
Photomicrography equipment, and when to use it
Architectural- shift lenses
Other
Using OM
The OM Way
The OM Community (our list, and others)
Traveling with OM (kits for landscapes, urban areas, flower/bird
photography when hiking, biking, or going by suv...)
Hiking and biking with OM equipment - Jim Couch
Basic workings
Scenics & still lifes (found objects?); use of light
Portraiture
Action photography
Outside
Inside, with flash
Inside, with existing light
News/event photography
Fireworks
Nature
Available light
Astrophotography (as a section by itself, or part of available light)
macro photography
micro photography
Studio work
controlling lights & backgrounds
continuous light
Photo Examples
Literature
Suggested sidebars:
Olympus's successful advertising brochures: did they lead or
follow the
industry?
Contents:
Japanese language publications (as complete a list as possible)
English language publications (with some notes on what they contain)
French language publications (and a few pictures to identify similar
publications)
______ language publications (As many lists as there are languages)
Olympus advertisements
Olympus citations in Photography & consumer magazines
Care & Maintenance
Suggested sidebars:
Why vermiculite is a bad packing material, by John H.
Storing an OM-4 with the shutter on "B" why, and what it does not do.
Contents:
Basic OM Instructions
Troubleshooting
Problem solving
Typical problems, common solutions
Do It Yourself section
What never to do yourself section
Storage
Collecting OM
Suggested sidebars:
Why 1985 prices were the lowest ever and what equipment has
appreciated
over time since then (some items have skyrocketed).
How badly have new equipment prices risen and why?
How the OM-2000 is doomed to failure because marketing didn't
supply an
inexpensive 50mm lens combo for student needs in the USA.
Why the OM-3 was a sales failure and the effect on its
collectability.
Did Olympus's final, world-class product releases insure its
collectability? Or did they arise from corporate competition? or were their
development a way to reward employee loyalty?
The parallels in end game market strategy between the Pen F
system and
the OM System: can we predict what will happen after the OM System is
retired?
Anyone for investing? - the best bets in collectable OM System
components.
Does Olympus now a nostalgia item? (e.g., "I wanted it when I was
younger
and didn't have the money, so I'm going to get it now that I do!")
Did Olympus have historic cutting edge technology?
Did Olympus have an innovative (classic) design?
Did Olympus have snob appeal?
Did Olympus marketing create a positive image for collectability
- for
example Contax getting us to feel that (rather than objectively think!) Carl
Zeiss lenses are world class.
Are Olympus products in demand, which reduces supply and makes us
think
something is rare, thus resulting in hoarding by the "haves" vs. "have
nots"?
Did Olympus have high prices when last available? Was it by
purpose or by
default?
Does Olympus have available information that drives collectors
interests
and desires, like rarer variations?
Is there an active market for Olympus gear which facilitates
trading up
and makes it possible to liquidate without a heavy cost?
Is there an appreciation in value, rather than depreciation over
what it
costs in the past?
Is there an availability of parts/technicians to restore components?
Are there evangelists who tout the collectability of Olympus
equipment?
Contents:
Hunting (where to hunt, hunting strategies)
Price (stratospheric, good, Doris Fang)
Condition (how to asses condition, what difference condition makes on
price, problem areas to look for)
Photos of equipment in different conditions
Appendices
Tables
SC vs. MC
Serial Numbers
Resources
Olympus 800 number for manuals
The list, other lists
e-sif
ebay prices page
lens test page
other web pages
Bibliography
books, magazine reviews,
Olympus Om related publications (manuals, sales brochures, ads, etc.)
Web based appendix
product shots
gallery
teasers of upcoming information in the next volume of the book
CD based appendix
expanded versions of stuff on the web site
items that did not fit in the book
----------------------------
Overall production values:
Equipment pictures- lots of them. Either all obviously by the same
photographer, or a mix of styles, but either way, they must all be
consistently
good pictures.
Example pictures- to illustrate the strengths of the OM system. Definitely a
mix of styles and tastes. Also must all be consistently good pictures.
sidebars- consistent graphical style for each kind of sidebar.
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