At 03:09 PM 7/15/03, Moose wrote:
OM was (and still is, for me) a great system with some real advantages
over the others of similar times. But to suggest that the other major
players only made junk is silly.
I agree completely. The F2 and F3[HP] are built like tanks and are
workhorses in their own right. They're also very heavy by comparison to
the OM system. The F3 has a non-standard wacko shot shoe setup. IMO,
they're not quite as agile as a result, but they will put up with an
enormous amount of abuse and continue shooting. Excellent for "field use"
when holding it by hand isn't required for hours on end.
The FM2n and FE2 are solid workhorses, a little lighter in weight than the
F2/F3 which makes them more agile. The FE2 is one of the solid wedding
workhorses as it offers TTL flash control through an ISO hot shoe and its
lighter weight makes it easier to manage holding it for hours on end
without fatigue. The FM2n is not far behind it although flash must be
controlled by the flash, not the camera metering. Both X-sync to 1/250th
which makes fill outdoors easier. Indoors, I strongly recommend longer
shutter speed, at least 1/60th, to pick up background ambient
lighting. What I don't like about them is the viewfinder (dimmer and
harder for me to see the entire frame through) and the film winder shutter
lock . . . which tends to poke me in the eye. They do have a double
exposure switch which I wish the OM system had. The upper end of the
Nikk*r lenses are excellent, just as the Zuiko's are. They're bigger and
heavier by comparison, and each lens type in both lineups has its own
character. Work within that to exploit the positive nature of each and
either line will do very, very well.
IMHO the wedding candid workhorse within the OM system is the OM-2S. If
the OM-2n had a built-in hot shoe instead of the fragile Shoe 4, it would
win this acclaim. The OM-2S has a built-in hot shoe, a shutter release
that's more robust than the OM-4[T] to frequent use of a camera bracket
cable release, and it has TTL flash control. For wedding use, all the
fancy spot metering of the OM-4[T] is entirely unnecessary. The Zonies
would be half-way through roll #1 while I'm on roll #6. With current
portraiture films that have very wide latitude, and a good professional lab
to make the prints, the center-weighted metering is more than accurate
enough. The flash-ready LED is a non-issue if a set of batteries is not
used for more than two weddings . . . and I change them every other wedding
whether they "need it" or not. It's factored in along with film as part of
the costs; one set costs *less* than a roll of 36-exp Portra 160NC, and two
weddings burn about 25 rolls. The one hazard is accidentally switching it
into Program mode which isn't disastrous, but may end up with undesired
aperture settings and depth of field.
The OM-2n would win if its hot shoe were built-in, and I do sometimes use
one anyway . . . in flash bracket with flash on remote cord. Don't even
have to remember to turn the OM-2n on. If a TTL flash is used and turned
on with the flash ready illuminated, the OM-2n will still function
perfectly well (its metering turns on temporarily during the
exposure). I've tested this just to make certain it works. Just have to
watch stress on the Shoe 4 from the remote cord, and set it up properly in
the bracket so it isn't damaged. Done right, it's less stress than putting
a flash in the shoe.
The workhorse with studio lights is the OM-1n. Leave the thing off
entirely, set shutter to 1/60th, aperture to flash meter reading, plug in
the PC cord, and rock 'n roll. Put a Shoe 4 on and use a hot shoe to PC
adapter if accidentally switching the sync to FP is a worry.
None of the OM bodies are "perfect" for wedding or event shooting. They
each have their weaknesses which must be monitored and disciplined habits
developed to do it continuously . . . just like ensuring film is loaded
properly and advancing, and ensuring its rewound before opening a
back. OTOH, none of the Nik*n bodies are perfect either.
The BEST lens I've found yet for wedding/event work is the Tamron 35-105
f/2.8 Adaptall 2. For a non-OEM lens, it's very robust, has excellent
optics (much better than its bigger/heavier successor, the Tamron
28-105/2.8, which isn't all that great optically), and it offers half-stop
aperture detents. IMO, a fast zoom with this focal length range is one of
the holes in the Zuiko lens line. Although the 35-80 f/2.8 comes close,
and is a stellar lens optically, it falls short at only reaching out to
80mm. That extra 25mm comes in very handy. The 35-105mm/3.5~4.5 is superb
for outdoor weddings, indoors in well-lit areas for the portraiture, and
has the close-up ring for hand/ring shots (which I use it for). At
receptions though, the dim viewfinder is a killer that makes focusing after
the lights are turned down very difficult. With its variable aperture, TTL
flash works best.
-- John
< This message was delivered via the Olympus Mailing List >
< For questions, mailto:owner-olympus@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx >
< Web Page: http://Zuiko.sls.bc.ca/swright/olympuslist.html >
|