Double Sub-woofers and The Ultimate Olympus OM kit

Gentle reader,

Thanks once again for taking the time to read my humble blog. Also thanks for your kind words. They encourage me to keep shooting the pics and typing the words. 

My wife and I live our lives the fullest we can with limited funds. We obtain what we want to enjoy our interests without going into debt. Thus what I call "previously enjoyed" items once loved by others pass through our hands and stay for a while. Since out time on this earth is limited, we do not own anything, we are merely stewards of the many things that clutter our lives and hopefully enhance them as well.

It seems to us that plenty of you are interested in what we are able to find and fit into our small home. First off, I found at Goodwill a JBL sub-woofer, called Power Bass and model number PB10. It is comprised of a long excursion 10" driver and 150 watt amplifier. It was made in 2001 and retailed for $349. I got it for $27. 

It is to the left of the cabinet. I have removed the DCM Timeframe speakers and have run the wires from the modern Dynaco Stereo 200 power amplifier's "B" speaker terminals to the high level inputs on the PB10. With the DCMs gone, it is a little less clustered than it was. To balance the scene and remove the other sub-woofer from the cabinet, I moved it to the right side. Note that I placed the subs on wood. This means that no bass is absorbed by the carpet, but is released for fullest enjoyment. They are two of three dividers that were designed to go in the left side of the cabinets and divide LPs. This move freed a lot of space with more than 16" of vertical clearance. Thus, I was able to move many of the oversize books from this room and into the listening room where I tend to read while listening to music. Lastly, removing the 12" sub isolates the components from the bass. This prevents vibrations from injecting unwanted sounds into the music.

Also, I wired the 12" sub the same way as the 10" but with the Sony receiver's front speaker wires going into the inputs and the front channel speakers wires hooked to the sub's output. The sub amplifier's internal circuitry removes sounds below the threshold you choose and channeling everything above to the front speakers. I tested it with Telarc's mighty SACD of the 1812 Overture. The sub did the bass and saved the front speakers from trying to reproduce the incredible cannon shots. Cool!

I also ran the RCA cables from the Adcom preamplifier to the low level inputs of the 12" sub. I turn it on if something, like the 1812 SACD, calls for extra oomph. 

Lastly, I moved the matching wooden CD racks to atop the sub-woofer cabinets. No rattling that I could detect. Also the little dragons on each are closer the simulated Bonsai trees.

NOW for the second part. As you may recall, from my blog back in January of 2013 about my getting a new Olympus OM-10: The Robb Collections: Coming full circle 

Well, I have been gathering lots of lenses and also scored a very nice OM-2S Program which came with three lenses. I am going to be passing on two of them, but keeping the 50mm f1.8 lens that came with it. 

Perhaps you have heard the term, "Mirror Lens". The official title is "catadioptric". Fancy word that explains that the light passes around the small black disc on the front, bounces off a curved mirror on the back "wall" of the lens, bounces again off the small curved mirror inside that small black disc and into the camera. 

The vast majority of mirror lenses are inexpensive and abundant and usually have a fixed aperture of f8. Most lens companies have made them, even Nikon. As you also may recall, the majority of the OM-mount lenses I have gathered are Soligor brand. The best Soligor lenses are called "C-D". What that means, I don't know, but the cost more new and still do used. So, I bought a Soligor C-D 500mm f8 mirror lens and a 77mm hood for it. It came in a nice little felt lined case. Again, cool. 

Well, a mirror lens that has often avoided my capture was made by Lentar. It to is f8 but that is where the scene blurs.

Above and below are the cases that house each lens. Obviously, the Lentar is larger and appears more complicated.

Above and all below show the massive size differences. But note below that the actual glass appears to be the same diameter. It should be since they share the f8 speed.

Bigger and longer. Also, the Lentar has a tripod mount collar. It can be rotated for vertical shots.

Note the intrusion in the Lentar's exit pupil. That is part of the mechanism that holds neutral density filters that act as virtual aperture blades, each halving the available light. Rotating the knurled ring moves the filters in and out of the light path.

The "X" refers to the amount of light reduction. Pretty cool, huh?

So, below shows the whole kit and caboodle of the Olympus kit I have painstakingly assembled:

There are fourteen lenses here. Although only 13 of them have glass in them. The 14th will be explained below.

Below are the three super-wide lenses. The left one, attached to the front of a 50mm lens, turns it from 50mm to 7.5mm and produces a circular image that is 180 degrees wide. Keep your feet out of the image! The right lens is a 12mm fisheye lens. It is also f8, but being a normal, non-mirror lens, it has aperture blades. The middle is the Holy Grail of Olympus OM mount lenses: 18-28mm zoom lens. 

Now, if you have a DSLR, you may be thinking, "Heck most cameras come with an 18-55mm lens, so what's the big deal?" On all but "full-frame" i.e., the sensor is 24mm by 36mm, just like 35mm film, digital SLR cameras use a sensor the same size as the now defunct APS film. Or 50% smaller. So, an 18mm digital lens is the same "size" as a 35mm film lens of 27mm. Wide, for sure, but not 18mm wide. 

On any 35mm camera, an 18-28mm lens is really wide. I was constantly looking for an 18mm Sigma or Spiratone lens when I saw this Samyang 18-28mm and snatched it up! Samyang lenses are made in South Korea. Home of Hyndai and Kia.

The "bubble" inside the lenses are the inside edge of the front elements.

Above and below are the three zoom lenses that start in the wide angle end: Samyang 18-28mm, Soligor C-D 28-80mm and Tamron 28-200mm lens. The widest range of the three.

 

Above and below are the big-boy zoom lenses. Soligor C-D 70-220mm with a constant f3.8 aperture. A real beauty that is so heavy, it has a tripod mount built on it. Middle, same length, but in fact longer focus is the Sologor C-D 85-300mm zoom. The beast on the right is the second rarest of the group, also a Samyang, it is 100-500mm zoom. It too has a tripod mount. 

Below is a 7-element 2X tele-converter. Mounted on the camera first and then the intended lens is mounted to it. With a 50mm f1.4 attached, it becomes a 100mm f2.8. 2X models have either four or seven elements (pieces) of glass in the lenses. A 2X halves the amount of light, a 3X cuts out even more light. Seven element 2X converters are higher quality and it will show. 

So, frankly, with this and one of the 500mm lenses, it will be like having a 1-meter (1000mm) f16 lens. If you can find a 1-meter lens, be prepared to pay!

The one on the right is in fact three "tubes". No glass inside, each also goes on the camera first then a lens, usually 50mm, mounts on it. They are 12mm, 20mm and 36mm. Combined it is 68mm. The drawback is the further the lens is from the film, the less light reaches the film. Each tube mechanically connects the lens' aperture to the camera.

Lastly, below is the OM-2S Program mounted on the motor drive and 50mm f1.4 lens. I'm keeping the OM10 as a backup body. It has the slightly slower 50mm f1.8 lens that came with the 2S.

Finally, before I can use either film camera, I need to replace the ancient light seals as they have turned to goo. 

Thanks for taking the time to read and view my blog.

Scott