Coming full circle

Gentle reader,

First off, thank you for taking a look at my blog. I don't often post new ones, but see over 200,000 page views so far! That may not be many compared to a lot of blogs, but mine has limited subjects.

Now, as for the title, way back in April, 1995, when Nancy and I were "an item" and I for the first time since 1980, had a tax refund all my own. It wasn't much, but I didn't have to use it to pay bills!
Since seeing my friend, Shawn Burn using a 35mm SLR back in the 1970's to make photos of us playing Ultimate Frisbee, I've wanted a "real" camera. I.e., a 35mm SLR. 

I went to a pawn shop, (my first time!) and bought a used Olympus OM-10 with 50mm f1.8 lens and a cheap flash, all for $100. I knew NOTHING about cameras. Previously, (in what Nancy and I refer to our prior marriages) "in a former life", all I'd had experience with was a JCPenney 110 camera. Truly, point and shoot. As a kid in the 1960's I had a green plastic camera that used roll film. I came across pictures from it years later and had no idea what was in the photos. It too, was point and shoot. Plus, I was a kid!

So, it didn't occur to me that the little switch marked: OFF ON needed to be turned to ON! Olympus to the rescue! They knew an idiot like me would buy one and try to make pictures with it.
So, they designed it to turn itself on if the shutter was pressed and then off after. Lucky for me! 
The first photo was of Nancy sitting cross-legged, wearing the corduroy pants she'd worn in high school, making a little tree out of wire, a rock and tiny "leaves" made from tiny green stones.

If you've seen previous posts, obviously, camera collecting was a passion and I learned a LOT about making photos. Now, with tens of thousands of photos under my belt (no wonder it's so hard to fasten it!) and having mostly gone digital, what do I mean by "coming full circle"?

In our favorite thrift store, I came across a mint Olympus OM-10 with 50mm f1.8 lens in it's leather case. I'm talking new condition. WOW! Bought it! Then, the next week, they had an OM-1MD as well! That one was Olympus' first 35mm SLR and requires a 1.3 volt mercury
battery which they don't make anymore. But, it had the faster (larger maximum aperture) 50mm f1.4 lens.

Since I have the Voiglander Bessa R with a passel of lenses and the Nikon N90S which shares all but one lens with the digital D70S, why would I want another film camera? Nostalgia. Plus, with my greatly increased knowledge and cheap lenses proliferate ebay, why not?    

Since then, I wanted the "manual adapter" that was optional for the OM-10 and allowed one to be able to choose the shutter speed rather than letting the camera set the speed based on light and aperture chosen. Each time I bid on one on ebay, someone else wanted it more.

Then, I saw an all black OM-10 which included the manual adapter, body cap, motor winder, 2X lens converter, a cheap flash and in two pieces, an Olympus flash as well as a camera bag and ALL the manuals and paperwork from the original buy who was a Sailor and bought it in Hong Kong in 1983. Price? $19.95 what is the general price for the least expensive manual adapter alone!

I decided to keep the black one and combined the 50mm f1.4 lens from the OM-1MD with all but the flashes and the 2X. I had bought via ebay a Vivitar zoom telephoto lens and zoom wide angle lens. I have posted the OM-10 on ebay and the OM-1MD along with most that came with it plus the long Vivitar and selling the wide angle zoom separately. 

I have posted photos below to show the differences in the chrome verses black OM-10s. Plus the huge difference in the size and versatility as well as quality of the standard Vivitar telephoto zoom and the higher scale Soligor C/D lens.

Both zooms are "constant aperture" which means at the short end (70-75mm) and the long end (205-220mm) the amount of light passed remains the same. Most zooms nowadays are variable aperture. The more you zoom out, the less light reaches the film or sensor.

The Vivitar is 75-205mm f3.8 and the Soligor is 70-220mm f3.5. Look at the photos and the Soligor is HUGE compared to the Vivitar, yet it is only 20mm "longer" as far as magnification over the "normal" 50mm lens. 

Now, in Vivitar's defense, they did make better lenses called "Series 1". I do not have one to compare, but I suspect it still wouldn't be as well made or need a 72mm sized filter and have a tripod mount. Most unusual for a 200mm length lens.        

Lastly, due to the different lengths of the two lenses, the above images of the front and rear of the lenses, the shorter Vivitar is out of focus. Nonetheless, you can clearly see the different sizes of the front elements and the close size of the rear elements. f3.5 verses f3.8, how much light transmission difference?

By the way, that huge Soligor came in it's own leather case with both factory caps and a 72mm UV filter all for $24.95. I also bought the companion Soligor 28-80mm zoom lens which is variable aperture. Both Soligors have separate Macro adjustment rings which move internal elements for close focus. Naturally, the telephoto has much more magnification!

Thanks for looking!

Scott