Reunited with an old friend

Happy Saturday! Just popped in to share a few images with you that are personally very special to me. While I was home I cleared out a storage area for my family and "low and behold" I found my first SLR camera - the mighty Olympus OM-10!

I received this camera as a gift back in High School (that's over 20 years ago). It was a bit pricey for those days but my Mom and Dad thought that my interest in photography was cool and brought it for me. And because of the cost I had it for a whole year before I could get a flash - that explains my love for natural light. ;-)

I put it to good use as I shot stuff for my High School's newspaper and yearbook. I didn't have an open space in my schedule to take a photography class so I would ask the photography teacher questions after school.



This camera has been half way around the world, survived the Ramstein Air Base tragedy, been shipped overseas via boat, and spent the last 12 years living inside of an old/damp/dirty camera bag in 100 degree weather in storage. And get this - it's in great shape, just like I left it.

After several moves I thought it was simply lost. But, just like an old friend we were only separated by time and once reunited simply picked up where we left off. You know I couldn't wait to put a roll of film in it to discover if it worked after all it's been through.

It's not very practical for today's demanding photographic environment, but it was a wonderful experience to go back and shoot stuff "old skool" and fully manual.

So, here's to good ole' fashioned photography and the joys of seeing an old friend after years of being apart. Have a great weekend!


Now this is "old skool!"




Although they no longer have the status and prestige that they used to have, Olympus invented the "through the lens" metering that we all use today. And, the OM series was the first line of SLRs to have this feature.


This is how a lens should be built! Rock solid and metal with a big focus ring.


Now I know why they call Olympus lens fans "Zuikofreaks." This camera came with a 50mm 1.8 prime that is simply amazing! Although some could argue that today's sophisticated coatings make modern lenses sharper than older lenses, this lens is unbelievable in every category that lenses are measured. It is well built, sharp even into the far corners, and the bokeh/depth of field is like nothing you will see from today's lenses. Olympus was always known for producing great lenses and this one is no exception.

And now the feast de' resistance!
















If you are interested in learning more check out:
Campedia OM-10 page
pBase OM-10 page (camera images and pages of images created by photographers from all over the world using this camera)
eBay listings (if anyone wants one)
Ramstein airshow disaster
Flickr.com dedicated OM photo group