Been doing a bit of driving lately, so it’s only natural that some of my photos are taken from the car.
Here are a few from a set.
My scanner doesnt like film anymore, so I have to scan prints – luckily I always get prints.
I’m gradually going through a big bag of expired colour print film I got for nothing a little while ago. It’s been a nice change from black and white, plus I like the random colour casts that may/may not happen depending on how the film has been treated over it’s life.

Been quite a while since my last post for a number of reasons. Nothing bad, all good, but my priorities have been with offline pursuits lately. I’m trying to minimise the amount of time I spend on the net and computers in general also, which is kind of hard seeing as though my job entails alot of computer time!
Anyway, I’m still taking photos, mostly colour though, and mostly with a p&s Olympus Mju:II – photo attached as proof! I’m finding it alot more fun with a p&s, I seem to put less pressure on myself, and photography has become alot more enjoyable. I like my photos more too.
Will give another more detailed update again soon. Have a couple of projects I’ve been progressing with, and my entire website will be rebuilt with a slightly different focus. Time has been a precious commodity lately though!

Just some random scans I had lying around. Been shooting colour lately, and waiting to get about a dozen rolls finished to developed them in one hit (i’ll be doing it myself). These may be the last b&w shots I post up for a while.

Had a roll of Delta 3200 sitting around for ages so decided to give it a go the other night. I think the negatives turned out alright considering I developed them in Rodinal – probably the worst choice for high iso films.
Have to say i’ve never shot in conditions this dark before. 3200iso with a f/1.4 lens and I couldnt see if it was in focus half the time.
Dont think i’m a fan of Delta though. Would prefer to push Neopan 1600 instead in the future.
Here were some shots just for fun

Well, sometimes you get lucky.
I have stayed away from that evil online auction site for a while now, but the other week I was killing some time so took a look at the camera section. Nothing amazing really, but I found a listing advertising some Minolta SRT’s and a bag full or random stuff. For some reason I clicked on the link even though Minolta doesn’t really interest me.
In the photo, amongst all the other “stuff” I saw two other lenses which werent for the Minolta cameras advertised. They were Olympus OM Zuiko’s – now I started to get interested. I ask the seller what lenses they were and was a little skeptical about his response. But decided to bid and win the auction, eventually receiving the package a couple of days ago.

After opening the packing, the first thing I see is the original large Olympus system bag with individual compartments, so that’s a good sign. I dig around and find the lenses – 2 mint Olympus Zuiko’s.
The first is a later multi coated Zuiko 50mm f/1.4 – nice, but nothing overly amazing (plus i already have a couple)..
The other was a little more interesting – a Zuiko 24mm f/2…..
24mm f/2 !!.. In the original case too..
I wont say what I paid for it, but it was less than what some 50mm f/1.4 go for on their own, so you can probably imagine I was pretty happy.
The only other 24mm f/2 I’ve seen for sale in comparable condition went for over $1000 AUD.

Anyway, I’m dying to give the 24mm a go. Always wanted to try a 24mm on my OM system, never thought it’d be the f/2.
I’ll be running some Legacy Pro through the camera. If you havent heard of it, it’s rumoured to be re-branded Fuji Neopan and Acros – same country of manufacture, same development times, same characteristics. I’ve been interested in trying it as Neopan is probably my favourite 400iso film of all time.

They have the ugliest looking pack design i’ve ever seen though though =/

The Olympus OM3. One of the most advanced mechanical shutter cameras ever made. It is also one of the rarest OM series cameras around as it was only produced for 3 years (1983-1986). As a result, it is often horded by collectors who sit them in glass display cases whilst watching the market value gradually increase.
It’s a shame, as this is a truly amazing camera which was designed from the ground up by Yoshihisa Maitani to take full advantage of the OM system as a modern professional camera body. It deserves to be used.

The OM3 was released along side the OM4 and OM2SP, so as a result shares some similarities. However, you could probably say it’s in many ways closer related to the OM1 which was also built with a mechanical shutter.  As a result, this is one of the main reasons why the OM3 was only produced for such a short period of time. In 1983, if people wanted a mechanical shutter body they had 2 choices in the OM system- the OM1n which was an older but tried and tested model, or the OM3 which was brand new and considerably more expensive. Most people chose the OM1n which was built until 1987.
The OM3 had alot going for it though. With it came an increased max shutter speed of 1/2000, iso settings from 6 to 3200, and a brand new very advanced metering which included the new multi-spot system (in addition to the regular single spot), which allowed the user to take a reading in the shadows and highlights then combine them both for an ideal exposure. All of this was displayed in a new Viewfinder that featured LCD display and a light (helpful for night shooting) which displayed detailed information on light readings and shutter speed etc. Besides all of this new technology, there remained the greatest advantage of all; that by using a mechanical shutter the camera could be operated at all shutter speeds without the need of batteries.

Of course, it must be said that with this new metering technology also came issues that worked against the cameras reputation. One of the biggest was battery life. Like the OM2SP and OM4, there were alot of cameras (not all) that chewed through batteries like they were candy. You can usually tell right away if your particular camera falls into this category by the need to replace the batteries after a weeks use. There is a common misconception that all of these models suffered from this problem which is completely false. I know people who have been using them for years without needed to replace batteries. I myself have been shooting an OM2SP for well over 8 months now with used batteries and it still functions perfectly. I haven’t had enough time to test the OM3 fully yet, but after shooting a roll (on yet again used batteries) and repeated use of the VF lights etc, it’s still holding up perfectly. On the odd chance of the batteries draining though i still can make use of the OM3’s biggest advantage – it’s mechanical shutter.

Getting hung up on the technicalities of these cameras can be a waste of time; almost as much as collecting them without the intention to take photos.
At the end of the day, It’s all about how good the camera is to use, and the OM3 carries on and in some ways improves the biggest advantages of the OM’s that proceeded it. This includes the gloriously large and bright viewfinder, compact body and user friendly function, attractive finish, looks, and construction, and the ability to use some of the greatest lenses ever created.
I have quite a few cameras now, and the OM3 is already amongst my all time favourites. However, i have to say that as good as it is, i think they’re overpriced, especially as a user camera. I’d actually have a had time justifying paying even half of the current market price for one of these. If you’re just looking for something to get into the wonderful OM system, there’s probably better options available to you. But, if you’re like me and find one for a fraction of the market value, snap it up and use it!
The OM3 is a great cameras to use, but i think mine will restricted to indoor use only and kept away from the street.. It’s just too pretty

For further reading you can can check out these links.
I’ve also tracked down the hard to find OM3 instruction manual that i have available for download here

This style of photo is a new aesthetic for me.
I recently shot some 100iso Fuji Reala Superia on my half frame and it produced some impressive prints. However, my scanner seems to hate C41, and anything i scan looks flat and dull. That means im not going to bother trying to post them up for the time being. However, there were some shots i took in very low light that interested me even though they lacked the vibrancy of a proper exposed negative (i had to trick the camera into thinking that i had the flash on otherwise it wouldn’t let me take the shot). They’re dark,  grainy and soft, but as an experiment I think they turned out nice, and create a sense of atmosphere or feeling for me. I hope to develop the concept a little further and get a whole set inspired by the shot/s below.
As usual, it’s probably best to click on the image to see it at full resolution.

Oh yeah, one more thing.. I’m waiting on something very special that’ll be coming in the mail soon

Here are some shots from my first roll in the little Pen EF i just got.
Tried out some diptychs as it fits them on a regular single frame. Some obviously worked better than others, but it was still alot of fun. I’m quite surprised how well it metered and how sharp the lens is (when its actually in focus ofcourse).
Tri-x400 in Rodinal 1+50