Arran Salerno | Photography - Blog » Reviews

Olympus Pen EF

Arran — Thu, 23 Oct 2008 06:13:43 +0000

The Olympus Pen EF is bit of an unusual camera. I originally saw this little guy covered in dust at a market last weekend. It stood out form the other cameras with its compact size, selenium light meter and flash. When i picked it up i noticed another interesting aspect. It’s a half frame camera. So i rescued it for $5.
As it turns out, the Pen EF is the last half frame camera released by Olympus. This is quite interesting, as it was the early 80′s at the time, and demand for the half frame format was essentially dead. Why Olympus chose to release a new model when the market was almost gone is a mystery, but im glad they did.
The Pen EF isnt exactly a “pretty” camera. It looks like bit of a Frankenstein with a mixture of two eras of camera technology crammed into a very compact body. The camera epitomizes simplicity. All you need to do is set the ASA (ranges from 25-400), wind the film on, then press the shutter. Thats pretty much it.
The flash is powered by a common AA battery (the camera still functions perfectly without a battery), and to activate the flash you pull a little latch down which engages it.
Besides the metering and flash, the Pen EF is lucky to benefit from a superb little 28mm D.Zuiko lens. Olympus had earnt a great reputation from their Zuiko glass for their half frame and full frame cameras, and the lens in the EF is no different. It still amazes me how manufacturers like Olympus could fit terrific little lenses in compact cameras (within a budget) that are still superior to many modern lenses that supposedly benefit from the latest and greatest technology.
Anyway, i shot a roll with this little beast the day after i got it, and it was alot of fun. It’s quite a strange experience having 72 shots on a roll of film. I hope to create some interesting Diptychs, and also see how large i can enlarge the half frames.
If you see a little Olympus Pen EF around, dont let it end up in the bin. It may not be the most attractive camera out there, but its certainly one of the most unique!

EDIT: Some recent shots from the little Pen EF.

Canon P

Arran — Fri, 11 Jul 2008 07:36:30 +0000

I got this little beast a while ago now, but have only got a chance to make a post about it today.
The Canon P (“Populaire”) was made between 1958 and 1961. It’s one of Canon’s last screw mount rangefinders and regarded by many as one of the best looking rangefinders ever produced. All i know is that it works and feels great to use.
They’re were originally made as a base/basic model, but in reality were one of the last truly “bulletproof” cameras produced by Canon, so many are still working as well today as they were over 50 years ago.
Theres not too much to the camera. No light meter, so theres no electrical issues. No fancy features that cause problems. Just a simple, clean looking camera, that works as good as it looks with a smooth film advance, and a satisfying shutter sound. The viewfinder is quite big and very bright with nice clear framelines (maybe mine has been CLA’s recently?).
Why use a camera with no light meter and no features that make life easier? Well, its fun.
Below is a photo of mine with a Jupiter 8 attached i had lying around. The 50mm framelines are particularly well placed in the VF, so i think a 50mm lens will live on the Canon now.
I got this camera for a steal of a price, but they regularly sell for around $100-$150, and at that price i still think they’re great value. If you want a super reliable camera, stripped back on fancy features that will take some of the greatest lenses ever created (Leica Thread Mount), then i cant think of any camera more suitable than the Canon “Populaire”.

Voigtlander Bessa R3A

Arran — Mon, 19 May 2008 10:22:31 +0000

I only recently purchased a Bessa R3A but it’s already one of my favourite cameras.
For those who arent familiar with this model, here is a bit of info about it.
The Bessa R3A is a 35mm film rangefinder camera made by Cosina Voigtlander in Japan. It features both aperture priority and full manual modes (as opposed to the R3M which lacks aperture priority). The camera has a Leica M mount meaning it can use a multitude of Leica and other brand M mount lenses. It can also use the Leica Thread Mount (M39) lenses via an adapter. The camera is constructed of magnesium alloy meaning that it feels very tough whilst only weighing around 400g. The camera has manually selectable frame lines in the viewfinder of 40/50/75/90 (of use full VF for 35mm), with a very sharp and contrasty rangefinder patch. The viewfinder on these cameras are one of its biggest features. It are incredibly bright and a pleasure to use. An added bonus is that the VF has 1x magnification, so everything is life size and using the camera with both eyes open is extremely easy.
The film advance is very smooth and solid, and the shutter button fires off the electronic shutter with just a light touch. Some people complain that the shutter noise is loud with these (well louder than some of the Leica’s). I cant comment on this as i’ve never used a Leia M for an extended period of time, but i can say the R3A’s shutter is quieter than any DSLR, SLR, and any of the many fixed lens rangefinders i have.
When taking photos in aperture priority mode the VF shows up the shutter speed thats currently selected. If theres not enough light, or too much light, the speed on the extreme end will flash to warn you. In manual mode it displays both your selected shutter speed and the recommended shutter speed at once (one flashes). This is such a simple system and very easy to get used too. You also get a AE lock activated by a separate button right under your thumb, plus exposure compensation for +/-2 stops via 1/2 stop increments. Shutter speeds are B to 1/2000 sec. (which is what i missed on my older rangefinders with only 1/1000 sec), plus iso 25-3200 by 1/3 steps. All pretty standard these days, but better than what i’ve become used to lately.
I’ve only just started shooting with it but can already tell this is a camera designed for the enthusiast. Everything feels solid, comfortable, and simple to use. Plus the price is only a fraction of a similar spec’d Leica (well, how many can you find with 1:1 VF and Av mode??), whilst being able to take all of its lenses and more.
As you can tell i really like this camera. It combines portability, quality, lens/accessory options, and simplicity in a very affordable package. A perfect introduction into the world of M mount rangefinders and lenses. I’m just worried that i’ve started travelling down a path my wallet will begin to hate me for!

Below are a couple pictures i took of it this afternoon. The second one was purely for fun, dont worry, im not trying to take it that serious :p
Camera has the Ultron 35mm f/1.7, side grip, and soft release attached.

You can read some more info here
Plus, i have a hard to find scanned user manual for the R3A/R2A in my Downloads section

Mr Voigtlander Vito BL

Arran — Tue, 11 Mar 2008 11:59:55 +0000

I say Mr out of respect because he’s damn old.. Well compared to my other cameras anyway.
I have yet another camera, and yes its a rangefinder (well it technically isnt exactly a rangefinder, but close enough). My newest acquisition is a Voigtlander Vito BL which is a terrific little thing. They’re quite an underrated camera, but everyone who has owned/used one seems to speak very highly of them. I mean, by today’s standards their operation is quite archaic, and it isn’t packed with any fancy features, but it still has alot going for it. First of all it has a very capable 50mm f/2.8 lens that produces some very distinct and impressive results. Secondly it’s compact, smaller than most of my 70′s rangefinders. Then it has the bonus of not needing batteries as it comes with a selenium light meter. Oh and last but not least, its looks damn good, i’ve already got comments about it and i’ve owned it less than a week.
Its been hard finding specific information about this camera, but there were several models in the Vito series. The BL began construction in 1956 and was based of a previous B model but came with the addition of a Bewi-Automatic Light Meter. Operating the light meter definitely isn’t simple, you need to dial in certain settings then hold down the light meter button to take a reading. If you wanted to take pictures in a hurry using the onboard light meter you’d be in for bit of a challenge. Everything else operates quite simple though, loading film is done like normal, focusing and aperture/shutter speed selections are all on the lens barrel. The ergonomics of the camera just seem so good. Its compact in width, but relatively high which means your hands can grip the camera body easily and the shutter button seems to be perfectly under your index finger without having to search for it. The film advance lever is also great as its mostly recessed into the camera body except for the end which sticks out enough for your thumb to grip easily to advance the film. It all just look so neat and well designed and would put many modern cameras to shame.
I picked this camera up for literally pocket change and it came with the original leather case, instructions, and what i eventually discovered as a plastic incident light attachment cover for the light meter, i’m sure many have been lost over the years. I was surprised that the camera not only looked close to perfect, but appears to be working perfectly too. I was all prepared to go in and start taking apart the shutter etc but everything works wonderful.
I love cameras like this, small, unassuming, and still functional even after 50 years. I wonder how many consumer goods coming out now will be as useful in 50 years time as this little camera is.

Below are a few pictures of the little beast. I still havent cleaned it yet, but you can see the great conditon it’s in.

Olympus 35-SP

Arran — Tue, 26 Feb 2008 09:39:47 +0000

There are quite alot of options available if you’re looking for a 70′s rangefinder. Some good, some bad, but most pretty interesting in their own particular way. There is one model however that stands out amongst many.. The brilliant Olympus 35-SP.
Built between 1969 and 1976, this compact rangefinder packs in an unrivaled set of features that puts to shame many of even the most modern rangefinders. It’s tack sharp 42mm f/1.7 G.Zuiko lens produces pictures with brilliant colour and contrast. The large bright viewfinder contains parallax error indicators and an accurate rangefinder patch. Then there’s the sophisticated metering system.
The Olympus 35-SP has the distinction of being the first ever 35mm rangefinder with dual metering options. Both centre weighted and spot metering is available to the user, which is quite amazing when you consider its age, and the compact size of the camera. After the SP a spot meter was included on the Leica M5 and CL but they were already beaten to the punch by Olympus, and quite simply just didn’t rival the 6 degree spot that came with the SP. Unlike many other rangefinders from that era, the light metering works in full manual mode also, which is quite useful when shooting in tricky conditions, or if you’re after a specific effect only manual control can produce.
Besides a revolutionary metering system (it truly was, and is still unrivaled to this day), the the Olympus came with a brilliant lens i mentioned briefly earlier on. The 7 element 42mm f/1.7 G.Zuiko is regarded as one of the finest rangefinder lenses ever produced. The Olympus RD (which came after the SP) has a similar lens, but without the 7th correcting element. Don’t let anybody try and tell you that they’re the same lens, because they’re in a completely different league. The lens focuses down to about 2.8ft and has a super smooth focusing action with a convenient lever on the side of the barrel.
All automatic and manual exposure options are contained on the barrel rings, aswell as a timer. After a while you can adjust these without taking your eye from the viewfinder, but it will take a little practice.

So with the SP you get a bright accurate viewfinder, unrivaled metering options, one of the best rangefinder lenses ever produced, all squeezed into a tough and compact body that manages to weigh less that comparable rangefinders of that era… What more do you want??
Oh yes, it comes in black too, and i got one, and its damn cool

(picture taken with my homemade light box)

*EDIT: I just got a Silver one also, check out a picture of them together here

Check out some other info here, and here

The Olympus μ[mju:]-II (Stylus Epic)

Arran — Mon, 25 Feb 2008 08:51:29 +0000

Ok, tell me this.
How many cameras can you think of that satisfy this criteria?

compact
rugged/all weather construction
super sharp and contrasty fast lens
spot metering
auto focus
auto film winding
decent flash with various modes

Thought of any?? Ok, now tell me how many of those come in under $20?
Hmm, not too many now hey. Probably none. Except for the mighty Olympus Mju:II. (The only other camera that might come close is the Konica Big Mini, but they’re a bit more expensive, and i don’t have any experience with them yet)
Whats wonderful about this camera is its simplicity and quality. Its a proper point and shoot that manages to produce wonderful pictures that rival cameras many thousands for dollars more expensive. Don’t believe me? Well just go over to Flickr and check out some sample pictures.
Obviously a great camera doesn’t equal great pictures. But having something so small and inconspicuous will always give you an advantage over something big and obvious. Street photos, architecture, parts snaps, the camera can do it all.
Just for the record, this camera isn’t perfect. It has some quirks that can be annoying, such as how it resets settings when you shut it down (for example, it’ll reset the flash mode you selected earlier). Trying to focus through glass can also be annoying but sometimes fixed by focusing to infinity at the sky then re-composing the shot again. Also, selecting spot metering can be fiddly. But the good points far outweigh the bad points. And the truth is that this is an amazingly simple, cheap, and compact camera that takes amazing photos.
Some shots from my First Week with the Mju:II
Here’s a pretty old review.
And here’s a Flickr group for the Mju:II

(this wasnt taken with my homemade light box)

Yashica Electro 35 GTN

Arran — Sun, 17 Feb 2008 04:11:01 +0000

Yeah, another camera, but this one wasnt an eBay purchase, and its not an Olympus!
Early this morning i found out about a small, relatively unadvertised Camera Market being held near the city. I was very curious so decided to go along. I’d never been to a camera market before so wasnt sure what to expect. When i got there i only saw one A3 size photocopied “sign” with “Sydney Camera Market” printed on it. It wasnt until i walked around a corner and saw a bunch of people waiting to get into a small hall filled with old camera gear that i knew i was in the right spot.
Initial observations were :
- Wow, i’m the youngest person here.
- Sweet, 99% of the stuff here are film cameras/gear
- Damn, these SLR’s are priced pretty high.
- Awesome, cheap rangefinders!

The only downside was that i’m pretty low on money after a couple of other camera purchases last week (more details to come), so i set myself a challenge….
What can i get for $5?

Surprisingly there were quite a few choices, some good, some bad. Several Olympus Trips, but i already have 3 of those. Some 90′s auto-focus rangefinders, hmm none of the models i wanted. But then, i saw something out of the corner of my eye that looked interesting. Amongst some dusty old camera cases and scratched up plastic point and shoots i saw this wonderful black Yashica Electro 35 GTN
It was covered in dust to the extent that i couldnt even see if the lens had fungus or scratches on it etc. But it looked awesome, was black, and the guy sold it to me for $5.
When i got home i immediately got some cleaning gear out to see if i’d just bought $5 worth of fungus and corroded metal.
After a couple minutes of cleaning i was so happy to discover that the lens was immaculate with not even the slightest scratch or blemish! The body itself started to clean up really well also, with only some slight signs of wear on the base of the camera, but hardly noticeable. Maybe the layer of dust had managed to form a protective layer over the camera? haha.
So anyway, i now own a Yashica GTN is terrific condition at a cost of only $5…. I’m definitely visiting more camera markets in the future!
Here is a quick picture of the beast :

Still need to give it a proper clean, but its a damn good looking camera in my opinion. 45mm f/1.7 lens = happy times. I’ll need to do some more research on them also, as i’m not too familiar with the Yashica rangefinders, i’m generally into Olympus when it comes to film cameras.

Cant wait until i put a roll of film through it. Unfortunately it’s on bit of a waiting list though, as i have a couple other cameras i’ve been meaning to try out also

Shitty Photo Labs

Arran — Wed, 23 Jan 2008 11:04:27 +0000

Lesson learnt for me.. dont waste time with cheap and shitty photo labs.
All of this happened to me about a week or two ago, but i’ve only got around to writing about it now.
I shot a few new rolls and thought i’d try out a little photo lab just a few hundred metres from me. I thought “Wouldnt it be great if i can get photos developed at a place less than a minutes walk form me”
HOW WRONG I WAS…
I dropped the film off, told them not to rush as i’d pick it up the next day. All seemed fine. Went in the next day to pay and receive my photos. As i was walking home i opened the packet up and started looking at my photos. ** First mistake – must always check photos before leaving store!
Looking at the photos i could tell immediately that thing just werent right.
With one of the rolls in particular i made a special note that i was experimenting with a few lighting effects etc, so asked them not to adjust low/high key photos for example. If something is dark, leave it dark. They said this was fine, no problem at all…
I dont know, maybe i was speaking in another language and they were just saying yes to whatever i asked them, because they totally ignored what i asked. When i got my photos back the machine they used must of automatically tried to compensate, so most of the prints are completely off – they look terrible. It looks like they’ve just pumped up the exposure compensation setting, and most of the photos are overly grainy, and hazy like theres been a light leak (of which my camera has none).
If they couldnt do it, why didn’t they just say “No, im sorry we cant do that for you. Everything is automated and we have no control how they turn out.” I would of had no problem with that.

Ok, not the end of the world right? I still have the negatives yeah?
Yes and No.
Yes as in, i do have the negatives. But no as in, they arent exactly complete.
You see, to go along with the terrible prints, i have some negatives that have been cut up collage style. The photo below is an example of what i mean.

You can see that the top negative has pretty much had 2/3 cut off, and bottom negative has had some of the side cut off, not much, but still noticeable. These are just two example of three rolls that have been effected. About 60% are effected.
WTF? Did they get the blind work experience kid to cut them up!?

I dont know what else to say beside i’m never going back to this place again. Im just glad i didnt have anything particularly important on the film.
It’s safe to say i wont be going back to this place again!
Dont make the same mistake as me…

New Toy!

Arran — Wed, 09 Jan 2008 10:32:16 +0000

Yep, got another Olympus camera. This deal was too good to pass up. Its the OMSP (spot/program). Quite similar to my OM2n, however this has a few extra nifty features. First of all the most obvious one is that it has a spot meter for tricky lighting conditions. Yeah, its not as advanced as modern day metered cameras, but its still pretty decent. I’ve managed fine without spot metering in the past, but this new addition will create a few more opportunities now. Secondly it has an an LCD meter display instead of the meter needle in the OM2n. This should make things a hell of alot easier when shooting at night, as it’s given me problems in the past. Also it has a built in hot shoe, as opposed to the removable ones that were prone to cracking (mine never has though). Plus a full auto and a program mode, which i’ll try out eventually. Oh and last but not least, its black, which is just cool
All of this, and its still the same size as my OM2n. The OM2SP (or OM2S) have never gained the same popularity as the OM1(n),OM2(n),OM3Ti and OM4Ti series cameras. They have the reputation of being unreliable, or eating up batteries etc. But im not sure how accurate these claims are, and i’ve spoken to professional camera repairers who in their far greater experience than mine agree. It may of got this reputation because it’s more or less based on the OM4 which contains some circuitry that cannot really be replaced if it fails. Because of that, it all of a sudden becomes a camera prone to faults, which is false. They do drain batteris doing nothing however, but i never store mine with the batteries in them anyway.
I think alot of the time camera geeks like to rubbish brands, models, techniques, etc for the sake of it. This is pretty clear on just about any camera forum or bulletin board you visit. The general consensus decides “yeah thats rubbish”, then opinionated keyboard warriors perpetuate the misconception, so someone says “i heard this isnt any good” “yeah i heard that too, must be true”. The Internet never lies hey! Generally these are same type of people who enjoy taking photos of brick walls and comparing barrel distortion and pixel density(for digital cameras), instead of going out to take photos of things with any real value/interest. Sure theres nothign wrong with comparing and testing equipment, but if thats all you do then you need to get a life. Anyway, enough talking crap. The more people think they’re no good, the cheaper i can get them for
Here it is here, with a pristine 35-70mm zoom & lens hood, and pristine Sunpak Auto flash.. Actually everything is pristine, i doubt the camera has been used more than a few times. It also came with a huge amount of brochures and booklets all in this awesome retro bag that i’ll have to try and get a photo of.
Here are some quick photos of it all
Group shot:

New camera = new light seals… Actually these ones were pretty decent and probably would of been ok, But i had all the stuff infront of me so decided to change them all. Used nail polish remover this time to get rid of the old stuck on foam which worked so much better than the stuff i used last time…

Was pretty late at night, and the light in my room is useless so i had to shoot this at 800 iso.. Ugly digital grain galore… (You may notice i took the Gold sticker off the body, it was shitting me)

1 Cent Wonder

Arran — Mon, 17 Dec 2007 04:37:47 +0000

Well i just bought another film camera. This one was purchased for the pricey sum of 1 cent
Yep, one cent, with a flash and a bag too. And when i won the auction the guy asked “So do you want to come and pick it up? Or should i post it?” um…
I couldnt find a 1 cent piece so it was posted
I took some quick pictures of it you can see below. I also managed to find a lens cover for it that was in the bag of accessories i bought a week or so ago, so that was a nice surprise too.
The camera has a great little multi coated 4 element D.Zuiko 40mm f2.8 lens that i’ve seen produce some brilliant results. It doesnt use any batteries but has a solar-powered selenium light meter with an automatic mode and two shutter speeds (1/200 in auto mode and 1/40 for flash sync). Everything works perfectly on it, but i need to replace a light seal as the camera is pretty old. I think its one of the earlier models, they were made from 1967- 1984. Quite a long time.
I’ve already put a roll of film in it with the dodgey light seals just for fun. I wonder if any will turn out.

yeah, it needs a clean too..