Confederate Calvaryman at a Civil War Re-enactment
Olympus
OM2sp, 65-200 f4 Zuiko lens
When digital cameras began to take over the market in the early 2000s, the bottom dropped out of the market for film cameras. But now, interest in film and film cameras has been undergoing a resurgence.
My main workhorses before my switch to digital in 2003 were a pair of Canon EOS A2s, excellent but underrated cameras. In fact, those were the cameras with which I photographed the Rock City Barns book, Georgia: A Backroads Portrait, and many other projects and commercial jobs between 1994 and 2003. But by 2005, I couldn't even get $35 apiece for them. So I put them on the shelf in honored retirement and later gave one of them to Charlie Carlson, who has been a good friend since 1972. Although since he lives in the Soviet Socialist state of California, I haven't seen him for at least 35 years. But we stay in touch by email. He's a camera enthusiast, and we occasionally buy, sell, trade, or give each other cameras.
Meanwhile, prices of good used film cameras are moving steadily upward and there are now numerous blogs on the internet devoted to film and film cameras.
Recently, Charlie asked my opinion about the best model of Olympus OM film camera to get for his son.
He wrote: "For some time there was a great debate going on about the OM2 and the OM2n versus the OM2sp. They came marked in both "N" and "Sp". The great difference being that the spot meter was either a blessing or curse. Have you got any opinion on this?"
(The OM2sp was an OM2 that offered both spot metering and programmed exposure mode.)
I replied, "Well, Charlie, as you know, opinions are like anus's. Everyone has one, and most of them stink. However, having owned and used all three cameras extensively, I can tell you that the OM2n is the pick of the litter. Beginning in 1978, I owned and used, at various times, and many of them concurrently, the OM1, OM2, OM2n, OM2sp, OM-PC, and OM10, but the OM2n was my workhouse from the early '80s to about '93, when I switched to Canon because of my growing need for autofocus, and the growing perception that Olympus was not going to come out with a professional autofocus body anytime soon.
The spot meter in the SP was a nice feature, but I did not use it much. Almost all my exposures were metered with a hand-held incident meter. On the few occasions when the situation demanded that I act fast or miss the shot, the auto-exposure in the 2n never let me down. I still have a pair of 2ns, one of which works (I think I got it from you), and one which needs to go to the repair shop."
Truthfully, I no longer shoot much film, although I wish I did. If I were a hobbyist I could justify the cost in time and money. But since I need to make a little money on my projects, film is out. If I had used film, to photograph the Backroads and Byways book, it would have cost $1700, providing I did the processing myself. The cost would have been much more to send the film out.
Nonetheless, I'm glad
to see the rising interest in film photography. I worked with film nearly twice
as long as I've worked with digital, and color slide film will always be my
favorite medium. (Both photos here made on Fujichrome.)
After Evening Chapel at the Mission Hospital, Abak, Ibom, Nigeria
I believe this is the best photograph I've ever made. It's about beauty and mystery, which to me is the essence of photography. OM2N with a Tamron 100-300 f4 lens, 1/15th second, f4, at 300mm, autoexposure.
Photographs and text copyright 2022, David B.Jenkins.
I post Monday, Wednesday, and Friday each week unless life gets in the way.
Soli Gloria Deo
For the glory of God alone
Tags: Canon film cameras, Canon EOS A2, Olympus OM film cameras, OM-1, OM2, OM2n, OMsp, OM-PC, OM10, Fujichrome film
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