Olympus OM2000 Spot Metering 35mm SLR Camera

I purchased an Olympus OM2000 Spot Metering SLR body from Used Photo Pro in Indianapolis sold in an “as-is” condition. I haven’t used this camera model previously, so I was interested in giving it a try. This copy looked very clean. The camera didn’t have a battery to check the light meter but as in the past even “as-is” condition cameras are typically in reasonable / good working condition. Even if the light meter didn’t work the camera will still operate without a battery. The price was approximately $25. 

The OM2000, built by Cosina, is an all-manual camera (excluding the light meter) that has spot meter option for the light meter. Focus, aperture and speed settings are all manual. 

I mounted a Tamron 28mm f/2.5 lens. The Tamron does not have an Olympus OM mount so I used an Adaptall 2 adapter from my inventory. 

The features of the OM2000 Spot Metering are:

• Lens: Olympus OM bayonet mount,
• Shutter type: Vertical-travel metal focal-plane shutter,
• Shutter speeds: 1 to 1/2000 second + bulb,
• Flash sync speed: 1/125 second,
• Exposure modes:
• Manual exposure only
• Center-weighted metering with “match-LED” display in viewfinder
• Metering system:
• TTL center-weighted metering
• Ability to switch to spot metering
• Manual exposure match-LED indicator
• ISO range from 25 to 3200 (no DX code reading),
• Battery: 2 x LE44,
• Hot shoe (no built-in flash),
• Manual film advance lever,
• Small switch on the film advance lever that can be used for double exposures.

The OM2000 was clearly an entry-level manual SLR camera. Lots of plastic and small in your hand. 

I wanted to see how the camera would perform with street photography.

I ran 2 rolls through the camera recently and here is what I thought about it:

• A very loud shutter slap. Not stealthy at all

• The light meter consists of a + o – LED indicator on the left side of the viewfinder. It’s activated when you half push the shutter release. You adjust speed / aperture (or both) so the green o illuminates. I found it hard to get it settings adjusted accurately for the proper exposure. On most shots I was getting + o or o – (slightly over or under exposed).  In most situations I ended up simply using “sunny 16”. Not sure if this is the sensitivity of the light meter or the meter on this camera was beyond it’s used by date. Either way, I prefer a camera with a light meter vs not having one. On the OM2000 you are in full control of the settings.

• Another “feature” is a small “stop” attached to the film advance lever that sits under the shutter release button when the lever is fully closed. This prevents the shutter from accidentally firing while in a camera bag or if you bump the shutter release. To take a photo you advance the film advance lever slightly to a stop. You can now release the shutter. There were several times when I forgot to do this and when I tried to release the shutter I couldn’t. Just a learning curve issue, but potentially frustrating if you were timing a shot. 

• The wide shutter speed range gives you complete flexibility of using almost all film ISOs in most light conditions.

Bottomline, not my first choice for street photography, but it’s a solid general-purpose, basic manual camera. 

Some photos: 

Dubblefilm Bubblegum - It's Green!

I'm testing out the different types of Dubblefilm pre-exposed 35mm film. I've previously tested Sunstroke & Jelly which I liked. Now I test Bubblegum. I purchased the film for $14.99 per 24 exposure roll from Roberts Camera in downtown Indianapolis. 

The film cartridge canister says "tinted with sugar packed analogue sweetness". The packaging is well done. Cool marketing. The website says "ISO 200 35mm film with added tone producing sweet colour to spark your visual taste buds". Nice. It's actually Kodak Gold 200 film that has been given their magic treatment. The cartridges are DX coded.

A Google image search shows images with color palettes of pinks, orange & blues. Based on the packaging and name I thought the colors were going to be pastels focusing on pink. I understand output will vary based on the lighting conditions.

I shot the roll in mixed lighting conditions on a day that moved from cloudy to sunny. I shot the roll in an Olympus Stylus. I developed the film at home using fresh Unicolor C-41 chemistry.

Wow, were my results not as expected.  All of my photos came out with a very "night vision goggle" greenish tint. All lighting conditions generated the same results. Not subtle at all. The green tint was in the shadows and the highlights. Some of the green shifted slightly to browns in the shadows. Like I said, nothing subtle. The color was uniform across the photo (unlike Sunstroke or Jelly).

The results were not unpleasant and can probably be used for artistic purposes, but this wasn't my favorite results compared to Sunstroke or Jelly. The green was just a bit too overpowering. I'm CERTAIN results will vary.

Here are results from the one roll:

Next up, Monsoon!!

Kodak Portra 400 Side-By-Side with Fujicolor PRO400H

When using COLOR 35mm film in the studio or street photography I primarily use Kodak Portra 400. I sometimes use Kodak Gold or Fujicolor Superia X-tra 400 when I want a more affordable option, but I prefer Portra (both 160 & 400).

I recently used several rolls during a street photography photoshoot in New York City. After I returned several people commented about trying Fujicolor PRO400H. I investigated the film as I had never used it.

Following up I bought 2 rolls of the PRO400H at Roberts Camera and decided to give it a go. However, first a head-to-head comparison with the same camera I used in NYC. I used an Olympus MJU-1 in NYC with the rolls of Portra 400, and it just so happens I have 2 of them. I went out the other day and loaded one MJU-1 with Portra 400 & one with PRO400H.

I shot every scene with both cameras back-to-back. I developed the film at the same time using Unicolor C-41 in the same tank. The film dried side-by-side. Finally, I scanned the negatives on the same scanner, an Epson V800 Photo with the same settings.  I imported the images into Adobe Lightroom and only cropped, removed dust spots and slighting increased contrast on all of the photos equally.

Here are the results side by side

My non-scientific thoughts from 1 roll each on a somewhat overcast afternoon:

• Kodak Portra 400 dries fairly flat but Fujicolor PRO400H curled (corkscrewed) a moderate amount. Since I develop / scan film myself the curling is an issue.

• My observation is Portra 400 is a bit “richer”. Shadows and blacks seem darker. There appears to be a bit more depth on some of the Portra images. Some of the Fujicolor PRO400H images appear a bit “flatter”. I don’t think I would notice this if I wasn’t looking side-by-sides.  
• Portra appears warmer & PRO400H cooler. There is more yellow in the shadows and midtones on Portra & more blue / green on the PRO400H
• Concrete, aluminum & metals appear more accurate with the PRO400H. These textures on the Portra images have a slight yellow hue.
• PRO400H has a bit of blue in the reds and Kodak has yellow.  This was obvious in the photo of the caution cones.

Overall, I prefer the Kodak Portra 400. This is mainly because when using film in studio I’m photographing fashion models and the yellow tones are closer to true skin color.  Also, I tend to like warmer tones overall.  HOWEVER, I think for street photography without a focus on people Fujicolor PRO400H would be better. I think the cooler tones compliment the color pallet in street photography. 

Bottomline, in my opinion both films are nice, however, the curling of the PRO400H is an issue for me & I prefer a warmer image.  Therefore, I prefer Kodak Portra 400. Obviously, your results and tastes may vary.

Kentmere 400 Pushed to 800 - Olympus OM10

I regularly use 100' bulk film to keep my 35mm film cost manageable.  Recently I've gone through several boxes of Ilford HP5+, Ilford XP2, Arista EDU, Kodak TRI-X and now Kentmere 400. 

Harman Labs produces and sells Kentmere films which leads me to believe that Kentmere is a "cheap", lower QC version of HP5+.  Good enough for me to give it a go.

I brought several bulk loaded 36 exposure rolls with me to a street photography afternoon in downtown Louisville. It was a "murky" day.  Bright but extremely hazing and overcast.  No direct sunlight, or shadows.  It was like being in a giant softbox.  I wanted to do general street scenes.

Because it was overcast and I wanted higher speeds I pushed the Kentmere to 800. Ilford HP5+ is very push friendly, so I figured this would be as well.  I had hoped to push the film to 1600 but my camera mysteriously locked up when I set the ASA dial to 1600.

My camera of choice for the street shoot was an Olympus OM10. I purchased this camera at a New York charity shop for $20. Works A-OK (except the weird ASA issue) and is clean.

I shot 3 rolls in this camera. Once home I developed the rolls in Ilford Ilfosol3 for 6.5 minutes. I scanned the negatives with an Epson V800.  Imported them into Adobe Lightroom Classic and used the tool to crop & adjust the histogram only.  

Some results:

Overall, I'm happy with the film. It pushes easily to 800 (will test at 1600). The blacks are black & whites white. The grain at 800 with Ilfosol3 is very manageable and pleasing.  I'll be running a side by side with pushed HP5+ soon, so stay tuned for that.  Bottomline, a good general purpose B&W 35mm film.

Olympus Infinity Jr - A Simple P&S with B&W Film

I like to occasionally use 35mm point & shoot cameras.  Why, because I don't have to think about features. Don't get me wrong, I like full featured or completely manual SLRs, TLRs, medium format cameras as well. It's just sometimes I want to point & shoot.

The Olympus Infinity Jr. is such a camera. I found this camera at a Goodwill some time ago. I finally had an opportunity to shoot a roll of B&W and the results came out OK. I had shot a roll of color previously. Nothing special, but that's what I expected because the color didn't come out anything special either. 

The Infinity Jr. has a fairly sharp 35mm f/3.5 lens. It's somewhat quiet, but there is a noticeable shutter sound. This makes it OK for street photography. It's not quit pocketable, but easily fits in a small bag or purse. There is a sliding lens cover which is nice. Sliding it open turns the camera on. Features are minimal. There is a self timer, DX coding, a flash that can be set to auto, fill & off. A mode function in the back that lets you set the date stamp (although on mine this function doesn't work).

I shot a roll of Freestyle Arista.EDU film around town in both sunlight, overcast & moderate lighting. All the images were a bit soft but perfectible useable. Uses a standard 3v 123A battery.

I probably won't use this camera again since I have many other point & shoots that are sharper, faster & more pocketable. However, if you have one, you shouldn't kick it out of the bed. 

Some photos

Olympus Infinity Jr

Next up is a boxy little 35mm point & shoot, an Olympus Infinity Jr. This is another Goodwill find.  Spent only $1.99. When I purchased the camera there was no battery so I couldn’t tell if it worked.  However, I gave it my standard “found camera” going over. It looked clean so I bought it.

The camera carries a 35mm f/3.5 lens.  Not very fast, but the lens size makes if perfect as a street photography film camera.  The camera is 4 ½” long x 2 ½” tall x 2” wide.  A bit too wide for a pocket, but cool for a bag. The camera takes a standard 123A battery.

The camera is a standard point & shoot.  DX coding. Almost all features are automatic.  Autofocus, auto-flash, auto-film advance, and auto-film rewind.  The only feature that can be adjusted is the flash control.  You can set it to “fill-in”, “off”, & “auto”.  There is an obvious self-timer button on the top of the camera.  I measured it at 12 seconds.  There is a simple red light that is on when the self-timer is set and flashed with about 2 seconds to go.  There is a good slide cover over the lens with a rubberized grip.  The grip allows you to slide the cover open and close easily.

The has a boxy sleek look and your finger falls easily on the shutter release button.  The camera is a bit awkward feeling to hold, but that’s probably just me.  Someone with big hands might have a problem.

I loaded the camera with a roll of Fujicolor Superia X-TRA 400.  A standard color film.  I used it during a recent model shoot.  About ½ of the time the flash went off.  Lots of red eye with the flash.  Quality was all over the map but that was because I used the camera is several different lighting situations. 

Bottomline, it’s a good little camera.  Nothing special, but a reasonable film point & shoot if you can pick one up for a few dollars.  I wouldn’t go out of my way to buy one.

A few shots

Model Anastasiya - Industrial lighting - flash didn't go off

Model Anastasiya - Industrial lighting / partial shadow - flash went off

Model Anastasiya - In Studio with fluorescent lights - flash didn't go off

Flea Market Finds - Some You Win, Some You Lose

Yesterday, I went to a flea market with the plan to look for film cameras!  I've done this a few times, and the results are always hit & miss.  Yesterday was no different.  As always, if you go into your flea market adventure looking for film cameras you need to always:

• Don't expect the seller knows anything about the camera you might find
• Expect that some of the equipment won't work
• Don't always expect to find out you have a dude until after you get home and give it a good looking over,
• Don't overpay
• Don't be afraid to walk away

I always use the mental measure, "how much would this cost me if I bought it on eBay?".  If I can get it cheaper online, I'll ALWAYS pass, unless the example sitting in-front of me at the flea market is in great shape.

This is what I found from 2 sellers yesterday including the price paid.  

• Leica AF-C1 - $10
• Polaroid OneStep - $1
• Minolta XG-A - $15
• Miranda Sensoret - $1
• Olympus XA2 - $1

I gave them all a quick going over before I flopped down my $$$.  The Miranda & Olympus were in a bit of rough shape, but I took a flier since they were only $1 each.  The Leica didn't fire at the booth, but I figured that was a battery thing.  The Polaroid looked clean (I have lots of experience buying these), and the Minolta looked clean but the film advance was stuck.

After getting home and giving them a good going over, the Polaroid & Leica appear to be good to go. The Leica fired up easily with a new battery, and the Polaroid worked with a test cartridge.  The Olympus appears to be a goner even if I give it a good cleaning.  But again, only $1.  The Miranda's shutter seems to be stuck, but I'm going to self CLA it to see if I can get it moving.  The Minolta's film advance lever if frozen, so I'm going to try to fix it myself.  If I fail on the Minolta, no major dramas because the lens is in good shape and I can use it on other cameras.

So for $28 I got 2 cameras I can use.  I particularly like the Leica and would have easily paid $25 for it alone.  I might be able to salvage the Miranda, but I'm not going to put tons of effort into it.

Bottomline, I got to hang out with the Mrs and go on this film camera treasure hunt.  A fun couple of hours.

Texas Road Trip - Film Style

See how small the XA is!

I was in Texas over the past week & 1/2.  I visited Houston, San Antonio & Austin both for vacation & for photoshoots.  During my downtime and while not otherwise occupied I did street photography. I used both a Sony A6000 (I know, don't hate on my for referring to a digital camera on my film blog) and this beauty, my Olympus XA.  This is a slick little 35mm rangefinder, that is super easy to use.

Just set the desired aperture (on the sliding dial to the right of the lens) and set the focal distance.  You are good to go.  There is a very small split focusing area in the center of the viewfinder that helps in focusing (although I mainly eyeballed the range) and a speed gauge in the viewfinder.  It's really that simple.   Once you set your desired aperture you press the shutter release.  The gauge tells you what speed was selected.  Obviously, if you want faster or slower shutter speeds you just change your aperture.  It ranges from "flash", through f/2.8 through f/22.  An excellent range.  

The camera is tiny and is super silent.  Perfect for a film street photographer.

The only gripe I have with the camera is there is no shutter lock.  Therefore, if you advance the film and put the camera in your bag (even with the lens cover closed) the slightest touch not he very touchy shutter release button on top of the camera releases the shutter.  I'm sure I have at least 12 misfires.

Anyway, other than that, the camera is uber.  I went through about 10 rolls along with my digital shots.  I'll post some images after I get the film back. 

Mixed lot film & case by The Japan Camera Hunter

Street Photography - Various Film Cameras

OK, for fun I shoot street photography.  Most of this work is with film cameras.  Here are photos with various film cameras.

Canon A35F - In Los Angeles

Nikon FN - Plainfield, IN

Olympus MJU-1 - Indianapolis, IN

Olympus XA - Paris

Prinz Alternative - Plainfield, IN

Vivitar PZ3090 - Indianapolis

Yashica Mat124G - Cincinnati, OH

It's super fun to shoot street photography with film.  I forces you to slow down and think about your shot.