The photograph above provides a clue as to why, when switching from film to digital (I put that move off for as long as I could), I chose to stay with Olympus. The OMD EM5 had the same feel as the OM1 I had been using when out and about in the many streets, byways and highways I have been walking for nearly 40 years.
I studied photography at Trent Polytechnic in Nottingham (UK), graduating in the late 1970s. During the early 1980s I tried to make a go of it, but never managed to become a professional photographer; since then I have continued to do project based work for myself and have a visual diary of my life so far which is hugely satisfying.
I bought my first OM1 in 1980 along with a Zuiko standard lens. I added to my lens collection over the next few years and bought another body too, I still have all the gear and it all still works fine. The photograph below shows everything I had possessed up until my change to digital.
The great thing is that, using an adapter, I can use my old lenses on my digital camera. The focal length alters, of course, but it gives me options. Or gave me; to cut a long story short, my shutter failed whilst trying out my old 200mm lens and I can’t get it into my head that this was probably nothing to do with the lens. This happened a couple of years ago and I’ve never used the adapter since. My bad. I was only a week or so without a camera, Olympus Thailand did a great job in replacing the shutter and the repair was way, way cheaper than having to shell out for a new body, which I couldn’t afford to do anyway. This episode didn’t put me off Olympus cameras and mine has worked fine since then.
I haven’t been able to get out of my old habit of occasionally looking through the viewfinder for quite a time, waiting for things to come together; this didn’t matter in the old days but can be a problem with the digital video display, due to battery drain. Easily remedied by carrying a fully charged spare battery, just in case. Luckily I don’t make that many photographs – almost as if it was still 1980 and I was down to my last roll of tri-x – and this economy means I can continue to work as I always have.
Though I mainly use my short zoom I did buy a Zuiko digital 17mm lens. This is a very small lens and, with an aperture of f1.8, it’s pretty fast. Coupled with the compact size of the OMD, it is perfect for those times when I don’t want to be too visibly a photographer; I’ve never used a camera bag either, much for the same reasons. And I tend to dress down, but I digress. So there you go; I’ve looked at other cameras, including the second and third generation OMDs, but have yet to be tempted. It may be that the things are too expensive and I can’t afford to change – or it may be that I am quite happy with what I’ve got.
nic salmon's notes in passing 