Olympus E-P1, Gail's Contest Prize

Photo taken with Lumix LX5

Gail was thrilled that she won First Place in the recent Decisive Challenge photo contest, and I'm very proud of her. She has now taken 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place in the 3 of the last 4 Decisive Challenges. If you haven't seen it already, you can see her picture and the announcement on the Decisive Challenge web page: www.decisivechallenge.com.

I find it amazing that of the four Decisive Challenges to-date, we (I consider Gail part of our little group) placed in all four of them:

DC #1: Gail, 3rd place
DC #2: Gail, 2nd place, Lea 3rd place
DC #3: Warren, 3rd place
DC #4: Gail, 1st place

For her prize, I suggested that Gail choose the used Olympus E-P1 that RFF forum member, Kirk Thompson, generously donated because both of us use Micro 4/3 cameras. The E-P1 came with a Olympus 17mm f2.8 lens, and its matching optical viewfinder.

The E-P1 is the first Micro 4/3 camera body by Olympus. Its styling is retro, borrowing styling from the Olympus Pen series of film cameras. I once owned a Pen F half frame slr, and this E-P1 really reminds me of that old camera. I think that the way this camera is configured currently, with the 17mm pancake lens, and the optical viewfinder, is simply gorgeous. The metal clad body adds to the retro look and feel. The camera has a nice weight to it.

When I was reviewing the Micro 4/3 system a few years ago, I chose the Panasonic Lumix G1 and it was a matter of choosing function over styling. The E-P1 is unquestionably beautiful to behold, but the G1 has more of the functional features that I was looking for in a system camera (better grip/ergonomics, built-in EVF, etc.). Now that I finally have a chance to experience the E-P1 after all these years, I can give you some impressions of the camera, and I can tell you whether or not my previous opinions of it are substantiated by the actual experience with it.

I had a chance to take the E-P1 out to Golden Gate Park one day. This camera has been around for 4 years and it has been thoroughly reviewed over the years. I'll just add a few notes of my own:

1) It's a two handed camera. I tried to shoot the camera one-handed, but because the body is metal clad, and has substantial weight to it and also because there is no well-formed grip to it, shooting one-handed was not comfortable or practical for me.
2) The rear controls are too easy to accidentally bump, which causes unintentional changing of some critical settings. A previous owner had set the control wheel buttons on the back to change focus points, and I was constantly annoyed that my AF point was not in the center, where I wanted it.
3) Slow AF: I missed several shots because of slow AF or misdirected AF point, again very annoying when you're used to snappy focus performance.
4) Image quality is excellent, considering it's 1st generation Micro 4/3 technology.
5) I always wanted to try the Olympus 17mm pancake lens. I find that 17mm (35mm equiv) FOV very natural for me, because I've shot with many lenses of the focal length over the years. Based on this one session, I would have to say that this lens performs adequately for my uses so far.

The camera handles the way I would have expected it to handle, based on my observations of the Pen series from Olympus over the years. It is beautifully designed, and very well put together, but in my opinion, the ergonomics were compromised for the sake of aesthetics, in my opinion. In terms of IQ, it is fully capable of producing excellent images, circa 2009 quality. I have not had a chance to test the reputedly excellent OOC .jpeg quality because I only shoot RAW, maybe I will test this part of it someday.

It may seem like I don't like the camera, but in fact, it was fun to use. I will post a series of pictures from this initial session. I will need to reset the buttons on the camera to factory default because I don't like the current configuration. And I'll be taking it out again in this exact configuration soon.

--Warren

Nikkormat FT

Panasonic DMC-G1, Nikkor 50mm f1.4 AIS

Here is a picture of the Nikkormat that I mentioned in my previous post. I got the camera and lens via the local Freecycle network. The person offering the camera only said that the meter was inoperative. In reality, the camera has seen better days. The shutter is barely working, meter is broken, counter is broken, mirror foam is non-existent, corrosion is suspected because the DOF preview button is frozen. So, I'll probably not deal with the Nikkormat body for now (if ever). You never know how something from Freecyle will turn out. I have gotten some very nice, working cameras from there and I've also given away some nice things as well. My first serious camera was a Nikomat FTn, and I was hoping that this Nikkormat FT would be fully functional, but it wasn't meant to be.

 However, I've always wanted to try the Nikkor-H 50mm f2 lens because I read many rave reports about it. The only problem that I can see with the lens is the large dent in the filter ring at the 5 o'clock position (see photo). The glass is relatively clean, and focusing is a little stiff but smooth. The aperture blades still work fine, and are oil free. My first few shots with the lens on my G1 turned out very nice. I'll probably shoot some film through the lens on my F2s one of these days, just to see how it does with real film.

--Warren

Sunset out the Back Window

D200, Nikkor 300mm f4.5

That's right, it was taken with a D200. I almost bought Joe's D200 recently, but Dolph was kind enough to send me his very lightly used D200 for me to play with because as you know, I never met an old camera I didn't like.

I received it Friday, and Friday after work, I unpacked it, and found that there was a little juice left in its battery so I started to play with different lenses on the camera, and also to get familiar with operating it.

I looked out the window and saw that the sun was setting so I threw the 300mm on it, and couldn't immediately figure out how to set focal length and max aperture on the D200 because I only handled the camera for about 5 minutes.

Even so, I still managed to grab this shot before the sun set completely. I later found that the D200 has a programmable function button that I programmed to let me quickly set FL and Max aperture whenever I change to a non-cpu lens. The ability to matrix meter with my old Nikkor ai/ais lenses is one of the features that I really wanted, but was not available on my ancient D100. But this ancient D200 has the feature, and a bunch of other improvements over my D100 that I can really appreciate.

I'll talk more about the D200 later, but suffice to say that the camera is rather beastly compared to the Micro 4/3 cameras that I've been using for the last couple of years.

Dan, we'll need to schedule another photo walk soon so that I can give you the 200 Micro, and also so I can check out your D800e.

--Warren

What a Difference One Accessory Makes

Panasonic DMC-G1, Lumix 14-45mm

I bought an accessory grip for my GF1, and I couldn't be happier. It has transformed the look and feel of the GF1. It now feels 'complete' and well-balanced.

The $100+ grip is sold by a company in Japan only, but I managed to find a used one for $65. It is made of very lightweight aluminum, and it only adds a few ounces and about 1/2 inch to the bottom of the GF1.

It was money well spent, since one of the usual comments about the camera is that there is not enough of a grip for the right hand. That was my opinion as well. In fact, on the recently introduced GF1 replacement, the GX1, Panasonic included a much beefier grip.

--Warren

Konica FS-1 35mm SLR

A.K.A.: Another Vintage Camera Post that Nobody Asked For :)

A few months ago, I was forum surfing, and I happened to see a few threads about the optical quality of Konica Hexanon lenses. The posts were supported by superb examples of shots taken with Hexanon lenses adapted to various digital cameras. This prompted me to do more research and I found this excellent German site devoted to Konica 35mm slr equipment: Buhla.de

The Konica AR-mount slr system is no longer made, and in fact, the Konica photography equipment division no longer exists. Konica merged with Minolta in 2003 to form Konica-Minolta. In 2006, Konica Minolta closed its photography operation, and sold its digital imaging operation to Sony Corp. The last year for the Konica AR-mount slr was 1987 which means that any equipment found today is at least 25 years old, and most likely older and well-used.

This is the FS-1 body wearing the Hexanon 40mm, the picture was taken with my G1 and Hexanon 50mm f1.7:

My first attempt at acquiring a Hexanon 40mm ended up just a bit sour. I found a Konica Autoreflex TC w/40mm on Ebay, and I won the auction for the ridiculously low price of $26. However, when I received the package, I found the filter ring on the lens was dented, and the focus ring was unacceptably stiff and turned unevenly. The lens obviously took a serious hit and was damaged. It was barely usable and not what I had hoped for. The TC body was okay, and it seemed to be working. I decided to give the whole thing away, which I did on the local freecycle list. I resumed my search.

I subsequently found a 40mm lens on Ebay and this time the lens was in great shape. And right after the 40mm, I found a great deal on Ebay for the FS-1, the 50mm f1.7, a unknown-name 80-200 f4.5, flash, teleconverter, and camera bag, all for less than $60.

The seller said that he got it from a guy who only used it 10 times, and judging from the condition of the camera, I would have to believe that claim. The camera is in excellent condition for its age (about 30 years old now).

Here are some notable features on the FS-1:

- Shutter Priority Automatic Exposure, plus fully manual mode

- Integrated motor winder, manual rewind.

- Uses 4 AAA or 4 AA batteries, mine came with the four AA battery grip

- The ground glass focusing screen has a central split image surrounded by a microprism collar

- Aperture indicator in the viewfinder (left side), numeric scale with individual red LEDs next to the selected aperture.

- Shutter lock/on-off switch concentric to the shutter release

- Drop in film loading

The FS-1 was an advanced, almost revolutionary, electronic camera when it was released in 1979, incorporating the latest innovations of that era. It was the first 35mm slr to feature an integral motor drive, and the first Konica slr with electronic shutter, LED display in the viewfinder, drop-in film loading, and many other innovative features that you can read more about in this FS-1 page on the Buhla.de web site. With innovation, also comes the inevitable downside. The FS-1 was known to have problems with its bleeding-edge electronics which made the earlier examples unreliable. The serial number on mine indicates that by the time mine was built, the problems had been sorted out, luckily for me :).

I found the FS-1 to be relatively compact, about what you would expect for a standard sized 35mm slr body, similar in size to the Nikon F3HP, but with a larger hand grip which conceals the 4 AA batteries. The grip is well shaped, and makes the FS-1 very comfortable to hold with one hand. It is not much larger than my Lumix G1, and smaller than my Nikon D100. Fit and finish are good with the exception of the latching mechanism of the battery grip, which to me seems like it would belong on a prototype, not a production camera. The latches are not easy to operate, and the grip attaches with some play. This was probably one of the first designs for these parts on a camera so it's not surprising that the engineers didn't quite get it right yet.

Since this is a shutter-priority AE oriented camera, the top deck is dominated by a huge shutter speed dial. The dial is well damped and it rotates freely for 360 degrees because it is connected to electronics, not mechanical shutter innards. My preference is for either manual exposure or aperture-priority AE on a camera body, so I had to adjust my thinking a bit when I used the FS-1 in AE mode. The merits of shutter vs. aperture priority AE is a topic for a whole article in itself.

The FS-1 has one of the smoothest shutter releases that I've ever had the pleasure of using. The button is large, smooth, and electronically actuated. I found the shutter of the FS-1 to be pleasingly quiet and well damped with minimal mirror slap. Overall, I was very pleased with the handling and ergonomics, and even the aesthetics, of the FS-1.

The Hexanon 50mm f1.7 lens is supposed to the sharpest lens ever made by anyone (according to a magazine report from that period). Now that's quite a hefty claim, and whether it's true or not, the results from my test roll using Fuji Superia 400 show the lens to be an excellent performer. Even on the low-res Walgreens scans, you can see excellent resolution, low distortion (I didn't see any on my test shots), and clean colors.

For the test roll, I went out to the Presidio near Fort Point. It was a very nice, early spring day with blue skies and crisp, clean air. The FS-1 is so cosmetically clean that I did not feel like putting a strap on it, so I simply hand carried the camera the whole time. To see a gallery of shots from the test session, go to my new web galleries site here: FS-1 Test Shots.

Well, if you made it this far in the post, I thank you for putting up with my long-winded summary of my experience with this camera. I plan to use it regularly in my film camera rotation even as my film usage has gone down a lot over the last year or two. In fact, just yesterday, I made a trade deal online with a person who was trading away a mint condition Hexanon 28mm f3.5. I'll be receiving the lens in a couple of days, and you can be sure that I'll be putting it through its paces on the FS-1.

For the rest of the photos from that session, please visit my new web gallery site at:

viewfindersf.com

I'm sure most of you have checked it out already.

--Warren

Photo taken with Konica FS-1, Hexanon 50mm f1.7, Fuji Superia

G1 vs. Rangefinder Size Comparison

Photos shot with Canon SD300

As requested by Dan, here are some pictures comparing the Lumix G1 to my rangefinder cameras.

Voigtlander Bessa R w/Bessa Side Grip and 35mm f2.5 Skopar vs. Panasonic Lumix DMC-G1 w/Lumix 20mm f1.7:




Leica M3 in a Zhou Leather Half-case w/50mm f2.8 Elmar M vs. Panasonic Lumix DMC-G1 w/Lumix 20mm f1.7:

Camera Size Comparison

(Camera used: Canon SD300)

This photo shows where the Panasonic Lumix DMC-G1 fits in the spectrum of cameras sizes.

Counterclockwise from top right:

- Nikon F4s, one of my favorite 35mm film cameras. It's big, heavy and imposing.

- Nikon D100 w/Tamron 24-135mm (36-203mm equiv.), This is a mid-sized DLR.

- Canon A570is, a jacket pocket-sized digital P&S.

- Lumix DMC-G1, Micro 4/3 format, w/14-45mm kit lens (28-90mm equiv.)

Here is a side-by-side shot of the D100 and G1.

--Warren

Portrait of the Photographer as a Young Man

When I was in college, I worked summers and holidays at Stansbury Photo in Reisterstown Plaza. The owners, Mr. & Mrs. Ehrenzweig, treated us boys as family. It was a pleasure to work there, and I learned a lot.

This photo is probably from summer 1970. The cheapest SLR we sold back then was the Praktica Nova 1B from East Germany. I noticed when I held it up to my ear and fired the shutter, it would go sproooiiiinnnggg instead of a more solid thunk like the Pentaxes, Canons, and Nikons. We loved making fun of the Pratica, and I had one of my comrades snap this photo of me being a wise-guy.

Ironically, many years later when I got back into photography, I bought and used several later-vintage Prakticas. The later models, from the 1980's, particularly the MTL models, were about equal to a middling 1967 Japanese SLR, which is to say, perfectly good.

It Could Have Been Another Keeper

Olympus Stylus Epic Zoom 80, Fuji Superia Xtra 400

Picture Location: Crystal Springs from the Sawyer Camp Trail.

A friend recently gave me this P&S, an Olympus Stylus (more good camera karma!). I thought it was going to be great, my first zoom P&S film camera. The zoom on this camera is a modest range, only 38mm to 80mm. The Olympus Stylus series has a great reputation, especially the fixed lens (non-zoom) versions of the Stylus. I've always stayed away from zoom P&S cameras because I believed that the compact and slow zoom lenses did not have the performance that I required. That's why I chose the Yashica T4 as my primary P&S for all these years. Since this one was free, I was eager to give it a try and perhaps make it a part of my collection of nice, old cameras.

Very unfortunately, this camera has a light leak. Some research on the Internet revealed that this was a common problem with this series of cameras. One of the great features of this camera, the weather sealing, is this camera's downfall. The seal around the lens has a tendency to break, causing this light leak. On the 24 exposure test roll that I shot, 10 frames had this light leak that ruined the pictures. I was able to crop out the bad parts on several of the pictures, but I'm afraid I'm going to have to recycle this camera.

The camera is very compact, about the same size as the fixed lens Yashica T4, and it handles exposure and focus very well (as you'll see). I will post some pictures from the test roll. Since none of you want my extra T4, I'm sure nobody here is interested in a light-leaking Stylus, right?

--Warren

I Adopted Another Orphan, Canon SD300

- Photo taken with Canon A570is, in Macro Mode

A friend of mine was done with this camera. She had already moved on to a new Panasonic digital. So one day, I found this lonely guy handed to me in a brown paper bag along with some older vintage equipment.

I found the camera in excellent condition except for the two batteries that it came with. Both of them could no longer hold a charge. The included 128MB memory card is low capacity by today's standards. The SD300 is a 4MP camera, and the 128MB card will only hold about 60 full size, full-res pictures.

I did some research and found the best deals for batteries and SD cards on Ebay. In total, I spent less than $20 on a 1GB Sandisk SD card (holds 480 pictures), and 2 generic Lithium Ion batteries. Not that I'm complaining, but why is this stuff so cheap???

Ever since the original Digital ELPH came out in 2000, I've always been impressed by this series of cameras. Canon pioneered the ultra-compact form factor, and now there are so many choices out there from different companies. The SD300 was introduced in Sept. 2004, and I believe it was the 10th release in the lineup. It has a 2" LCD screen, 35-105mm optical zoom (35mm equivalent), and an optical viewfinder.

I'm going to have fun taking this little jewel of a camera everywhere, and I have a feeling that Gail might end up using it more because it's so easy to slip it into a purse or pocket. But before she gets around to it, I'll be doing some shooting with it first :).

--Warren

p.s. Lea, do you still use your SD400?

--Warren

My Leica M3 (!)

Canon A570IS

With the assistance of a very kind benefactor who wishes to remain anonymous, I now have my first Leica. It's a 1959 vintage M3 in excellent condition with a 1959 vintage 50mm f2.8 Elmar. The Elmar is collapsible, which makes the entire kit more compact for carrying. I've always been intrigued by the idea of owning and using a Leica that is as old as I am, and this one is around the right age. This one is most definitely a keeper, forever.

There is lots of information on the Web about the Leica M Series, so I won't bore you with all the details here. The M3 was the first of the M series and a real icon in the 35mm camera world.

The last time I had an opportunity to experience a M Series camera was when I borrowed Martin's M2 w/35mm Summicron many years ago. At that time, I was seriously considering buying one, but in the end, I decided that I could not justify the expense. So I ended up buying and using a number of different rangefinder cameras, many of which I still have today. [Correction, I had an opportunity to handle a couple of M's over the last year or two, including shooting a few frames on Ted's M4 while we were on an outing. Even after those pleasant experiences, I STILL couldn't justify buying into the Leica system because of the cost, and probably my own stubbornness.]

I'm thankful that the previous owner of this M3 took care of it well. It only has a few nicks and scratches here and there, but otherwise is in fine shape. I found a chrome Leitz UV filter for the lens, and I put a Domke "Gripper" strap on it. After handling and dry firing my M3 for a bit, I find that even for a 50 year old camera, it feels extremely well built. This is one solid and substantial hunk of metal! All the knobs, levers, and mechanical bits seem to be engineered, made, and fitted with incredible precision and smoothness. Any description of a Leica would not be complete without a mention of the quietness of the shutter. The shutter click is an almost imperceptable, short "click" or "snick", and that's in a quiet room. Out and about in the real world, the shutter would certainly be unnoticeable by most people.

I'll be using this camera a lot as soon as the weather clears up around here. The forecast is for more rain for another week. I just got my new order of film in yesterday, so I'm ready. What do you think my first roll through the M3 should be, color (Fuji Superia 400) or B&W (Kodak 400CN) and why?

--Warren