Olympus OM10
Gifts
This camera arrived on a summer’s day in 2002, after my enthusiasm for photography encouraged a friend of ours to clear out his office in search of old cameras. He was pleased to discover a camera system he could still use himself, and I was pleased to receive the equipment he no longer needed. In the long term, the most valuable gift has turned out to be the lens shown second from the left below. It’s a Tamron, as is the lens on the far right; and Tamron made lenses with interchangeable mounts, such that one can use the same lens with different camera systems. This is a very good idea, which can’t work as well with all-electronic cameras and lenses. A good lesson in the unexpected gifts of manual equipment.

Technical Details

The OM10 was meant to be an ‘entry level’ camera – meaning that some of the more difficult, and expensive, functions of a 1980s single lens reflex camera were left out of the camera body itself. The shutter is fully electronic, and offers only aperture-priority automatic exposure unless one buys an additional ‘manual adapter’ that attaches to the front of the camera. In retrospect, even the camera designer probably realised this was a bad idea. It can be circumvented to some extent by manipulating the dial-in exposure index of the film, but if the electronics go off, the camera won’t work. Sadly, this is the condition I find myself in now. I’d like to continue using this OM10 as my colour film camera, because it can be made to produce decent pictures with a fast film, and one wants to see flowers in colour. I have a feeling, though, that it will cost more to fix this camera than it will to buy a functioning second-hand replacement.

Garden Life

The advantage of automatic exposure is that it lets the photographer think faster, and one must think quickly when taking pictures of bugs. It also helps to put a bit of distance between oneself and the subject, especially if the subject is a hornet. Automatic exposure takes much of the risk out of using long lenses, which was particularly useful in the case of the skittish lizard below.

Cats

Another good use for a long lens: animals. Particularly animals with odd personalities, like cats. Shiro – the white cat, on the left below – still attempts to take my hand off when I give her food. And I’ve been feeding her for a couple of years now. Photographing Kyoku – the other cat below – presents no physical difficulty in close quarters; but he does have a runny nose, and cat sneezes are not good for a lens.
The images on the right illustrate another appealing aspect of working with the OM10, or any other camera: the ability to represent motion. It’s something I’ve found easier to do with this camera, because a combination of fast film and automatic exposure means I don’t think too much. Of course, that’s not always a good thing.

Flowers

Elsewhere on this site, in the ‘garden’ section , you can see a great many pictures of flowers. Most of these were taken with the OM10. The examples below involve flowers in combination with other things. Granted it isn’t easy to make out the flowers in the images below; but they are there – as stems, at least.
The image on the left is a version of the ‘Jizô of the small places’ that also appears on the Ricohflex page . It is interesting, if misleading, to compare the two – the only real difference is in the proportions of the image, between the square format of 6x6 and the rectangle of 35mm. Squares are often more appealing than rectangles; but of course this depends on the composition of the image. The still-life on the right is a case in point.

Date posted: 2005-01-22