Going further out

For a long time I had considered  the advantages of so-called ultra wide angle lenses as I found the 24mm lens a focal length  that didn't seem to offer too many advantages over a 28mm  for the inevitable extra weight of lugging it about without offering some of the advantages  in terms of getting heaps more into the frame or its creative uses building on the perspective distortion when shooting subjects such as cars close.

Around  2000 Vivitar and Cosina had out a 19 through 35mm ultra wide-angle zoom lenses in a variety of manual focus camera fittings including Olympus OM that appealed but tracking down the OM fitting proved difficult and some other options such as the Centon/Sirius 18-35 while plentiful used had terrible reputations for image quality.

As had been a while since I'd bought a 'new' lens, I ordered the Tamron 17mm F 3.5 Adaptall 2 in the high performance SP series

This is the later 151B version that dispensed with the built in black and white photo filters to simplify construction as well as reducing costs and adding a more modern feel to this longstanding lens.

Independent lens tests put this at the same quality as the Zuiko 18mm F3.5 which is some 60% more expensive used and exceeding it's equivalent by Minolta in the MD system.

As with all Adaptall 2 lenses, armed with the appropriate attachable mount they can mounted on nearly all manual focus bodies.

200mm

200mm lens are not the sort of thing you use everyday that's for sure but they have their place in the photographic scheme of thing such as Landscapes - mountain images - where their stacked perspective is easily recognizable 0r for sports photography.This is the Zuiko F4 which as such lenses go is quite light so you can use it handheld although support in the form of Monopods or Tripods really is best as the greater magnification increases the risk of camera shake.I bought mine in May 1997 and really like it's quality.

Moderate telephoto

This is the classic Zuiko 135mm F3.5 moderate telephoto lens good for sports, isolating people at events and air shows.
Although this is half a F stop slower compared to the regular F2.8 version the viewfinder is such you can't notice it and you save quite a bit of weight together with the advantage of using the same size filter thread (49mm) as your wide angle lenses. It makes for an easy to use lens handheld as well as on the tripod.

50mm

As standard you got the 50mm F1.8 lens whenever you bought a new Olympus camera and many used are sold with one.
I find them very useful for nature photography and the Olympus one is really clear and can be used with Teleplus's 2x Macro converter for 1:1 close ups if you don't own a dedicated macro lens.
I wouldn't be without it.

Wide Angle lenses

I consider wide angle lenses to be a basic requirement allowing you the opportunity to take broad landscapes, photograph groups of people at social functions as well as travel pictures and have two for the Olympus OM bodies I use.
In general I am not given to using standard zoom as I find the image quality falls below that which is obtainable from so called fixed length lens and many have the apertures varying as you zoom which messes up manual and spot metering readings.
As I use a tripod making small adjustments to frame the image and keeping it all level is not a big deal to me
For general landscapes I use the Olympus Zuiko 28mm F2.8 pictured below a lot liking its colour renditions and ease of use. The construction of Olympus's own lens is extremely good being all metal.
Another good feature of them is the aperture settings are at the front making for rapid focusing and metering while you are looking through the viewfinder.









I bought this lens in September 1996 for the OM10 when I was test driving it.


My first love though is the 35mm F2.8 which I bought around 2002 from Camtech over the phone.














I found whenever I used a zoom most of time I was using around this focal length because it's ideal for travel photograph and has less of a problem with converging verticals when you photograph buildings. Although the edges wide open are slightly soft they come in by F8 and it looks really good. Some say they found the contrast a bit low but honestly I've never found it on the films I've used (Velvia 50/Reala 100).
I got mine boxed with the case and thin front cape used and love it.

Flash!

One of the great strengths of the Olympus OM system was its Flash units.
There were three: The T20, T32 and T45.All offered flash metered off the film plane from the camera itself with the OM2(n), OM2SP, OM4(Ti) and OM40 bodies.This breakthrough occurred as far back as 1976 which was something many other systems were late in introducing.All the flash units take the number from the Guide number they produce (GN).The T20 does not do manual flash (the QF310 unit was really the cheap flash for the OM10/20/30 and OM1 models) but the other two do.
The T45 was a 'Hammerhead' unit for professionals like the Metz models and can be used horizontal or vertical while still 'bouncing' the flash.
The most popular unit was the T32 pictured.
I got mine around November 1996 used with a 6 month guarantee.
The output of GN32 is ideal for group shots or for photographic models with which is help by the fact the reflector can be tilted up for bouncing the flash or even down 15degrees to get a bit more light on small objects.
You can in fact link two or more flash units using special cables and maybe mounting the second flash on a supporting column while retaining the off the film flash metering for more even illumination of small objects.
Another rather useful feature of this flash gun is you can turn around the 'calculator scale' at the back of it to change from off the film metering to manual flash so you can use it on any camera that lacks Though The Lens flash technology such as my OM10 or even the Minolta XD7 (although on the XD7 you have to set the flash sync speed on the camera).
You are give a choice of three (yes really) apertures to use with a sensor on the flashgun controlling the output plus options of full output (with a aperture scale for the film speed you are using) and 1/4 output.
You can get a Flash Extender that helps direct the flash output for lenses with longer Focal Lengths although I found it was fine as is from 28 through 105mm that covers groups and head and shoulder portraits.
In all respects I found this flash unit ideal for all my flash needs with plenty of output to photograph winter processions like carolling, family events and models with the advantage it would work on any camera I owned.
Sometimes system manufactures Flashes seem overpriced compared with independent so-called after market equivalents but this one is well worth the modest price charged. Indeed I have seen Minolta MD camera owners sporting them atop of theirs.

OM40

Well when the first OM4 stopped working right in 2003 I picked up this instead - I was a bit short on funds at the time - but I could live without the spot meter.This model was introduced in 1985 but only remained in production for a couple of years.

It has a funny cross between a spot meter and all around (centre weighted) metering called ESP. It works fairly well comparing the centre spot to the outer areas balancing the two although it assumes the subject is in the middle of the frame.The flash is Through the lens like the OM4 which was always a good idea It also has a Program mode for quick picture taking.

The chief minus is that like all the double digit OM models the viewfinder only covers 93% rather than 97% of the OM4/3/2/1 models and it doesn't have a spot meter option al a OM2SP

Inexplicably, it died on me recently (2009) but I've acquired now (2015) another that appears to work okay and is in better physical condition.


R.I.P. OM40 you were all right really.