subscribe 0330 333 1113 I http://www.amateurphotographer.co.uk I 23 November 2019 21
My OM-1
I enjoyed your Olympus
supplement (AP 19
October). As a teenager I
longed for the Olympus
OM-1n I saw in the local
camera shop and which I
eventually bought from my
fi rst wage packet, having
worked on the Christmas
postal round for Royal Mail.
The OM-1n was light,
stylish, easy to use even for
my fat fi ngers, and having
both the shutter and
aperture controlled from
dials at the front of the
camera came easily to me.
The only feature requiring
power was the meter,
and even then if the
button battery had been
exhausted it was usually a
fair bet to set 125 and f/8
and just shoot!
I’ve realised that for
every camera I’ve owned
since then – and frankly
I’ve spent too much on too
many – the OM-1n has
been the reference point
and none have lived up to
its combination of style,
simplicity and usability. I did
try the Olympus mirrorless
OM style digital cameras,
but despite having the style
and outward simplicity of
their predecessor, the
menu and especially
focusing functions were
just too complex to live
with. But I do hope
Olympus survives and
thrives in the future...
Phil Lamdin
Lightbox apps
In your 135-years
anniversary edition (AP
12 October), you give 135
greatest photography tips.
In number 92 you imply
that not everyone may
have a lightbox. In fact
there are apps for tablet
computers which will set
the screen to white: a
modern substitute for a
conventional lightbox.
Steve WellsOld Nikon lens
warning
AP 21 September ticked
every box for me. In Inbox,
we were treated to David
Norris’s advice not to
bother with insurance
products because they’re
good at receiving premiums
but less good at paying
out when calamity strikes.
Full marks for printing
this opinion, considering
insurance fi rms pay AP to
advertise their wares.
The feature on limiting
yourself to a 50mm prime
lens was thoughtful and
well argued by three
professionals. Careful
thought had clearly gone
into the picture selection.
The focus on correcting
distortion and faults in
Lightroom was timely, and
the piece on SheClicks,
the Facebook group for
women photographers,
emphasised the
magazine’s inclusiveness
in a hobby which often
appears male-dominated.
The highlight was the
section on second-hand
lenses, especially some
of the vintage kit you
featured. Using inexpensive- yet capable - old lenses
on digital is a particular
interest for me. Richard
Sibley reported on the
Nikon 50mm f/1.4
Nikkor-S Auto from 1967,
a lens which coincidentally
I tried out recently. Richard
said he had used his on
several cameras, including
a Nikon D300. I could not
see from the photo of the
lens beside the picture of
Mr Sibley whether his
Nikkor-S had been
converted to the Nikon
AI standard, which was
introduced in 1977, but I
guess it must have been
adapted, as otherwise the
AI coupling elements in
his D300 would almost
certainly have been
compromised. This
information ought really
to have been included, lest
readers dashed out and
bought a pre-AI Nikkor
and attempted to mount it
on their Nikon camera. The
fact is, a Nikon F lens of
the early era (pre-1977)
will safely mount on only
some Nikon digital
cameras. The D300 is
one of many which, unless
modifi ed, is not safe to
couple with. Maybe a
future issue could include
advice on how to adapt
these wonderful old optics.
Leslie ColeDon’t worry
about labels
I read with intrigue the
article about why people
are sticking with DSLRs
rather than going
mirrorless (Keep the faith,
AP 5 October). I’ve had
both in my time and been
happy using the Fujifi lm X
series for a few years
now. For me it isn’t about
‘the new big thing’. And
the weight reduction is
minimal. I do like the
smaller form of my X-T3
but the size of mirrorless
is creeping up. Add tripod,
bag etc and no mater what
you’re carrying it’s a
burden. For me, mirrorless
just suits me – like trying
on a pair of nice shoes. For
many it’s more about the
investment they’ve made
in their kit. I get that. I don’t
have many lenses. When
I fancy a new one, I trade
one in. I chose the camera
system I believe in. Maybe
I’ll change again one day.
But for heaven’s sake,
don’t chase the latest gear.
Invest in gear that will last
you. Upgrade where you
need to and don’t worry
about labels like DSLR or
mirrorless. Get out and
shoot something.
Keith JonesBack in the day
A wander through the AP archive. This
week we pay a visit to November 1998Tom Stoddart’s images of famine in Sudan raised £40,000THIS cover reminds me of Paul O’Sullivan’s letter (see
Inbox, left) about how glamour photographs attract
more outrage than pictures of starving children. This
cover gives us a skinny model (though more fashion
than glamour) and a malnourished child side by side.
If that wasn’t uncomfortable enough, there’s also a
group test of ‘luxury’ compacts. ‘Got £1,000 burning
a hole in your pocket but not sure what to spend it
on?’. In a fairer world the answer might be found
on the bottom half of the cover, but there you go.
Fortunately there’s a great postscript in the news
pages on the power that photography has to do good.
Tom Stoddart’s moving pictures from Sudan caused
such outrage when published that Médecins Sans
Frontières received more than £40,000 in donations
as a direct result. As Features Editor I remember
choosing the crawling child image as my Picture of the
Year, but I think it’s one of the pictures of the century.1998
Phil shares
his memories
about Olympus