Photo of the Day

Olympus OM-2S, Olympus OM Zuiko 21mm f/3.5

<< Click on image for enlarged Lightbox display >>

Vintage Camera Marketplace by ImagingPixel

Malaysia's Online Marketplace for Vintage Film and Digital Cameras, Lenses,
and Camera Accessories. Follow ImagingPixel on Facebook, Pinterest, and X.

Photo of the Day

Olympus OM-2S, Olympus OM Zuiko 21mm f/3.5

<< Click on image for enlarged Lightbox display >>

Vintage Camera Marketplace by ImagingPixel

Malaysia's Online Marketplace for Vintage Film and Digital Cameras, Lenses,
and Camera Accessories. Follow ImagingPixel on Facebook, Pinterest, and X.

Photo of the Day

Olympus OM-2S, Olympus OM Zuiko 21mm f/3.5

<< Click on image for enlarged Lightbox display >>

Vintage Camera Marketplace by ImagingPixel

Malaysia's Online Marketplace for Vintage Film and Digital Cameras, Lenses,
and Camera Accessories. Follow ImagingPixel on Facebook, Pinterest, and X.

A Re-Edit: Olympus OM-2S, Olympus OM Zuiko 21mm f/3.5

Analog Diary: Film photography favorites, a re-edit of a street shoot with an Olympus OM-2S and Olympus OM Zuiko 21mm f/3.5.

<< Click on images for enlarged Lightbox display >>

Film photography, or analog photography, the pivot of our image-capture system for over a century, uses the traditional method of capturing images using light-sensitive film. The technology and demand for the services went into a deep dive not too long ago, and film photography suffered a significant decline in popularity. This was with the advent of digital cameras, whose image capture method does away with the need to buy film and the cost of developing the film.

Lately, however, the genre is experiencing a revival, a resurgence in the interest of film photography, especially among younger photo enthusiasts seeking a more tactile and authentic photographic experience, fueled by nostalgia, group interest, and the unique aesthetic that film photography offers.

The revival has also fostered community hubs with huge followings on social media platforms and image-sharing sites. These online cultures encourage interaction among enthusiasts, with emerging sub-sets that group and link interested enthusiasts together with club meets, street walks, community auctions, and the like.

The resurgence can also be seen as a reaction against the fast-paced digital world. Many young people seek ways to slow down and engage more mindfully with their creative processes. Film requires patience and deliberation, with the slower process of shooting, lab processing, and waiting for prints to develop, a contrast to the instant gratification of digital photography.

By itself, film photography is also facing challenges in cost and community access to film service points. The cost of film for film photography has risen tremendously over the last couple of years, while film manufacturers struggle to meet demand amid supply chain hiccups, global shortages of raw materials, and redundant manufacturing facilities.

On the other side of the coin, the hardware cost for vintage film cameras, legacy lenses, associated accessories, and whatnot is still easily available on auction listings and in brick-and-mortar stores with prices that are stable and non-fluctuating. New film cameras have also been announced, and a couple of so are already on the market.

Technique-wise, film cameras are generally less complex than digitals, with most SLR cameras having fully manual controls while compacts and autos are mainly point-and-shoots. For newbies, master the art of the 'exposure triangle,' understand that ISO and ASA are technically similar, and that there are only 24 or 36 shots (frames) available on each 35mm film roll.

These images are re-edits from a street shoot with the Olympus OM-2S mounted with a Zuiko OM 21mm f/3.5, presented in the 5:4 format. The fully electronic OM-2S (1984-1988) was an updated version of the OM-2n with innards closer to the OM3 and OM3, which were already available when the 2S was launched. The ultra-wide Zuiko 21mm f/3.5 is lightweight and extremely compact, highly acknowledged for its optical quality.

Vintage Camera Marketplace by ImagingPixel

Malaysia's Online Marketplace for Vintage Film and Digital Cameras, Lenses,
and Camera Accessories. Follow ImagingPixel on Facebook, Pinterest, and X.

Olympus Zuiko OM 21mm f/3.5, Cropped Skyline

Analog Diary: Film photography favorites, image making with an Olympus OM Zuiko 21mm f/3.5, a look back at a past edit.

<< Click on image for enlarged Lightbox display >>

A look back at one of my past edits, and a chance to find a few images I have not posted before. The session I was looking at was long before the pandemic outbreak. I was with my OM-2S mounted with an Olympus Zuiko OM 21mm f/3.5, and it was one of the LRT stops that I regularly use before starting out for my walkabout sessions.

Olympus OM-2S, Olympus OM Zuiko 21mm f/3.5

I am missing the days, though, and the thought of being out on the streets again. I will, soon!

Vintage Camera Marketplace by ImagingPixel

Malaysia's Online Marketplace for Vintage Film and Digital Cameras, Lenses,
and Camera Accessories. Follow ImagingPixel on Facebook, Pinterest, and X.

Micro Photography, Analog Reverse Ring Macro Setup

Micro Photography: Reverse ring analog macro setup with a Super-Takumar 55mm f/1.8 mounted on an Olympus OM-2S.

<< Click on image for enlarged Lightbox display >>

A belated post. My first try at doing reverse ring macro photography on film, after having done the same with the Super-Takumar 55mm f/1.8 reverse mounted on the Olympus Pen E-P5 earlier on. For the session, I had the lens reverse mounted on the Olympus OM-2S instead.

This setup was simpler as all you need is the reverse ring adapter, which now attaches straight to the lens mount of the OM body, and the lens reverse screwed to it. Color characteristics of the images were quite similar in both setups, with magnification half that of the digital capture.

Olympus OM-2S, Super Takumar 55mm f/1.8, Reverse Ring

As can be seen from the images, the handling of the film negative strip during development and the subsequent scanning session shows a fair amount of shoddy work, which, of course, could have been better.

Vintage Camera Marketplace by ImagingPixel

Malaysia's Online Marketplace for Vintage Film and Digital Cameras, Lenses,
and Camera Accessories. Follow ImagingPixel on Facebook, Pinterest, and X.

Olympus Zuiko OM 21mm f/3.5, Street Wide, From the Hip

Analog Diary: Film photography favorites, image making with an Olympus Zuiko OM 21mm f/3.5, on a hipster-style street shoot.

<< Click on image for enlarged Lightbox display >>

Street photography, the most accessible photography genre, is something you can do pretty much anywhere, anytime, and with whatever camera equipment you have. Though etiquette may apply, there are no rules either; you are free to shoot whatever you visualize as a collective of events, emotions, or the reality of the space you are in.

The main part of the visual is, of course, the context of the image, where the background becomes the backdrop to the event, of the activity of the figures you are incorporating into the image. Removing either of the two from the context or the content of the image will just nullify the notion and render the genre ineffective.

Olympus OM-2 SP, Olympus OM Zuiko 21mm f/3.5

I recently challenged myself to shoot from the hip while doing the streetwalk, with the camera mounted with an ultra-wide-angle lens on a hyperfocal zone setting. The framing of the images was purely a guesstimate. The lens I had was the Olympus Zuiko OM 21mm f/3.5, mounted on an Olympus OM-2S.

As horizontal alignments of hipster-style images taken with the camera away from your eyes are just guesstimates, there is the notion that you might have to lose a bit of the image with tilt adjustment crops during post-processing. I looked at that as an advantage.

Olympus OM-2 SP, Olympus Zuiko OM 21mm f/3.5

Physically, the all-metal and glass Zuiko 21mm f/3.5 is a lightweight and extremely compact lens, acknowledged for its optical quality and ability to capture sharp images with excellent contrast even at full aperture. The lens is a 7-element in 7-group construction, it is only 31mm in length and weighs 180/185 grams. A bit of a classic, a rarity, and worth keeping, the lens comes with its own band of dedicated followers.

Vintage Camera Marketplace by ImagingPixel

Malaysia's Online Marketplace for Vintage Film and Digital Cameras, Lenses,
and Camera Accessories. Follow ImagingPixel on Facebook, Pinterest, and X.

Sigma Zoom-γ 21-35mm f/3.5-4, The Twin Towers

Analog Diary: Film photography favorites, image making with a Sigma Zoom-γ 21-35mm f/3.5-4, framing the Petronas Twin Towers.

<< Click on image for enlarged Lightbox display >>

I was at the location of the Petronas Twin Towers, Kuala Lumpur, recently with another camera, but found that the 28mm wide-angle zoom I had on the camera wasn't wide enough to capture both of the twin-tower elements in a single frame as I would like it to be. The decision to visit the location again, with another camera, was the better choice. For the second visit, I took the ultra-wide-angle Sigma Zoom-Gamma 21-35mm F3.5~4 mounted on the Olympus OM-2SP, and I was able to capture the set of amateurish images I was looking for.

Launched in 1979, the one-touch Zoom Gamma 21-35mm lens was the world’s first wide-angle zoom, an area that Sigma continues to excel in today. The lens was solid metal and glass construction with 7 elements in 7 groups, and comes complete with a built-in floral hood, and a rotating front element with a diameter of 67mm.

While I have used the lens only occasionally, initially for image samples with the lens adapted to the digital Pen E-P5, and then only of late, I do have high regard for the lens - for its built quality, the zoom range it offers, images it renders, and its worth as a keeper.

Olympus OM-2S, Sigma Zoom-γ 21-35mm f/3.5-4

The lens, which is almost a rarity, came almost complementary with the purchase of an Olympus OM body. By itself, listings of the lens on auction sites are far and few in between. You may, instead, find more instances of the follow-up Sigma Zoom-Gamma II 21-35mm F3.5~4.2 being offered in the listings or something that will cost you an arm and a leg in the form of the Leica Vario-Elmar-R 21-35mm F3.5~4 Asph.

Olympus OM-2S, Sigma Zoom-γ 21-35mm f/3.5-4

These images were shot on a roll of a recently expired Kodak ColorPlus 200, post-processed on Olympus Viewer 3 (OV3), and print sharpened on Google NIK Sharpener Pro3.

Vintage Camera Marketplace by ImagingPixel

Malaysia's Online Marketplace for Vintage Film and Digital Cameras, Lenses,
and Camera Accessories. Follow ImagingPixel on Facebook, Pinterest, and X.

Photo of the Day

Olympus OM-2S, Sigma Zoom-γ 21-35mm f/3.5-4

<< Click on image for enlarged Lightbox display >>

Vintage Camera Marketplace by ImagingPixel

Malaysia's Online Marketplace for Vintage Film and Digital Cameras, Lenses,
and Camera Accessories. Follow ImagingPixel on Facebook, Pinterest, and X.

Photo of the Day

Olympus OM-2S, Sigma Zoom-γ 21-35mm f/3.5-4

<< Click on image for enlarged Lightbox display >>

Vintage Camera Marketplace by ImagingPixel

Malaysia's Online Marketplace for Vintage Film and Digital Cameras, Lenses,
and Camera Accessories. Follow ImagingPixel on Facebook, Pinterest, and X.

Photo of the Day

Olympus OM-2S, Sigma Zoom-γ 21-35mm f/3.5-4

<< Click on image for enlarged Lightbox display >>

Vintage Camera Marketplace by ImagingPixel

Malaysia's Online Marketplace for Vintage Film and Digital Cameras, Lenses,
and Camera Accessories. Follow ImagingPixel on Facebook, Pinterest, and X.

Photo of the Day

Olympus OM-2S, Sigma Zoom-γ 21-35mm f/3.5-4

<< Click on image for enlarged Lightbox display >>

Vintage Camera Marketplace by ImagingPixel

Malaysia's Online Marketplace for Vintage Film and Digital Cameras, Lenses,
and Camera Accessories. Follow ImagingPixel on Facebook, Pinterest, and X.

Sigma Zoom-γ 21-35mm f/3.5-4, In The Park

Analog Diary: Film photography favorites, image making with a Sigma Zoom-γ 21-35mm f/3.5-4, in the park, the landscape scene.

<< Click on image for enlarged Lightbox display >>

The Sigma Zoom-Gamma 21-35mm f/3.5-4 is quite a remarkable lens, with good image quality and a zoom range that is hard to replicate or replace. The lens was launched by Sigma in 1979 as the world's first wide-angle zoom lens.

The lens is a solid all-metal and glass construction, with 12 elements in 12 groups, 105mm in length, weighs 450 grams, comes with a non-rotating front element, takes 67mm filters, and has a built-in floral pattern hood.

I also did an earlier post with the lens mounted on the digital Pen E-P5, which includes images shot at various focal range equivalents, but felt that the equation is not complete without a similar post with the lens mounted on what it was originally designed and produced for, an SLR film camera.

Sigma Zoom-γ 21-35mm f/3.5-4

This session here was down at the park, on a hazy day, with shots mainly of the landscape. The images, as you can see, turned out to be sharp, clear, and better than expected. They were shot on a roll of expired Fujifilm Superia 200, post-processed on Olympus Viewer 3 (OV3), and print-sharpened on Google NIK Sharpener Pro3.

Olympus OM-2S, Sigma Zoom-γ 21-35mm f/3.5-4

EndNote: For those who are interested in a bit of technicality and an approach towards rectifying the 'fix' of the infinity focus problem of Sigma Gamma, please visit the site here.

Vintage Camera Marketplace by ImagingPixel

Malaysia's Online Marketplace for Vintage Film and Digital Cameras, Lenses,
and Camera Accessories. Follow ImagingPixel on Facebook, Pinterest, and X.