Film Advance

If you’re hunting for a first SLR camera, there’s probably no bigger bang-for-the-buck than an Olympus OM-10. Do a quick search and you’ll find them littering garage sales and eBay like confetti after a wedding. And they’re cheap too. You can usually get one in decent condition with the standard 50mm f/1.8 lens (which is excellent, by the way) for $30. Sometimes you can get a body, case, and extra lenses for that same outlay. But 30 bucks is 30 bucks and if the camera’s no good, then you’d be better off spending your money on pizza or beer, right? Right. Fortunately, the OM-10 is an excellent photographic tool. Continue reading →

In the two decades between 1968 and 1988, the Olympus camera company produced something like 10 million of these cameras.  That’s nearly one a minute, every minute, for 20 years. Apparently, they were popular. And why not? They’re simple and fun to use. From today’s all-polycarbonate perspective, the Trip seems fantastically well made, as anyone who has held one will attest. This is one solid little camera — there’s very little plastic and all the controls feel sure and positive.  Continue reading →

Have you ever had that anxiety dream — you know the one — where you show up for work or school and realize you forgot to wear pants?  Embarrassing!  My version of that dream is arriving at an amazing an place as it’s awash in otherworldly light, only to discover that I’ve forgotten to bring my camera.  Don’t laugh — I’ve actually had that nightmare.  Thankfully, my trusty Pentax Espio Mini prevents such a mishap from occurring in real life. Continue reading →