About a week and a half ago on Wednesday March 7th I had to bring the car to the shop for servicing. Since we have a hybrid, “software updates” are a common occurrence. But the dealer we go to is out in Beaverton, and that gave me an excuse to pick up my Olympus OM-1n from Advance Camera, as it had just been CLA’d (clean, lube, adjust). I dropped off the OM-1n when I picked up my Yashica YF at the end of January. While the YF took almost four months to get overhauled, the OM-1n was done in a little over a month.
I packed my Brompton in the car and rode the couple miles to Advance Camera. This gave me the chance to use the OM-1n while exploring these west side neighborhoods I don’t often frequent. I even discovered a new-to-me park, McMillian Park. I had to be cautious on the wooden bridges that crossed the creek–it was a bright but chilly morn, and there was frost on the wooden bridges.
A couple days later it was still nice and sunny out, so I hopped on the Bantam to do a preliminary test ride for this Saturday’s Dead Freeways Ride. I brought the OM-1n along as well, starting with the standard OM Zuiko 50mm f/1.8 lens, but then switching to the 35-70mm f/3.5-4.5 zoom. This zoom is very compact so it’s easy to just keep on the camera–I don’t feel the need to use it sparingly as I would with some of my other “big” lenses. And the optical performance is good, too!
By this point I had gotten used to the OM-1n again. It takes a wee bit longer than other SLRs due to the “lens ring” shutter speed control vs. the typical dial on top plate. But once the muscle memory takes hold, the Olympus is very easy to use. And honestly, it’s about all the mechanical SLR I need–very compact, easy to use, great lenses. There will be times when I want aperture or even shutter priority, and that’s where my Minolta XD5 will come in handy. But when I want that “pure” mechanical feeling, the OM-1n is what I’ll reach for.
Urban Adventure League 