Maitani's Little Ranger - The Olympus XA1

Maitani's Little Ranger

The Olympus XA1

Continuing on my Olympian historical adventure and revisiting the powerhouse’s milestones in camera innovation, I’ve purchased the Olympus XA1 from a seller in the Netherlands! This little beast is adorable and I’m expecting many a great things from this little mechanical and non-battery operated wonder.

The first thing to know is that this is the lesser-liked sibling of the Olympus XA series, and not to be confused with the original XA. I admit, I only realised this as soon as I had the camera in my hands. It’s not to say that I’m disappointed with the camera, certainly not! I was caught off guard by it. Reviews are mixed for the XA1. Some say it’s too limited by its settings and really just serves as a casual point-and-shoot with no professional quality to it. Others, on the hand, have proven its performance through gorgeous, sharp and well-framed shots. This prove a very good point, doesn’t it (you know, the whole thing about how it’s not just in the capability of the camera but also the skills of the photographer)?

I only had to do minimal wiping and cleaning to get it squeaky clean. Apart form the foam seals, which have almost become nothing, the Olympus XA1 is in pristine condition, thanks to good care given by the previous owner. There are substantial scratch marks on the flash, for which I cannot determine what might have caused it. It doesn’t affect the performance of the flash anyway, so I’ll only see it as a cosmetic flaw. Speaking of the flash, this is a particularly unique camera for the way its flash attaches and detaches from the right side of the camera when look front at it. Via a small screw, it firms sits next to it and syncs perfectly with the camera.

The other magical thing about this camera is that it is selenium-metered, meaning it doesn’t require any batteries to operate the camera, apart from a AA battery required for the flash. I’ve never owned a non-battery film camera before, so this will be surely leave interesting impressions and results. I will follow up with another post to talk about my experiences with the camera so far, and see if its serving its purposes in capturing anything video-games related.

Freshly loaded with film and battery fitted in the flash, I am finally in a position where I have an actual film camera to start using to capture any video-gaming related thing I see. The disposable camera phase has proven a lot of fun and has given me an idea of what results I can expect from film photography. I have another disposable camera I’ve just used up yesterday, so I cannot wait to make time to drop by the film developers and see what images I can add to my portfolio. In the meantime, enjoy the photos below!

An Olympian Feast, Part Deux - Cleaning/Restoring the Olympus OM2n

AN OLYMPIAN FEAST, PART DEUX

Cleaning/Restoring the Olympus OM2n

Restoration of an old film camera can be as complicated as pulling the camera apart - fixing, replacing, cleaning and welding small pieces together - and piecing it back together. Other times, it’s a simple cleaning process, which really involves a microfibre cloth, anti-bacterial wipes, isopropyl alcohol, and some cotton buds. Accumulation of constant use, transporting everywhere one goes, to those kept in storage for many years, dust always manages to find some way inside a camera. Dust doesn’t always affect photos, but a good chunk of it just might! That’s why it’s always good practice to frequently clean your cameras, and this applies to both film and digital cameras!

My new (well, old) Olympus OM2n looks to have been well cared for as it looks pretty much pristine albeit for a few gunks of dust and whatever in between buttons corners and in those little nooks and crannies. With a antibacterial wipe in my hand, I began a gentle but thorough wipe down of the camera and made sure to focus in all the small little areas, in between dials, around the lens, and inside the film winder. I had to do a few wipe downs as the smaller and tighter areas were a bit tricky to thoroughly clean. Next, with microfibre in hand, I began to wipe the camera dry. What’s great about these microfibre clothes is that they don’t scratch the body nor the camera lens. I also made sure to wipe the mirror inside the camera itself and wipe away any accumulated dust. I definitely do not recommend any product on this mirror or else it will cause discolouration and wiping it down too fiercely can potentially damage the mirror, a big component of the camera. A simple and gentle wipe with a microfibre cloth is all you need to tackle that mirror. The same thing apples to the film component at the back. A more firm wipe to get rid of any excess dust is all that’s needed.

The cleaning process was extremely easy, thanks to the previous owner’s meticulous care and storage of the camera. I’m really pleased the camera body itself looks absolutely stunning, a testament to the strong body’s build. It looks absolutely beautiful and its design is a timeless aesthetic to all cameras - digital and analog. I may consider finding a leather carrier for this camera for that extra secured fit. It will also prevent the camera from coming across any scratches or bumps to the bottom part of it, especially how many times one puts a camera down on a surface - smooth or rough. Now, the camera body has been cleaned and prepped for use. Now, my next objective is to restore the three lenses I received!

Feburary with Film - Shooting with 35MM

FEBRUARY WITH FILM

Shooting with 35MM

There's something incredibly heartwarming and cosy when I look at a grainy photo. Perhaps I relate it to how film cameras captured a lot of my childhood photos. Because of these beautiful mechanical time sealers, I can relive and see my childhood. I'm pretty lucky that my past can be dug up, explored, and reminisced by opening up one of many photo albums storing my story.

Developing my first film was incredibly exciting and I could not wait till the day I got that e-mail saying my photos had been developed, scanned and accessible via a convenient Dropbox link. It's not so different from the not-so-long-ago days where one picked up the developed photos from the photo shop. That excitement and anticipation to see how well - or how bad - this roll of photos looked makes me feel like a child waiting for those exciting weekends when I'd know we'd be taking the car out somewhere. It's a refreshing change from the instantaneous gratification today's modern culture beckons for, from online shopping to searching for any information on the internet. Film photography makes time stand still for both the photographer with their own personal aspirations for why they pursue photography along with the moment they're capturing through the lens.

An Olympian Feast - Thoughts on the Olympus OM-2n

AN OLYMPIAN FEAST

Thoughts on the Olympus OM-2n

For many months, I searched high and low for the film camera. Okay, maybe not so much high and low but more beyond oceans via the portal that is eBay. My long hours of research focused mainly on a beautiful Contax G1 camera, a titanium-built, advanced rangefinder that is currently sitting at around the AU $1000 mark, including shipping and currency conversion costs. As visually and technically stunning a camera as it is - even in today’s technological feat of digital cameras, its advanced features and insane lens quality makes it a cult classic for film photographers. However, it was too expensive for my current budget. More-so, I wasn’t too sure if it suited my photography needs. I guess I am not in a comfortable position to fork out that money for a wavering decision. When the right time comes, I will buy the Contax G1 or G2 with the acclaimed Contax Zeiss Planar T 45mm F2 AF G Lens. The hunt continued… until now.

After researching on the popular film cameras that came out during the golden age of film photography, the 1970s, I decided to stick to my current camera brand, Olympus, and sought for the understated and elegant Olympus OM-2n. A couple of days ago, I finally received the camera in the post. Upon holding the camera in my small hands, the OM-2n is a wonderful, solid and timelessly beautiful machine with good weight. I only found out that the ‘M’ in ‘OM’ stands for the designer Yoshihisa Maitaini as someone mentioned in one of the plethora of blogs and reviews I read about this camera. This camera carries such a tiny footprint. The design oozes with sophistication and its construction feels solid. I’m not surprised a camera built in the 1970s has lasted this long in this optimal condition. The OM series has been incredibly successfully and definitely sits well alongside, not under, the likes of Nikon and Canon.

I’ve got to say, the previous owner has done a wonderful taking care of this camera. I hope i can do it enough justice and keep it in such pristine condition for next many a years. My next entries will be about the next stages of cleaning and testing, and hopefully, taking it out for a spin!

Plastic Viewfinders - Experimenting with Disposable Cameras

PLASTIC VIEWFINDERS

Experimenting with Disposable Cameras

The first and last time I used a disposable camera was back in primary school when I ventured on my first overnight excursion. We went to Birrigai at the Tidbinbilla Nature Reserve, a beautiful protected area showcasing some of the beautiful outback sceneries you get in Australian landscape. Some of my most fond childhood memories were spent here. I can fondly recall when we followed a walking trail that led to a famous mushroom-shaped rock formation with Aboriginal paintings still visible. We also role-played living in the area during the Gold Rush – and what happened if you tried to steal gold. I had my backpack and a disposable camera with me, and it was a truly empowering solo trip of mine.

In retrospect, I wish I had taken more photos of my friends instead of exposed landscapes and views where you can barely glimpse a group of kangaroos in the plain. It was a good learning curve for me as I discovered what constituted a good photo versus a not-so-good photo. Most importantly, they were photos I took of my trip so I rather enjoyed retrospectively thinking about what it was I was really keen on capturing.

Fast-forward to 2019 and we are here, reimagining the past and redefining the future. Using a disposable camera was a great idea suggested by one of my friends working at a video games studio. While I mulled things over with the Contax G1 camera, a disposable camera was the perfect alternative. Different medium, same outcome. It’s easy to get caught up in the technical functions, quality, and condition of the camera, reviews and status in the community, when you realise a simple point-and-shoot can render the same outcome.

Minolta Maxxum 5000

MINOLTA MAXXUM 5000

As part of my new journey in analog photography, I’ve been on the hunt for the most reliable, all-rounder 35mm film camera to rely on for all my analog photography. A bit of research in to what other budding, profesional and hobbyist photographers had in common was one beautiful piece of champagne titanium coolness, the Contax G1 paired with the Carl Zeizz 45mm F/2 Planar lens. It isn’t the cheapest option on market - and for good reason - but I feel like this is the camera I want track down and buy to use as my film camera. A couple of weeks observing and watching Ebay, a mint-condition G1 model costs up to AUD $1000. However, other film cameras of cult statuses with lesser function cost double that amount. All in all, the hunt for the reliable film camera is exciting. I’m learning new things and reading more about models I’ve never heard about or ones that were exclusively released in certain parts of the world.

I did have my hopes up to avoid having to buy a 35mm film camera when I remembered my Dad had brought home a spontaneous camera purchase from the Op shop, an second-hand Minolta Maxxum 5000 camera. It is in mint condition but no one proactively sought to find out whether the camera actually worked. Sitting next to our insanely mouldy but operable and handy camera that’s captured a lot of my childhood pictures, I only realised a potentially usable 35mm film camera was there all along, next to my organised chaos of shoes. All hopes put aside, the camera doesn’t turn on when I load new AAA batteries. It did put a bit of damper on my spirits. My camera search continues!

My website will be a working progress in the next six months. I’m going to give myself plenty of time to experiment, practice, see what works and doesn’t work, and perfect what I want my website to showcase: my photographs of people, places, lights, and video games. Feel free to share your thoughts. The video gaming community is in the first stages of what is going to be an exciting few years ahead as the world of esports takes strides into competitive-level sporting tournaments and technological advances continue to reach the impossible and provide players with even bigger, better, and quality video games.