This Old Blog

There's been tremendous chatter in the various photo forums about when and what type of new and future camera(s) Olympus will introduce for their DSLR users. As a fan of Olympus I've always been pleased to own and use what they've sold to date. It isn't perfect (what camera system is), but it's all been Good Enough for me, and until I somehow achieve absolute perfection, it'll continue to work just fine in my hands. Having said that, I do have a short wishlist, based on my personal experiences, as to what I'd like to see in the next generation DSLR from Olympus. And it's not that long a list. Better ISO and Image Quality - I'm tying ISO performance to image quality because the noise at high ISO on Olympus systems corrupts detail. At lower ISO (800 and lower on the E-3, 1600 and lower on the E-P2) image quality is, practically speaking, indistinguishable from each other and their respective base ISOs. Meaning it's all good. And printing makes the...

Today started cold and turned colder as the day wore on. And it wasn't just the temperature. I started the day as usual by traveling up Apopka-Vineland road on my way to ride the 408E on into work near U.C.F. Just before I got to the end of Apopka-Vineland, one of Orange County's finest leaped out into the middle of the road in a stylish neon yellow vest, a radar gun in his left hand while he waved a stiffened right arm at the traffic that was slowing and trying to avoid hitting the idiot. He would swing stiff-armed down one side, then turn and swing stiff-armed to his left, until he found the cars he wanted to pull over and ticket. Fortunately for me I was in the passing lane and traveling at the posted speed limit. Which was kind of interesting, as I wasn't alone on the road, and if I was traveling at the posted speed limit, then so was everyone else around me. I remember such things. In any event I immediately crossed over to a turn-off lane and stopped, pulled out my tr...

This is from a co-worker from New Jersey, who happens to be in the office today. He's hoping to get back home before a big snow storm hits around where he lives. He sent this out to me in an email. Enjoy. Diary Of a Snow Shoveler December 8 - 6:00 PM It started to snow. The first snow of the season and the wife and I took our cocktails and sat for hours by the window watching the huge soft flakes drift down from heaven. It looked like a Grandma Moses Print. So romantic we felt like newlyweds again. I love snow! December 9 We woke to a beautiful blanket of crystal white snow covering every inch of the landscape. What a fantastic sight! Can there be a more lovely place in the whole world? Moving here was the best idea I've ever had! Shoveled for the first time in years and felt like a boy again. I did both our driveway and the sidewalks. This afternoon the snowplow came along and covered up the sidewalks and closed in the driveway, so I got to shovel again. What a perf...

Sigma 30mm via MMF-1 on Olympus E-P2 There is a new love in my life, and her name is E-P2. Small, svelte, and seductive, the Olympus E-P2 camera is a delightful pleasure to use. It’s compact and unobtrusive, allowing me to photograph my world without raising concerns among people who happen to be around me at the time. I’m glad I purchased it and would certainly purchase it again. This is an “experiential” review. It’s based on my highly subjective experiences with the camera, not on any objective technical analysis such as lens sharpness or sensor resolution tests. While the E-P2 is capable of both still and video, I've concentrated just on the E-P2’s still capabilities. My Background, or Why Did You Buy This? I'm a long time Olympus user, going back to the OM-4 I purchased in 1984 while on a trip to San Francisco. The OM-4 instilled an appreciation for Olympus' optical and general build quality. That heritage has carried through into Olympus' digital cameras,...