Saturday 30 April 2016

The Olympus OM10 camera


The story started way back in September of 1996 when finding my trusty pocket camera had issues and an ancient Russia Zenith E was just too hard for me to use, I saw one of these at a local camera store going cheap.
I knew of Olympus as Pop had gone through a OM30 that purported to aid focusing (but wasn't that good at it) and had settled on a OM2SP afterwards.
This model was introduced in 1979 being discontinued in 1987 coming in Chrome and Black finishes.
Anyway money changed hands for it and the 50mm 'Standard' lens. I took it  on vacation to evaluate being a believe in the 'give it a real job and see how it performs' school of thought.
The OM10 is by design amateur camera - that's to say it's for the everyday Joanne or John who just wants good pictures with simple controls - rather than Tloaded with lots of features and a build to take Power Winders together with day in and out professional use in all weathers.
So as standard it is automatic exposure only with a setting for Flash units that are not for Olympus and the Flash is exposure is set by hand rather than automatically in the camera.
What stuck me was the evenness of the exposures because as basic as it is, it tells you first what shutter speed it is likely to set based on the 'F' stop settings on your lens in connection with how bright it is but makes the final decision during the actual exposure so if the sun just went in after pressing the shutter (to take the picture) it adjusts to it. It is what Olympus called "AutoDynamic Metering".
The results were better than expected and as it happened I got the MA1 Manual Adapter too.
This is a little unit you plug in on the front that when you set the exposure control to Manual Adapter enables you to set exposures by hand.
Let's say I don't believe in setting exposures by hand as a religion as if you use the settings the camera indicates you get pretty much the same result for more effort (plus the automatics on this camera are more accurate).
Where you might use it is if there is big difference between how much light the main subject requires and say a very bright background (or for using certain filters) pointing the camera toward what you wish to take the reading from and using the manual setting to lock it.
This meant I had as much control over how my pictures would come out as the main camera but in something much lighter to carry about.
The other thing was the lens was small of really fine quality and easy to adjust from the front.
After picking up a Wide Angle 28mm lens I was so impressed that I considered getting another better specified model.

Comments: I would recommended without any hesitation this camera body to anyone who wants to learn traditional film photography as it is as capable as many others with 'snob appeal' and higher prices.
Mine as pictured has the MA1 Manual Adapter fitted on the right hand side. If yours doesn't you'll find them for sale in photographic stores and on Ebay.

Saturday 23 April 2016

Being yourself

The more you start to think about how we interact with people, the more you begin to see the greater gap that creeps in between how a person feels and from that acts and the hold trying to stay within the favour of a group becomes.

This is where I feel I've gone wrong very much in the past. To try to stay in with groups that didn't just toss me aside I just ceased living, echoing more their ideas and where it was mine and theirs differed, well I just acted like I wasn't there and in effect gave them power over who and what I am.
And it all started at school. The good news in my life as it is now, we're picking up where I dropped off, I will be me, I will say things and do things as me.
I'm little and that's just that!

Tuesday 19 April 2016

Being little



A lot has happened in my life since this blog was first established to the point it isn't recognizable as my life as lived anymore and it has been a struggle for me to keep a blog going that has not come out and talked about the biggest side of my life and what makes it different to yours.
I am what is called a 'little' something I have touched on on Angels because with you it got to the stage I just had to because I have the mindset of a person much younger than my years and very much child-like even though legally I'm a adult and generally adults are expected to meet such responsibilities as working or studying, paying your way in society. 
In general terms Littles and Middles notwithstanding what they need to do studying or at work, pursue hobbies and interests that  are routed very much in their own experiences in 'childhood'  coming from their 'Inner Child' often with the same intensity and passion that you'd think it was that' child' playing.
For me this thing is both routed in my severe disabilities and also in part therapeutic, making coping with life better for me. 
Sometimes you may play, draw or maybe colour by yourself or you may meet with others who share the same sense of being 'forever a child' in that sense be it around peoples own homes or by meeting up at venues which are often discrete.
For some it begins and ends with just 'the play' for others it may extend into dressing more like the age of the 'child within' while do so with say dresses that wouldn't be far removed  from that of a young girl at a party or play clothes like dungarees or for some school wear.
Getting back that 'child within' then if he or she comes out more in tune with Tweens or young Teens then personally I'd say the were an Adult (cos the law says so) Middle even if for some reason they still had a more classic little side which for I do, not least due to multiple disabilities some which do lead to learning and developmental ones around that point.
That is why I identify as a Middle rather as a Little (more younger age up to about 7 or 8) which doesn't mean I can't join in and play with littles at all it's that simplier there are other interest that aren't normally in there while we do share a need for oversight in our lives.

Tuesday 12 April 2016

The same but different


Where pasts and presents meet up is has always been a point of interest for me pretty much though my whole life as it never seemed you jettisoned anything completely for me at least it's just been 'the same but different' 
You may learn new skills, acquire knowledge though new possibly challenging experiences that make an impression on you but in other ways still  'the same' as ever before.
For me that's feeling as fresh faced as the schoolgirl I was.

Tuesday 5 April 2016

Leaving the burrow


Sometimes you can feel very lost, wanting to take off to another place where nothing that's on your mind comes with you and bag of essentials which is something I do know both from in childhood, holding that whole body clutching pose and later on in my life too. I think we're going on an adventure now after that rabbit having experiences.