I’ve been doing quite a bit of film photography these days using a borrowed Nikon F3. Since it’s been loaned to me, I didn’t want to lose it, even less with an unfinished 35mm roll. I didn’t own a 35mm camera.

I went on a few forums and asked around about what would a good film camera be for a photographer of my calibre. The folks over at /r/photography on Reddit were extremely helpful. Some suggested an EOS 35mm camera, some recommended me to go straight to a Mamiya medium format camera. That would be an interesting alternative, but not now. Some people recommended the Olympus OM 1 digit series for being lightweight and good quality. I did some research and it seemed like a really interesting camera system. It wasn’t too expensive, the equipment had generally positive reviews, however it has quite limited availability.

I was able to find a good deal at Vintage Visuals Photographic on a  Olympus OM-2n camera body and a Olympus Zuiko 50mm f/1.8 lens, located in Calgary, Alberta. I purchased the OM-2n from them and got the camera within a week. Vintage Visuals’ service was impeccable and when they said the camera was in good condition, they really weren’t kidding. I was stunned at the quality of the camera and lens, considering they were manufactured in the ’80s. Check out their website, they have tons of vintage camera equipment. It’s pretty amazing.

I’m really happy with the purchase. It’s a big contrast from my usual Canon EOS 7D. It’s a nice change.