Hey! It's For You! Ex-Demo Olympus...

Someone asked me once whether it was tough to sell old cameras. " Not a bit! " I replied...because I knew really old cameras sold themselves. Once a camera had gone on long enough gain historic status...or merely cult status...it was just a matter of exposing it to the public eye and the items would move off the sales counter. This was the basis of many of the successes on the amateur camera market day - if the goods were good, there were any number of buyers out there who would recognise the fact. They might be cheap-johns about it, but the interest was still there.

It IS tougher to present equipment that has been overtaken by more modern evocations from the same firm. The advertising departments of the various companies uniformly trumpet the newness and the improvement of successive models and even when cameras or lenses can do their job superbly, it is in the interest of the manufacturer to overshadow the old with the new.

Cynic that I am, take some amusement at the phrase "Game Changer". The game is always the same  - they just change shape of the ball and the price of the tickets at the gate...

Okay - where does this leave the prospective camera customer? If the PCC would like to spend less money but take home a vast opportunity for picture taking, they could do far worse than look at the demo and previous-model camera kits on offer at any one time. An item in point is the Olympus OM-D E-M5 lists available now from Camera Electronic at a markedly-reduced price.

The camera body has been overtaken by the Olympus OM-D E-M5 MkII. The lens in the kit has been changed for a more sophisticated powered version - but the basic function is there and it is extremely precise. Hence the use of the camera for the heading image. 1:18 scale Canadian phone booth, if you're wondering - it's a rather narrow niche in the market...

The E-M5 is perfect for close-up photography, even with just a basic kit lens like the 14-42 example that was used here. It would be a camera of choice above a lot of larger devices if one was into macro or wildflower shots. Tilt screen and touch control make a a lot of sense in the field with subjects that are close to the earth.

The options on any digital camera are legion - too many for many of us to deal with. Olympus have them all, but lasso them into usable groups and menus so that you can make decisions in the field that change your JPEGs. Of course you can always RAW file it and deal with life later, but in the case of a large number of files, you can sometimes paint yourself into a corner with this approach. The ideal for prolific workers is to get it right in the camera at the time of shooting, and have more time for real life later.

I am particularly minded with a former employee of this shop who moved to the Olympus system and this camera some time ago. His advertising shots of Swiss watches are the most delightful re-assurance of quality that you have ever seen. No larger format is needed.

So....give us a ring and come in for your Olympus OM-D E-M5.  I don't know if it is a classic, but it is definitely classy.

See all Ex-Demo equipment on the Camera Electronic website here

The Macro Secret - And Everyone Can Afford One

A quick whirl through the internet with the word "macro" in the search will turn up a bewildering variety of equipment and advice. There is science, art, alchemy, and obfuscation in about equal measures. And yet it can all be so simple.

In my weekly review of the warehouse I lit upon a number of Olympus Stylus cameras that were stacked on a shelf. I think they might be trade demo models. They are certainly inexpensive... pocket money cameras. As a speculation, I added one to the studio illustration list and took it away. Charged up the battery and tried it in the studio.

Good Grief, Charlie Brown! This is amazing!

As a little pocket camera it has been designed with a lot of automatic features - it will play between program and auto modes as well as a number of special effect programs. You'll get no hot shoe or viewfinder, but the screen is large enough to see clearly, and there is a tiny little pop-up flash that you can use to trigger other flashes or to provide a macro fill.

You can choose your aperture, thankfully, and this makes the most of the close-up experience. I elected to set the WB to tungsten to match the modelling lights on the studio strobes and let it go at that. And then I played with the special effects. Hey, I'm not above playing - anyone with a studio full of toy cars has a perfect excuse...

The basic shooting is very simple. Point. Hold steady. Shoot.

The results are excellent. The short focal length of the zoom lens means the depth of field is maximised, and the resolution at 16 megapixels is more than enough for subjects with this much illumination. Note the ease with which I got into the dashboard of the Mercedes model.

Some of the effects like the tiled image or the fisheye would quickly become clichéd but the pinhole and the dramatic have a wider application. As they are in-camera you can see at the time of capture whether they actually do work. I did not try soft focus or miniature because it is a miniature to start with.

Note as well the results on a couple of flowers - one of which is very miniature indeed.

At the pocket money price of these cameras, you can afford to dedicate one to your wildflower or closeup shooting and leave the big rig for other things. Your camera club won't even need to know how you beat them!

Eizo Demo Deals!

Huge Range of Demo/Second hand items in store now!

Looking for a great deal? right now in store we've overloaded with Demo gear from Nikon, Pentax, Sigma and more... come in and see us while stocks last. call for more info.

Also at the moment our Second hand stock is in abundance... Lots of great specials perfect for students.

Huge Nikon Sale!!!! Don't miss your Chance.

We have a whole range of Nikon ex demo products on sale at the moment. These are brand new items, never been owned. But have been taken out of the box and demo to customers and some of the boxes have marks on the outside. All have been reduced in price and come with a six month warranty. Very limited stock. Don't miss out. Come in and score yourself a bargain today.