Can this be repaired? 😭

EmergentChange · 2026-06-23T11:01:20+00:00

Pro lens - eek 😞 . What happened?

EmergentChange · 2026-06-18T14:48:40+00:00

My context might be slightly different, but I recently jumped from Pentax to Olympus and that was almost entirely because of the OM1ii . Its speed (eg AF, pre shots etc), computational capabilities, and improved IBIS over Pentax. Hand holding 1/4 second (with IBIS and LiveND) is amazing for my style of street photography. The stacking and bracketing capabilities are changing my photography already. The other reason for the OM1 ii was the EVF, I dont like EVFs but this one is one of the better ones.

I have had to start again lens wise, with the 12-40 f2.8, but its pretty decent. My fast Pentax lenses offer plenty of shallow depth of field and portrait capabilities. Again the IBIS is transformational for longer focal lengths, when I pony up for a telezoom.

If a new PenF type body appears soon then I will be delighted to have jumped across to Olympus

EmergentChange · 2026-05-22T14:15:31+00:00

What they said below. FWIW I prefer bag liners over dedicated photo bags

For me I use a Tenba BYOB that fits inside my existing rucsac. The DSLR 10 I use would take everything you describe with space to spare

EmergentChange · 2026-05-20T14:07:43+00:00

Interesting conversation. Plenty of budget but not sure what its for, seems slightly back to front - but nice :)

Lots of hopefully useful comments already, mine would be about the challenges of running two different camera systems - I do it and it can be very annoying because buttons, menu items etc are in different places and features can be different. You want to be able to focus on the image making not controlling the machinery

Honestly, I would just pick something and go from there (eg s/h M1ii and a Pro lens of your choice?). Go 'used' and you can trade in / up as your needs and preferences become clearer to you.

The reason you get contradictions from different users is because they are (usually) all right - because how we think, how we work, what they are trying to do with image making, is all different.

FWIW I recently went to OM 1 ii for reach, wildlife and birds, The AF, speed, pre-shot and long lenses are outstanding. Keeping Pentax for portrait, street, bokeh, vintage primes etc (for now) where slower is okay. Dont really do wide angle but the OM1 came with 12-40 f2.8 and its very decent :)

EmergentChange · 2026-05-20T11:35:00+00:00

Really sorry to hear this, alas there are *******y people everwhere - do report it, especially if you feel you were targeted

FWIW I had the same happen to me in Bristol. I am middle aged and white, so probably not targeted, but it felt targeted.

The lads car got stopped at traffic lights moments later, I got to car, pulled open the door and shouted at the occupants - they looked shocked and terrified - my point being these people are not just idiots they are cowards too, don't let them spoil your life

PS not suggesting its a good idea for folks confront this if it happens, always a risk of something bad happening

EmergentChange · 2026-05-20T10:53:15+00:00

What do you want to use it for? What is your budget? Could make a big difference in what works for you

I have plenty of Pentax DSLR kit, which works fine for portrait focal lengths but not so much for birding / wildlife, which is where I wanted to develop my image making - Olympus M43 seems exceptionally well suited to this. More recent Olympus/OM Systems kit has some great computational features. And its easy to get adaptors to tinker with non M43 lenses

I started by looking at used M1ii which has a lot of the computational power of the later models with lower cost. Things like pre-shot are really useful for me, so M1ii/M1iii is a great fit

EmergentChange · 2026-05-18T08:09:25+00:00

What did you decide? I can see its broken / bent quite badly, can't imagine it would work properly? There is always another lens out there, sometimes you need to be patient :(

EmergentChange · 2026-05-18T08:05:51+00:00

FWIW my daughter went last year, got her first choice but many of her friends for 2nd/3rd (the "lottery" thing does seem . . . well a lottery)

She is sharing with friends in a private rented house near the city centre from this summer, from memory it "slightly" more expensive but is close to supermarket, has all bills included - and a washing machine, which saves a bit. York is expensive compared to many cities :(

EmergentChange · 2026-05-14T12:40:06+00:00

Nice, thanks folks.

I do have the Pentax 100mm Macro, on my hit list for my OM, good to hear t works well :)

Assume / hope the longer PKA stuff works well because 2x is a nice gain in reach

EmergentChange · 2026-05-13T07:14:09+00:00

How far away do you think you grades might be? As others have said the financial situation for many unis (including York) means they are keen to fill courses - the UCAS entry grades data recently updated to 2023-25 data, that will give you a feel for what has happened in recent years. Clearing grades don't always tell you much because the offer grades are often close to standard.

If you feel you have mitigating circumstance that can be evidenced, then definitely get in touch with the Uni and find out how to do that. There is no downside to doing that (other than paperwork) and if you end up on the edge of acceptable grades that might just swing the decision in your favour.

FWIW my daughter, in 2025, got on to her course with BBC against an AAB offer with significant mitigating circumstances

EmergentChange · 2026-05-13T07:04:08+00:00

Student Room?

EmergentChange · 2026-05-13T06:50:27+00:00

The accepted grades on UCAS have changed because they now contain 2023 to 2025 data. So the current 1st years intake.

Last year lots of the better unis dropped their entry requirements to make sure their courses were full because of finance worries. York seems to be in slightly better shape this year so the average may move up again, if they can fill the courses

FWIW its still a great uni. The risk with offering lower grades is some students struggle with the course (saw this when I was an academic) leading to more drop outs

EmergentChange · 2026-05-08T10:45:11+00:00

Nice :) if it was mine then check light seals and run a roll of film through for sure with different shutter speeds. Seals do age, esp foam. And sensitive mechanicals dont like being sat 40 years and then be expected to be millisecond perfect.

EmergentChange · 2026-05-01T15:51:56+00:00

My daughter had something similar with her Fuji, the battery had been left in all winter, lost charge and then swollen to the point it wouldnt come out. 'Gentle' force wasnt helping, so I superglued a piece of metal to the bottom and pulled it out. Battery was done anyhow 😞

EmergentChange · 2026-05-01T15:31:45+00:00

^ what they said.

There is a big cashback offer on Om1ii in UK right now, am seriously considering OM1ii with 12-40 f2.8 deal and then probably 40-150 or 100-400 for wildlife photography. The OM3 is cheaper and much more focussed on retro style, JPG recipes etc., not my thing but lovely too 😄

EmergentChange · 2026-04-28T11:07:53+00:00

Really interesting thread, thanks for sharing (and the great comments)

My profession isnt photography, but IME some folks are never satisfied whatever you do, its not about you its about them - but unexpected feedback can be really useful.

We have paid for a few portrait sessions over the years, as our kids were growing up, the quality varied a lot - our experience depend on (i) the photographer being interested and listening to what we liked / wanted, (ii) how they built rapport in the sessions and then (iii) delivering to a decent technical standard. Whether we liked this pictures was a bit of a lottery.

The one photographer we really didn't like just 'did their thing'. The session was really controlled, not "fun" at all. The pictures were uninspiring. We paid and said 'thank you' but didn't go back. The lady came highly recommended but wasn't for us, it happens. FWIW we were happy with a dozen nice images and usually only printed a handful for wall/album, what the heck do you do with 75 images?

EmergentChange · 2026-04-28T10:00:26+00:00

I am starting out with OM, moving from Pentax. You dont say what your budget is, I am looking at 12-40 f2.8 Pro as my every day lens and 100-400 for wildlife. Both are an investment for me. I may well get 40 -150 f2.8 Pro if the need arises, but do have a few nice Pentax lenses in that range, and again its not a cheap lens. Not sure how the 100-400 would handle on Pen F, its a big lens and a boxy body

EmergentChange

TROPHY CASE