Back in November 2024 I used my ebay bargain Olympus OM-1n for the first time at the Mersey Meet Photo Walk in Liverpool organised by Stig Starr. I enjoyed it immensely and the camera worked, but it definitely needed a service. Then it jammed up on me just before christmas. I was gutted! I saved up my pocket money and booked it in with Pierro at PPP Cameras. I have had a couple of my cameras repaired and serviced by Pierro and I am very happy with the work he has done on them.
The last one he did for me was a Pentax K1000 that needed the prism replacing and, after shooting a couple of rolls with it, I gave it to my granddaughter. My OM-1n will probably be going her way too, but not until I have had a few years of fun with it. I want to enjoy it whilst I still can. When it came close to my allotted day, I packaged up my OM-1n and posted it to him, first class, of course!
Servicing this camera wasn't entirely plain sailing, it fought back and gave both of us a surprise or two along the way. This is the peril we face when taking a chance and buying an almost 50 year old camera from ebay for a few quid. This camera was, externally at least, in good condition for it's age. Despite the niggles I had encountered with it, we were both determined to save it. Thanks to a little patience and a handy parts camera I purchased a couple of years back, Pierro sent the camera back to me in tip top condition. It makes us both feel good knowing there's another OM-1n back in use for many years to come.
When it came to choosing which film I would use for the ceremonial recommissioning of my OM-1n, I went with Double-X, the fine Black & White cinema film from Kodak and a yellow filter. I enjoy using Double-X, it's a superb film and well worth it if you haven't tried it before. Having recently shot a couple of rolls of Plus-X, I was curious to see how they compared to one another. I took advantage of some fine summer weather and headed out for a wander to see what I could find.
I didn't go too far, here in darkest Wigan we were having a heatwave that sapped all my energy, but I felt good enough to head out on a beautiful summer evening to see how much the corn had grown since my last visit to the local farms. Yes, I took a drink with me too. There's nothing worse than heat stroke, especially in the countryside away from the things we take for granted like running water and refrigerators. It didn't take me long to get through a roll of Double-X and I made my way home happy with my OM-1n that had performed beautifully thus far.
I developed my roll of Double-X the next day. I used Bellini Euro HC at 1+63 dilution H for 10 minutes and soon had my film hanging to dry in my bathroom. It's a time and dilution for Kodak HC110 that I got from Alex Luyckx whom has had a lot of success with them when shooting Double-X at 200 iso. I wanted to see if Bellini Euro HC is truly as good as Kodak's much lauded syrup. Spoiler alert: It is. I digitised my roll of Double-X with my Nikon D700, Tamron Adaptall 2 90mm f/2.5 macro lens, Valoi 35mm film holder, Pixl-Latr and A5 sized led light pad. I processed the RAW files with Affinity Photo 2.
When I hung my film to dry I could see I had decently exposed negatives, but the proof is always in the processing. I needn't have worried as I didn't have to do much processing at all. Ye gods I love Olympus OM cameras and Zuiko lenses. My OM-1n is back in full working order again and will be in my regular rotation from now on. I'm not sure my other cameras will get a look in, so I will have to be brutal when reaching for my OM cameras in the future. I have a couple of cameras loaded and ready to go for future blogs, but the lure of Olympus is strong.
Here's a few of my favourite photos from my roll of Double-X shot with my OM-1n. Thank you to Pierro for his excellent service once more and ensuring I can hand this camera on to my granddaughter, but not before I have used it for a few more years, my preciousssss.
You can visit PPP Cameras via the link below where Pierro has a selection of cameras, lenses and accessories for sale as well as being where you can book a repair or service. You can also check out Alex Luyckx' website where you will find a wealth of knowledge he has documented over the years about film, developing, and his favourite cameras. If you can't find a developing time for a particular film and developer combination, Alex might just have it. His blog is always well worth a read. As always I have placed my photos in an album on Flickr you can visit using the link below. I hope you enjoy them.
Olympus OM-1n - Kodak Double-X
PPP Cameras
Alex Luyckx - Re-discovering Double-X
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