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Swirly tree

In 1978 my dad got a Konica TC for a once in a lifetime trip to Hawaii. I frequently borrowed it, and it got me hooked on 35mm.

In high school I worked first at a deli and then at a video store to save up money for my own camera. In 1981 I went to 47th St. Photo in New York and paid cash for a new Olympus OM-1n and a 100mm lens.

My next purchase was a wide angle lens. The Vivitar 24mm f/2.0 was a piece of crap but it was all I could afford at the time, about 1/3 of the price of the remarkable Olympus 24 f/2.0.

This photo from 1983 was shot with the Vivitar, probably at f/2.0. I can tell because it is a visual encyclopedia of lens aberrations. I like it anyway. The lens, passably sharp at f/5.6 and beyond, served me through my collegiate PJ career. If I remember correctly, the front bezel and lens element came unscrewed and fell off.