Olympus 35RC impressions

<p>Some time ago I posted a query asking what kind of compact camera people would recommend to use as a light meter with old folders and other non-metering cameras. The Olympus 35RC got the most votes so with all due haste I set about acquiring one. It's taken a while, but I finally got the chance to play with it. </p>

<p>It arrived in pretty nice condition. I won't bother posting a picture of it, you've all seen them before. There were a few issues with mine. The light seals were obviously shot. A pleasant 45 minutes with my foam strips from Mike Long took care of that. The shutter speed dial appeared to set the right speeds, but the needle of the shutter speed indicator in the viewfinder didn't work; it just stayed all the way over on the right. I unscrewed the shutter speed dial, put it back on, loosened and tightened and turned it every which way, and then at length heard a happy <em>ping</em> from within the camera as something re-seated itself and lo, the shutter speed indicator now worked again. Finally, the light meter disagreed with my other cameras by about 1 stop. Whether due to the zinc-air cell I was using or just age, I didn't know, but I discovered on Oleson's site how absurdly easy it is to adjust the meter sensitivity on these things. Three screws and off comes the bottom, turn the little galvanometer about 1 mm per stop of sensitivity, and consensus with other cameras is achieved. Now this is my kind of camera.</p>

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<p>In the field, it's wonderfully handy, tells you what you need to know, doesn't interfere with you doing what you want, and is cute as a button besides. I learned a few things about it that I didn't know, such as the handy exposure-lock feature when half-depressing the button -- which for me is just as good as having a metered manual mode, since I can almost always find something in or near the frame that has the exposure value I am looking for. And yes, the lens is razor sharp. </p><div></div>

<p>I can see where my larger, clunkier rangefinders with no manual mode are going to get some time off now that I have acquired this honey. The tip to get one of these was some of the best advice I've had on this forum, which is saying something.</p><div></div>

<p>Congratulations August. The RC is my favorite classic 35, hands down. Portability and wonderfully sharp lens make it a frequent carry along, even when I am shooting larger formats-in fact, it is in the jeep nearly always. Enjoy.</p>

<p>August, now you see why so many of us love this camera; mine is in my camera bag as we speak. I'm willing to bet that the more you use it the more you'll love it as it's truly a wonderfully engineered camera. I always get superb results from mine. I'm looking forward to seeing more shots from your new toy.</p>

<p>Nice photos August, and welcome to the Olympus 35 RC fan club. Ain't the little a girl a beaut'? Enjoy it and give it plenty of exercise, it might outlive all of us here.</p>

<p>An old girlfriend of mine (by old I mean a long time ago, she was eighteen), Alison, once said to me that the greatest joy of great art didn't lie in your response to the work itself, but in being able to share your response to it with someone else. I didn't know what she meant at the time, but as the years have passed, I have understood more and more what she meant all those years ago.</p>

<p>I've used many compact rangefinders over the years - Canonets, Minoltas, Yashicas, others. Got rid of most of 'em. The Olympus 35 RC is the one I've kept. Good ergonomics, quiet, works fine with #675 zinc air hearing aid batteries.</p>

<p>The rangefinder spot, while smallish, is fairly crisp and easy to use in most light. The viewfinder hasn't needed cleaning so far, unlike the Canonets that tended to get a bit murky with age.</p>

<p>I'm actually on my second 35 RC now. Sold the first to a college kid several years ago. When I found another in a pawn shop a few years ago I grabbed it. Came with the original oddball sized 43.5mm SL39.3C UV filter. Already had the diminutive PS200 flash, another pawn shop puppy. Works great in GN flash mode, a nifty trick on several cameras from that era. Set the GN on the lens barrel to match the flash output and the aperture adjusts when the focus ring is twiddled.</p>

<p>I've enjoyed mine, but your work flow has to be hard wired. If you focus before turning it on you have to refocus, and it is shutter priority so you have to know by instinct approximately what the exposure will be or you have to go back to the shutter speed dial. </p>

<p>The RC filter size is unusual, but once in a while used or NOS filters will show up for sale. I got a couple of NOS filters recently: a yellow (K2) and an orange type B (use tungsten film in daylight) The orange works quite well with black and white. I also have a 43.5 to 46 adapter ring so I can use the deep yellow and red filters that I have for my Konica C35. The adapters are still available. You can also find 43.5 to 52 adapters as well.</p>

<p>Yeah I've got one of those adapters, but I don't use filters on mine. If you are looking for a cap, the Pen slip-on caps work... and I think a slip-on cap for 43mm lenses would work as well. One thing about getting a slip-on cap, or a step-up ring and 46mm snap-cap, is that the meter will run the battery dead if the camera is sitting on a shelf exposed to light. Although the batteries are cheap, it's a pain in the butt to change them every time you want to go shooting!</p>

<p>After some searching I actually managed to find an original Olympus hood and some B&W filters for my 35RC.<br>

<a title="Olympus 35RC by ...Markus, on Flickr" href=" title="Olympus 35RC by ...Markus, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3098/2708304894_cc6283ae36.jpg" alt="Olympus 35RC" width="500" height="334" /> </a><br>

About a year and a half ago I took this little beauty along on a trip to Prague, most of the photos in <a href="http://flickr.com/photos/wakingsky/sets/72157602128697704">this set</a> on flickr were taken with the 35RC. It is really nice and small and very convenient. My only real gripe with it is the funky aperture shape, that can make for some really weird effects when the sun shines on the lens (hence the hood).</p>

<p>Patrick -<br>

Does not the RC have an ' off ' position on the lens barrel that disconnects the battery circuit? The instruction booklet implies that and I somewhat recall that from having handled one a bit ago.</p>

<p>Jim</p><div></div>

<p>Jim, it does have an 'off' switch but it's easy to forget to actually turn the camera off. It's a great feature to have though and just adds to the RC's charm.</p>

<p>I found both filters and original lens hood from this gentleman in the U.K. (shipping was reasonable and fast). <a href="http://www.tripman.co.uk/">http://www.tripman.co.uk/</a></p>