Olympus 35DC...the seriously underrated Oly

<p>Here's an Olympus you don't hear about too often, the 35 DC. This is, for all practical purposes, the fully automatic version of the 35 RD complete with backlight compensation and the same phenomenal lens found on the 35 RD, the F. Zuiko f/1.7 40mm. This is Olympus's version of a 1971 style point and shoot, or should I say, point, focus, and shoot. That's all you do. If you've handled an RD then you know how compact the camera is, but if you haven't, it's a bit smaller than a GIII-QL17. In the viewfinder you can see the shutter speed and aperture setting across the bottom, shutter speeds ranging from 1/15s to 1/500s and the apertures ranging from f/1.7 to f/16. In use the camera feels great to operate, with the very high quality feel that all Olympus cameras have. The focus patch is bright and easy to use and the subject always seems to jump into clear focus. The lens itself is wonderfully sharp and provides great contrast in the image. The more you use this camera the more it begins to feel like an extension of your eye and hand. It's intuitive to use and even though you think you want full manual control (as I usually do), you quickly become accustomed to simply focusing and letting the camera do the rest. You won't miss many shots with this camera.</p>

<p>This camera is a first class precision photographic instrument, capable of producing consistently impressive images, and it's compact enough to take just about anywhere. As much as I love it though, I must admit that my Minolta Hi-Matic E has taken over the top spot as the favorite fully automatic camera, mainly because it offers shutter speeds ranging from 2s to 1/1000s and a lens that matches the performance of the Olympus, but the Oly is still a pure joy to use and it's smaller and lighter than the Minolta. The Olympus is a little harder to find and doesn't turn up on the auction site as often as the Minolta (or any other Olympus, for that matter), so that gives it a little bit of an exclusivity factor. Just a little though. Here's a shot of the camera followed by a few shots made with it.</p><div></div>

<p>Picture #1</p><div></div>

<p>Picture #2</p><div></div>

<p>Picture #3</p><div></div>

<p>Andy<br>

Yes, it's a lovely little camera and beautiful pictures you have. It's the same size with the Konica auto S3 isn't it ?</p>

<p>Andy,<br>

I have one as well and I concur with everything you said. It is a wonderful camera with a great lens.</p>

<p>A NOTE TO EVERYONE.... if you come across one that doesn`t work PLEASE check to see if the self-timer is set. If the self timer is set and there is no battery, or the battery is dead the camera will not work.</p>

<p>How do I know this? I took chance and bought a non-functioning Olympus DC for 10$ I found in the junk bin with the self-timer set. When I got home I inserted some tinfoil and alkaline battery into the battery chambre and presssed the shutter release.... BINGO the self-timer moved the shutter clicked and I have a new collectible camera. I have since done it once more, but alas the second camera had fungus on the lens.</p>

<p>Mike </p>

<p>Love the monochromatic quality of "Shelter in the Woods", Andy. A beautiful-looking little camera, too, obviously with a superb lens. There's an Olympus 35 RC up for grabs on our local auction site, but it's specifications look somewhat inferior to this little beauty. Any opinions?</p>

<p>I have two non-working ones that I hope to work on some time.</p>

<p> </p>

<p><strong>Rick</strong> --If you don't have the 35 RC, by all means <em>get it!</em> It is one of my all-time favorites and is a quite capable camera. The lens isn't as fast as the DC but you get full-manual when you want and a nice auto-mode as well. Even better, there's an 'off' position so that you don't have to worry about draining your battery if you leave the lens cap off. The lens is very sharp; you'll be very pleased with it and in your hands it'll turn out some most impressive pictures. Thanks for the comments too.</p>

<p><strong>Minh</strong> --Thanks. It's just a tiny bit larger than the S3 I believe; I don't have an S3 but I think the S3 is built on the same basic frame as my Vivitar 35ES and the DC is a little bit bigger.</p>

<p><strong>Michael</strong> --I'm glad you got your DC working. I've never messed with the self-timer lever; I usually try to avoid them as much as possible.</p>

<p>Another great find, Andy. I have a 35RC and I like the compactness and performace along with the option to set manually. I've always wanted to see some photos from the DC so thanks for posting. The Hi-Matic E is another camera that I've been after, but the last few I bid on 'got away'. When I am out walking or cycling I usually carry two compact film cameras with me (Either my Konica Auto S2 or S1.6, my Olympus RC, a Canonet GIII 17, or my Rollei 35.) I like having cameras with me that will work if the batteries fail.<br>

What kind of battery are you using in the DC?</p>

<p><strong>Charles</strong> --Good luck working on those; I hope you get them working well enough to use.</p>

<p><strong>Mike</strong> --Thanks. I've actually had this one for a little while, just never posted much from it-maybe once awhile ago. I use the 625 Wein Cell in it and it works very nicely. Since there's no 'off' switch I have to be careful not to knock the lens cap off, which I tend to do. I hope you can score a Hi-Matic E sometime soon. It's really a great camera to use and as addictive as the 35RC. It really makes you forget that you want control because it performs so well in just about every type of situation. I've actually got two, one that works perfectly and one that needs a wire re-soldered to get it up and running. This DC is one that you should try to grab if you see one. It has the Olympus quality that you're familiar with from having used your 35RC.</p>

<p> </p>

<p>Andy, I hear you. I've had an Oly 35rc for years now, it was actually given to me by a customer at one of the 1 hour labs I worked at. Great little gem, tack sharp lens, and a pleasure to work with. Mine goes every where with me. </p><div></div>

<p>Black Ice was shot on <a href="mailto:PXP@125">PXP@125</a> ISO. Used the auto mode on my 35rc </p>

<p>Beautiful camera and excellent countryside pictures, love the lightly warm tones. I used to stay away from auto everything classics, but have reconsidered that opinion especially in cold weather(I want summer bad). I will keep an eye out for this one. I carry a Konica C35 with me now and am yet to get some results from it(still on the first roll).<br>

@Rick - grab the RC and run, it is a beautiful little camera, slightly larger than deck of cards, it is amazing how they fit a fully manual camera in such a small package, with an extraordinary lens. Lens is not super fast, but it is very high resolution blowing away some of my fast kominars which I hold at very high esteem. MY RC purchase was a "buy it now" option at the auction side with a working guarantee, and the price was too good to pass up. I grabbed it and was very glad I did.</p>

<p>That's an ominous looking shot of black ice Ed, and it looks like your Oly captured the exposure and details very nicely. I'd much rather experience it this way than on the road!</p>

<p>Thanks Andy. For a free camera, it's done real well by me.</p>

<p>Underrated? Nah, I would just say somewhat RARE. Compared to the ever popular Yashica's and Canon's and Minolta's of the same era, the 35RD is just flat out rare. </p>

Jeez you guys, my head is spinning so many neat RFs Those Zuikos are just killer lenses.

I've got to get some more in this area!! Thanks for calling my attention to this not so oft seen Gem!!

<p>Hi there, I bought a 35 DC on ebay recently. The seller said that the camera is fully working but when I tested it with a HD625 or LR44 battery, the meter seems to be a bit out when I compared it with my Pentax ME Super TTL camera. Do you know why this is? The meter always thinks there is not enough light so it locks the shutter, and sometimes when I point the lens into a bright light source, it only fires at 1/125s and rarely at 1/500s. Using the Pentax under the same condition and setting will give me an over exposed warning. Good news is the meter does respond to different lighting conditions but do anyone know how to fix this problem?<br>

Another thing is, does the camera only fire at settings on the scale inside the viewfinder? Will it fire at 1/500s and 1:1.7? And when the battery is in, should the needle move dynamically or will it only move to the "correct" shutter and aperture setting when the shutter is half pressed? Mine only moves to the setting when the shutter is pressed but most rangefinders I have moves dynamically even without depressing the shutter.<br>

I hope someone will be able to answer my questions. There are not many information on this camera on the net, I suppose that means this camera is indeed quite rare. Thanks in advance</p>

<p>First of all, the LR44 probably won't give the right amount of power for the meter. If you can find a Wein Cell MRB625 battery (they're easy to find on ebay) you'll get a more accurate meter reading. I don't think the camera will allow settings other than the ones in the viewfinder; the needle will only move to the setting that the meter has chosen. It doesn't move dynamically the way the meter does in many other cameras so in that regard your camera is performing properly. Try using a Wein Cell and see if the performance of the meter improves.</p>

<p>This is a great little camera. I shot a roll of Fuji Reala last month during a vacation in the northern Sierra Nevada mountains. All of the exposures were spot on and focusing is easy with the rangefinder. I also have 35RC but the DC seems to fit in my hands a little better. Here is a photo of my brother and middle son on the dock by the lake.</p><div></div>