It's a very good little camera indeed, and if it only opens at f/2.8 the advantage is the weight and the fact that it is almost invisible under the coat! The viewfinder is not bad, much better than the one of the 7SII for example... (edit: a little better, without distortion. Now I cleaned the finder of my 7sII and it's better than before...) But a little thing to know with these small rangefinders from the 70's is that the frame is a little bit smaller than what is really recorded on the negative. From 2 meters you have to add a good thickness around the frame (the equivalent of the shutter speed and aperture reminders in the viewfinder). And at less than 1 meter, beware of parallax. You can rely on the top and left edges, but add to the right and bottom... To get a better idea, put the camera on a tripod, fix a piece of tracing paper, put the camera in pause B, and observe...
Very informative, thanks for covering this camera. Mine was sold as having a broken meter, but there’s a common issue with these and the RD where the meter needle just gets stuck sometimes. I opened the top cover and freed it up and now works fine.
The 42mm Zuiko lens on my RC is phenomenal! I own a handful of Japanese rangefinders and this lens is my favorite, though I do struggle with the size and ergonomics. I was fortunate to find my RC in excellent shape, even the light seals, along with 6 NIB Olympus 43.5 mm thread filters. The light meter works and is accurate using a Wein Cell, guess I got lucky!
Just found you! Love, love, love your ability to share information here. I have this camera and adore shooting in Manual mode with it. Thanks for sharing the battery info!
I own two 35RC, I like it has shutter dial on top so can turn easily, also I like full manual camera, it is true rangefinder (not just viewfinder) and size of camera is tiny. this is very good for street photography
I found one of these in a thrift store once, I almost passed it by, thinking It was a toy. But when I picked it up, the weight told me it was not plastic. Got it for 12 bucks! I played with it a little, and when I took it out and shot the first roll of film through it, I was blown away with how sharp the pictures were, it rivaled my modern dslr. I had it for a few years, and sadly, I sold it off because my camera collection was getting a bit big, regretted it ever since because the picture quality was so good and sharp. Might get one again some day, if I can find one in good shape. But if you like older film cameras, this one is definitely one worth thinking about.
thx for the video :) it's a wonderfull camera for 'low-profile' photography and still get very good results. I am very happy with my copy of this camera
I enjoy a lot this camera tales!!! It would be awesome if you could show more about what you talk, the places in Tokyo and surroundings...it would make this feel much more deep :)!!! Keep it up
Hi, wondering why you prefer the RC to the RD. I inherited an RD recently, but it has needed plenty of repairwork, fitting the stereotype of it being unreliable. Is this why you prefer the RC?
Many time waiting for this camera! Could you please make a video cleaning it? I'd got my 35rc few months ago and it needs some work... Great video as always!!
There are a few guides online under 'Olympus 35 RC repair' cleaning the viewfinder is pretty simple. Take off the rewind crank. The self timer/shutter dial use the same type of screw but the timer's needs to be turned clockwise to loosen. Then three screws and the top plate comes off. A bit of black paper covering the viewfinder can be lifted off and it is all accessible to clean.
I just found the 35ED at a garage sale and was so excited, but can’t get the film door open :( definitely the same issue with the rubber turning sticky. very helpful video tho!
Thank you for this video! I visited Japan 2 years ago for sakura season. It was unforgettable Can you talk more about how the metering works and what the lightning bolt and A settings on the aperture ring do? I have this camera from my father who passed Christmas Eve 2020. Thanks again.
It's a very good little camera indeed, and if it only opens at f/2.8 the advantage is the weight and the fact that it is almost invisible under the coat! The viewfinder is not bad, much better than the one of the 7SII for example... (edit: a little better, without distortion. Now I cleaned the finder of my 7sII and it's better than before...) But a little thing to know with these small rangefinders from the 70's is that the frame is a little bit smaller than what is really recorded on the negative. From 2 meters you have to add a good thickness around the frame (the equivalent of the shutter speed and aperture reminders in the viewfinder). And at less than 1 meter, beware of parallax. You can rely on the top and left edges, but add to the right and bottom... To get a better idea, put the camera on a tripod, fix a piece of tracing paper, put the camera in pause B, and observe...
Very informative, thanks for covering this camera. Mine was sold as having a broken meter, but there’s a common issue with these and the RD where the meter needle just gets stuck sometimes. I opened the top cover and freed it up and now works fine.
The 42mm Zuiko lens on my RC is phenomenal! I own a handful of Japanese rangefinders and this lens is my favorite, though I do struggle with the size and ergonomics. I was fortunate to find my RC in excellent shape, even the light seals, along with 6 NIB Olympus 43.5 mm thread filters. The light meter works and is accurate using a Wein Cell, guess I got lucky!
Had one for a bit in early 2,000’s and liked it a lot. Wish I still had it. Great video.
Just found you! Love, love, love your ability to share information here. I have this camera and adore shooting in Manual mode with it. Thanks for sharing the battery info!
I own two 35RC, I like it has shutter dial on top so can turn easily, also I like full manual camera, it is true rangefinder (not just viewfinder) and size of camera is tiny. this is very good for street photography
Amazing small camera! Thank you for your sharing!
I found one of these in a thrift store once, I almost passed it by, thinking It was a toy. But when I picked it up, the weight told me it was not plastic. Got it for 12 bucks! I played with it a little, and when I took it out and shot the first roll of film through it, I was blown away with how sharp the pictures were, it rivaled my modern dslr.
I had it for a few years, and sadly, I sold it off because my camera collection was getting a bit big, regretted it ever since because the picture quality was so good and sharp. Might get one again some day, if I can find one in good shape. But if you like older film cameras, this one is definitely one worth thinking about.
thx for the video :) it's a wonderfull camera for 'low-profile' photography and still get very good results. I am very happy with my copy of this camera
I enjoy a lot this camera tales!!! It would be awesome if you could show more about what you talk, the places in Tokyo and surroundings...it would make this feel much more deep :)!!! Keep it up
Thank you!
Great camera and video, much prefer the RC over the RD.
Hi, wondering why you prefer the RC to the RD. I inherited an RD recently, but it has needed plenty of repairwork, fitting the stereotype of it being unreliable. Is this why you prefer the RC?
Many time waiting for this camera! Could you please make a video cleaning it? I'd got my 35rc few months ago and it needs some work... Great video as always!!
A video doing maintenance would be really nice! I have one that had battery corrosion and needs the viewfinder cleaned.
There are a few guides online under 'Olympus 35 RC repair' cleaning the viewfinder is pretty simple. Take off the rewind crank. The self timer/shutter dial use the same type of screw but the timer's needs to be turned clockwise to loosen. Then three screws and the top plate comes off. A bit of black paper covering the viewfinder can be lifted off and it is all accessible to clean.
I cant decide between the Yashica GX and olympus 35 rd....
I just found the 35ED at a garage sale and was so excited, but can’t get the film door open :( definitely the same issue with the rubber turning sticky. very helpful video tho!
Thank you for this video! I visited Japan 2 years ago for sakura season. It was unforgettable Can you talk more about how the metering works and what the lightning bolt and A settings on the aperture ring do? I have this camera from my father who passed Christmas Eve 2020. Thanks again.