New pix: Oly 35 RC+Repair

[mike goldberg]

Good morning all,

Two years ago, I bought a very clean Oly 35 RC on the B@y; its origins were from an estate sale. Everything works, it’s light and quiet… a delight to carry around. There was a small, circular spot on the edge of the front element of the fixed Zuiko 42/2.8 lens. A Tel Aviv repairman could not remove it, so he replaced the front element from a similar Zuiko. Not cheap.

As I began to use it, I found that my age 60+ eyes had difficulty in focusing the small, central yellow patch. I put the 35 RC aside; months went into a half year and more, and I began thinking of selling it. “Wait,” was the one word of wisdom from my RFF buddy Ruben, nearby.

Recently, Ruben put in a small rectangle of ND gel [neutral density] near the R/F. This was NOT a “stick on” job. Ruben removed the top plate of the Oly and did the job right. The difference is dramatic. Perhaps the FED engineers knew this a lot of years ago, when they created their somewhat dim V/F window.

Last night, after a nap on the sofa, ;-) I developed film; scans later today.
Ciao, Mike

 

[mike goldberg]

Hmm... where are my viewers?
Tmax 400 in HC-110h

PHOTOS:

- Religiously observant couple playing a video game at the mall; ah, get that aggression out! 1/30, f2.8

- Up & down at the mall; 1/125, f5.6

- Peppers in supermarket; 1/125, f4

My favorite is the shot of peppers. ALL 3 pix look better if clicked on a 2nd time (+) to bring them, up to size.

Feedback welcome.
Mike

 

[rogue_designer]

I like that first shot Mike... especially if you pull it in closer in a crop.

Great detail from that zuiko.

 

[mike goldberg]

Thanks rogue...
In the illustrative pix here, the idea was not to crop.

Yes, it would look better with some more work on it.
Thanks ;-)

 

[ruben]

And let's not forget this specific RC went to Tel Aviv for a heart cirurgy.

 

[mike goldberg]

... and to Beit Hakerem for a "transplant." 😀

 

[OlyMan]

Liking the third shot best but would love to have seen those peppers in colour.

I too have a 35RC which gets woefully underused and through which I have only ever passed B&W print-film. One day I might try it with colour slide to see what that lens really can do.

 

[Bingley]

Great pix, Mike, although I'm w/ Olyman regarding the peppers and color. I love that first photo.

 

[shadowfox]

The RC lens is so sharp, the pattern on the lady's shirt fabric is well-defined in the first shot.

As for the patch, I use a blue painter's tape, crudely cut of course 😀

Mike, you may want to try C-41 black and whites like Ilford XP2 or Kodak BW400CN, for scanning, I cannot tell the difference in quality compared to T-MAX.

A shameless plug... myself and about 20 or so members are going to launch a Traveling RC camera project. You all fans of the camera are invited to follow along in this thread.

http://www.rangefinderforum.com/forums/showthread.php?t=46969

 

[mike goldberg]

Thanks so much for all the good words above. This Oly had a spot around 1.5mm in diameter at the edge of the front Zuiko element. This did not seem to affect photos, yet I couldn't live with it. It was $75- to replace the front element 🙄

With the improved R/F focusing thanks to Ruben, this is a great small camera to throw in a sidebag, or even a large vest pocket.
Cheers, Mike 🙂

 

[Bingley]

"... this is a great small camera to throw in a sidebag, or even a large vest pocket."

I think you'll find that also to be true of the Canonet Q17 GIII you just bought! 😉

Cheers!