Olympus SC

[gzuiko]

My quest for Olympus rangefinders has found me in possession on an Olympus SC, not the endoscopic one, but the one marked Olympus-S made circa 1962, the successor to the Electro-Set. It has the same wonderful G. Zuiko lens found on my Olympus 35 LC and basically the same as the one my Olympus 35S II. But what I love the most about this camera is the wonderful feel of the shutter release. Just the right amount of pressure required to release the shutter. This is what the Konica rangefinders (with their wonderful lenses) lack. The tactile sensation of a perfectly designed shutter release.

My new camera seems to work well, even the self timer, although 1 sec and 1/2 are sluggish. I can't seem to get the battery cover off, and I fear that it may house a leaking battery which bugs me, but if so, it's probably been in there for years. I'm going to try not to obsess on that for now, and focus on taking for pictures with it.

Any tips on getting the cover off? It doesn't take a coin, but has ridges on the corner of the cover, making them practually useless.

also, I'm finding very little info on the web about this model. Must be rare? I like that it's smaller than the LC body, it's the same size as the Ace and the Auto-Eye. Maybe I'll fall for this one enough to get it CLRed...

anyone else have one of these?

 

[ChrisN]

Some info here:

http://www.rangefinderforum.com/forums/showthread.php?t=6351&highlight=olympus

and here

http://www.rangefinderforum.com/forums/showthread.php?t=36532

 

[gzuiko]

Chris,

Thanks for the links! I had found the second thread previously but had not seen the first. So did you get rid of your SC?

 

[ChrisN]

I did, quite a while ago now. I had started to explore some of the other rangefinder cameras available, and came to like cameras and lenses with a more solid feel, and less plastic. That lead me to Canon, and eventually Leica, then Pentax SLR and now back to Olympus SLR, my first decent camera many years ago. Lots of good toys to play with! (Although the Canons did have to go to make way for the Leica.)

 

[gzuiko]

Well, it had been bothering me for a week now, and finally I was able to remove the battery cover, and found, or course, the mess inside from the leaking battery I knew must be in there from all these years. I've gone after it with some white vinegar, and cleaned it up as best I can, and I'll try a battery in there once I've let it sit for a bit.

I really like the looks of this one, for some reason, the styling. I've got a number of the Olympus 35mm rangfinders now, so I guess I'm collecting them. I've been a bit of a bottom feeder when it comes to cameras, mostly out of necessity, but these lenses really can't be beat.

 

[shadowfox]

GZuiko, kindly post a picture of this camera, please.

 

[zuikologist]

Well, it had been bothering me for a week now, and finally I was able to remove the battery cover, and found, or course, the mess inside from the leaking battery I knew must be in there from all these years. I've gone after it with some white vinegar, and cleaned it up as best I can, and I'll try a battery in there once I've let it sit for a bit.

I really like the looks of this one, for some reason, the styling. I've got a number of the Olympus 35mm rangfinders now, so I guess I'm collecting them. I've been a bit of a bottom feeder when it comes to cameras, mostly out of necessity, but these lenses really can't be beat.

I would like to see a photo too.

From another Zuiko fan, I have to agree with your sentiment : )

 

[gzuiko]

A couple quick shots of this camera

A couple quick shots of this camera

Here are a couple of quick shots of this camera to let you all know what I'm talking about.