New : Olympus 35 RC

S

sockdaddy

Guest
went to my Saturday hangout today - an old camera repair and trade shop. looking through their new arrivals case i came across a nice example of an Olympus 35 RC. guy behind the counter didn't know the story of this particular camera, so we took it out of the case.

at first, no action from the meter. opened up the battery compartment to find an old, obviously dead, battery. he popped a new battery in for me and the meter sprung to life! i was stoked, and based on some favorable comments i've seen from others here, i decided to spend a little bit of the birthday cash that has been burning a hole in my pocket.

so, i brought it home with a roll of Tri-X, and i plan on running the test roll through it on Sunday afternoon. can someone give me some tips about this camera? is this a cock-the-shutter first model, or the other way round? is this a model that i have to worry about the type of battery - meaning do i have to adjust the ASA to compensate for battery strength?

also, is the meter always on unless the aperture ring is set to off? does covering the lens with the lens cap turn it off, and is the "A" mode a simply auto-exposure?

any tips and/or suggestions are welcome.
 
one of mine has been recalibrated for modern batteries (thanks g'man) and in the other i use an alkaline battery, for black & white film it has been ok.
when i meter with the camera i tilt it down. usually for street shooting i take my readings off the pavement, no matter what meter i use.
a = auto, you pick the shutter speed etc.
cover the lens usually means no light gets in but i just turn it to off.
in most ways it's a modern camera, no worries about what gets cocked first 😉

enjoy - it's a great little camera. that lens is very sharp.

joe
 
back alley said:
one of mine has been recalibrated for modern batteries (thanks g'man) and in the other i use an alkaline battery, for black & white film it has been ok.
when i meter with the camera i tilt it down. usually for street shooting i take my readings off the pavement, no matter what meter i use.
a = auto, you pick the shutter speed etc.
cover the lens usually means no light gets in but i just turn it to off.
in most ways it's a modern camera, no worries about what gets cocked first 😉

enjoy - it's a great little camera. that lens is very sharp.

joe
Click to expand...

But I wish that the RC had lower shutter speeds than 1/15--maybe 1 sec. Also, wish that it had the film lever on top of the camera. (I hit my glasses against it everytime I look through the viewfinder. Besides these things, the RC is PERFECT. Probably the ONLY RF with the apeture and shutter speed in the Viewfinder. And its small!!
I found mine on accident when I was trying to find a cheap cameara on eBay. $39 with a flash, very good condiiton. I LOVE IT.
 
haha - no, my repsonse didn't come through fast enough earlier.

i was asking about the battery adapter... but thanks for the link anyway
 
battery.adaptor@wanadoo.nl

I bought 2 of them from him; one for my CL and one for my 35RC---same adaptor. Since I had the CL adjusted, I don't use it any more (except for the 35RC).
 
what does the battery adapter do?

let me use a different battery type, change the voltage, etc? details man, i need details.
 
It lowers the voltage for a battery which you can buy anywhere. You just place the battery in the adaptor and then you stick it in the camera---perfect voltage with a perfect fit. E-mail the Yashica Guy for the link.
 
elcud35rc said:
But I wish that the RC had lower shutter speeds than 1/15--maybe 1 sec. Also, wish that it had the film lever on top of the camera. (I hit my glasses against it everytime I look through the viewfinder. Besides these things, the RC is PERFECT. Probably the ONLY RF with the apeture and shutter speed in the Viewfinder. And its small!!
I found mine on accident when I was trying to find a cheap cameara on eBay. $39 with a flash, very good condiiton. I LOVE IT.
Click to expand...


You can get a 1 second shutter speed by selecting B and using the self timer. Works for a lot of cameras; my Kiev 4 gives about 2 seconds by doing this. Can't help you with the wind lever though short of contacts or lazer surgery. Causes me the same problem
 
Sockdaddy: The older mercury PX625 batteries were 1.35v and had very stable output until they croaked. The silver batteries normally used now are 1.5v, so this throw the meter off by 1~1.5 stops. The adapter, as stated, steps down the voltage and gives linear response.

However, you can also substitute a zinc air battery that is 1.4v, and gives good results. The problem with zinc air is that they don't last long, But if you buy the cheap hearing aid ZA batteries, they're much cheaper than the Wien or Vartas. The hearing aid batteries are smaller than the PX625 and its direct replacements, so I use #9 o-rings that I buy at the hardware store for a bitter fit. I'm using that combination in my RC and OM-1n right now, works perfectly.

I too would like slower speeds on the RC but hey, it's primary purpose is as a street shooter, so anything slower the 1/15 is not going to be much use handheld anyway.

Trius
 
until i can come up with a different solution for the battery voltage (i.e. get an adapter), what adjustment should i make to the ASA setting on the camera?

for example, if i'm using a 1.5V battery and shooting 400 film, what should i set the camera to?
 
sockdaddy said:
can someone give me some tips about this camera? is this a cock-the-shutter first model, or the other way round? is this a model that i have to worry about the type of battery - meaning do i have to adjust the ASA to compensate for battery strength?
Click to expand...
The shutter does need to be cocked or the shutter won't release. 😀 There is no consistent adjustment to ASA setting that will compensate for the voltage difference; it varies with light level. But you can use a different light meter and compare results.

also, is the meter always on unless the aperture ring is set to off? does covering the lens with the lens cap turn it off, and is the "A" mode a simply auto-exposur?
Click to expand...
Yes, yes, yes. 😉 Neat little camera, have fun!
 
Last edited:
GMAN here on RFF does CLAs for RCs at a more than fair price. Two others who are certified, highly experienced Olympus repairmen are John at zuiko.com, and Clint at photosphere.com. I have had good experiences with both of the latter. They are not "cheap", but their prices are fair given the quality of their work, experience and knowledge.

Trius
 
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