oly 35rc

[back alley]

so, i picked up my little 35rc today. if you recall, i sent it off for a seal change and general cla. all i can say is wow!
that viewfinder never seemed so bright and clear.
it was in fine working order before and except for the gummy seals there was nothing wrong with it. but i am amazed at how clear the finder is now.

also, i bought another rc from rob (forum member) and it arrived in very nice shape.
so now i'm the proud owner of 2 of these little gems.

too bad my photo excursions have proved so fruitless lately.

btw, my little camera store has a leica m2 with minolta 40mm lens. he will sell for 2000cdn (about 1477 u.s.). it has a small dent on the top, i think by the rewind knob. too rich for my budget but if anyone is interested, let me know.

also he has a new bessa r that he will sell me for cost, along with a canon serenar 35mm/3.5 lens(recently cla'd). he's gonna call with a price.
not sure i can afford it without selling something first.

decisions, decisions...

joe

 

[Taipei-metro]

FYI,
First issued 1970,the RC sells for 22,300 Yen,if at $1 to 260 yen at that time,it's $86.The SP w/42mm f1.7,a 7-element lens, sells for 24,800 yen,which supposed to have a best lens.
More expensive one is the UC in 73, same lens,33,800 Yen.The DC with 40/1.7 6-element, 1974,same price tag.
It's $1 to 113 Yen today,so everything you see advertising in the back of each and every Japanese photo magazins are all expensive to US.
I bought a brand new XA in Tokyo when visiting Japan many years ago,it broke down in two years,then I lose confidence in Olympus.

 

[back alley]

taipei,

my first 'good' camera was that little oly. i bought it in about '70/'71.
it has seen lots of adventures, been many cool places and it still keeps shooting.
i've had an om1 and 2 with quite a few lenses also.
my faith in olympus is great.

joe

 

[Taipei-metro]

Well,first XA came out in 1979 w/a 35 2.8 lens.The sharp 6 elements help to push the camera in photo history.
My XA,first the metering failed,then shutter locked up,then the shell was hard to open or close.I was a" Nikon Canon man" at that time(still now)and their gears never fail me,well,the F3 I had,failed one time,because I put one 3v battery instead of 2 a76.
The Zuiko lenses are legendary no doubt,but my money were all on Nikon or Canon and I hate shutter dial that was on the lens mount...
Before OM-1 there were Nikomat,I mean that put the shutter on the lens mount...
Good that your Olympus worked fine for you.At that time none of my photo friends were in Olympus.Today,the Olympus 5060 is a good deal, with a 27-105 equv. lens.

 

[back alley]

a tale of two photographers...sounds like an epic story to me!

when i think about it, i've never really had any trouble with any camera/lens that i've owned.
other than the 20 buck ebay deals gone bad.
but when purchased new - no troubles

i hope i didn't just curse myself!!

joe

 

[Russ]

Hello fellow Oly RC user's

What's your opinions on the Oly RC lens, and the resulting images it produces?

Thanks
Russ

 

[back alley]

the lens is sharper than it should be.
i believe it's a simple design but very sharp none the lens.

joe

 

[pshinkaw]

I think it is either a Tessar formula (4/3) or another form of 4 element lens like a 4/4. I used to get terrific full frame 8X10 enlargements from it using Kodachrome 64 transparencies.

-Paul

 

[Taipei-metro]

Look at the lens of RC,it reads Olympus E Zuiko 42mm 2.8.
The E means it's a 5-element (a,b,c,d,e.5th letter)lens,not another TESSAR-TYPE...
The Olympus ED,D Zuiko 38mm 2.8,that's a 4-element lens,Tessar type or not?I don't know.
From early 70s,these cameras are very capable of producing great images,the best one is the SP,the Yashica 35cc feature a 35mm,not expensive in Japan but sells for $185 last time on Ebay.
Try any of Olympus or Canonet GIII,you will be surprised.Who needs $2,500 50mm 1.4 new Lumilux?
No offense to Leica owners...
Actually,the 38/2.8 4-element was used in many early 80s Japanese inexpensive rf and autofocus cameras.Because they are cheap so no one cares about their lens quality,which is very good.
Spend $20 on Ebay,get a Canon Sureshot w/38 2.8,you will know what I mean.

 

[Russ]

Look at the lens of RC,it reads Olympus E Zuiko 42mm 2.8.
The E means it's a 5-element (a,b,c,d,e.5th letter)lens,not another TESSAR-TYPE...
The Olympus ED,D Zuiko 38mm 2.8,that's a 4-element lens,Tessar type or not?I don't know.
From early 70s,these cameras are very capable of producing great images,the best one is the SP,the Yashica 35cc feature a 35mm,not expensive in Japan but sells for $185 last time on Ebay.
Try any of Olympus or Canonet GIII,you will be surprised.Who needs $2,500 50mm 1.4 new Lumilux?
No offense to Leica owners...
Actually,the 38/2.8 4-element was used in many early 80s Japanese inexpensive rf and autofocus cameras.Because they are cheap so no one cares about their lens quality,which is very good.
Spend $20 on Ebay,get a Canon Sureshot w/38 2.8,you will know what I mean.

Thanks guys! Yes, the lens does say Olympus E. Zuiko, 42mm 2.8 on it. Do I assume that that is a good and capable lens? I have to get out of the habit of grabbing my Vivitar ES, and start using The Oly RC and Canonet QL-17 GIII.

Thanks
Russ

 

[back alley]

russ, it's a very good lens and the camera feels good in the hand also, small and light.
i really like mine quite a bit.

it certainly has a different feel than the canon, much lighter and, for some reason, easier to use.

joe

 

[pshinkaw]

Oops! you are right. An "E"lens should be a 5-element in the Olympus nomenclature.

I haven't owned an RC in at least 15 years, so I didn't have in hand. Regardless of how many elements, the results are very good indeed.

-Paul