Olympus 35 RD sticky shutter!

[Spider67]

Hi Folks is there any remedy except an CLA?
Or does a CLA even comprise shutter repair of that kind?

Thanks in advance the 35 RC would have been the ideal low light
shooter but after oly 3 Films it stuck all of a sudden!

 

[Trius]

The original lubricant in the RC migrates and then gums up; this is a well-known issue. A complete CLA from John Hermanson @ Zuiko.com will include cleaning the shutter, replacing old lubricants with new, etc.

 

[bmattock]

Are we talking RC or RD? The RD commonly has shutter problems, although it has a superior lens. The RD is rare enough that it is usually worth the cost of a CLA/shutter rebuild. IMHO, the RC is a great camera - one of the best - but common enough to be worth getting another vice paying a lot for a CLA. Both are great cameras, though.

 

[Trius]

Ooops, my bad. I typed RC but meant RD. The RC doesn't have the sticky shutter issue, AFAIK. Good catch, Bill. Yes, the RD is worth the price of the CLA. The RC lens is no slouch, though.

 

[Spider67]

Thanks folks!
I bought my RD after the experience with the RC (I was so desperate to get one that I even bade and won a 35 DC!). Althogh it is not so hyped up as the Canonet its a very sought after camera even in Austria/Germany (that's were I live I have to change my settings as I did not want to keep that a secret). A 35 RD with some of the 35 RC's characteristics.
Trius how ist the 35 SP compared t the RD and RC?

Greetings from Vienna!
Des

 

[Trius]

Des: The SP is larger than the RD & RC, which I find to be an advantage for the most part. I have not shot with an RD (I keep hoping to get one at a ridiculously low price and have it overhauled), so I can't comment any further. But the lens on the SP is essentially the same, I think, so the look/results should be very close if not identical. The controls, of course, are different, and the SP uses the EV system for metering.

 

[bmattock]

One of the keys to understanding Olympus lenses is to note the letter in front of the word "Zuiko" on the lens. A D.Zuiko has four elements. An F.Zuiko has six elements. A G.Zuiko has 7.

The 35 RC has an E.Zuiko lens. The RD has an F.Zuiko lens. The SP has a G.Zuiko lens.

Personally, I prefer the lens of the RD over all of them. However, the RD is known to have shutter issues - mine did. The RC is the smallest and most reliable of the lot, and the lens is quite nice. I find myself carrying an RC more often than my expensively-repaired RD.

http://www.ph.utexas.edu/~yue/misc/rangfndr.html

 

[Trius]

Not having an RD and being lazy, I didn't look up the spec for the lens. Guess I know have to acquire an RD and do side-by-side comparison. 😀

 

[shadowfox]

Thanks folks!
I bought my RD after the experience with the RC (I was so desperate to get one that I even bade and won a 35 DC!). Althogh it is not so hyped up as the Canonet its a very sought after camera even in Austria/Germany (that's were I live I have to change my settings as I did not want to keep that a secret). A 35 RD with some of the 35 RC's characteristics.
Trius how ist the 35 SP compared t the RD and RC?

Greetings from Vienna!
Des

And how's that 35 DC working out for you? I like mine 🙂, it's cheap, same lens as the RD, and Olympus AE system (excellent in my experiences). It cured my RD GAS for now 😉

 

[Spider67]

Sorry for the spelling mistakes and unfinished sentences!
What I wanted to say is: my dream Olympus RF would be a RD with some of the RC's characteristics! I like the way of setting the filmspeeds on the RC and the shutter speed dial.
Well the DC...It sad to know its technical data and to have no opportunity to control them.....And remember I was looking for a Camera where I could control aperture AND shutter speeds..But the pictures came out nicely and I started to use the A function on my RC and RD more often after I used the RD!
So I'll hev it cleaned as soon as my GAS allows me to do that...I still have some RF's on their way to me.
Does anybody know what an RC and RD cost when they were new? People who just knew them as their Daddy's Camera just rmemeber that they were not cheap then.
The RC can be had still cheaply in a price range from 19-49(often seen)€

 

[Meisenknoedel]

Hi,

my "new" 35 RD has also a stuck shutter. Does anybody know a repair shop in Europe that has experience with getting this problem fixed?

Cheers

 

[John Hermanson]

At Olympus NY in the early 80's, an RD with jammed shutter would just get a whole new shutter plate. Now, a total rebuild is the only option. Along with that complete disassembly and degreasing, the focus helicoid (which contains the separating grease that caused the jammed blades in the first place) is degreased and relubed with high temp synthetic lube. John

 

[Brian Legge]

I sent a 35RD with a stuck shutter to John. It came back in great condition. I'd send him another camera in a heartbeat.

I fell in love with the lens after using a 35DC. Both take beautiful shots. My only complaint about the RD is the placement of the aperture ring. As it is flush against the body, it isn't as easy to adjust as some other rangefinders in this class like the 7sII and the Canonet 17 GIII. I still find myself using the RD more than either of those cameras through.

 

[Meisenknoedel]

@ Brian Legge

Do you mean John Hermanson?

Well, the placement of the aperture ring is quite bad and unfortunately the needle of the light meter is only working by pressing the release button. I had a Vivitar 35ES a few months ago and in my opinion the finder of the Vivitar is better. The aperture stops are easy to read and the light meter is working permanently. Maybe a 7S II it the better choice for me.

 

[Brian Legge]

Correct, John Hermanson.

If you can get over the ergonomics of the aperture ring, I'd lean towards the 35RD personally. I haven't used a pristine 7sII before (I've come into 3 of them, all with major problems - I made one working camera out of the set but the best lens of the 3 still had a bit of fungus on it).

If you're looking for a rangefinder which meters all the time, check out the 35SP. Granted, it meters in EV, but it may also be a good fit for you. Most of these rangefinders only meter when you are in AE mode and when pressing the shutter. I'm sure there are others but that is the only one I have any personal experience with.

I just compared the finders of the Minolta 7sII, Canonet 17 GIII and 35RD. I feel like the Canonets is slightly larger and the 7sII slightly smaller relative to the 35RD. As for brightness, that will likely vary more by how clean the camera is than anything else at this point.

 

[Meisenknoedel]

Thanks Brian! I do not need a light meter in the manual mode but my knowledge the light meter of the 7SII works without depressing the release button slightly (AE mode). Well, the finder of my 35RD needs to be cleaned. Maybe that's the reason why I prefer the finder of the Vivitar. I suppose both the 35RD and the 7SII have very sharp lenses.