shadowfox
Darkroom printing lives
*** Added some test pictures from this camera below ***
I am a happy camper.
I bid for a non-working Olympus DC on the 'Bay several months ago for cheap. I left the package under the table for months partly because I knew it wasn't a working camera, and I was not keen on finding out in what shape it'll be in. And I have other cameras that needed testing.
A couple days ago, I decided to open the package and give it a look. The camera was as expected, not working, the shutter won't go even with a newish battery. The shutter release is in deep recess, the film advance lever is stuck, opening the back, everything is in order, the film spools are rotating fine, but nothing can unstuck the shutter assembly.
Other than that, the cosmetics are more than ok, it's very clean, a couple of faint scratches is all.
Then I noticed something weird about the position of the self-timer lever. It's out of kilt (pointing towards down), looks like a disjointed shoulder (ouch!). On a whim, I bent the lever even more towards the bottom of the camera.
And voila! with a whir, the self-timer went alive! when it arrived at the normal position, I heard the best sound I heard that day: A click! the shutter release pops up... and everything else starts working!
So I have a practically *new* Olympus 35 DC.
What's the big deal you may ask?
Well, personally, this camera was released in 1971 which makes it exactly the same age as I am, that's the sentimental part...
Also, this camera has the same lens Olympus put in the famous RD, an F.Zuiko 40mm/1.7 which will make this camera a superb indoor shooter.
... And, the lens is 49mm in diameter, making all of my OM lens filter usable on it.
Unlike the RD, the camera decides for you which aperture and shutter combination to use, that may sound bad, but this is Olympus we're talking about, they KNOW how to auto-select exposure settings. Want proofs? look for sample pictures from the XA2/3/4 and Trip 35.
Here's some shots of the camera:
closer up...
Some test pictures:
Sharpness, detail, and bokeh test:
next, highlights and shadow:
next, color rendition (morning light):
... no post-processing other than crop has been done to these pictures.
More samples in this flickr set
CONCLUSION: Darn, no wonder the 35 RD are still fetching good money on the used market these days. This 40mm/1.7 lens is of *very* good quality. I don't really mind relinquishing control of the exposure settings to the camera itself, as the sample pictures have proven to me, Olympus did a good job "programming" this camera.
I am a happy camper.
I bid for a non-working Olympus DC on the 'Bay several months ago for cheap. I left the package under the table for months partly because I knew it wasn't a working camera, and I was not keen on finding out in what shape it'll be in. And I have other cameras that needed testing.
A couple days ago, I decided to open the package and give it a look. The camera was as expected, not working, the shutter won't go even with a newish battery. The shutter release is in deep recess, the film advance lever is stuck, opening the back, everything is in order, the film spools are rotating fine, but nothing can unstuck the shutter assembly.
Other than that, the cosmetics are more than ok, it's very clean, a couple of faint scratches is all.
Then I noticed something weird about the position of the self-timer lever. It's out of kilt (pointing towards down), looks like a disjointed shoulder (ouch!). On a whim, I bent the lever even more towards the bottom of the camera.
And voila! with a whir, the self-timer went alive! when it arrived at the normal position, I heard the best sound I heard that day: A click! the shutter release pops up... and everything else starts working!
So I have a practically *new* Olympus 35 DC.
What's the big deal you may ask?
Well, personally, this camera was released in 1971 which makes it exactly the same age as I am, that's the sentimental part...
Also, this camera has the same lens Olympus put in the famous RD, an F.Zuiko 40mm/1.7 which will make this camera a superb indoor shooter.
... And, the lens is 49mm in diameter, making all of my OM lens filter usable on it.
Unlike the RD, the camera decides for you which aperture and shutter combination to use, that may sound bad, but this is Olympus we're talking about, they KNOW how to auto-select exposure settings. Want proofs? look for sample pictures from the XA2/3/4 and Trip 35.
Here's some shots of the camera:
closer up...
Some test pictures:
Sharpness, detail, and bokeh test:
next, highlights and shadow:
next, color rendition (morning light):
... no post-processing other than crop has been done to these pictures.
More samples in this flickr set
CONCLUSION: Darn, no wonder the 35 RD are still fetching good money on the used market these days. This 40mm/1.7 lens is of *very* good quality. I don't really mind relinquishing control of the exposure settings to the camera itself, as the sample pictures have proven to me, Olympus did a good job "programming" this camera.
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