OT: clamshell model?

[fraley]

This is off-topic, not a rangefinder, but I'm hoping someone is familiar with it. There's a pocket P&S style camera, I think it's by Olympus. Comes in maroon or green leatherette. Closes up like a mussel/oyster/clam. Not the sliding horizontal style but a vertical style. Discontinued maybe 5 years ago? I'm trying to find out about it. There's a 'new' one in a shop here for 119.00USD. I'm interested but would like to know more about it first. Thanks for any help you can provide in tracing it. I tried the Olympus site under 'archived' cameras but came up with a blank.

 

[Stephanie Brim]

It Isn't an XA or an XA2? Sounds mysteriously like an XA2 to me.

 

[wlewisiii]

Verticle? That's unusual to say the least. Have you tried google for images of the camera?

William

 

[XAos]

When you say "not the sliding type but closes up like a clam" do you mean it pivots rather than slides? I've never seen that, but I did just fall off the turnup truck recently if not yesterday. If you have a digicam go take a pic of it and come back. XA's slide horizontally, and they were discontinued a long time ago. The Stylus epic is about the same size as an XA without the flash (a smidge smaller but not as shapely), and they did discontinue the non zoom f/2.8 model a few years ago, but it also slides horizontally. Right now it sounds like an SE in portrait mode 🙂

 

[aizan]

sounds like a special edition of the minox 35.

 

[surlysimon]

there was an olympus that had a sort of leather cover, one of there limited editions. i thought it was an APS camera rather than 35mm. can't remember what it was called

 

[RFFan]

Sounds like the Olympus Infinity LT Zoom 105. It seems to be a highly regarded P&S camera - you can read the reviews on www.photographyreview.com.

 

[aizan]

whoa. that's NEAT.

 

[Roman]

Do you mean the LT-1?

http://www.optiksammlung.de/Olympus/LT.html

Roman

 

[RFFan]

Do you mean the LT-1?

http://www.optiksammlung.de/Olympus/LT.html

Roman

Just looking at the photos of the two cameras on the respective websites I'm not sure that the LT-1 is the same camera. Hopefully Fraley will be able to identify which camera it is by looking at those photos.

 

[fraley]

Thanks Roman! It's definitely the LT-1. I remember the flap that covers the lens now. Here'sanother link. Seems like it would be a good pocket camera except it may only be autofocus and I'd want the choice of manual.

http://www.centralcamera.com/olympus/102-905.htm

I think I'm attracted to the leather covering, not any rational reason!

 

[rbiemer]

IIRC, this is a Stylus in a cooler skin. Which means(to me): good P&S camera.
No manual focus. The one thing I don't especially like about my Stylus is that the default mode is flash ON and I have to remember to turn it off every time I turn the camera on.
Other than that I like 'em alot!
Have they got two of 'em?
Rob

 

[XAos]

Yup - I wish dearly the stylus had a firm but easily manipulated flash mode. This is one of the few cameras out there workable with gloves on - all except for changing the flash setting.

 

[Roman]

Yep, the very last line of the German webpage says (in translation): 'Technically the LT-1 is a mju (=European name of the Stylus Epic) in changed body.'
BTW, I'm quite amazed that the mju/St.epic only had a 3-element lens...

Oh and BTW, sure, the leather looks nice, but as a pocket-camera the (splash-)waterproof plastic body of the 'real' Stylus Epic might prove more durable...

Roman

 

[cbass]

Is this the one?

Is this the one?

My apologies for reviving an old thread, but I think I may have recently bought one of the Olympus "clamshell" cameras that fraley was referring to in his original post. There doesn't seem to be much information about the LT-1 on the 'net. Perhaps these were made in limited numbers and/or sold in limited markets...?

I recently won an auto-everything Olympus LT-1 on *bay (I've included a picture of it below) for $25 USD. The body is covered in leatherette and has a sturdy leatherette flap which folds up over the lens and is secured by a snap on the back door of the camera. The lens is a 35/3.5. I wonder if it is the same as the lens on the XA2? The LT-1 lens has a bluish coating compared to the amber coating on the XA2 lens.

The LT-1 is VERY compact; being only slightly larger than the XA2. It fits easily into my pocket. I look forward to using this tiny camera. 😀