Frontman
Well-known
I have been collecting and shooting with Olympus SLR and rangefinder cameras quite a bit over the last few years. Since I moved to Japan, I have come across some interesting cameras, and have found a few real beauties. I like black cameras, so over time I have bought a black SP, a black Pen FT, and a black Pen W.
But the one camera I have been looking for has been the elusive black paint Olympus Wide S. I saw one for sale in Japan a few years ago, and thought for sure that it was a repainted chrome camera. The asking price was quite high, so I passed on it.
But a year later I saw another black Wide S was for sale at a Ginza camera shop. The shop owner told me that Olympus did in fact make a black paint Wide S. The one he had for sale was quite a bit more expensive than the previous one, so I passed on it as well.
Then last week I came across this camera in a internet "junk" sale, a real, genuine, authentic etc. black paint Wide S.
When it arrived, it certainly was junk. Nothing worked. I disassembled it to the bare bones and found some loose screws and a broken spring. The glass in the viewfinder was also broken. But luckily I had a Olympus 35S, which grudgingly donated a few parts. I cleaned out the shutter assembly, removed the old grease from the various mechanisms, relubed everything, and put it back together. I left the exterior as it was, the brassing and handling marks add some character. It seems to be a smooth operator, and is nearly silent in operation.
More photos,
But the one camera I have been looking for has been the elusive black paint Olympus Wide S. I saw one for sale in Japan a few years ago, and thought for sure that it was a repainted chrome camera. The asking price was quite high, so I passed on it.
But a year later I saw another black Wide S was for sale at a Ginza camera shop. The shop owner told me that Olympus did in fact make a black paint Wide S. The one he had for sale was quite a bit more expensive than the previous one, so I passed on it as well.
Then last week I came across this camera in a internet "junk" sale, a real, genuine, authentic etc. black paint Wide S.
When it arrived, it certainly was junk. Nothing worked. I disassembled it to the bare bones and found some loose screws and a broken spring. The glass in the viewfinder was also broken. But luckily I had a Olympus 35S, which grudgingly donated a few parts. I cleaned out the shutter assembly, removed the old grease from the various mechanisms, relubed everything, and put it back together. I left the exterior as it was, the brassing and handling marks add some character. It seems to be a smooth operator, and is nearly silent in operation.
More photos,
