Shot from 35RD

[serpia]

I bought an Olympus 35RD a while back on Ebay, and finally have something to post from it. I wasn't sure how well the camera would work, so I shot color negative film for the exposure lattitude (Kodak High Definition asa 200). I bought the camera primarily for the 40mm lens, a length I haven't used before. I think I like the look of 40 mm focal length, but I find that there is plenty of sharpness in the lens to allow cropping to get a usable picture even when 40mm is a bit wide for the scene.

Here is a full frame shot,

a detail from it,

and another. After taking the photo I walked past the building, and noticed a tree with a yellow band on one branch and tape on another. I wondered if these would show in the photo, and made a mental note to look for them. Found them.

 

[tedwhite]

Nice shots, and the lens is obviously a good one. Having said that, I don't know what a 35RD is. Is it a rangefinder camera? When was it manufactured?

 

[Trius]

Excellent! I just marked an RD on ePrey ... not that I'm in buying mode right now, but if by some chance it ends up not going to high, I might go for it.

 

[erikhaugsby]

It's a great little fixed-lens rangefinder for playing around with; I just picked one up from greyhoundman last week.

42mm f/2.8 E-Zuiko (5 element), 15-500th second + B, Shutter priority and Manual exposure modes (no metering in manual).

the bartender has some nice info here.

 

[serpia]

Thanks for posting the link, that one, and the site below were very helpful.

http://www.ph.utexas.edu/~yue/misc/35RD.html

 

[Trius]

Erik: Serpia has the RD, not the RC. RD has a 6-element lens, f1.7 vs. 2.8 in the RC.

 

[shadowfox]

I have two 35 DC's (the automatic equivalent of RD *with the same lens*) that are inoperative. Looking for a good tech who can make a functional one out of those.

 

[acall]

I have an RD that was my father's at one time. Time and neglect have resulted in a gummed-up lens and shutter. I was told by a local camera shop that it was un-fixable, but he also said that it wasn't worth fixing. I think he didn't want to spend the time working on it. Does any one have any suggestions of who could possibly fix this up for me. I would love to be able to use it.
Thanks,
Alan

 

[Trius]

Alan: All RDs suffer this problem because of the type of lubricant that was used. John Hermanson at Camtech (zuiko.com) can set it right. Not a cheap CLA ($99 estimate), but definitely worth it. The tech you spoke to was just plain wrong.

Shadow: Same advice for the tech who is good. I don't see a price for the DC, but likely it will be $79 - $99. That investment for a DC doesn't make sense if you plan to resell it in the near future, unlike for the RD. But for a user you plan to keep, it's a good deal.

Others might do this cheaper, but I only know about John's work. Clint Rumbo would be good, too, but he's not accepting new orders. I've heard good things about Essex, but haven't used them and I don't think their prices are materially different from John's.

 

[serpia]

Alan, I think if you are considering sending an RD or similar vintage camera out for repair, then this is probably the time to do it. It won't be cheaper next year, and I suspect that as time passes there will be fewer and fewer experienced and competent technicians.

If you were able to use your RD before it failed, then you might believe, like I do, that it is a fast, fun camera. It is smaller, lighter and quieter than a Leica M6 with 35 asph f2. The RD flash synchronizes at all speeds up to 1/500 ...well you can see the websites for the full feature set, so I won't repeat that.

As it was your father's, I can understand that having it as a functional camera might not be the primary consideration. I hope you enjoy it either way.

 

[kellymjones]

Alan: I successfully fixed an RD I won on shopgoodwill.com by using the instructions at: http://www.kyphoto.com/classics/oly35rdcleaning.html
Almost all of the RDs suffer from sticky shutters and the only way to clean them well is to disassemble the lens assembly.

If you are patient and careful, you can do it yourself without too much trouble. Once piece of advice, perform all of your work on a cloth. If you drop a small screw or some other small piece of the camera, it will not bounce and disappear. I didn't have a spanning wrench, so I had to improvise. Removing the lens required a small screw driver and gentle tapping from a hammer in order to loosen it enough to unscrew it. After that it was fairly easy.

 

[acall]

Thanks for all the replies, there is some good info here. I really want to get this camera working again, as it was the first camera I ever used. It has had some rough miles put on it, but it has produced some great shots in the past (my father tested parachute systems for the Navy in the 70's and would take this camera on jumps because it was so small). I had forgotten about this camera until about a year ago when I found it while cleaning out a closet. Hopefully it can be put back into service.

Alan

 

[shadowfox]

Alan: Would be neat if you can upload some of the photos from a parachute test (assuming that it's not classified or something like that) 🙂

Trius: I know it'd be expensive, but I can't really blame the techs for posting a high price either, their skills are getting rarer and rarer. Maybe it's time for me to spring for a watch/jeweller's tools (now that's a scary thought 😛 ), do they come in packages or would I have to hunt-'n'-peck for individual tool? I wish I can improvise tools like Kelly, but one step at a time, I guess...

 

[shadowfox]

Sorry, didn't mean to turn the direction of the thread!

Serpia, that's a nice shot, I really want to get my DC working so I can compare the lens with your RD.

 

[serpia]

Shadowfox, no problem with the thread as far as I am concerned. I look forward to seeing some shots from the DC.

I'm not very good about recording, or remembering exposure details, but I am certain that the shot I posted was at at f11 or 16. I will try to post something taken at larger apertures.

Right now I have Fuji Superia in the camera, at ASA 100, the slowest color print film I could buy locally, and this is the first time I have used it. I am shooting a mix of auto-exposure and sunny 16 shots to see if I trust the meter. Next, if it goes well is to try some slide film, but for a while I will have to trust the lattitude of color print film to save my exposures.