what is the Olympus 35 RF camera with best optical performance?

S

sirds

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As described in the subject, I'd like to have your opinion about the lense performance among olympus 35 RF cameras.

I am thinking about getting one in e-bay or local used market.
But hard to compare which one perfoms best out of RD, RC and SP.

happy photograph!!
 
Oly RD

Oly RC

Oly SP

Comparison

Most Features in the smallest package: Olympus RC
Most Capable: a tie between the Olympus RD and Canon G-III 17
Best RF/VF of the test group: Olympus RC/RD when cleaned, Yashica Electro 35 CC
Click to expand...

I think for small size, the RC is the winner. I have 2 Oly SPn's. That spot meter is the deal maker for me.
 
I'd go for the SP (I am biased as I have one)
I've held an RC, it's smaller and doesn't have such a range of shutter speeds, it also has a slower lens. By all accounts the lens on the SP is superb!

A few SP sites... the first one is by one of the RFF members here (Andrew Yue)

http://www.ph.utexas.edu/~yue/misc/35SP.html
http://mywebpages.comcast.net/youngds/Classic35/Olympus 35 SP/Olympus35SP.htm
http://www.lumieresenboite.com/collection2.php?l=2&c=Olympus_35_SP
http://www.photoethnography.com/ClassicCameras/index-frameset.html?OlympusSP35.html~mainFrame
http://www.claus-marin.de/35speng.htm
http://www.erikfiss.com/foto/cams/olysp/

Nick
 
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Re: what is the Olympus 35 RF camera with best optical performance?

sirds said:
As described in the subject, I'd like to have your opinion about the lense performance among olympus 35 RF cameras.

I am thinking about getting one in e-bay or local used market.
But hard to compare which one perfoms best out of RD, RC and SP.

happy photograph!!
Click to expand...

It is hard to make an objective comparison if we are talking about "performs the best" because everyone's criteria will be different.

If you are talking about size - the RC wins, it is the smallest.

If you are talking about lens quality - the SP and SPn would win, as they have G.Zuiko lenses, versus RD's F.Zuiko and the RC's E.Zuiko (the letter in front of 'Zuiko' indicates number of lens elements).

If you are talking about ability to meter - you might have a tie; the SP and SPn have a spot-meter, which is very handy, but the RC and the RD have their meter cell located on the lens body, so they meter through any filters you might have attached and give an accurate reading with them on - no need to compensate manually.

We all have our preferences - and it is hard to go to far wrong with any of them. I suggest all three...hehehehe.

Seriously, my (very subjective) choice is the RD. I have owned the SP and sold it - I liked it fine, but the RD is a bit smaller and 'feels better' in my hand. The RC (I have two) is nice but does not exhibit the same build quality to me.

Hope you find this helpful! I wish there was a clear-cut answer to 'which one is better' but for me, it's not so easy in this case.

Best Regards,

Bill Mattocks
 
Since I wrote one of the above web pages and have all three, let me chime in with a resounding endorsement of the Oly 35SP and 35SPn. In short, the Oly 35SP simply outclasses the 35RC and 35RD. The spot-metering capability is a nice feature, but the deal clincher should be the G. Zuiko, which is better corrected and offers better color rendition than the F. Zuiko on the 35RD. Truthfully, the 35SP has never failed to impress me. It is what every luxury fixed-lens 35mm should be.

If you are on a budget, the 35RD is a camera to avoid. It definitely looks attractive and is more compact than the 35SP, but it does suffer from a mechanical design flaw, which allows grease from the lens helical to migrate onto the shutter. In other words, this can be and often is an expensive camera to own.

Lens performance on the Oly 35RD is o.k. It definitely meets or exceed all expectations in its class of better equipped fixed-lens range finders. but is not a stellar performer like the G. Zuiko on the 35SP.

Where does this leave the poor little 35RC? Well, it is a minimalist camera that is quite a pleasant to use. The 35RC is also the most compact of the group. It has the best ergonomics in the Olympus line-up. It performs well in daylight and it is a reliable shooter with B&W film. The E. Zuiko is not a Planar clone like the F. Zuiko on the 35RD, which was Olympus's reply to the Canonet QL17 GIII. The E Zuiko is more of a hybrid of the Tessar design. So it is very sharp in the center, but can get a little soft in the corners when shot wide open. Out of focus areas in the background definitely have a nice creamy texture even with the square, and I do mean square, shape of the aperture opening.

On the downside the 35RC has an odd 43.5mm filter size. One can expect to embark on a veritible treasure hunt when searching for a lens hood and filters for this camera. As mentioned, the slowest shutter speed is 1/15th of second.
 
Andrew:

Couple of points:

* Yes, I had to have my RD in for a shutter/aperture rebuild. It has been lovely since then, however. You made a very good point there.

* I have not found the RD to be appreciably less sharp than the SP, and I have also owned both. But I admit I did not do a side-by-side shootout test.

* As you said, the RD competes with the Canonet; and beats it, I think. Better lens and smaller. Also has a better-made 'feel' in my humble opinion.

* Lots of places sell a 43.5 to 46 step-up-adapter, including B&H. Works well for me.

* I don't have huge hands, but I do find the RC a tad smallish and fiddly to use - although I do love it. The RD fits my paw better. About all the RC has that is better is the shutter speed dial on top where it belongs, but the SP has it on the lens barrel just like the RD.

* I really like to shoot B&W and therefore I use filters that require exposure compensation. The SP requires manual compensation because the sensors are next to the viewfinder.

But they're all nice in their way, eh? We can agree on that, at least.

Best Regards,

Bill Mattocks
 
Agree that the lens in the SP/SPn is superb. Mine should be now on transit to another RFF member, not that I didn't like it (I did) but I like some other cameras even more :)

If you're only after optical performance, then I'd say the SP/SPn is your Oly.
 
I've owned all three.

My preference is the RD - purely a personal choice made with the knowledge that the SP is a more capable camera. It makes a reasonable comprimise between the best of the SP and the RC and it is a very strong performer in its own right; it's basically an Olympus Canonet and that is a not a bad thing.

However, if you own one, expect that you will need a CLA at some point sooner rather than later. ($105, I recommend CamTech for any Oly camera work.) Cleaning the shutter blades on the RD is not a do-it-yourselfer kind of job.

Next would be the SP. Sharper lens, spot meter. Sizewise, the SP feels best in my hands, but with a fixed lens RF, portability means something to me and the RD is just better sized for a coat pocket. Really a great camera otherwise and it does have a better reliability record than the RD and its lens ring issue.

The RC - others like it much more than I do. Nothing wrong with it, but I don't see much reason to recommend over, say, a Konica C35 or Oly XA in terms of pocketable cameras.
 
A little editing is in order here.

Bill and John, bring up a valid reason why some cameras don't get used as much as other. In a word, that reason is ERGONOMICS.

The 35SP truly is one of the last of an old-school tradition whose popularity peaked in the late 1950's. The two main sticking points from a moder perspective are the LVS design of the shutter and aperture controls, which were designed to facilitate working with an built-in uncoupled light meter.

If you are accustomed to shooting with a medium format camera from the late 1950's with a hand-held meter, then use of the Light Value System came naturally. However, if one is accustomed to a modern RF or SLR shooter with a coupled meter, then all bets are off.

I believe that John hit the nail on the head. From a modern perspective, the 35RD is not only more pocketable, but also quicker to shoot with than the 35SP.

With than said, I tend bring a back-up light meter when using my 35RD. As you know, its manual mode is UNMETERED. In its METER auto mode it is imperative to take a light reading pointing away from the sky or any other bright light, hold the shutter release in the half-way position and then bring the camera up to compose/shoot with. Rather than hold the shutter button in the half-way position, I find it easier to adjust film speed lever.

With the 35SP, I never bring along a hand-held meter.

Optically - the 35RD is very good, but the G. Zuiko on the 35SP is sharper wide open. I doubt that you'd be able to point out much of a difference between the two lenses at f/4 and above, especially with B&W. Color rendition or should I say color richness is a bit brighter with the 35SP

Let me add that I'm a bit jaded. In addition to some pretty old medium format gear, I also use a Rollei 35S and over the summer I acquired a Kodak Retina IIIc. Both of which, lack any of the ERGONOMIC refinements found in the 35RD, but both are marvelously cameras even if they are slower to work with.
 
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"it's basically an Olympus Canonet and that is a not a bad thing." Oh, I like that description. Can I use it on one of my web pages?
 
Of the three Olympus RF cameras that I have (RC, RD, LC), the hands down winner is the 35LC. It's not that the others are "bad", but the LC just seems to have the best lens.
 
"Best" is truly subjective, but I agree the SP is a fine RF (shhh, I have one). You can find smaller sizes, but the SP handles, focus' and shoots really well for me ~ ; - )
 
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