Won an Olympus RC on epray, wish me luck

Jeremy Z

Jeremy Z

Well-known
Local time
6:33 AM
Joined
Feb 10, 2007
Messages
558
Location
N. Chicago suburbs
View My Gallery
I've wanted one of these for a while now. Ever since I had the Yashica Electro, I thought: "This is nice, but if it lacks features, it should at least be small...." So I bought a Canonet, which doesn't lack features, but is smaller. A good compromise.

A few weeks ago, I also won a Rollei 35 on ebay, but it needs a CLA, as the aperture won't open all the way or close all the way; it feels like there's dirt in there.

So now, I have an Olympus RC on the way, which is said to be just a bit bigger than a Rollei 35, but has conventional controls, the lens is probably just as good, and it is a true rangefinder.

What can I expect from this camera?

Here's the auction, with the usual vague description. (and high shipping)

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&rd=1&item=160090956915&ssPageName=STRK:MEWN:IT&ih=006

Wish me luck!

-Jeremy
 
Congrats! Cameraquest speaks very highly of this camera and it looks like you got a good deal. I bet that you'll have fun with that. Be sure to post some of your first pictures and let us know what you think of it!
 
Looks like you got a great buy. I've acquired two of them in the last year and both had the problem of a corroded wire between the battery compartment and the camera electronics. I couldn't find a way of fixing the wire without disassembling the camera. I might yet try to cut away the battery compartment with a hot knife and fix it that way. The disassembly of the camera was fairly tricky for me.

I've only shot two rolls with the RC, but the results were very good. The lense is sharp, but perhaps slightly less so than my G-III QL17. It's difficult to say which is better, but I definitely like the small size of the RC. It's much better for carrying around in a coat pocket.

Another camera I acquired is a 35 RD which features a 40mm f1.7 lens. The RD is notorious for having sticky shutters due to creeping lubricant. The RD is very small, but very slightly larger than the RC. It's definitely smaller than the QL17. The model with supposedly the sharpest lens in the trio of Olys is the 35 SP, but I haven't been able to acquire and test one yet.

Overall I think the RC is great. Have fun shooting with it.
 
Last edited:
Yeah, the seller said he didn't know if the battery is good, which could mean there's an exploded one in there right now that had sealed the battery compartment closed... It's always tricky, reading into item descriptions on ebay. Sometimes, they're being deceptive, and sometimes, they're just ignorant and apathetic of the matter.

kellymjones, thanks for the comparisons. I'll be especially interested to see how it holds up against the Rollei 35 and Olympus XA. If mine has the problem with the corroded wire, I think I will try to fix it. What was tricky about the repair? (so I know what to look out for)

One thing that steered me towards the Olympus was the shutter speed dial on the top. I thought that with it up there, I may be able to make exposure adjustments at eye level, unlike anything I've got so far.
 
Jeremy Z - congratulations. it looks like a good buy, even if the battery is kaput. I found the RC has a more contrasty lens than either the SP or Canonet GIII - perhaps due to fewer lens elements. It has a great viewfinder and is excellent as a coat pocket camera.

Kellym - this may help with repair http://rick_oleson.tripod.com/index-134.html

I knew G'man would be along soon 🙂
 
I bought one thinking of treating it like a "spare" camera, but after I got it and saw what it can do, it quickly became a favorite. The VF system feels a little crude, but the camera is cute, the lens can surprise you with the sharpness, and I love the smooth advance lever.

Yours was a good price, even with the high shipping, if it works as the seller claims. The cosmetics are really nice!🙂
 
Last edited:
Great camera. The film indicator meter doesn't work on mine, so I never know how many shots I have left on a roll, but otherwise it's a fantastic portable camera, with a really fine lens.

Ian
 
G'man, thanks for the info. That certainly beats removing the top, bottom and lens element in order to get a clear view of the backside of the battery compartment!
 
Everyone here knows I sorta like Oly cameras ... 😀

I don't use my RC much, so I have film in it and am carrying it recently as I feel sorry I've neglected it. The lens IS very good (4 element, maybe Tessar or Tessar-derived design?), and I like the small size. For its size the VF and RF are very, very good, and having both aperture and shutter speed in the VF are bonus. That said, there are a couple of significant quibbles:

1. Lack of slower shutter speeds. 1/15 is lowest, which means for low light shots you're screwed unless you have higher speed film loaded, though the ASA can only be set to 800 maximum. The f2.8 lens doesn't help much here. Given it is such a solid little camera, I'm confident I could handhold down to 1/8, 1/4 in a pinch.

2. Small controls. Even though you can shoot in manual mode, changing aperture is a real challenge unless you have pixey fingers. The best approach is to set an aperture and just vary shutter speed. In low light situations the necessity of changing the aperture means it's not a fast camera to operate.

So I regard the RC as a great camera for certain situations, but not all. It is best used in auto mode because you don't have to fiddle with aperture (it's shutter preferred) and not in low light. Also the meter is active only in auto mode. I am not sure about meter pattern and accuracy (I think the meter in mine is "off"), so I'm not sure about using it with chrome.

All-in-all I think I would be happier with an RD. However, I was extremely happy with my Konica C35, which is auto only, so maybe I just need to stay in the RC's comfort zone and keep giving it chance.

Earl
 
The rc is one of the all-time greats..
One of my favorite features is the exposure lock.
You can point at concrete or grass, partially depress the shutter button until the needle quits moving, then compose and focus while holding the shutter release in that position.
I really wish all AE modes worked that way, many do..
 
Thanks for all the comments, Fellas!

I just received it yesterday. The RF system is messed-up. When I turn it one way, the images move as they should. When I turn it the other way, they don't turn back, really. They slowly come back together at a glacial pace. I just sent the seller a message, I'm going to send it back, unless he feels like being a jerk about it. (and ruining his feedback, hehehe)

It is frustrating, as I like everything else about the camera. I was quite surprised by the smoothness of the film advance. Quite a bit nicer than the Rollei 35 or Canon GIII. Just as nice as the OM1n, actually.

Trius, I believe this lens is a 5 element design. (with the Zuiko lenses, the preceding letter denoted the # of elements, so 'D. Zuiko' would have been 4) So maybe this is a Sonnar one-off instead?

Regarding the pixie-ness of the aperture ring, I agree. I think with these 70s Japanese RFs, the trick is to just give up on trying to turn the aperture ring without also turning the focus ring. Grab them both to turn the aperture ring, and focus later.

The RC doesn't have as many of those damned metal tabs sticking up to scratch my fingers while making other adjustments as the GIII does. I wish they could have found another way to allow those ajustments to be made; on the body or something.

I'm going to buy one from a fellow RFFer who offered me his as a reply to my WTB ad. If I can't get my $$ back from the epray seller, I'm going to smoke him with a - and try to fix it myself. It probably just needs a cleaning.
 
Happy Ending!

Happy Ending!

I contacted the epray seller, he is apparently a nice older guy. He says he's going to refund the money as soon as he can get a hold of his granddaughter to arrange it. (he doesn't know how)

In the meantime, someone here on RFF answered my WTB classified ad, and sold me his 35RC for $30 + shipping at cost. Cosmetically, it isn't quite as nice as the ebay one, but mechanically & electrically, it appears to be perfect.

Once again, the camera that has actually been used is the better one than the one that has been in the sock drawer for the last 5-20 years.

...and once again, when a fellow camera enthusiast says it's good, it usually turns out to be good.

Thanks Wayne R. Scott!
 
Jeremy Z said:
I just received it yesterday. The RF system is messed-up. When I turn it one way, the images move as they should. When I turn it the other way, they don't turn back, really. They slowly come back together at a glacial pace.
Click to expand...
Had a similar experience with Fuji GS645S, wherein as you say the spot would move one way but mine would just hang up while turning back. Sometimes it would suddenly snap back by itself and other times a bit of a jolt to the camera would induce it to pop back to follow the focus position. Turned out to be a matter of stiff old lube in the RF works, and a CLA took care of it. Works like new now. 🙂
 
Doug said:
Turned out to be a matter of stiff old lube in the RF works, and a CLA took care of it. Works like new now. 🙂
Click to expand...
I thought of that, but on a $35 camera, I would really have to like it, hehehe. I thought of keeping it and learning how to do CLAs myself, but I have plenty of hobbies already. 😉
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

J
Olympus 35 RC - Missing Part
Replies
9
Views
410
Jon6565
J
A
RC Service Recommendation
Replies
4
Views
2K
dourbalistar
dourbalistar
N
Olympus 35 DC help me about light needle!!
Replies
0
Views
403
nprz13
N
H
John Hermanson and Olympus Repair
Replies
4
Views
1K
Ororaro
Ororaro
C
Voigtlander lens wish list
Replies
13
Views
973
Coldkennels
Coldkennels
Back
Top Bottom