Camera Talk

Posted on NelsonFoto Forums on 28th April, 2006

Following on from my post about beating the little old man in the dirty raincoat in the Classics Forum, one of the cameras among the haul that followed me home was an Olympus 35RC. It looked so cute that I just couldn't resist slipping it into my pocket while all of the other cameras went into the boot of the car. Over a plate of Cod & Chips with a pint of lager, in the nearest pub, I gave the viewfinder glass a wipe with my handkerchief, removed the dead PX675 battery and dropped one of the spare SR44's that I carry for the OM2n into the battery compartment, where it made contact, although too small in diameter and brought the meter to life. I fed it a roll of Kodak Gold 200, set it to "Auto", selected a shutter speed of 1/250th, and carried it with me for the rest of the day and the next.

For those who don't know the Olympus 35RC, it is a very small rangefinder camera measuring about 11 X 7 cm with full manual or shutter priority auto exposure, shutter speeds of 1/15th to 1/500 plus B, fitted with an Olympus E.Zuiko 42mm f2.8 lens which stops down to f22 and focusing from a little under one metre, with a bright frame viewfinder and a clear rangefinder patch. It has a legendary five element lens that is a match for any camera in this class and some. You can read more here: http://www.ph.utexas.edu/~yue/misc/35RC.html

We, my Best Beloved and I, visited Grimsthorpe Castle where there was a rare plant sale, Burghley House where the spring daffodils were in bloom all over the grounds and the town of Stamford, which is a photographers dream. Here are some of the results from this remarkable little camera.