Olympus 35 rd

Olympus 35 RD. Compact, full featured Rangefinder.

It came back right before Thanksgiving. Turns out I like this camera a lot! The 35 RD was part of a more elite group of compact rangefinders like the Minolta Hi-Matic 7sii that have semi-auto exposure plus full manual override. Having the ability to control exposure exactly how I want it is a big plus. Of course, I rarely do that with this camera.

Olympus 35 rd

One of the side-benefits of getting back into film photography is that someone may gift you a camera. But sometimes they are. Maybe getting a zoom compact first is the trick? And now another gifted camera has arrived. Would I be interested? Heck yeah, I would. So he sent it to me. If it worked, it could be the small, shoulderable camera for bike rides and such. It would replace the Ricoh 35 ZF, which I had no love for. So I eagerly anticipated its arrival. After it, this style of camera was phased out, replaced by the XA series, and then autofocus cameras. But the reputation of these cameras is great, and since the camera was so well-featured and also rare production stopped either in or that working units fetch high prices on eBay. I dropped it off at Advance Camera in Raleigh Hills in early September, and waited with intense anticipation. Nine weeks later!

Photos I took with the Olympus 35 RD can be seen in the dynamic flickr album below, or click here.

It was when Olympus made the call to launch their final Hail Mary in the competitive 40mm fixed-lens rangefinder game. Olympus engineers aimed to better the already well-received Olympus 35 SP and replace it with the RD short for Rangefinder Deluxe in hopes of making their last professional rangefinder one for the ages. Alas, Olympus came up a few yards short. The result is that the RD is something of a rarity these days. Even if its contemporary competition presents a better over-all package, in many ways the 35 RD remains the premier Olympus rangefinder. Chief among them is the 6-element F.

It was when Olympus made the call to launch their final Hail Mary in the competitive 40mm fixed-lens rangefinder game. Olympus engineers aimed to better the already well-received Olympus 35 SP and replace it with the RD short for Rangefinder Deluxe in hopes of making their last professional rangefinder one for the ages. Alas, Olympus came up a few yards short. The result is that the RD is something of a rarity these days. Even if its contemporary competition presents a better over-all package, in many ways the 35 RD remains the premier Olympus rangefinder. Chief among them is the 6-element F. Zuiko 40mm f1. When shooting in bright daylight, a hood is necessary to reduce these optical aberrations.

Olympus 35 rd

The Olympus 35 RD was the last 'classic' fully manual mechanical shutter fixed-lens rangefinder to be introduced by Olympus. It can be used in shutter priority autoexposure mode or manual mode which does not function with the built-in meter. Zuiko lens is a 6-element design with a focus range of 0. The exposure meter uses a CdS photo sensor located within the 49mm filter area. The metering has a range of 2. Film speed can be set from 25 to ASA. The leaf shutter is located between the lens and is manufactured by Seiko.

Temple of baal bg3

The shutter sounded good, no oil on the aperture blades and the foam seal around the back door looked soft and light tight. The album would be right before the postscripts. This system is often is more accurate than electronic flash control since it can not be fooled by dark or light subject deviating from the standard gray. Thanks for the tip! Hey Neilson, thanks for the comment. Must be around 5 seconds? Olympus engineers aimed to better the already well-received Olympus 35 SP and replace it with the RD short for Rangefinder Deluxe in hopes of making their last professional rangefinder one for the ages. Um, I did? Any time I attempt to move that ring, I will no doubt move the focus ring as well. May 23, There are quite a few solutions to it including yours. Would I recommend the Olympus 35 RD? Hey Leica, learn something. Appreciate the comment. The Olympus XA has a full house 5 but it harder to use and the image fall off in the corners is bothersome unless that is the look you are going for.

Olympus 35 RD. Compact, full featured Rangefinder.

The 40mm frame-lines are vibrant and are given ample padding due to the 0. Share this: Twitter Facebook. Thanks very much! I am use to rangefinders as I have both a Leica M3 and M5 so focusing this camera was not a problem. Dustin Vaughn-Luma. The helicoid grease used during manufacturing of the lens is prone to separating over the course of four plus decades, and this oil frequently finds its way between the shutter and aperture blades. But the reputation of these cameras is great, and since the camera was so well-featured and also rare production stopped either in or that working units fetch high prices on eBay. Being the contrarian that I am, I have decided to do an in depth review of a 64 megapixel pocketable point and shoot camera, sans phone. Leave a comment Cancel reply. Some shooters will enjoy this electronic safety measure, others will find it a nuisance. The Olympus XA has a full house 5 but it harder to use and the image fall off in the corners is bothersome unless that is the look you are going for. Where is best place other than ebay to find an olympus rd 35mm camera? I am not really all that interested in laboratory measurements and voodoo speak.