Olympus 35RC

This is a very nice and compact 35mm film camera.

Just six months following the release of the Olympus 35EC, the Olympus 35RC was unveiled in the autumn of 1970. In contrast to the electronic program shutter featured in the EC, the RC adopted an shutter-priority auto-exposure system with a mechanical shutter that allowed for optional manual operation. This gave photographers complete control over exposure settings for more creative freedom. 

It has two operating modes, shutter priority and full manual.

Olympus 35 RC

I got mine for $35 and it just needed a viewfinder and lens cleaning. The meter and mechanical parts were perfect. I also ordered a custom-made light seal kit from Aki-Asahi. Their light seals are very well made and affordable.

The camera has a top shutter speed selector on the top plate and it's possible to choose from 1/15s to 1/500 plus B. It's a fairly limited range but it's amazing how you can do if combined with a razor-sharp five-element E.Zuiko 42mm F2.8 objective and a good 400 ISO film. 

The lens is EXTREMELY sharp from F5.6 to F8 and still a very good performer at F3.5 with some corner softness at maximum aperture of F2.8.

It's important to note that this compact camera was specifically crafted for handheld photography, and even the most skilled hands couldn't guarantee optimal results at speeds slower than 1/15 sec.

A notable addition was the red band on the left side of the aperture scale, signaling insufficient light for auto-exposure operation. When the indicator needle entered this band, the shutter would automatically lock. This feature proved useful for creative photography. In auto mode, photographers could gently press the release button, check the aperture reading, and then switch to manual aperture setting based on the previous exposure reading, ensuring both creative freedom and necessary information for precise exposure settings.

Focusing is done manually by a nice coincidence image rangefinder. The viewfinder featured an Olympus special bright frame finder, displaying shutter speeds at the top and an aperture scale at the bottom. Both scales included movable indicator needles for easy confirmation of settings.

The shutter priority mode needs a battery to work. The original one is a PX-625 1.35V mercury battery, now banned, but you can use a Zinc-air Wien battery and it works very well. Another option is to adapt a silver oxide battery (1.55 V) and have the light meter recalibrated by a technician, or just compensate the difference selecting a higher ISO. I do not recommend 1.5V alkaline batteries as the voltage drops during its lifetime. The difference from 1.35 to 1.5 V can result in a +2 stops exposure error. 

Finally, I ended with a very nice voltage converter adapter. Worth every cent.

The manual mode is meter blind. You will need an external light meter or an exposure table to properly expose the film. It's possible to use the manual mode without the battery.

Also very interesting is the "Flashmatic" system used on several Olympus cameras from this era. It's a very clever approach. The idea is to set the camera with the flash guide number (luminous power) and the camera will automatically set the aperture based on the film ISO and focusing distance. Works like a charm and it's not fooled by the background. It can sync at any speed.

The CdS light meter sensor is positioned inside the filter thread, allowing automatic compensation for the filter factor.

It's a very precise meter and capable of good exposures even with positive film, but remember it's center-weighted, so you must compensate manually for strong backlight or the classic bride on the snow and black cat in a coal mine situations. The shutter release also acts as an exposure lock when pressed halfway.

And last but not least, the filter size is 43.5 mm, and not very easy to find. Like many other people, I decided to use a 43.5 to 46 mm step-up ring.

There is much more information about the 35RC  on the following websites :

Andrew Yue website
Camera Quest

    

Compared to other Olympus cameras with rangefinder from the same era:

This RC is much better than the classic Olympus Trip 35 and, in my opinion, a better choice than the Olympus 35 DC. The later one has a more luminous lens, but it's totally autoexposure within almost the same exposure parameters with the shutter speed range from 1/15s to 1/500s and a 40/1.7 lens. The manual mode of the RC is a good add-on.

The best one of the series is the RD. Think about an RC with a huge 40mm F1.7 lens and a mechanical shutter capable to go down to 1/2s. This little camera is a killer. It's also smaller than the Canon Canonet QL17 and QL19. But the RD is a rare camera and usually expensive.

Compared to the XA, the RC is much cheaper, has a better viewfinder and rangefinder and less prone to electronic malfunctions. I think the RC lens is sharper than the XA's one.

The 35SP has superior specifications in almost every aspect, but it's a much larger and heavier camera and the light meter sensor is placed outside the lens filter thread and you need to remember to compensate if you're using filters. One drawback of the SP is that it works on full-automatic, metered mode or full-manual unmetered mode. I still prefer the RC or the RD.