My new Olympus 35 SP ;)

[Compaq]

Got it a few days ago. This camera has soul. I hear the spring being loaded, hear ticking sounds from within. And this rangefinder is legendary. I can't wait to get out on the street and capture the small moments in life!

Pictures taken with a 450D with Vivitar 2500 bounce flash.


Front by Anders Myhre Brakestad, on Flickr



ASA dial by Anders Myhre Brakestad, on Flickr



Back by Anders Myhre Brakestad, on Flickr



Front 2 by Anders Myhre Brakestad, on Flickr


Regards,
Anders

[FrankS]

They are beautiful camera's, especially in black. Congrats and enjoy!

[jesse1dog]

Lucky to have what looks like a good case, although I prefer the heft of mine without.

jesse

[Avispartner]

Great pictures of a great camera. Hope to have one soon, too!
What case is that?
Cheers from Switzerland.
Rob

[FrankS]

Andres' camera's case is the original manufacturer's case, the bottom half.
Wish I had one for mine.

[Compaq]

I can't say whether the case is original, you'll have to trust FrankS

Btw, I've seen cases with "Olympus 35 SP" on the top half of the case, but mine just says "Olympus"...Is there a major difference?


Oh, and a question: how would I go about getting a lens hood for this camera? I'd like one for sunny days, but I'm not sure what type or actual size I need. The lens takes a 49mm screw mount, but how big should the actual hood be? I don't want to block too much of the viewfinder... :P Would this work?
http://www.warehouseexpress.com/buy-...ns-hood/p12121

But it would be nice to have an Olympus branded one!

[Frontman]

Originally Posted by Compaq

I can't say whether the case is original, you'll have to trust FrankS

Btw, I've seen cases with "Olympus 35 SP" on the top half of the case, but mine just says "Olympus"...Is there a major difference?


Oh, and a question: how would I go about getting a lens hood for this camera? I'd like one for sunny days, but I'm not sure what type or actual size I need. The lens takes a 49mm screw mount, but how big should the actual hood be? I don't want to block too much of the viewfinder... :P Would this work?
http://www.warehouseexpress.com/buy-...ns-hood/p12121

But it would be nice to have an Olympus branded one!

The original hood is a 49mm plastic screw-in hood which says "Olympus" on the inside. These hoods are rather scarce. The chrome plated clamp-on hood which fits the Olympus RD or DC will fit, but reflections off the chrome can affect meter readings on the SP.

The original SP case does say "Olympus SP", but cases from the Olympus 35, UC, and LC are the same design, and fit the SP perfectly.

[Frontman]

Originally Posted by Compaq

I can't say whether the case is original, you'll have to trust FrankS

Btw, I've seen cases with "Olympus 35 SP" on the top half of the case, but mine just says "Olympus"...Is there a major difference?


Oh, and a question: how would I go about getting a lens hood for this camera? I'd like one for sunny days, but I'm not sure what type or actual size I need. The lens takes a 49mm screw mount, but how big should the actual hood be? I don't want to block too much of the viewfinder... :P Would this work?
http://www.warehouseexpress.com/buy-...ns-hood/p12121

But it would be nice to have an Olympus branded one!

The eBay hood looks too wide, and will probably block the viewfinder. Here is a pic of one of my SP's with an original hood.

[Trius]

I use either a Vivitar hood with 49mm thread size hood, or an OM hood, either the metal or rubber slip-ons. I'm pretty sure the case is original.

I don't have a black SP, so I hate you.

[David Hughes]

Hi,

Welcome aboard; you certainly know how to make an entrance!

BTW, original hoods in boxes are easy to find , if you have deep pockets. OTOH, there's plenty of nice vented 49mm ones on ebay from our friends in China.

Regards, David

[Bill58]

I use a straight-walled, 49mm B+W brand hood on mine w/o any problems.

[Compaq]

I'm too not too worried about getting an original hood for this. I certainly wouldn't mind, but I won't pay big bucks for it...yet :P I'll check ebay for something that seems nice.

And thanks all, you've made my beginning here quite enjoyable. You've helped me a lot!

I have yet another question about the 35 SP: should I adjust the shutter before or after advancing the film? If I do before, I hear ticking sounds from the camera. Those do not appear when adjusting after film advancement. It's going to be tedious having to advance the film before taking a shot - I'd like to walk the streets with the camera "loaded", ready for firing!


edit: Bill58, something like this, perhaps?
http://www.ebay.com/itm/B-W-49mm-Scr...ht_2423wt_1270

[kuzano]

The final model and hardest to find of the Olympus 35SP is the UC model. Identical except for front trim around the rangefinder window, this is an SP, but it is identified at the Olympus 35UC. Last 35sp model made and apparently not in great numbers.

Have only seen a half dozen over the last decade. Tracked one in South America for a while.

Currently on eBay by the user fotofila. he specializes in hard to find rangefinders and exceptionally clean models. He very often has Yashica CC and CCN models, along with some large format lenses.

I'd love to have it but right now I'm thinning the herd, not adding to it.

[oftheherd]

Originally Posted by kuzano

...

I'd love to have it but right now I'm thinning the herd, not adding to it.

What??!!!!

Sacrilege I say!!!!!

[oftheherd]

Compaq - That is a nice looking SP. I have a non-black one, but it still takes fine photos. You are going to like that no doubt. Look forward to seeing photos from it. I am not at home so I can't check about noises. I hope that isn't a sign of a problem for you.

[nikon_sam]

That is the original case (bottom half) as it matches the one I have...Mine is just stamped with "Olympus"...
I'm using a Pentax lens cap and an Olympus hood...look here
This is the hood I have but only paid $5 for it at a local Pawn Shop...
It works just fine with just a little interference in the viewfinder.

[David Hughes]

Originally Posted by nikon_sam

That is the original case (bottom half) as it matches the one I have...Mine is just stamped with "Olympus"...
I'm using a Pentax lens cap and an Olympus hood...look here
This is the hood I have but only paid $5 for it at a local Pawn Shop...
It works just fine with just a little interference in the viewfinder.

Hi,

That looks like the chrome/posh version of the OM hood for the standard lens. There's a cheaper black and rubber version around. They often appear on ebay but there's also a lot of vented ones from China that work well with CRF's. Just search on 49mm, vented and hood in photography...

Regards, David

[nikon_sam]

Originally Posted by David Hughes

Hi,

That looks like the chrome/posh version of the OM hood for the standard lens. There's a cheaper black and rubber version around. They often appear on ebay but there's also a lot of vented ones from China that work well with CRF's. Just search on 49mm, vented and hood in photography...

Regards, David

I have one of the rubber Olympus hoods but its a bit wider than the metal one so that one is on my Tak 50mm 1.4.
Both hoods are mark for use on the 35mm 2.8 but the metal one is a bit narrower...and looks real cool...

[Compaq]

I just paid 9 bucks for some 49mm vented hood on eBay. Not sure how long it'll take for it to get here, but I'm looking forward to it!

For a collector the UC should be very attractive!

Is there a way to "track" the exact production year for Olympus rangefinders? The internet says the 35SP was produced from 69 to 73-75, but is it possible to get a more accurate age?

[Trius]

I agree that the metal hood for 35/2.8 - 40/2 - 50/1.8 - 50/1.4 is extremely attractive. I have an eBay search for them.

[David Hughes]

Originally Posted by Compaq

... Is there a way to "track" the exact production year for Olympus rangefinders? The internet says the 35SP was produced from 69 to 73-75, but is it possible to get a more accurate age?

Hi,

Somewhere on the www there's an article about dating the Olympus Trip 35's by taking off the pressure plate and decoding some letters and/or figures. So a search might find it and then it might just apply to all their cameras. I'll wish you luck.

Regards, David

[David Hughes]

Hi (again),

An article / paragraph or two on flickr about dating Olympus cameras:

http://www.flickr.com/groups/olympus...57594537718351

Regards, David

[Compaq]

Thanks! I've looked at these sites. I've just put a new film in the camera, so I can't check. However, I've talked to an Olympus enthusiast that says the 35SP can't be dated the same way as the Trip 35.

[Zorkiiglaza]

put some film in it and start shooting!

Its a great little camera!

[Compaq]

I've developed 4 films, but not with perfect results, hehe. It's a pleasure to use the camera, and I can't wait for my darkroom skills to get better. Great camera, works pretty much flawlessly!