#olympus35ec2

[yamsarocha]

Hongkong, 2019

[pacificrimrangefinders]

Olympus 35 EC2; a few more samples from the first test roll of film. These little cameras are going for quite a bit less then the selenium metered Trip 35. I would wager that uncertainty of the battery powered metering system is the reason for this. I imagine most folks will not bother to purchase two weird batteries just to test an old camera before selling it. I think this camera is worth a bid if you find one in good condition. It has been my experience that a camera selling with a case and manual, is far more likely to be a working shooter. This EC2 came with a hard case and manual, so I hit the bid button. This battery powered model does require you to make an additional purchase ($15) of the A640 batteries. But if the camera only costs you $20…you could end up spending 50% less than on a comparable Olympus Trip 35. Odds are, most sellers aren’t going to be able to correctly identify if a Trip 35 has a correctly working meter (the red flag). Something to think about anyway.

[pacificrimrangefinders]

Olympus 35 EC2: Film test results are back and it looks like I have lucked out again. I replaced the light seals and gave the camera a cleaning after dropping a whole $5.99 on it. I used two A640, 1.5v batteries to power this tiny camera. I wanted to ensure I gave this camera a proper test by taking shots at the correct zone distances. I decided to measure out my distances and take pictures of some targets. I figured that the worst thing I could do while testing a zone focus camera would be to be out of “the zone”. Every shot looks good at the target distances and infinity setting. Infinity in this test was actually a mind blowing 25’. I could barely make it back across the deck it was so far. I shot the rest of the test roll around work and down among some old buildings in town. The film is Fuji 400 and was shot at 200 ASA to compensate for the batteries. The original Mallory batteries were 1.4v each. The new Excel A640 batteries are 1.5v each. In the direct light, the camera did a great job metering and the pictures look great. I shot a few pics inside at night and these would have come out better if I had used a flash. This is going to be a great carry camera for running around. After seeing my test roll, I am looking forward to it. I have a few tricks planned to help me correctly place my shots in the correct zones as well. This Olympus 35 EC2 was a great deal and appears to be very capable.

Keep in mind, these pictures are not scans.