Difference between revisions of "Olympus Trip 35"
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| − | The '''Trip 35''' is a fully-automatic [[compact camera]], manufactured by Olympus from 1967<ref name="olympus">[http://www.olympus-global.com/en/corc/history/camera/ee.cfm#03 Olympus' history of EE-equipped cameras]</ref> to 1984, during which time over ten million units were sold.<ref name="olympus" /> (This oft-quoted figure is likely to have included later plastic-bodied Olympus cameras with Trip branding, as the original Trip 35 had serial numbers going up to around 5,400,000.)<ref name="flickrgrp">[http://www.flickr.com/groups/olympustrip35/discuss/72157604485366645/ Serial numbers collected by Flickr group]</ref> The auto-exposure mechanism is effectively solar-powered by a selenium cell surrounding the lens, and consequently the camera runs entirely without batteries. | + | The '''Trip 35''' is a fully-automatic [[35mm]] [[compact camera]], manufactured by [[Olympus]] from 1967<ref name="olympus">[http://www.olympus-global.com/en/corc/history/camera/ee.cfm#03 Olympus' history of EE-equipped cameras]</ref> to 1984, during which time over ten million units were sold.<ref name="olympus" /> (This oft-quoted figure is likely to have included later plastic-bodied Olympus cameras with Trip branding, as the original Trip 35 had serial numbers going up to around 5,400,000.)<ref name="flickrgrp">[http://www.flickr.com/groups/olympustrip35/discuss/72157604485366645/ Serial numbers collected by Flickr group]</ref> The auto-exposure mechanism is effectively solar-powered by a [[selenium meter|selenium cell]] surrounding the lens, and consequently the camera runs entirely without batteries. |
| + | <!-- most of the power comes from the user's shutter-release finger! This which moves the exposure setting; the solar power only provides the stop point. -AWcam --> | ||
Until June 1978, the shutter button was silver-coloured metal. After that date, all Trips had a black plastic button. | Until June 1978, the shutter button was silver-coloured metal. After that date, all Trips had a black plastic button. | ||
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When the aperture is set manually (primarily for [[flash]] photography), the shutter speed is set to 1/40th of a second. However, the meter is ''still active'' even in this "manual" mode. Setting the aperture manually merely sets the ''widest'' permissible aperture, and the auto-exposure mechanism may still choose to set a smaller aperture than this if it sees fit.<ref name="flickrgraph" /> | When the aperture is set manually (primarily for [[flash]] photography), the shutter speed is set to 1/40th of a second. However, the meter is ''still active'' even in this "manual" mode. Setting the aperture manually merely sets the ''widest'' permissible aperture, and the auto-exposure mechanism may still choose to set a smaller aperture than this if it sees fit.<ref name="flickrgraph" /> | ||
| − | Other than this, the camera offers no controls for setting [[exposure]] manually, though one can easily set exposure compensation by changing the film ASA dial to a higher or lower value. | + | Other than this, the camera offers no controls for setting [[exposure]] manually, though one can easily set exposure compensation by changing the [[film speed|film ASA dial]] to a higher or lower value. |
==Lens== | ==Lens== | ||
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==Viewfinder== | ==Viewfinder== | ||
| − | The viewfinder is an albada-type, with parallax markings for closer focusing. There is a second, very small window under this, nicknamed the "Judas window", which shows the current aperture setting and distance symbol which are on the lens barrel. | + | The viewfinder is an albada-type, with [[parallax]] markings for closer focusing. There is a second, very small window under this, nicknamed the "Judas window", which shows the current aperture setting and distance symbol which are on the lens barrel. |
A small red flag will appear in the viewfinder if the auto-exposure mechanism decides there is not enough light and refuses to fire. | A small red flag will appear in the viewfinder if the auto-exposure mechanism decides there is not enough light and refuses to fire. | ||
Revision as of 22:59, 11 July 2009
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| Olympus Trip 35 |
The Trip 35 is a fully-automatic 35mm compact camera, manufactured by Olympus from 1967[1] to 1984, during which time over ten million units were sold.[1] (This oft-quoted figure is likely to have included later plastic-bodied Olympus cameras with Trip branding, as the original Trip 35 had serial numbers going up to around 5,400,000.)[2] The auto-exposure mechanism is effectively solar-powered by a selenium cell surrounding the lens, and consequently the camera runs entirely without batteries. Until June 1978, the shutter button was silver-coloured metal. After that date, all Trips had a black plastic button.
Auto-exposure mechanism
With the aperture ring set to "A", the camera operates as a program automatic, choosing both the aperture and shutter speed (of which there are only two, 1/40 and 1/200). As explained by one repair page,
- The camera uses a "trapped needle" mechanism for setting the proper exposure. The aperture is held stopped down to f22 by a spring. When the shutter button is pressed, a bar comes up and “traps” the meter needle against a plate. Following right behind the bar is a cam which is connected to the aperture blades. This comes up until it touches the trapped meter needle. The distance the cam travels determines how far the aperture opens.
The combination of aperture and shutter speed that the exposure mechanism chooses depends on the amount of light available. Above EV 13, the Trip 35 will increase the shutter speed to 1/200 sec in preference to using a smaller aperture, and use a narrower aperture as light levels increase from there, presumably to avoid the diffraction effects that affect all 35mm cameras below f/11.[3] Below EV 13, it will use the 1/40 sec speed and widen the aperture for lower light levels. The camera will refuse to fire if there is not enough light, with a red plastic flag appearing simultaneously in the viewfinder. This mechanism makes it impossible to make the error of shooting with the lens cap in place.
When the aperture is set manually (primarily for flash photography), the shutter speed is set to 1/40th of a second. However, the meter is still active even in this "manual" mode. Setting the aperture manually merely sets the widest permissible aperture, and the auto-exposure mechanism may still choose to set a smaller aperture than this if it sees fit.[3]
Other than this, the camera offers no controls for setting exposure manually, though one can easily set exposure compensation by changing the film ASA dial to a higher or lower value.
Lens
The Trip 35 has a 40mm f/2.8 Zuiko non-interchangeable lens, with four elements in three groups. Ken Rockwell suspects this to be a front-element focusing Tessar.[4] This lens has a reputation for being extremely sharp, even in the corners; in Rockwell's tests, Costco-scanned Fuji ISO 400 print film loaded into this camera out-performed a Canon 17-40 f/4 L lens in the corners.[4]
The lens provides simple zone-focusing with 4 cute distance symbols marked on the top-left of the lens. These correspond to the real distance markings on the underside of the lens: 1 meter, 1.5 meters, 3 meters, and infinity.
Viewfinder
The viewfinder is an albada-type, with parallax markings for closer focusing. There is a second, very small window under this, nicknamed the "Judas window", which shows the current aperture setting and distance symbol which are on the lens barrel.
A small red flag will appear in the viewfinder if the auto-exposure mechanism decides there is not enough light and refuses to fire.
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Olympus' history of EE-equipped cameras
- ↑ Serial numbers collected by Flickr group
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 See the Trip 35 program graph, and the explanation in this thread.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 http://www.kenrockwell.com/olympus/trip-35.htm
Links
- Lionel's Olympus Trip 35 page in French at 35mm-compact.com
- Olympus Trip 35, User manual on www.collection-appareils.fr by Sylvain Halgand
- Olympus Trip 35 page at Retrography.com by Simon Simonsen, Denmark
- Manual available on the Favorite Classics section of kyphoto.com
- Manual available from UCL
- Olympus Trip 35 group on Flickr
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