The Olympus Trip 35
The Olympus Trip 35 is a stylish, retro 35mm compact camera produced in Japan from 1968 through to 1984.
Being one of the most popular cameras ever, and maybe even produced in more number than any other (supposedly 10m+ although there’s a fair argument to suggest that number is highly exaggerated), it has found a whole new life as analogue (film) photography has become incredibly popular once more.
With a robust, all metal body and straightforward operation with it’s fantastic 40mm f2.8 lens, the Trip was immediately popular with amateur photographers of all abilities as well as, due to a bold advertising campaign, professional photographers too.
a great example of an early 70’s model with silver chrome button & original wrist strap
The Olympus Trip 35 is a true ‘point and shoot’ compact camera with automatic exposure courtesy of it’s iconic light meter which surrounds the lens and a ‘zone-focussing’ system which requires the user to determine the distance to the subject and set it manaually.
Unless shooting with a flash attached, the only other settings are for film ISO and then it’s just a matter of winding the film via the simple thumb wheel at the back an taking a photo with the silver or black (see the difference below) shutter button on the top of the camera.
Focussing is by manual operation and is set by rotating the barrel on the lens through;
‘portrait’, a distance of 1m
‘couple’, 1.5m distance
‘group’, 3m distance and
‘landscape’, infinite distance.
The chosen focus zone is displayed by a small icon visible through a small window in the viewfinder.
ISO is similarly set by rotating the outer, silver ring around the lens between ISO 25 and 400. A maximum ISO of 400 is now seen as something of a limitation of the camera although it was a routine maximum value for similar cameras of the era.
As mentioned above, the Trip uses a light meter located around the lens to measure light and set the exposure for each photograph. Aperture is automatically chosen between f2.8 and f22 and shutter speed either 1/40 or 1/200 seconds. Behind the iconic light meter ‘window’ is a selenium cell, an early solar cell which moves a small internal needle which in turn limits the movement of two small levers which set aperture and shutter speed.
The selenium cell generates all the power the meter needs and so the camera needs no batteries, a significant selling point throughout it’s original life and during it’s modern resurgence.
Throughout its sixteen years of production the Olympus Trip 35 essentially remained unchanged and this is a credit to its design and simple operation. The notable exception to this however is the colour of the shutter release button which, originally silver chrome, was replaced by a black plastic button in the mid 70’s.
Whilst the operation of the cameras didn’t change, those with the chrome silver buttons are the most highly sought after examples today, even though it can be argued that with a supposedly limited life to the selenium cell, later models will operate longer (see below for more details and real-life experience).
Olympus also released a very limited range of black Trip 35’s as part of a ‘Travellers Kit’ in the early 70’s and due to their rarity they are the most highly prized and priced model, again though, only cosmetically different to any other.