I just received what is arguably the greatest 35mm camera ever made

Paul Howell

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You might like the Olympus Trip AF, 28mm lens, I had one, ran a couple of rolls through it, but with a single shutter speed could not use high speed films in the Arizona Low Desert Summer. Not sure of the lens, maybe a three element, seemed soft edges. I sold mine along with a box of point and shoots.
 

summicron1

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I had one of these and gave it away as part of an occasional purge to make room in my darkroom for me. It's anon-rangefinder simple auto-exposure, zone focus direct view camera. I failed to see the glories other seem to.

What am I missing? The Olympus XA is by far the superior camera in terms of size and exposure abilities and it has a rangefinder.
 

Paul Howell

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Cannot speak for zone focus, but the AF model was very light, small enough to fit into a coat pocket, images were ok. I thought about using as a backup to a SLR when shooting street, the fixed shutter speed and lack of provision for filters was the killer for me.
 
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Huss

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You're obviously not missing anything. I've had the XA, XA2. Now got to try a perfect condition Trip35 and I published images from it. The images to my eye are very good, and that's all that matters.

Remember the thread title includes the word 'arguably'..

For 'serious' photography I'll use a Leica, or Nikon SLR etc.
 
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Huss

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I use the Nikon AF600/Lite Touch AF which has a superb 28mm lens. And is tiny.
 

Paul Howell

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I kept 3 point and shoots Chinon 35-F, Pentax WR, and a Konica Pop wide with 28 to 50mm lens. None are really pocketable. I use the Chinon the most as I can set the ASA/ISO allowing me to shoot bulk loaded films.
 
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Huss

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Just shot another roll of Kentmere 400 through it. The Trip is plain fun to use, and isn't that the point with this type of camera?
 

albada

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These pictures are what happens when a camera is in talented hands. Thanks for posting them.
 
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Huss

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madNbad said:
How many rolls can you develop with one bag of Df96? Is it still around 18?
Click to expand...

18. But here's the thing. If you can I recommend to get the powder version and mix it yourself. Oxidation kills DF96 and Cinestill is having an issue with sealing the bottles of the pre-mixd stuff. Two tell tale signs - you can see it is leaking! And when you first pour it, it already has a yellow color. From fresh it should be clear.
I contacted Cinestill and they said this was because they are having difficulties sourcing the rubber plugs which they used to use to seal the bottles. They are now using just a foil cap.
If you can find a bottle with the plug - cool. If it has the foil cap - check to see if there is any sign of leakage.
 
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Huss

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Just sold this camera. Had fun with it, but the reality is while this is the best Trip 35 ever made (!) the smaller, more compact Ricoh FF1s that I have are better. Better lens, better metering, slips into a pocket. So what if it needs batteries? It also needs film.. Same for the Agfa Optima 1535 - about the same size (maybe a little smaller) but it also has an RF.

And here is the best part about buying used gear. You basically get to use it for free. Bought this camera for $100. Sold it for $140 on craigslist.

My final take on the Trip 35? Fun to use/experience. Great VF. Nice usable size in hand. Looks excellent. Good lens. A very nice camera if you didn't have better cameras...
 

Paul Howell

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Have you tired the Petri Color 35. Two down sides for sub compact 35mm is slow shutter speed of 1/250th, and the battery compartment is in the film chamber, I left batteries and they leaked.

 
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Huss

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Paul Howell said:
Have you tired the Petri Color 35. Two down sides for sub compact 35mm is slow shutter speed of 1/250th, and the battery compartment is in the film chamber, I left batteries and they leaked.

View attachment 313480
Click to expand...

Haven't tried it but it does look interesting. The only reason I bought the Trip is because it was refurbished by the Tripman in the UK, so I knew I wouldn't need to do anything to it.
I'm done buying cameras I need to coax back to life/replace seals/CLA etc to work properly! As actually I am - still - in the process of unloading gear. But this Trip was an easy distraction as I knew it was 100%, and knew I could then flip it after the experience.

My Agfa Optima 1535 also has the batteries in the film chamber area - which IMO is an awful idea if the camera is battery dependent! But it has a covered film chamber which kinda sorta is meant to prevent film fogging if the back is opened. Agfa placed the batteries there to maintain the clean profile. Style over substance..
 
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