Olympus 35 RC Light meter

Mike35rc · Aug 31, 2016

Hi guys,
I bought a Olympus 35 RC.
Everything seems to work fine but the light meter is a bit off I guess.
I used my D7000 and a Ikophot S to check the settings the 35 RC light meter calculated.
Indoors the light meter is on point but outdoors in bright sunlight its 2 stops overexposed. I also noticed that the less sun is within the light meters reach, the more accurate it is.
The battery is a new wein cell px625, so I believe the battery is not the problem.

How is this possible? Can I fix this? Is this a common problem?

I know that 35mm color negative film can compensate a lot of overexposing but since I set my iso to half the boxspeed, I'm afraid that if i shoot in sunlight the 3 stops overexposing are too much.
Of course I could compensate the 2 stops overexposing by changing iso settings but I want it to have it fully functional.
I havent shot a roll with it but will do that asap and note the settings.

otveit · Sep 1, 2016

I have the same camera. I have never tested the meter agains another meter, and for now I do not feel the need to because the negatives are beautiful. I would suggest shooting a couple of rolls and evaluating the negatives. You can make adjustments with the iso setting on the lens if necessary.

Ø

Mike35rc · Sep 1, 2016

Thanks for your reply. Can you please do me a big big favor and test the settings your 35 RC meter caluclats in a DSLR or light meter?
Just point out the window while bright sunlight or even normal sunlight.

thuggins · Sep 2, 2016

The only way to test the meter is to run a roll of slide film thru it. I have two RC's and both take perfectly exposed slides. However, the alignment between the scale and needle, as visible in the viewfinder, are slightly different.

It is a wonderful little camera that takes great photos. Quit worrying about what is indicated in the viewfinder and shoot some pictures!

Russ - SVP · Feb 18, 2018

Chan Tran · Feb 18, 2018

thuggins said:
The only way to test the meter is to run a roll of slide film thru it. I have two RC's and both take perfectly exposed slides. However, the alignment between the scale and needle, as visible in the viewfinder, are slightly different.

It is a wonderful little camera that takes great photos. Quit worrying about what is indicated in the viewfinder and shoot some pictures!

Running a roll of film thru and assuming you can judge the film and determine if the exposure is correct only test the entire exposure accuracy. You don't know if the meter is accurate. You may have accurate meter but bad shutter speed or vice versa or both that are wrong but give you the right result.

Chan Tran · Feb 18, 2018

I was going to check the meter but I realized that I never put battery in my 2 35RC. I did test the shutter speed which were reasonably accurate. When I used them I only use them in manual and don't use the meter. I may try to test the meter later one using akaline battery. I would not buy the Wein Cell.

damiafix · Jan 14, 2021

Hi everyone,

I have recently bought the same camera, but I am afraid the light meter doesn't work at all. Maybe I am wrong with something, anyway according to the manual I set the camera in 'A' and I point the camera toward a bright source, I depress the shutter button but it is locked. What do you suggest?
The camera is well maintained, the lens is perfect. Is it worth keeping it even if the light meter doesn't work?

All the best.
D.

Steve Roberts · Jan 15, 2021

damiafix said:
Hi everyone,

I have recently bought the same camera, but I am afraid the light meter doesn't work at all. Maybe I am wrong with something, anyway according to the manual I set the camera in 'A' and I point the camera toward a bright source, I depress the shutter button but it is locked. What do you suggest?
The camera is well maintained, the lens is perfect. Is it worth keeping it even if the light meter doesn't work?
D.

Hi,
The camera is well worth keeping, whether the light meter works or not as it can be used in manual mode with the aid of a light meter or Sunny 16 rule.
My 35RC was given to me with a box of other non-working cameras (perhaps 30 years ago) when a local camera shop was having a clear-out. Most were easily mended and the problem with the 35RC was simply that the wire to the meter had corroded and was no longer attached to the tag of the battery compartment. It was a simple cure - just a quick soldering job. As for a battery, since mercury cells became unobtainable I use an LR/SR44 and a rubber spacer with no problems. As has been said above, these cameras are capable of giving very well-exposed negatives that are fine for b/w work. I normally use Ilford HP5. After fixing mine, I treated it to a new green leatherette finish from CameraLeather.
If you decide not to keep the camera, I shall be pleased to let you know my address......!!!
best wishes,
Steve

damiafix · Jan 15, 2021

Steve Roberts said:
Hi,
The camera is well worth keeping, whether the light meter works or not as it can be used in manual mode with the aid of a light meter or Sunny 16 rule.
My 35RC was given to me with a box of other non-working cameras (perhaps 30 years ago) when a local camera shop was having a clear-out. Most were easily mended and the problem with the 35RC was simply that the wire to the meter had corroded and was no longer attached to the tag of the battery compartment. It was a simple cure - just a quick soldering job. As for a battery, since mercury cells became unobtainable I use an LR/SR44 and a rubber spacer with no problems. As has been said above, these cameras are capable of giving very well-exposed negatives that are fine for b/w work. I normally use Ilford HP5. After fixing mine, I treated it to a new green leatherette finish from CameraLeather.
If you decide not to keep the camera, I shall be pleased to let you know my address......!!!
best wishes,
Steve

Hi Steve,
thanks so much for your message. Well, I agree that giving it back would be a shame, and I like it a lot! So, I definitely keep it.
I could try to check if my 35RC has the same problem with the battery compartment and cable contact as yours. Is it simple to verify? I suppose it is not the best period to send it somewhere for professional repair service. Any recommendation for the disassembling? I have the basic practice and tools to do it (I hope). Is there any risk that I need to re-calibrate anything?

Best wishes.
Dam
P.S. Your camera is just wonderful! Congratulations.

Steve Roberts · Jan 23, 2021

damiafix said:
Hi Steve,
thanks so much for your message. Well, I agree that giving it back would be a shame, and I like it a lot! So, I definitely keep it.
I could try to check if my 35RC has the same problem with the battery compartment and cable contact as yours. Is it simple to verify? I suppose it is not the best period to send it somewhere for professional repair service. Any recommendation for the disassembling? I have the basic practice and tools to do it (I hope). Is there any risk that I need to re-calibrate anything?

Best wishes.
Dam
P.S. Your camera is just wonderful! Congratulations.

Hello Dam,

The problem was very simple to fix for anyone with basic soldering skills. It was a long time ago, but I don't remember having to disassemble very much to gain access to the battery chamber tag, possibly just the base plate but I don't remember whether the battery compartment comes off with that or was held by further screws. At that time I didn't make notes as I do now! The meter does not need re-calibrating as a result of the soldering job (if that is the problem). Calibration of the meter in the 35RC is done by a mechanism that takes the meter needle position and then converts that value to a point at which the aperture blades will stop their closing action. It's a clever arrangement that was used in similar ways by many cameras of the period - I think the Canonet used it. The exposure mechanism can be adjusted but unless there is a problem it is best left alone.

Best wishes,

Steve

moggi1964 · Jan 23, 2021

This may prove helpful if you need to go digging around inside your RC:

http://www3.telus.net/public/rpnchbck/Oly_RC.html

cptrios · Jan 30, 2021

I had a 35RC for a bit, and it had a similar issue to yours (underexposure, though). However, the issue only really existed when comparing it to my RX1's metering...in reality the shots all looked well-exposed.

Olympus 35 RC Light meter

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