Olympus 35 RC Low Light Tips Please!

Thomas Keidan · Nov 15, 2017

I've recently purchased a fully refurbished olympus 35 RC which is a great little camera. The only problems i'm having are with regards to low light. I don't want to buy an external flash as i prefer taking street photos at night where discretion is preferred! Anyone got any tips on what film is best to use etc. etc. I also prefer shooting in shutter priority mode but any tips on using fully manual would be great.

I should also mention that this is my first ever film camera and i'm a total novice... so go easy on me! Thanks!

Svenedin · Nov 15, 2017

Basically in low light conditions (without flash) you will either have to have the camera on a tripod (due to slow shutter speeds which will cause blur if you try to hand hold the camera) or use a fast film. I think the maximum film speed you can set on your camera is ISO 800. Ilford make a fast film "Delta 3200". If you cannot set the ISO to 3200 you can use the film at a lower ISO of 800 and develop accordingly. You will want the aperture wide open (to let more light in) if you want the fastest shutter speed. There are also fast colour films available but be aware that you may get colour shifts when colour films are used in artificial light (if the film is designed for daylight use).

Thomas Keidan · Nov 15, 2017

Svenedin said:
Basically in low light conditions (without flash) you will either have to have the camera on a tripod (due to slow shutter speeds which will cause blur if you try to hand hold the camera) or use a fast film. I think the maximum film speed you can set on your camera is ISO 800. Ilford make a fast film "Delta 3200". If you cannot set the ISO to 3200 you can use the film at a lower ISO of 800 and develop accordingly. You will want the aperture wide open (to let more light in) if you want the fastest shutter speed. There are also fast colour films available but be aware that you may get colour shifts when colour films are used in artificial light (if the film is designed for daylight use).

Thanks for the response, I've got some valuable tips here. However, you're right the RC only goes up to ISO 800. Would using such a fast film be a problem with ISO 800? Also I can't develop photos myself and send them off elsewhere!

Svenedin · Nov 15, 2017

There are colour films at ISO 800 (e.g Fuji Superia) and if you set the camera to ISO 800 it is processed just the same as an other colour film by the C41 process at a lab. Black and White films are easy to process at home if you have the equipment but can be quite expensive to have processed at a lab. The reason for this is that (unlike colour films) there is no standard process for Black and White films. Each type of film has different developing times. If you use a Black and White film like Delta 3200 but only set the camera to 800 then the film is going to get extra exposure (because the camera thinks it is a slower film than it actually is). A lot of people say Delta 3200 is actually better when exposed at 800 or thereabouts but I haven't tried this. Labs charge extra if you have special developing requirements such as "pushing" or "pulling" but if you develop yourself it is easy to do.

Thomas Keidan · Nov 15, 2017

Svenedin said:
There are colour films at ISO 800 (e.g Fuji Superia) and if you set the camera to ISO 800 it is processed just the same as an other colour film by the C41 process at a lab. Black and White films are easy to process at home if you have the equipment but can be quite expensive to have processed at a lab. The reason for this is that (unlike colour films) there is no standard process for Black and White films. Each type of film has different developing times. If you use a Black and White film like Delta 3200 but only set the camera to 800 then the film is going to get extra exposure (because the camera thinks it is a slower film than it actually is). A lot of people say Delta 3200 is actually better when exposed at 800 or thereabouts but I haven't tried this. Labs charge extra if you have special developing requirements such as "pushing" or "pulling" but if you develop yourself it is easy to do.

I know i've been meaning to look into developing photos at home and i'm aware of the troubles in processing B&W film at labs... I can't find anywhere cheaper than £10 per roll! Just to clarify if I were to shoot Delta 3200 at 800 ISO film would I have to ask the lab to 'push' the film?

Svenedin · Nov 15, 2017

No you might have to ask the lab to "pull" the film but what I would do is have the lab process as normal and see what you get. You will probably get negatives that are quite dense but acceptable without spending extra money. For an initial outlay of some equipment and chemicals you can process B&W far cheaper at home even if your throughput is quite low. If you only ever use a few rolls a year then use a lab.

There is an alternative if you like B&W, Ilford XP2 Super. This is called a "chromogenic" film. It is processed through the standard colour C41 process but gives B&W images. You can rate it at 800 without altering the development.

Thomas Keidan · Nov 15, 2017

Thanks for all your help, i'll definitely look into getting B&W equipment so I can develop at home. Colour is not so much an issue as I don't mind paying around £6 a roll including postage but it works out nearly double to process B&W... oh well I guess this is my welcome to the world of film!

Svenedin · Nov 15, 2017

It depends what you want. If you just want a colour film (or Ilford XP2) processed then that can be as cheap as £2.99 but you would would have to scan or print that yourself to get it that cheap. http://www.ag-photolab.co.uk

Try Fuji Superia 800 (colour) or
Ilford XP2 Super @ 800 (B&W but processed by labs like colour film)

Some of my most recent photos on Flickr are XP2: https://www.flickr.com/photos/144059001@N05/

If you want to learn to process your own films and to make prints then look for a local darkroom here:
http://www.localdarkroom.com

Welcome to the wonderful world of film!

Stephen

Thomas Keidan · Nov 15, 2017

Svenedin said:
It depends what you want. If you just want a colour film (or Ilford XP2) processed then that can be as cheap as £2.99 but you would would have to scan or print that yourself to get it that cheap. http://www.ag-photolab.co.uk

Try Fuji Superia 800 (colour) or
Ilford XP2 Super @ 800 (B&W but processed by labs like colour film)

Some of my most recent photos on Flickr are XP2: https://www.flickr.com/photos/144059001@N05/

If you want to learn to process your own films and to make prints then look for a local darkroom here:
http://www.localdarkroom.com

Welcome to the wonderful world of film!

Stephen

Thanks so much stephen, I was close to buying an Epson scanner but worked out it would take me ages to reap the cost benefits considering how little i'm shooting at the moment! Thanks so much for all your help!

Svenedin · Nov 15, 2017

No problem. Have fun!

Sirius Glass · Nov 15, 2017

Shoot higher speed film: Kodak Tri-X 400, Ilford HP5+, and Ilford Delta 3200.
Set the camera down or use a tripod when shutter speeds are longer than 1/25 seconds and use the Jiffy Calculator [http://f-sunny.com/night-exposures-in-a-jiffy/].

BrianVS · Nov 15, 2017

The Olympus 35 RC is a great camera, "but" an F2.8 lens is not optimal for low light. There are a number of inexpensive 35mm fixed-lens rangefinder cameras with F1.7 and F1.8 lenses that will give 1.5stops advantage over the RC. A Canonet QL17 GIII has a 40mm F1.7 lens, I've used for a lot of existing light photos.

Wallendo · Nov 16, 2017

I have found that the 35 RC can taken decent pictures hand-held at 1/15s and f2.8 - it's lens is somewhat wider angle than most normal lenses. If there's a lot of movement, you need to stick to faster shutter speeds. Kodak Tri-X shot at 800 is well within the film's latitude even without special processing.

Newt_on_Swings · Nov 17, 2017

I have this camera, well had, its on a long term loan to a good friend. Ive always shot it on manual as my camera didn't have working electronics. My advice is to push your film using the manual mode and really try to time a place your shots around things that help light your subjects such as street lamps, store fronts, car headlights etc. Helps if you have a steady hand too. Add a soft release to the tiny shutter release button and it will make it smoother.

John Koehrer · Nov 17, 2017

There's also the tiny tripod method. You know, the ones with the legs stored inside.
Put camera on tripod, hold tripod legs against chest; take a breath let partially out, squeeze trigger. I mean shutter button

Svenedin · Nov 18, 2017

There is another way you could use your camera with some very fast film, despite the fact you can't set the ISO to more than 800.

It is possible to push Ilford Delta 3200 two more stops to 12,500. With your camera in manual mode you would have to ignore the camera meter and use a separate meter to determine the correct exposure at EI 12,500. Of course you must expose the whole roll of film at the same EI.

This is a photo that I took of a customer in a pub (at night) with Delta 3200 at 12,500 on a pre-war Zeiss Ikon Ikonta camera. I used an iPhone light meter app.

Old Geezer (Delta 3200 at 12,500)

Svenedin
Oct 22, 2016

An old geezer I know from my local, "Grumpy Chris". Another of my ambient light night photos...

Thomas Keidan · Nov 18, 2017

Svenedin said:
There is another way you could use your camera with some very fast film, despite the fact you can't set the ISO to more than 800.

It is possible to push Ilford Delta 3200 two more stops to 12,500. With your camera in manual mode you would have to ignore the camera meter and use a separate meter to determine the correct exposure at EI 12,500. Of course you must expose the whole roll of film at the same EI.

This is a photo that I took of a customer in a pub (at night) with Delta 3200 at 12,500 on a pre-war Zeiss Ikon Ikonta camera. I used an iPhone light meter app.

Old Geezer (Delta 3200 at 12,500)

Svenedin

Oct 22, 2016

An old geezer I know from my local, "Grumpy Chris". Another of my ambient light night photos...

I'll have to look into getting a separate meter, I'm a complete novice but I'm really interested in low-light photography so i'll do some research! Unfortunately, I can't view the image as i'm not a subscriber! Is it available anywhere online for me to view?

Svenedin · Nov 18, 2017

Thomas Keidan said:
I'll have to look into getting a separate meter, I'm a complete novice but I'm really interested in low-light photography so i'll do some research! Unfortunately, I can't view the image as i'm not a subscriber! Is it available anywhere online for me to view?

https://www.flickr.com/photos/144059001@N05/31029263406/in/dateposted-public/

The other thing you can do is set the camera meter to 800, set the shutter and aperture to the correct settings for 800 and then reduce the exposure by the appropriate number of stops for the EI you actually want. For example, say the camera says you need 1/60s at f8 with the EI set at 800. If you were using Delta 3200 which is 2 stops faster than 800 (1600, 3200) then you would either stop the lens down 2 stops to f16 OR make the shutter speed 2 stops faster to 1/250 or one stop down on the lens and one stop faster shutter.

A separate meter is handy for low light photography but be aware that not every meter is suitable for use in low light levels. Some meters won't cope below certain light levels.

Thomas Keidan · Nov 18, 2017

Picture looks really great! OK thanks for the tips I'll try it out at the next opportunity and see how it goes. I'll definitely look into getting a light meter... any recommendations?

Chan Tran · Nov 18, 2017

For low light I would recommend to not use the built in meter.

Svenedin · Nov 18, 2017

If you have an iPhone the "Mylightmeter" app works well for me (may be on android as well, I don't know). For a separate light meter that does well in really low light I'm not so sure. I use a Sekonic L308S which copes with most stuff but does not measure at very low light levels. When you get to really low light levels the exposures get rather long. At this point you have to consider reciprocity failure (the point at which the film stops behaving in a linear way with respect to exposure). So if you want to take night photos there is considerable trial and error anyway and an expensive light meter may not be especially helpful.

These are some night photos, camera on tripod, exposure of several minutes (shutter on "B", cable shutter release).

https://www.flickr.com/photos/144059001@N05/36721661410/in/dateposted-public/
https://www.flickr.com/photos/144059001@N05/36929769766/in/dateposted-public/
https://www.flickr.com/photos/144059001@N05/30922582712/in/dateposted-public/

You know, you have picked quite a difficult aspect of photography for someone just starting out!

Sirius Glass · Nov 18, 2017

I have a great hand held meter. But beware meters look at the light that reaches them and they do not account for the large area of darkness in the scene. Again look at the Jiffy Calculator which works well.

Olympus 35 RC Low Light Tips Please!

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