Olympus Trip 35

I love this camera. And why do I love it exactly? Because when I was little I saw this advert and even then I wanted to take photos. I thought only if I had this camera I could be a proper photographer.

Even though I already have a fully working one in my collection I couldn’t leave this in a junk bin, it just felt wrong, a betrayal. I think I will always buy them if I see them there.

This camera was made from 1967-1984. After 1978 the shutter button was changed from a silver metal button to a black plastic one. That meant this one was pre-1978. The best thing about this camera is that it is fully automatic and needs no batteries. The camera is solar-powered by a selenium cell that sits around the lens. If there is too much or too little light a red flag appears in the viewfinder. If you find one in a junk bin then check this feature by cocking the shutter and covering the cell. If you can take a photo then there is a fault. This is a common issue and could be mechanical or the selenium cell might be exhausted. Usually it is mechanical and there are fixes on the net. So it depends on how handy you are with a screwdriver as to whether you buy it. This one worked perfectly. So why was it it the junk bin? Take a look…

Can you see it?

There should be a hot shoe on the top of the camera. I didn’t think it would be a major issue plus I rarely attach a flash to this type of camera, preferring a point and shoot with a built in flash. So I covered the screw holes with a piece of light seal foam. I didn’t think the holes would cause a leak, I just thought the foam looked ok and felt nice to touch. The light seals inside were ok. So this one can only work on the ‘A’ for automatic, no thinking required…oh apart from the zoned focusing. You have to estimate which to chose from four. 1 meter, 1.5 meters, 3 meters, and infinity. The first two can be a little tricky as you can see from the shots below. Only the closer shots were out of focus.

My beautiful picture

The camera worked great. So, keep or sell? Neither, I gave it to a friend with a roll of film. I have one already and it is a great camera. Maybe now my friend will give my spiderman camera back??