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  #11  
Old 30th December 2020, 03:07 PM
Svend Svend is offline
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Another vote for the Rollei 35. Mine has the Sonnar lens which is excellent. When I got it the metering system was not working but Newton Ellis serviced it, sorted out the meter and adjusted it to take the 1.5v battery. The original batteries are no longer available. I have had an Olympus 35RC and have a Trip. Again both excellent and reasonably small cameras but not as small as the Rollei.
Bill
This is on-point to Keith's initial question -- a pocket camera. The Rollei are very small and truly pocketable. While I have not held an Olympus rangefinder other than a friend's 35 Wide S (which I think is similar in size to the 35 RC), I did not find it truly compact -- not much smaller than my Pentax MX with a pancake lens. Many of the other Japanese rangefinders of that era are actually quite large (e.g. Minolta Himatic 7). I recently toyed with buying one, but then looked at the dimensions and realized my MX was actually smaller

FYI, camera-wiki.org is a great resource for finding specs on various makes and models. Terrific site.
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  #12  
Old 30th December 2020, 03:47 PM
Alan Clark Alan Clark is offline
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Hi Svend,
I know it depends on the size of your pocket, but my Olympus 35RC just about fits in my trouser pocket, and easily slips into a coat pocket. But I acknowledge that it's not the smallest camera around. I have a Minox 35GT and this is significantly smaller. I could fit two of them in a trouser pocket!
I should add that the Olympus 35RC has a fixed lens which I regard as the perfect focal length for a 35mm camera - 42mm.
Originally it had a 1.35V battery, now no longer available. The solution is a gismo from the Small Battery Company, which fits in the battery compartment. It takes a standard 1.5V battery, and drops the voltage down to 1.35. Not cheap; I think I paid about £20 for my last one.

Alan
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  #13  
Old 30th December 2020, 04:35 PM
EdmundH EdmundH is offline
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I had an Olympus Trip 35 some time ago, which I really regret giving away. It took ridiculously good, sharp and well exposed pictures. Not really any control over exposure, but sometimes you just want to take pictures (especially when the family are urging you to hurry up!)
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  #14  
Old 30th December 2020, 04:45 PM
Svend Svend is offline
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Hi Alan,

There's never much room to spare in my blue jeans...even less so after this Christmas Maybe time to switch to cargo pants

As mentioned, I haven't seen a 35RC in the flesh, so don't know how compact they are, to be honest. But I do agree on the focal length -- 40mm certainly feels just about perfect, doesn't it? I read something once about Leica or Rollei doing a study back in the '50s or so, that determined the ideal "normal" lens should be 40mm (+/-) as it matched the natural angle of view of the human eye. Makes sense then that we like that focal length so much. If I had to, I could certainly live happily with only one lens -- a 40mm. I wish I could find that study reference again - would make an interesting read.
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  #15  
Old 30th December 2020, 05:36 PM
Svend Svend is offline
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Originally Posted by Svend View Post
I do agree on the focal length -- 40mm certainly feels just about perfect, doesn't it? I read something once about Leica or Rollei doing a study back in the '50s or so, that determined the ideal "normal" lens should be 40mm (+/-) as it matched the natural angle of view of the human eye. Makes sense then that we like that focal length so much. If I had to, I could certainly live happily with only one lens -- a 40mm.
Here's a good blog post by Mike Johnston on the subject of 40mm lenses:
https://theonlinephotographer.typepa.../why-40mm.html
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  #16  
Old 30th December 2020, 06:15 PM
Alan Clark Alan Clark is offline
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Originally Posted by Svend View Post
Here's a good blog post by Mike Johnston on the subject of 40mm lenses:
https://theonlinephotographer.typepa.../why-40mm.html
Thanks for that Svend - a very interesting read.

My main 35mm camera (my main camera...) is an Olympus OM1. Mike Johnston's article mentions a lens I have often thought about getting for it - the 40mm f2 pancake lens. Trouble is, it is a rare and very expensive item. So my Olympus 35 RC with its 42mm lens gets a lot of use. It has only one real drawback compared with the OM1. A smaller viewfinder.

Alan

Alan
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  #17  
Old 30th December 2020, 06:56 PM
Quendil Quendil is offline
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The main compacts I use are the Olympus XA or Trip 35 I do have an 35RC but that needs a service. I have just got a Pen FT which is compact but not that much. My main 35mm is an OM4Ti with a 35mm lens.

David
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  #18  
Old 3rd January 2021, 10:18 PM
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Keith Tapscott. Keith Tapscott. is offline
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Thanks for all the suggestions. Plenty of options to consider.
Wishing you all a happy new year.

Keith.
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  #19  
Old 4th January 2021, 02:57 AM
Svend Svend is offline
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Happy New Year Keith. Let us know what you decide on. Good luck in the hunt!
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  #20  
Old 4th January 2021, 07:59 PM
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skellum skellum is offline
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Good evening Keith.
If you are looking for a truly pocketable camera I'd suggest one of the Olympus XA family. Once folded up the lens is protected in a package small enough to genuinely fit in a pocket, or drop inside your shirt on a neck-strap. Years ago I used a Ricoh 500, purchased because it had full metered manual control. In reality I almost always used in in Auto mode. The lens was very capable but also made the camera (like the whole raft of fixed lens rangefinders available in the 1980s) a clunky shape to try and pocket.
If you really must have full control of all camera functions you'd be better with a compact SLR (OM1, Pentax ME/MX). However, even a small SLR doesn't vanish into a normal pocket, and needs that commitment to carry it every day. My XA2 went everywhere with me for a couple of years and brought home some images I would have missed otherwise.
Before the Olympus I carried a 120 folder. That was very small and made great pictures, but it wasn't quick to use. It made me better at Sunny 16 and guesstimating distances right enough.
You need to be clear first of all just what you from want this camera, and accept there's likely to be a trade-off between functionality and pocketability.
Good luck!
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