Olympus Trip 35, A Look Back

Analog Diary: Film photography favorites, a look back at a set of images with a vintage Olympus Trip 35 (1967), a 35mm film camera known for its razor-sharp Zuiko 40mm f/2.8 lens, an automatic exposure mode, and a simple manual zone-focus system.

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The Olympus Trip 35, a 35mm compact camera manufactured by Olympus, was introduced in 1967 and stayed in production until 1984. Targeted at people who wanted a compact, functional camera for holidays or family snapshots.

Promotion of the camera was the subject of an advertising campaign featuring a popular British photographer, David Bailey.

The Olympus Trip 35 is fitted with a D.Zuiko 40mm F2.8 lens and does not need a battery to operate.

Olympus Trip 35

The camera is powered by a selenium light meter and comes with two shutter speeds, 1/40 and 1/200 seconds, and two exposure settings: 'A' for Program automatic and a manual aperture opening selection for shots at the lower 1/40 second, the setting for flash photography.

In Program automatic mode, the camera will choose a shutter speed of 1/40 or 1/200 seconds, matched to an aperture range from F2.8 to F16.

The film ISO setting is 25 to 400 for later models, which come with a black shutter release button, and 25 to 200 for earlier models, which have a chrome silver shutter release button.

Focusing is by a zone system with four distance icons set for portrait, shoulder shot, group, and landscape. The distance icon is visible through the viewfinder via a small sub-window located just below the image frame. Flash is used in manual mode with a preset aperture opening.

The mainstay of the camera is undoubtedly its four-element three-group Tessar lens, which is acknowledged as very impressive. The lens is capable of giving you sharp, high-quality images with good mid-tone contrast and natural colors.

Olympus Trip 35

Just as endearing is the use of the selenium photocell, which is even capable of getting a correct exposure under bright fluorescent light, without a flash.

Over its production run, more than 10 million units of the camera were produced and sold.

Olympus Trip 35, At The Ramadan Bazaar

Analog Diary: Film photography favorites, At The Ramadan Bazaar, images with a vintage Olympus Trip 35, a legendary 35mm point-and-shoot camera famed for a sharp 40mm f/2.8 Zuiko lens and battery-free operation.

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The annual Ramadan Bazaar is, as always, a hive of activity where throngs of buyers size up the delights for their break of fast, and the sellers equally actively hawk the aromas of local delicacies.

Enjoyed the shoot with the Olympus Trip 35, a four-zone focus viewfinder camera that is fitted with a very sharp and highly acknowledged D.Zuiko 40mm F2.8 lens. AE (automatic exposure) is via a solar-powered selenium light meter that adjusts the aperture of the lens when the camera is set to its 'A' mode.

Shutter speed on the Trip 35 is 1/200th second when the camera is set to the 'A' mode, and 1/40th second when set to manual or flash mode. A red pop-up flag locks the shutter from being fired when the camera detects insufficient lighting for the 'A' mode to get a correct exposure for the framed view.

Olympus Trip 35

Apart from the straightforward four-position zone focus system and an ISO setting from 25–400 (for the later version with the black plastic shutter button), the snap-shooter camera had no other photographic controls.