These few photos were taken with an Olympus 35 SP Rangefinder that I picked up on Ebay for about £70, it was cheap because the spot meter was broken. The bigger problem was that the rangefinder was jittery and it would have cost more than the camera was worth to fix it. I love the camera though and I might invest in a fully-working copy one of these days, it’s just so good to have a camera that’s this much fun to use and has such a high quality lens, the Zuiko G, which is pretty much unsurpassed in a camera of this type.
All of these shots are cross-processed BW400 film.
- I effin’ love these. There is something so naartul and beautiful about film and you’ve captured it right here brother man..No. 6 is a truly beautiful moment. And the bokeh in no.1 and no.3 .. boom tings.
Funnily enough, I’ve just won one off Ebay for £70! Looks to be in minty condition, but the seller doesn’t know much about camera’s so it’s fingers X’d time! I’ve been stung a few times buying cameras that were fully working order but need a lot of work, thankfully there’s a wealth of knowledge out there on the web so I’m confident in repairing or servicing them myself. The 35SP looks like a damn fine camera, and if my other Olympus 35mm are anything to go by it’ll be another winner! I’ve been holding out for one for a good 6months, and in the mean time I’ve acquired 3 Electro 35′s, all working to some degree, the black GTN being the one I will keep, the others need light seals or servicing before selling. The only issue I have with rangefinders is the viewfinder, too small,mother 35SP is supposed to have one of the largest, and if my OM1 and Om10 are good yardsticks in camera quality to go by, then my rangefinder quest maybe over ( for a while! )
Some great shots, I don’t know if it’s true or not, but an ex Kodak emplyee told me that Kodak Bw400cn is made in the same factory as Ilford Xp2, wether it’s identical or not I’m not sure, but it’s all made in the farm east
Good luck with that fine camera, I love them but don’t have one at the moment. Right now I’m using a Canon II. It was made in occupied Japan and is beautifully engineered, but as you say, the VF is cramped. I have a Tokyo Optics Finder which really improves the experience however. My feeling is that the Mamiya 7 is the way to go, but I don’t have the money for one just now.
Good luck with the SP, would love to see the results,
Jem.