olympus trip 35 serial number year

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How to determine the age of an olympus trip35.

The serial number on an Olympus Trip 35 camera does *not* give you a precise date of manufacture. The only way to tell is to open the film compartment and carefully remove the pressure plate on the back of the door (this is quite easy. It simply slides free from its locating pins) and look for a code on the back of the pressure plate. The code consists of 3 characters: 1st Japanese character or letter (in later models) signifying the assembly plant.

2nd number representing the last digit of the year of assembly (e.g. 5 = 1975, 0 = 1980). 3rd number or letter representing the month of assembly, 1-9 for Jan-Sep, X, Y, Z for Oct-Dec. for example; N1Y = November 1971 Of course the TRIP 35 was manufactured between 1967 and 1984, so if you are unsure if you have a 1968 or 1978 model, the chrome shutter button is the earlier and the black the later.

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Olympus Trip 35

The Olympus Trip 35 is a fully-automatic 35mm compact camera , manufactured by Olympus from 1967 [1] to 1984, during which time over ten million units were sold, [1] though this oft-quoted figure is likely to have included later plastic-bodied Olympus cameras with Trip branding, as the original Trip 35 had serial numbers going up to around 5,400,000. [2] The auto-exposure mechanism is effectively solar-powered by a selenium cell surrounding the lens, and consequently the camera runs without batteries. Until June 1978, the shutter button was silver-coloured metal. After that date, all Trips had a black plastic button.

• 1 Auto-exposure mechanism
• 3 Viewfinder

Auto-exposure mechanism

With the aperture ring set to "A", the camera operates as a program automatic with a working EV range of 8.32-17.4 at ASA 100. [3] Half-pressing the shutter-release button locks the exposure with both the aperture and shutter speed (of which there are only two, 1/40 and 1/200s) fixed by a delicate but accurate mechanism. As explained by one repair page ,

The combination of aperture and shutter speed that the exposure mechanism chooses depends on the amount of light available. The precise amount of light that triggers a change of the shutter speed is not documented in the user manual, but it is believed to be around EV 13. When brightness of EV 13 or more is detected, the Trip 35 will increase the shutter speed to 1/200 sec in preference to using a smaller aperture, and use a narrower aperture as light levels increase from there, presumably to avoid the diffraction effects that affect all 35mm cameras below f/11. [4] Below EV 13, it will use the 1/40 sec speed and widen the aperture for lower light levels. The camera will refuse to fire if there is not enough light, with a red plastic flag appearing simultaneously in the viewfinder. This mechanism makes it impossible to make the error of shooting with the lens cap in place.

When the aperture is set manually (primarily for flash photography), the shutter speed is set to 1/40th of a second. However, the meter is still active even in this "manual" mode. Setting the aperture manually merely sets the widest permissible aperture, and the auto-exposure mechanism may still choose to set a smaller aperture than this if it sees fit. [4]

Other than this, the camera offers no controls for setting exposure manually, though one can easily set exposure compensation by changing the film ASA dial to a higher or lower value.

The Trip 35 has a 40mm f/2.8 Zuiko non-interchangeable lens, with four elements in three groups. Ken Rockwell suspects this to be a front-element focusing Tessar . [5] This lens has a reputation for being extremely sharp, even in the corners; in Rockwell's tests, Costco-scanned Fuji ISO 400 print film loaded into this camera out-performed a Canon 17-40 f/4 L lens in the corners. [5]

The lens provides simple zone-focusing with 4 cute distance symbols marked on the top-left of the lens. These correspond to the real distance markings on the underside of the lens: 1 meter, 1.5 meters, 3 meters, and infinity. Filter ring is 43.5mm.

The viewfinder is an albada-type, with parallax markings for closer focusing. There is a second, very small window under this, nicknamed the "Judas window", which shows the current aperture setting and distance symbol which are on the lens barrel.

A small red flag will appear in the viewfinder if the auto-exposure mechanism decides there is not enough light and refuses to fire.

This camera's aperture blades (there are two blades) tend to be become sticky over time. Before purchasing an old Olympus Trip 35, ask the seller if the aperture is properly opening and closing at all values (f/2.8-f/22). This can be done by manually selecting each aperture value and half-pressing the shutter button. Otherwise, the lens unit would have to be disassembled and cleaned.

• ↑ 1.0 1.1 Olympus' history of EE-equipped cameras (archived)
• ↑ Serial numbers collected by the Olympus Trip Flickr group
• ↑ Specifications in the user-manual.
• ↑ 4.0 4.1 See the Trip 35 program graph , and the explanation in this thread .
• ↑ 5.0 5.1 http://www.kenrockwell.com/olympus/trip-35.htm
• Manual available from UCL
• Olympus Trip 35 group on Flickr
• A modification that allows a 1/200 shutter speed with manual aperture control
• Illustrated instructions for repairing a Trip 35
• Trip 35 in the Olympus Global History (archived)
• This is a trip at Classic Cameras by RaúlM.
• Lionel's Olympus Trip 35 page in French at 35mm-compact.com
• Olympus Trip 35 on www.collection-appareils.fr by Sylvain Halgand (in French)
• Flickr image
• Image by rick soloway
• Japanese 35mm viewfinder
• Image by Michele M. F.
• Image by Hans Jan Dürr
• Image by vincentnip
• Image by Ênio Resende

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Olympus Trip 35 (1967)

This is an Olympus Trip 35, a 35mm scale focus camera made by Olympus Optical Co., Ltd. between the years 1967 and 1984.  The Trip was an extremely popular compact camera and is credited as one of the first truly successful point and shoot cameras, ushering in a new age of simple cameras to those who otherwise would never have bought a rangefinder or SLR camera.  The Trip requires no batteries and uses a selenium cell exposure meter for programmed auto exposure, but also allows for the option of manually selected f/stops.  The Trip came with an accurate metering system, a reliable shutter, and a quality lens which meant that it was both dependable and delivered excellent results for the millions of people using them.  Many can still be found in good working condition today, making them an ideal point and shoot for film shooters looking for an easy to use, but high quality, vintage shooting experience.

When you look at the progression of 20th century camera development, you can see some themes surrounding the style and features of cameras that were released in a particular period.  Folding and box cameras dominated the earliest parts of the 20th century, Leica and other 35mm “miniature” cameras were all the rage in the 30s and 40s.  By the 50s, the Single Lens Reflex began to be the preferred style of camera over the rangefinder, and at the start of the 60s, “electric eye” cameras opened up doors with auto exposure to people who otherwise wouldn’t have been able to (or didn’t want to) shoot high quality and properly exposed images.

It seems that by the end of the 1960s and going into the 70s, the industry was getting the idea that people wanted more compact and easy to use cameras, but without too many sacrifices in quality.  Auto Exposure not only eliminated a lot of the guesswork that would have stumped novice photographers, but also meant that the manual controls that are needed to set things like shutter speed and f/stops could be eliminated from the design, making them simpler to produce and cheaper to sell.  The prevalence of electronics, both in shutters, metering systems, and viewfinder displays also helped decrease the size of cameras compared to fully mechanical ones a decade earlier.

Of all the major players at the time, Olympus seemed to be the one company who did the most to differentiate themselves in the compact camera market.  The half frame Olympus Pen model made it’s debut in 1959 before anyone else was making a serious effort in the compact camera segment.  Each of Olympus’s subsequent full frame cameras were smaller than those released by their competitors, and although it wasn’t out yet, the upcoming OM-series SLR would offer a fully featured semi-professional level camera system in the smallest package possible.

In 1968, a new model called the Olympus Trip 35 would make it’s debut to relatively little fanfare.  This new camera broke very little new ground, it didn’t have the credentials of the Pen’s designer Yoshihisa Maitani , and none of it’s specifications would have excited semi or professional photographers.  The name “Trip” was chosen to suggest the camera’s intended purpose as a vacation camera for people who wanted a capable, yet compact and simple camera.

Originally retailing in 1968 for $59.95, when adjusted for inflation this compares to about $450 today which is right in the realm of what a capable, yet not out of reach camera would sell for today.  The Trip had a quality 4-element D.Zuiko lens, fully automatic programmed auto exposure via a selenium meter, and an easy to use focusing system with click stops for Portrait, Group, and Scenery.  The camera was only slightly larger than the very popular Pen series yet exposed full sized 24mm x 36mm shots on regular 35mm film.

Throughout it’s decade and a half of production, the camera only saw very minor changes.  The two most obvious were the switch from a chrome to a black plastic shutter release button and an expansion of the ASA film speeds from 200 to 400.

In my research for this article, I found very little information about the Trip around the time of it’s release and into the early 1970s.  The most prevalent form of advertising was a series of commercials that aired in the UK featuring famous photographer David Bailey and his Trip.

Check out the following commercial featuring Bailey and Monty Python alum, Eric Idle .

It doesn’t seem as though the camera caught on until a few years after it’s release, but once it did, it remained a very popular model being sold until the early to mid 1980s.  Many sites on the Internet today suggest that up to 10 million Trip 35s were sold , but based on serial number research, the actual number is probably closer to half that.  But even with 5 million units sold, the Olympus Trip 35 remains one of the most successful single models of any camera ever made.

By the time the Trip 35 went out of production in 1984, there were already a huge number of more advanced cameras with more features, yet the appeal of a mechanical camera that worked without a battery and could still deliver quality results is why it stayed around for so long.

Olympus recognized the success of the Trip name and would reuse it in a series of simple auto focus cameras that were in production from 1984 to 2000, but none with the long lived popularity as the original Trip 35.

Today, the Olympus Trip 35 remains a very popular model for collectors and film enthusiasts alike.  A combination of a plentiful supply of them that can be found cheaply, good reliability, and an easy to use design that produces excellent results means that almost everyone who uses one, still has favorable things to say about them.  This is a model that is highly recommended by many, including me, and one that definitely deserves a place in your collection.

Year of Production

The Olympus Trip 35 was in production for about a decade and a half, and a common question among collectors is when was my camera made?  There are a few articles online suggesting that the earliest models have 6 digit serial numbers and the first 7 digit serial numbers appeared in 1971 – 72, but the Olympus Trip 35 Flickr group has a post that suggests the month and year of manufacture can be revealed by a date code stamped on the underside of the film pressure plate.

The pressure plate is easy to remove as it simply needs to be pulled off on one side.  Do it slowly so as not to bend the clips, but I was able to get mine off without any damage to it.  Sure enough, on the back of mine, I saw the number 26 which suggests mine was made in June 1972.  I’ve copied the relevant information from that Flickr group here, and take no credit for this information.

• 1st Japanese character or letter (in later models) signifying the assembly plant.
• 2nd number representing the last digit of the year of assembly (e.g. 5 = 1975, 0 = 1980).
• 3rd number or letter representing the month of assembly, 1-9 for Jan-Sep, X, Y, Z for Oct-Dec.

The Trip 35 was manufactured between 1967 and 1984, so if you are unsure if you have a 1968 or 1978 model, the chrome shutter button is the earlier and the black the later.

Further reading through the discussion in this thread, it appears that later Trips either don’t have this number stamped anywhere, or the numbers that are there don’t make any sense so it’s possible that the later cameras either used a different system, or none at all, but this should at least allow a good number of Trips to be dated.

My Thoughts

How good could it be?  This is a simple compact camera from the “electric eye” era with a large selenium meter and a limited number of shutter speeds, after all.  There were tons of cameras like this made over the years, so despite the overwhelming evidence that the Trip 35 was something special I had to find out for myself.

For starters, the Trip is small, but not too small.  This was a camera that was designed to be packed into luggage and taken on vacation, so portability was factored into it’s size.  Of course Olympus already had their well known half-frame Pen series, and the Trip 35 in someways looks like a full size Pen.  At a weight of 390 grams, the camera is light enough to not be noticeable when hanging from a wrist strap, but isn’t so lightweight as to feel cheap.

The overall design of the camera has a very minimalist Japanese look to it.  By that I mean, no unnecessary bumps, curves, or protrusions.  The top plate is very straightforward featuring a rewind knob with fold out handle, the flash hot shoe, cable threaded shutter release, and automatic resetting exposure counter window.  The shutter release on this one is chrome as were all the earlier Trips.  At some point in the late 70s or early 80s, the shutter release was changed to a black plastic type, but otherwise looked the same.

Flip the camera over and the bottom has the rewind release button and a centrally located 1/4″ tripod socket.  While I always appreciate the inclusion of a well thought out tripod socket, the lack of a Bulb or any shutter speed slower than 1/40 likely suggests that not too many Trips ever saw use on a tripod.

The back of the camera continues with the same squared pattern vinyl body covering from the front and features a rectangular viewfinder window and to the right, the film advance wheel.

This style of rear film advance wheel was a hallmark of most of Olympus’s compact cameras.  It first appeared on the original Olympus Pen in 1959 as a way to make the camera as inexpensive as possible and continued with the Trip and the later XA-series of cameras.

Although a cost cutting measure, in reality it works quite well, as two quick left to right swipes of your right thumb across the wheel is enough to advance the film one full exposure while simultaneously cocking the shutter.  I can’t honestly say that a film advance lever would have been much faster.

Loading film into the Trip is an uneventful affair.  There is a small release on the bottom of the camera’s left side which unlocks the door.  Film loads from left to right onto a multi-slotted fixed take up spool.

Despite it’s economy pricing, the film compartment is as good as cameras costing quite a bit more with it’s over sized and dimpled film pressure plate which helps maintain film flatness while decreasing resistance, and even featuring a metal spring on the door to help keep the cassette stable while shooting.  In the previous image to the left, you can see this camera’s degraded light seals which like many cameras of the era, needed to be replaced before I could shoot it.

Although lacking a rangefinder or any other kind of optical focus aide, the Trip 35 has a simplified focusing system that uses 4 click stops for various types of photography.  At each click stop is an icon which can be seen through a small window from within the viewfinder.  The four stops represent the following distances:

• Closeup – 1m (3.2 feet)
• Portrait – 1.5m (5 feet)
• Group – 3m (10 feet)
• Scenery – Infinity

Although not visible from this angle, a focus distance scale with marks in meters and feet is on the opposite side of the lens, visible for the bottom in case you don’t like the icons.

Combined with the wide depth of field offered by the 40mm D.Zuiko lens, guessing focus in most brightly lit scenes is very easy and quite a bit faster than had the camera come with a rangefinder.

Also visible from this angle is the aperture scale ring which enables full and partial auto exposure modes.  Turning the inner ring to the A position allows the camera’s meter to select one of the two shutter speeds (1/40 or 1/200) and any range of f/stops from f/2.8 to f/22 to get the exposure right.  If there is insufficient light to make a properly lit exposure, a red flag will appear in the viewfinder window and the shutter release will be locked.

For flash photography, or those who want a little more control, you can choose partial auto exposure mode by turning the aperture ring to any position from 2.8 to 22.  In each of these positions, the auto exposure system is not fully deactivated, it will still measure light output and select an appropriate f/stop up to that point.  So for example, if you manually select f/16, and the exposure meter thinks that f/8 is the right choice, that’s what it will use.  In this partial mode, the shutter speed is fixed at 1/40 and cannot be changed.  If you require a 1/200 shutter speed in manual mode, there are articles online showing you how to open the camera and modify it to do so .  Without this modification however, the camera should not be used for fast action shots in manual mode.

Lastly, at the very front of the lens, is a ring for setting the ASA film speed for the meter.  Earlier Trips were limited from 25-200, but were later increased to allow ASA 400 film to be used.

The viewfinder is large and bright, showing projected frame lines for the 40mm frame.  The frame lines do not automatically correct for parallax, so there are hash marks to indicate the frame at close focus.

In an effort to make the camera as small as possible, the viewfinder is a bit too close to the lens which causes it to protrude into the viewfinder in the bottom right corner.

Below the viewfinder is a peep hole that allows you to read both the selected focus distance and shutter mode at the same time.  In the previous two images, the camera is set to Portrait and Auto.

Lastly, when there is insufficient light to properly expose an image, a red flag will appear in the viewfinder window and the shutter release will be locked, preventing you from making an exposure.  This could be a problem for people wanting to use faster film as the fastest speed supported is 400 but for most general shots it should be fine.

The Trip is very easy to use and I’ve found it’s best with cameras like these to not overthinking these, and to use them to their strengths, which is exactly how I intended to use it.

For my first roll through the Trip, I loaded in a fresh roll of Fuji 200 and took it with me to the Chicago Bears training camp prior to the 2019 season, and like the Bears season turned out to be, that first roll was a disaster as I foolishly used the camera without replacing the light seals and the entire roll had major light leaks in every single image.  Whoops!

Into the repair queue went the camera, and after having a free weekend to replace the degraded light seals with some new ones, I loaded in another roll of Fuji 200 and took some fall pictures with it.

There is a reason the Olympus Trip 35 almost universally receives constant praise and was in production for over a decade and a half.  This is an immensely fun and easy to use camera that delivers excellent results, and perhaps shocking to no one, my results were excellent too.

I left the camera in Auto mode for the entirely of it’s first two rolls and tried to use it as closely as possible to how it’s target audience would have.  Looking at the images I got, they are all properly exposed, sharp across the frame, and show no signs of optical flaws common in lesser cameras.  A tiny amount of vignetting was evident in a few images, but nothing that should bother anyone.  As is the case with any lens marked Nikkor or Rokkor. Olympus’s lineup of Zuiko lenses make spectacular images.

The Olympus Trip wasn’t the first at anything except possibly being the first truly capable point and shoot camera and for that, has quickly become one of my favorite cameras in all of my collection.  As much as I’d love to tell you that a folding plate camera from the 1920s or some quirky 1950s SLR is going to be my “go to” camera when I want to shoot film, the reality is cameras like the Olympus Trip will get the call far more often than 95% of what’s in my collection.

I could probably come up with a few nitpicks about the camera like for example the cramped viewfinder that is blocked by the lens in the bottom right corner, or being limited to only 2 shutter speeds and not having a true manual mode, but frankly, if Olympus had changed any of those things, it likely would have negatively affected the success of the camera.  Having such a simple shutter meant that it was more reliable and cheaper to produce.  Had the camera cost even as little as $10 more, less people would have bought it and it likely wouldn’t have been in production for as long.  If there were more features it might have not appealed to the entry level consumer like it did.

The Olympus Trip 35 is a perfect example of “less is more” and in this case, it is WAY more.  As this article tops 3400 words, I regret to say that I have nothing new to add to the countless number of positive articles about this camera that already exist.

They’re all right.  This is a wonderful camera and one I strongly recommend you check out!

Related Posts You Might Enjoy

Olympus Pen EE-S (1962)

Minolta Hi-Matic E (1971)

External Links

http://camera-wiki.org/wiki/Olympus_Trip_35

https://www.casualphotophile.com/2016/10/03/olympus-trip-35-camera-review/

https://kosmofoto.com/2017/03/olympus-trip-35-review/

https://www.35mmc.com/05/05/2018/olympus-trip-35-taught-little-bit-spontaneous-photographically-andrew-morang/

https://emulsive.org/reviews/camera-reviews/olympus-camera-reviews/the-olympus-trip-35-vs-the-olympus-xa2-in-the-field

https://www.kenrockwell.com/olympus/trip-35.htm

http://photo-utopia.blogspot.com/2008/03/olympus-trip-35.html

https://lewiscollard.com/cameras/olympus-trip-35/

https://schneidan.com/2016/07/01/olympus-trip-35/

https://wycameras.com/blogs/news/review-olympus-trip-35

http://mattsclassiccameras.com/rangefinders-compacts/olympus-trip-35/

https://www.kpraslowicz.com/2004/07/08/olympus-trip-35-1200th-modification

https://www.flickr.com/groups/olympustrip35/

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Now I understand why this camera is a consistent good seller on That Auction Site. For your readers who may not know, the letter preceding the name “Zuiko” on Olympus manual focus lenses indicates the number of elements, with A = 1, B = 2, etc etc through H = 8 (found on the H. Zuiko 35mm f2.0 in the OM series, which I think is the most complex prime lens Olympus made). . Early manual focus Nikkors of the pre-AI variety use a similar scheme, but the letters are based on Latin or mathematicians’ designations for the number of elements: T = tri, Q = quadra, P = penta, H = hexa, S = septa, on up thru D = deca.

Thanks for the feedback Roger, perhaps this would make for an article of it’s own as Minolta did it with their lenses too.

First Letter (no. of groups): T=3; Q=4; P=5; H=6; S=7; O=8; N=9. Second Letter (no. of elements): C=3; D=4; E=5; F=6; G=7; H=8; I=9; J=10; K=11; L=12.

For example, the 58mm f/1.2 MC Rokkor – PG contained 7 elements in 5 group

I have 3 Trips and really must rationalise and sell a couple of them

String pull Kodak first successful point and shoot?

Thanks Mike and Roger for the Groups/Elements codes here. I knew Nikon, but not theothers

Great article! There was one change/variant you didn’t mention – the all black model produced for two years between 1968-1969. I have three Trips, one early Chrome button, one later black button and, of course, the Trip Noir, which is my faithful travel companion. I’ve even run some infrared film through it (successfully) – it truly is an exceptionally capable camera.

Mike I’ve had a few trips in my time and found them so easy and fun to use. There is a one thing to look out for when buying one, check the red flag pops up when you cover the meter with your hand indicating insufficient light – if it doesn’t show and the shutter still fires then you may have a problem. Also i thought the apature settings were mainly there for when a manual flash was attached and the user then sets the appropriate f stop for the subject to distance coverage needed.

Am I alone in thinking that the Trip 35 is the full frame version of the Pen EES2? I have both.

Olympus’s design theory back then shared a similar family resemblance across many models. I am certain that was intentional! 🙂

Like this Post? Let me hear your thoughts! Cancel reply

Wednesday, June 23, 2010

How old is my trip 35.

18 comments:

Hello Lanthus, I just removed the pressure plate inside my Trip 35 and discovered the following number: N2Z I'm very curious, do you know the year? Greetz, Jelmer

So, after giving it a bit more thought, my answer is that it was manufactured in December 1982 or 1972! If it has a black shutter button, then it is 1982 and if silver it is 1972. If you purchased it as a rebuild from a company that refurbishes them then it may be a plate from a different camera or a button from another year, etc. in which case it's anybody's guess. The N is a symbol for the factory it was manufactured in.

Ok, one of my have 8-8, so she is 68 or 78? Thank you! (sorry but my English is the Google Translator lol).

That depends on if it has a silver or black shutter button. If it has a silver shutter button then it is from August 1968 and if it has a black shutter button then it is from August 1978. However if you purchased it as a rebuilt or as a refurbished camera from a company that restores them then it may be a plate from a different camera or a button from another, so it would be impossible to tell with any certainty. Hope that helps!

It helped a lot. In this case, the mine is 1968. Thank you.

Always happy to help!

Hello, I just found the code for mine which has the silver shutter button, it's 8-6 the dash is long and the 6 is circled. What year would you say?

Never heard of one with a long dash. Could you email me a pic? Even without the dash, and just going by the numbers it should be June 1978, assuming that it is not a refurbished unit rebuilt from spare bits and pieces.

Hey! Have you found out the age yet? Mine is the Same and i am really curios to know How old it is!

Mine says 69 and has a silver shutter button. That makes it September '76 if i'm correct?

Spot on Helmer! :-)

then I must have a very early model its 76 with a chrome button

Hi there I have 2 trips but having trouble working out the dates based on what I can find. #1 has the number (N17) under the pressure plate and the number (4958834) on the top plate. It has ASA 400 and a black plastic shutter button and the setting before infinity is red. #2 has the number (8-4) however the 4 is inside a circle under the pressure plate and the number (131885) on the top plate. It only goes to ASA 200 and has a chrome shutter button and the focus settings are all the same orange colour. Any help would be appreciated ��

The first one would most likely be July 1981, the high serial number seems to confirm that probability. The second is quite an early example manufactured in April 1968 and the serial number is very low too, which is positive confirmation.

My trip is close relative to your trip, they are the same date! My Trip's serial number is 126280

Hello Lanthus I have just found my fathers old Olympus trip, every thing seems to be working fine except the back pressure panel is missing. Do you know where i could buy a spare one or get the dimensions and try replicate it. Thank you very much. Oscar

Hi Oscar! You could try Trip Man in the UK and see if they can help you with parts or just look on ebay for a cheap Trip 35 that you can use for parts. The link to Trip Man is in the links list in the left column of this blog. Hope it works out! Lanthus

Just checked my parents olympus trip 35 which is now mine and the digits are B73 which goes with what my mum said bought in 67 and still going 😁

Olympus Global Homepage

• History of Olympus Products

Olympus TRIP 35

The Olympus TRIP 35 is a full-sized compact EE camera based on the Pen EES. It first went on sale in 1968. The name reflects its suitability as a convenient camera to take on trips. The TRIP 35 became very popular as a camera that combined ease of use, reliability and a low price with superb photographic performance. It remained a best-seller for over the next 20 years since its launch.

The Olympus Trip 35 Review: Everything You Need To Know

I’ve worked with many Olympus Trip 35s over the years and I’ve discovered the pros and cons of this brilliant little rangefinder camera!

The Olympus Trip 35 is so popular because it’s very easy to use, it has a great lens and it’s ideal for the novice photographer. Also, the Olympus Trip 35 is one of the only 35mm cameras powered by the sun, making it really handy to take on holiday with you. Since 1967 10 million units have been sold, which is a tremendous amount even today.  

If you want to know how this camera compares to others, how much you should be paying, some of its common issues and much, much more then read on!

I’ve worked with a hell of a lot of Trip 35s over the last few years and I like them because they’re really simple. If there’s something wrong with a Trip 35 I usually know it pretty much instantly because they aren’t especially complicated.

I’ve sussed out all the common issues, what can be fixed easily and what spells the end for an individual Trip 35. Usually, it’s lens fungus or an unreactive aperture that means doom for this little camera.

After years of working with them, I took one to the south coast of England to do a full review and I was actually pleasantly surprised by it. As you’ll see throughout the article, there are actually some good pictures that came from this ancient camera.

Some shots were let down by the very real limitations of this camera but on the flipside, due to the brilliant 40mm Zuiko lens, when the exposure is correct, its shots are great.

There are a lot of pros and cons to this camera so it’s well worth reading up on it to figure out if it’s the right fit for you. I enjoyed shooting it more than I expected but it wouldn’t be a camera that I’d rely on regularly.

Olympus Trip 35 Specs

Format – 35mm

ISO – 25 – 400

Battery – Solar Powered Selenium Battery

Exposure – Automatic

Shutter Speeds – 40 – 200

Flash – Hot Shoe

A Brief History Of The Olympus Trip 35

Introduced in 1967 and rolling on until 1984, the Olympus Trip 35 was completely ahead of its time. Sporting a solar-powered light meter in the late 60’s was pretty special.

Of course, Olympus’ market audience was pretty obvious, being named ‘Trip’, it’s kind of spelt out for you. Strong, reliable, doesn’t need any batteries, anyone could use it, that pretty much ticks all the boxes when it comes to a holiday camera.

Incredibly, over 10 million Trips were sold (Up for debate) and of course, they’re still being bought and sold to this day.

How Does The Olympus Trip 35 Battery Work?

The Olympus Trip 35 is powered by the sun using a selenium light meter which is the ring around the lens. This powers the light meter and allows the camera to choose the shutter speed and aperture (depending on which settings you have on). This would have been very unusual in its time but the fact that it’s still reliable today is brilliant.

Is The Trip 35 Lens Good?

Yeah, the Olympus Trip 35 has a pretty good lens but I’ve got to say, there are quite a few drawbacks. The lens itself is a beautiful 40mm 2.8 Zuiko lens, it’s pretty high quality for a camera that feels like a point-and-shoot.

I’d say the main drawback is that the focus is zonal and you only have 4 options. You should be able to see above, there’s a picture of one person, then two, then a group and then a landscape symbol. These are your focus options and it’s basically, 1.5m, 2m 3m and 6m and beyond.

This does limit the camera quite a lot but you’ve got to forgive a 50-odd-year-old camera sometimes.

The focal length is interesting, 40mm is pretty unusual but it’s still just wide enough to take the kind of pictures you’d usually take when you go on your holidays. It’d probably be preferable to have a 35mm lens but beggars can’t be choosers.

The Olympus Trip 35 Compared To The Olympus OM10

It’s worth comparing the Olympus Trip 35 with the Olympus OM10 as they’re currently at similar prices.

The Olympus Trip 35 isn’t that similar to the Olympus OM10, the Olympus Trip 35 is a small point-and-shoot rangefinder and the OM10 is an SLR however, it’s good to see what the Olympus Trip 35 is like in comparison to another well-known camera.

The Olympus OM10 would provide much better shots as it has better quality lenses and more control however, the Olympus Trip is more convenient, more compact and easier to use.

How Much Is The Olympus Trip 35 Worth?

Currently, the Olympus Trip 35 is worth around $100-125 or £70-100. You can of course get the Trip 35 for less if you try bidding for it on eBay or search thrift stores and flea markets but it’s worth trying to make sure that your Trip 35 is all working correctly.

What Kind Of Photography Is The Olympus Trip 35 Best For?

The Olympus Trip 35 is unsurprisingly best for travel-type photography. This camera was made with travel in mind as it’s small, compact, strong, easy to use and doesn’t require any batteries. Otherwise, this is also a good camera for day-to-day use. Photographers like David Bailey championed the Olympus Trip 35 believing that it was an incredibly high-quality camera. 

Although the Olympus trip 35 has a great lens it’s not necessarily overly accurate and it’s not easy to focus correctly so despite the fact that it has a 2.8 lens it doesn’t mean it’s very likely that you’ll be able to focus correctly close range and get the most out of that lens. 

This is not necessarily ideal for more professional types of photography and is definitely better to be used in day-to-day life and travel photography. 

Is The Olympus Trip 35 Fully Manual?

The Olympus Trip 35 has two settings, one is an automatic setting that chooses your aperture and shutter speed for you, it decides between a shutter speed of 40 and 200 and between apertures of 2.8 and 22.

Alternatively, you can decide the aperture and the shutter speed will be decided by the camera. All focusing is manual and all ISO needs to be changed manually.

How To Use The Olympus Trip 35

Olympus Trip 35 is a very simple camera to use once you get the hang of it, until then understanding its limitations can be slightly hard. 

If your camera seems not to be working properly try to leave it in the sun for some time to effectively charge its battery.

To open the back of the camera there is a small lever on the bottom of the side of the camera which just needs to be pulled down until the back pops open. 

To change the aperture just rotate the ring at the base of the lens, this ring will show numbers from 2.8 two 22. If you want to shoot in automatically then turn it all the way around until the red ‘A’.

To change the ISO you just need to rotate the ring on the outer edge of the lens until you are to the correct ISO.

In order to focus you need to rotate the black ring on the lens. The closest focus mode is portrait mode, then there is middle-range portrait row mode, next, there are people standing further away from you and finally, there is a full landscape mode.

To attach a flash you simply have to slide it into the hot shoe located on the top middle of the prism. 

To shoot and wind on you just have to press the shooting button on the top of the camera and then wind the black winder on the back of the camera until you can’t wind it any further.

To rewind the film you must first press the black button on the bottom of the camera to release the film and then wind the silver winder on the top left of the camera all the way back until it feels loose. 

Common Faults Of The Olympus Trip 35

As the Olympus Trip 35 is a very old camera it has a number of common faults, hopefully, I can shed some light on these and help you avoid them or potentially fix them.

Commonly the red flag of the Olympus trip 35 will stop working, the red flag usually shows you when the scene would be too under-exposed. The red flag would appear at the bottom of the viewfinder when you are looking through it and would usually stop you from taking a picture if it’s too dark.  

Sometimes the lens won’t react correctly to light, this is a great thing to check because if this is happening then it’s not really something that you can stop and it will ruin your photos. If this is happening the only advice I can give is to put it in the sun for a bit to see if this charges your selenium battery.

It’s likely that the light seals have worn away unless you bought your camera from a reputable dealer. You will probably have to replace a small number of light seals just to ensure that you do not get light leaks, this is fairly easy and if you want to find out how to do it then go to this link .

Lastly, the lens may have fungus and if the fungus is internal and it’s not something that would be easy to fix it would be much simpler just to get another one.

Final Word On The Olympus Trip 35

This is a great camera for travel and is certainly a camera to consider using. Personally, it’s not my kind of camera, I prefer more control and this just doesn’t cut it for me!

For a camera of its age, it truly is fantastic, a solar-powered vintage wonder that can still produce some beautiful shots!

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Hey! I've been shooting film for a very long time and throughout all of my 20's it's been my main format. In 2019 I started to buy and sell film cameras and I became a top rated seller on Etsy and eBay. I've built up a wealth of knowledge about different kinds of film cameras and their common issues.

Since I started photography I've produced a number of zines/prints and more recently made a book called 'So Far So Good'.

I started this website in late 2021 with hopes of helping out people who had been looking for similar information to me and so far, I'm really enjoying it.

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Cool to see a new review of the old analog Olympus TRIP 35 (here on eBay) ! Analog Insights writes:

In today’s episode, Jules, Paul and I review the Olympus Trip 35 – a beautiful, compact 35mm viewfinder camera with built-in selenium light meter, an excellent 40mm f/2.8 Zuiko lens and an automatic exposure mode. The camera was first introduced in 1967 and built until 1984. According to most online sources, about 10 million units were produced in these 17 years, yet this number is likely to include later plastic versions with some form of Trip branding. Looking at the actual serial numbers, it is more likely that Olympus built around 5.4 million units of the Trip 35. Paul is also known as Trip Man (https://www.tripman.co.uk), selling refurbished classic Trip 35 cameras and accessories online out of England. He is a true authority and thus my perfect guide to this wonderful little camera. I cautiously reached out to him asking whether he would be available for a conversation via Zoom and he decided to spend a short spring vacation here in Munich. We used the opportunity to take the Trip 35 out on a photo walk in Munich’s Westend district shooting Ilford Pan 400 on a cloudy day. Paul could use the Trip 35 here in Munich as it was originally intended – as a light, easy-to-use travel camera that lets you explore the world, focus on your subject and nothing else. I also took the camera out together with Jules on a photo walk around dusk in a former industrial area. To match the beautiful golden light, we shot a roll of Kodak Gold 200 rated at ISO 160 and got some excellent results as well. Let’s get started and learn more about the Trip 35.

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Olympus Trip 35: A World-Famous Classic

A world-famous classic, selling millions of units worldwide, that’s the Olympus Trip 35. This means plenty are available in thrift stores, op-shops and across the internet. It’s no wonder then that so many people with a renewed interest in film photography end up with a Trip. What is incredible is that such a cult following has sprung up around them.

The Lomo LC-A’s following loves the quirks of the LC-A. Yes, it’s capable of very sharp images, is amazingly flexible with its almost limitless shutter speeds and the new LC-A+ can achieve very high film speeds. It’s renowned for it’s lovely vignetting, an effect I enjoy very much drawing the observers eye to the middle of each print. However, sometimes you want something more accurate, more lifelike and that’s when the Trip comes in handy.

In short, the Olympus Trip 35 give you the same quality of shot (or better) than a far more expensive SLR would. If you get the focusing right (it’s a zone focus camera so, like the LC-A, you must practice guessing distances before perfect focussing becomes natural) then images can be tack sharp with no distortion of any kind, and only occasionally minimal vignetting.

This makes it a marvelous alternative to a far larger, inconvenient, heavier SLR . The Trip can be carried in a handbag (or man-bag!) easily and like the LC-A be used in a truly fast way. Many rave about the Trip, but it is unfair not to bring your attention to some of the quirks that make it a companion, and not an alternative to the LC-A.

When the Trip was in production, films were not as fast as they are today, this means the ISO settings on the camera are a bit strange, starting at 25 with very minor increments it only goes as high as 400. With today’s films being much finer grain and not as slow the only really useful ISOs are between 100 and 400.

There are only two shutter speeds, 1/200 and 1/40. This means that you will only ever achieve those tack sharp images it’s famous for, in brightish light, shake can be very evident at 1/40. The camera’s lens is quite bright at f2.8, but still, this is not as flexible as the LC-A+ .

Still thinking of buying a Trip? Good. Mine has become one of my favorite cameras and I recommend it. If you do, make sure you check the light meter is working, that the ‘little red flag’ isn’t stuck. One thing you will have to do is replace the seals. After some light leaks (who wants a leaky Trip? Its quality is the point!), I replaced the seals, easy and fast (message me for a contact who makes the kits to do so) and since then I haven’t had a problem.

Even in quite poor light with expired film, the Trip is capable of capturing amazing detail in the grass in the first shot, right to the corners of the shot — one oddity here is the vignetting, I only ever get that with expired film.

Technicalities aside, the one last word I have to say about the Trip is this. It’s beautiful. You simply cannot disagree it’s miniature SLR aesthetics, silver, and black trim… what a pretty thing.

This article was written by Lomographer adam_g2000 . Upload your shots to your LomoHome using the Olympus Trip 35.

written by adam_g2000 on 2012-03-02 #gear #35mm #review #trip #camera #colour #olympus #sharp #lomography #35 #user-review #accurate

trip35snapper , mnoon12 , lizkoppert , martinpruv , twizzer88 , jackpumpkinhead , domo-guy , mialee , pcrlaban , snowybub , lomoeugenio , imanskoi , gdc , tahe87 , crevans27 , neanderthalis , szzs , lomodesbro , clogged , larrywzh , foodeanz , superlighter , wuxiong , arifrodriguez , lighthouse_keeperess , uncle_jay , k_melancholy , alex34 , kuryzu , plasticpopsicle , vgzalez & sidsel .

19 Comments

Nice galleries. It seems like a highly functional point-and-shoot, which is sometimes exactly what you want/feel like (I have a Beirette VSN for that). Good review.

Love the camera.....<:) nice review too...<:)

Dusting mine off right now, nice review!

Now i know how incredible performance that the Tip have...=) thanks for sharing...

@foodeanz I don't think I gave it enough credit, it's easy to maintain and repair, a great all rounder. highly recommended.

ok..thanks for the info..=)

i love mine so much.

I love this camera! I recently bought one and now I'm waiting for results...

Excellent. I would get one if only I could convince my wife to let one more camera in the house....

Bought one on Monday....waiting for it to arrive. This has made me even MORE excited!

Picked up a mint looking (and working) one today for only 20€, really looking forward to using it next week!!! Very nice review!!!

so sad..changed mine twice & still having problem. The red flag kept popping up, refusing to let me take pics.

Bought one saturday! I'll finish the test roll and send it to the lab in the next hour or so.

@franty good luck. @snowybub if you are sure you are operating it properly in the right light, there is nothing to stop you trying to repair it. It would be worth it for the experience! www.flickr.com/groups/olympustrip35/discuss/721576223452371… amongst others.

i using this camera, realh is amazing...! i love it so much!

Nice review. My first roll is just done and can't wait

Very advanced point and shoot without any battery! It is a solar powered light meter which enables a fully auto setup! While at the same time one can have it sort of manual and adjust the aperture and speed ! Takes great photo , super light and easy to carry!

Hi, I like the look of the trip 35 but I'm wondering how to get more vignetting. It's a trait I adore and lean towards more the La Sardina however the glass lense of the Trip does produce much sharper images. Any advice? (New to film)

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Olympus Trip 35

• Brand: Olympus
• Name: Olympus Trip 35
• Type: Viewfinder camera
• Type of Film: 35mm
• Focal length: 40 mm
• Maximum aperture: f/2.8
• Focus: Manual
• Shutter speeds: 1/200 s, 1/40 s
• Flash / Flash connection: Hot Shoe, PC-Flash
• Release date: 1968
• Age: Up to 56 years

The Olympus Trip 35 is a 35mm camera. It was launched in 1968 and was built over a long period of time. In the more than 15 years until the end of production, Olympus produced more than 10 million Trip 35s.

As you can infer from the name, the 35mm camera was aimed at users who were looking for a good compact camera for their vacation.

The body is largely made of metal, which makes it a bit heavier, but also more robust. It weighs around 400 grams with a size of 116 x 57 x 70 mm. The design of the viewfinder camera is black and chrome. However, it was also available completely in black.

The viewfinder camera is equipped with a 40 mm fixed focal length. Filters can be screwed to the 43.5 mm mount. The coated four-lens (4 elements in 3 groups) has a maximum aperture of f/2.8 and delivers a surprisingly good image quality.

The aperture can be controlled either manually from f/2.8 to f/22 or automatically. A light meter is built into the Trip 35 for this purpose. The light is measured with the help of soul cells, which are mounted around the lens. The big advantage of these is that they don’t need batteries and you don’t have to buy rare batteries. The disadvantage is that they measure somewhat incorrectly over time and eventually stop working altogether.

If you set the aperture wheel to “A”, the camera sets the aperture itself. If it is too dark and f/2.8 and 1/40 s are no longer sufficient, the shutter locks and a warning appears in the viewfinder.

Focusing is also manual using zone focus, for which there are meter and feet indications around the lens. You can get up to 1 meter close to your subject with the Olympus Trip 35. The viewfinder is not connected to the lens, but you can see the pictograms for focusing through it, so you don’t have to take the camera away from your eye.

The Olympus Trip 35 is loaded with standard 35mm film. The ISO value of the film is set on the lens, the possible range is from ISO 25 to ISO 400. Earlier models only went up to ISO 200. How many pictures you have taken is displayed on the top of the camera.

Multiple and double exposures are not possible, as the Trip 35 has a double exposure lock. You can, of course, expose a film, rewind it, and then expose it again.

A flash can also be used with the Olympus. There are two options here, either normal via hot shoe or via PC flash connection. The Olympus Trip 35 has a connection for a tripod and a cable release.

Technical datasheet

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olympus trip 35

Meet my new baby. serial number and date of production: 2775867/ march 1971.   the trip 35 is a fully-automatic 35mm compact camera, manufactured by olympus from 1967 to 1984, during which time over ten million units were sold.(this oft-quoted figure is likely to have included later plastic-bodied olympus cameras with trip branding, as the original trip 35 had serial numbers going up to around 5,400,000.) the auto-exposure mechanism is effectively solar-powered by a selenium cell surrounding the lens, and consequently the camera runs entirely without batteries. until june 1978, the shutter button was silver-coloured metal. after that date, all trips had a black plastic button.   -camerapedia.

Olympus Trip 35 – Through the Viewfinder

22 May, 2013

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I’m going to take photos through the viewfinder of some cameras as I take a photo with the camera … I’m not mad, there have just been a few occasions where I would have liked to have known what to expect through a viewfinder before I bought the camera it was a part of… Ok maybe I am mad?

There is a small issue with this plan, the iphone is the only camera I can find that allows me to do it, because of this the quality seems a little dubious.

The first camera is the Olympus trip 35 a basic, but ultimately entirely functional viewfinder..

As you can see the frame lines (at least the ones visible in the shot) are pretty good. Perhaps a little off to the left of the frame, but not bad! You also have a nice view of the setting you have the camera set to. As you can see I had it on ‘A’ and the focus set to the picture of the 3 little people. In good daylight you can snap away with these settings without worry.

The viewfinder is plenty bright enough, and clear enough, despite (in my cameras case) being 44 years old.

You can read more of my thoughts on this wonderful camera here A cult classic point and shoot – Olympus Trip 35

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Trip 35 and some very cheap film and Connie. on Olympus Trip 35 – Through the Viewfinder

Comment posted: 23/05/2013

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