Olympus 35 ED (1974–1978)
The Olympus 35 ED is a 35mm rangefinder with a fixed 38mm f/2.8 D.Zuiko lens. It was produced in Japan from 1974 to 1978. One enthusiast site calls it “the cheap Olympus rangefinder nobody talks about,” and that fits. It lacks the cult following of the Trip 35 and the magazine coverage of the 35 RC, but it was a solid, compact shooter in its day.
The honest weakness, as one source puts it, is the meter. Like every CdS compact of this era, the cell ages, and the camera was built for mercury batteries that no longer exist. Expect to deal with battery conversion or external metering. The listing that surfaced this unit noted it “needs batteries,” which is par for the course.
Little else is formally documented. No manual content, shutter specs, or dimensions were recovered in the research, though a 16-page English manual is known to exist. A seller in Bakersfield, CA listed one at $100 obo with trades welcome. Another European seller asked €150. Production dates are corroborated between two sources.
Known specs:
- 35mm rangefinder, fixed lens
- Olympus D.Zuiko 38mm f/2.8
- CdS meter (mercury battery dependent)
- Produced 1974–1978, Japan
Some eBay listings for an “Olympus ED 35-180mm” zoom lens camera circulate under a similar name. That is a different product, not this fixed-lens rangefinder.
eBay Listings
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