Olympus 35-S (1960)

The Olympus 35-S — also known as the Super-S — is a 35mm lens-shutter rangefinder that Olympus launched in 1960 as the successor to the 35-M. It occupied the higher end of the company's fixed-lens rangefinder line, described by the Canon Camera Museum as a “full-fledged lens-shutter rangefinder with a prestige finish and brass top cover.” It’s sometimes characterized as a scaled-down version of the top-of-the-line 35-V, with a simpler mechanism.

What makes the 35-S interesting is its metering. It uses a built-in selenium cell — no battery required — coupled to an exposure meter with a needle display visible inside the viewfinder. The viewfinder itself is a double-image rangefinder type with parallax correction. The lens is a D-Zuiko F=4.5 cm, available in either f:1.9 or f:2.8 versions. Shutter speeds run from B, 1 through 1/500, with X, F, and M sync terminals built in, plus a self-timer. Film advance is a lever wind with a 160-degree single-stroke throw.

Specs known from the original instruction manual:

- Film format: 24 × 36 mm on 35mm film

- Lens: D-Zuiko F=4.5 cm, f:1.9 or f:2.8

- Shutter: Between-lens, B, 1–1/500

- Viewfinder: Double-image rangefinder with parallax correction

- Meter: Coupled selenium cell, needle display in viewfinder

- Sync: X, F, M; built-in terminal

- Self-timer: Built-in

- Film advance: Lever wind, 160° stroke

What isn’t documented: no original retail price, no weight or dimensions, and no field data on common failures or collector demand. The record is essentially two sources — the original instruction manual transcription and the Canon Camera Museum’s historical notes — and they agree on the essentials. If you have one of these, the selenium meter is the first thing to check; if it’s dead, the camera still works fully manually, but the coupled meter is the feature that made this model distinctive in its day.