Cameras By Max Ltd

How To Use The Olympus Trip

April 28, 2023 By Cameras By Max

The Olympus Trip is a super popular camera among beginners to film, so here is our guide on how to use this awesome little camera, and some tips on how to get the most out of your Olympus Trip.

Olympus Trip 35mm film camera in wood covering in front of a plant

What is the Olympus Trip?

The Olympus Trip 35 was introduced in 1967, and discontinued in 1984, which is considered a long production run for a 35mm film camera. Over ten million Olympus Trip cameras were sold in this time. 

Many people wrongly call the Olympus Trip a rangefinder camera, however we would classify it more as a point and shoot with zone focusing.

 alt=

What features does the Olympus Trip have?

The Olympus Trip is really easy to use, and has some cool features that set it apart from other point and shoot 35mm film cameras.

  • Zuiko coated 40mm f/2.8 lens : this lens is sharp, and the wide aperture makes it versatile in a lot of situations.
  • Automatic settings : the Olympus Trip has two shutter speeds and aperture from f/2.8 to f/22.
  • No batteries needed : the Olympus Trip is powered by the selenium meter around the lens. This is also what receives light and tells the camera which aperture is needed.
  • Red flag feature : when the camera does not have enough light to take a photograph, a red flag appears in the viewfinder.
  • Zone focusing : the Olympus Trip has four focus settings depending on how far away your subject is from the camera.

What are the different parts of the Olympus Trip?

The top plate.

The Olympus Trip top plate is very simple. The camera features are easy to find, making it an ideal camera for beginners. Below is a labelled diagram of the camera.

Olympus Trip 35 35mm film camera top plate nomenclature

On the left of the top plate is the rewind knob (more on that later). In the middle is the flash hotshoe, used for mounting hotshoe flashes to the camera. The shutter button is the small black button on the top. On some models of Olympus Trip, this button can be silver. The small panel on the right is the shot counter that displays the number of shots you have taken.

The Olympus Trip lens holds most of the key settings for the camera , such as the ASA, focus, and aperture. 

Olympus Trip 35 lens settings

The ASA dial is set to match the roll of film that you put in the camera. For example, if you are using Portra 400, the ASA setting is set to 400. 

The focus settings are simple, and known as zone focusing. There are four zones to choose from. We go through them in more depth later on in this article. 

The aperture settings are only used if you are using flash. Otherwise, the camera is set to "A", which allows the camera to choose the aperture and shutter speed automatically. 

The Bottom Plate

There is only one function on the bottom plate of the Olympus Trip 35: the rewind button. (And the tripod mount, technically.)

Rewind button on the bottom of the Olympus Trip 35mm film camera

The rewind button is pressed when you are ready to start rewinding your film. 

How To Load Film In The Olympus Trip

Loading film takes some practice, but it is really easy when you get to grips with it. 

To load a roll of film in the Olympus Trip, first you have to open the back of the camera. To open the back of the camera, pull down this small silver tab, shown below.

How to open the back of the Olympus Trip camera

Once you have the back of the camera open, you can load your roll of film. To load the roll of film, pull the rewind knob up. The roll of film goes in with the top of the canister (the part that sticks out) at the bottom of the camera. See the image below.

How to load film in the Olympus Trip

When the canister is in, as shown above, you can pull the film leader across the camera to reach the other side.

Pull the film leader across the length of the camera

The rewind knob being put back down will lock the canister in place as you pull the film across. In order to lock the film onto the film spool in the camera, it has to go partly into one of the slots, and the notches at the bottom of the spool have to go through the sprockets on the film (the holes). 

Sprockets on the Olympus Trip 35

In order to be able to advance the film across the camera, you have to fire the shutter . You can do this by pointing it at a bright light or by setting the aperture setting to one of the numbers. 

I recommend firing the shutter, and advancing the film (with the advance thumb wheel) twice before closing the back, so that you can make sure the film is definitely loaded correctly. As you get more confident, you can fire the shutter less times and therefore get more photos on your roll of film. 

How To Take Photos With The Olympus Trip

Now you have loaded your roll of film, and closed the back of the camera, you are ready to start taking photos! 

The first thing to check is that your ASA is set to the same speed as your roll of film. For example, Portra 400 is ASA 400. Or Kodak Gold is ASA 200. 

Close-up of the Olympus Trip 35mm film camera ASA dial

When looking through the viewfinder, you will be able to see your frame lines, and the focus setting that the camera is set to. The viewfinder of the Olympus Trip does not show you where the focus is set, just which symbol you have the lens set to.

View through the viewfinder of Olympus Trip 35mm film camera

When the lens is set to "A", the camera will choose the shutter speed and aperture for you manually. If the image you are trying to take is too dark, the red flag will come up. 

You can override this by setting it to one of the numbers instead, but be aware that these are intended for a flash to be used with it. By setting the Olympus Trip to a number on the lens, it reduces the shutter speed to 1/30 - that's one thirtieth of a second. So you will need to have a steady hand when doing so.

How does the film counter on the Olympus Trip work?

When you first load your roll of film, it may look as though the film counter is not moving. It takes two or three shots for the shot counter to move to the number one. 

The back of the camera needs to be closed in order for the shot counter to start working. 

The counter shows the amount of images you have taken, not how many you have left.

Shutter counter on the Olympus Trip 35

How do I focus the Olympus Trip 35?

The Olympus Trip focus settings are simple, but take some getting used to. There are four settings on the camera. The symbols for these are found on the black part of the lens, as shown earlier in the article. 

The symbols are as follows:

Symbols for the Olympus Trip 35 focus settings

The Olympus Trip has  four focus settings . The viewfinder view does not change as you change the focus settings, so you need to know which setting is correct for how far away your subject is. Luckily, this is  not hard.

The first setting has the symbol of one person. The first setting is used for close-up photographs , where the subject is less than 1 metre away.

The second setting is of two people, which is to be used for subjects from 1.5 to 3 metres away. 

The third setting is a symbol of three people. This setting is used for subjects that are between  3 and 6 metres away. 

The final setting is a symbol of a mountain, which is used for anything beyond 6 metres away. 

If you ever forget these numbers, they are engraved on the underside of the lens (opposite to the symbols on the top). 

How does the Olympus Trip 35 red flag feature work?

The purpose of this Olympus Trip feature is to stop you from taking a photograph that is not exposed enough and therefore will not be visible when developed.

When there is not enough light in your image, the red flag will pop up in the viewfinder. You will clearly be able to see it if you are looking through the viewfinder. It also blocks the shutter button from being pressed.

Red flag feature inside the Olympus Trip viewfinder

Can I use the Olympus Trip at night?

Yes, you can. 

The easiest way to do this is to attach a flash to the top of the camera.

Attaching a flash to the top of the camera is easy and most flashes can be used on the Olympus Trip. It has a standard flash hotshoe on the top of the camera. 

Here is an example of a flash that can be used on the Olympus Trip:

When using a flash on the Olympus Trip, there are different settings to use. These are the aperture numbers on the silver barrel of the lens closest to the camera. 

The aperture you use needs to be read off of the meter table, which is usually displayed on the back of the flash unit. 

How to use a flash on the Olympus Trip 35

You can read more about using the Olympus Trip at night here .

How To Rewind Your Film

Congratulations, you've finished your roll of film. 

How can I tell if the roll of film is finished?

You will start to feel some resistance when trying to advance the camera. Do not force it, as you will snap part of the mechanism. 

If you are using a 24 exposure roll of film, you will have reached the 24th shot. The shot counter should show the number 24, or near to that number. The same applies for a 36 exposure roll of film, as this will show the number 36. Sometimes you are lucky and get 37 or 38 shots out of a roll of film. 

When the film will not advance any more, the film is finished. 

How do I take the roll of film out?

On the bottom of the camera is your rewind button. Push this button in. It should stay in after you have pressed it once. 

You can now use the rewind knob to rewind the film into the canister. Turn the knob clockwise. 

Using the Olympus Trip 35 rewind knob to rewind film

Rewinding the film usually takes around thirty seconds of rewinding. You will feel when the film comes off of the spool at the end, because the rewind knob will have less resistance. Keep rewinding it until you feel certain that the film is back inside the canister. 

You can now open the back and take the film out. 

Back of the Olympus Trip 35mm film camera

That's just about everything you need to know about the Olympus Trip 35 35mm film camera! We really recommend this camera for beginners, so we hope you have a great time using it and create some lovely images. 

I think my Olympus Trip is broken; what should I do?

A lot of Olympus Trip 35mm film cameras have never been serviced in their lifetime. Because they are holiday cameras, a lot of them have sand in the mechanisms. 

We highly recommend getting your Olympus Trip serviced if it hasn't been used in a while. 

Maintained, these cameras can last many years, however when they have been left for decades, they can develop a few issues, such as stuck aperture blades, stuck shutter, non-functioning light meter, etc. 

All of our Olympus Trip services and repairs are very affordable, so definitely consider sending it to us before deciding that it doesn't work, or putting it back in a drawer. 

Shop our full range of Olympus Trips and accessories here:

Find out more about the olympus trip here:.

Different colours of Olympus Trip cameras

Featured Camera: The Olympus Trip 35

Olympus Trip camera with flash attached - can you use the Olympus Trip at night?

Can You Use the Olympus Trip At Night?

If you like what we do, but can't buy a camera from us, please consider buying us a cup of coffee! It helps us to keep these resources free, consistent, and accessible. 

Still stuck on which film camera to buy?

Try our film camera quiz. All you have to do is answer a few questions, and then you will get a list of personalised camera recommendations. 

Or send us a message on Instagram , send us an email , chat to us on our live website chat, or read some more of our blog posts!

Max, owner of Cameras By Max

Article written by: Max

Max is the owner of Cameras By Max. They work full-time repairing and refurbishing all the 35mm film cameras you see on the website. Their favourite camera (at the moment) is the Olympus XA, and their favourite city in the world is Edinburgh.

Take our quiz to find your perfect film camera.

Not sure which camera is best for you?

Congratulations! Your order qualifies for a free planted tree. Plant a tree with any order over ÂŁ60!

No more products available for purchase

Your cart is currently empty.

RetroCameraFix

Item added to your cart

olympus trip 35 camera guide

If you're the proud new owner of a vintage Olympus Trip 35 film camera, you're in for a treat! This classic piece of photographic history is perfect for capturing memories with a unique analog touch with ease. In this guide, I'll walk you through the step-by-step process of using your Olympus Trip 35, complete with images and important precautions to ensure you get it right every time.

Expand the relevant guide:

Collapsible content

Loading film into the olympus trip 35:.

Step 1: Choose your film

Select your preferred 35mm film roll, keeping in mind that the Olympus Trip 35 is compatible with ASA/ISO speeds ranging from 25 to 400. 

olympus trip 35 camera guide

Popular film brands include Kodak, Fujifilm, and Ilford. This post I wrote might be useful:  Buying 35mm Film - A Complete Guide

Step 2: Set the film speed and set the camera to manual for film loading

Set the appropriate ASA/ISO speed for your film using the dial located on the front of the camera, near the lens.

Set ISO on Olympus Trip 35 and Set to Manual F Stop

Also turn the aperture ring to any manual f number against the red line so that it isn't set to 'A'. The shutter can now be released regardless of light conditions.

Step 3: Open the camera back  

[Image 2: The Olympus Trip 35's back lock tab]

Locate the back cover lock tab on the bottom of your Olympus Trip 35. Pull it down and the camera back should pop open.

Step 4: Insert the film cartridge  

[Image 3: Film cartridge being inserted into the camera]

Lift up the rewind knob and insert the film cartridge into the film chamber on the left side of the camera, making sure the tip of the film is pointing toward the take-up spool on the right side. Then push the rewind knob back down into the roll of film (sometimes needs a wiggle or slight rotation to go all the way back down).

Step 5: Engage the film leader into the take-up spool

[Image 4: Film leader inserted into the take-up spool]

Pull the film across the camera and insert the tip securely through and into a slot on the take-up spool. Advance the film using the wind-on wheel.

Step 6: Align the film perforations  

Ensure that the film perforations are aligned with the sprocket teeth on both sides of the film.

[Image 4: Film leader inserted into the take-up spool]

This ensures the film will advance smoothly when winding.

Step 7: Close the camera back

Close the camera back tightly. The camera back should click shut, indicating it is securely closed. 

[Image 6: Closing the camera back]

IMPORTANT: Never open the camera back before fully rewinding the film, as this can expose your film to light and ruin your photos. Make sure to rewind the film completely after taking all 24 or 36 frames before unloading it.

Step 8: Advance film to '1'

Keep winding film and releasing the shutter until the film counter points to "1".  This ensures the unexposed part of the film is ready for your first photo.

olympus trip 35 camera guide

IMPORTANT: Watch the rewind knob when you wind the camera on ; it should start to rotate at the same time as you wind, indicating that the film has been taken up correctly   - this is key, if this is not happening after a few shots then it probably means that the film has not been securely engaged by the take-up spool and the loading process will need to be repeated.

olympus trip 35 camera guide

Step 9: Set the camera back to "Automatic" and get ready to shoot!  

Turn the aperture ring until the 'A' mark is aligned with the red line in front of the viewfinder (click stop).

olympus trip 35 camera guide

Your Olympus Trip 35 is now loaded with film and ready to capture amazing photos.

olympus trip 35 camera guide

Taking Photos with the Olympus Trip 35:

How to take photos with the olympus trip 35:.

Step 1: Ensure the camera is wound on

This gets the shutter ready and primed to take a photo.

Step 2: Set subject zone focus distance on the lens

The Olympus Trip 35 has 4 settings which equate to focusing zone distances away from the camera (shown on the underside of the lens barrel):

olympus trip 35 camera guide

  • 🧍‍♀️Close focus  ≈  1 meter. This setting is used for focusing on anything ~1 meter away from the camera, be it close headshots or other close up details.
  • 👥 Portrait  ≈ 1.5 meters. Used for focusing on anything ~1.5 meters away from the camera, for example portraits or capturing wider details in the photo.
  • 👯    Group   ≈ 3 meters. Focusing on anything ~3 meters away from the camera, eg. full length body shots/group photos.
  • 🌄  Scenery  ≈ 5+ meters. Focusing on everything 5+ meters away from the camera, great for landscapes or subjects far away from the camera!

olympus trip 35 camera guide

Step 3: Ensure aperture ring is set to 'A'

For 99% of situations in good light without a flash, it's best to leave the camera set to the red 'A'.

olympus trip 35 camera guide

This lets the camera's solar powered meter set the exposure settings automatically and ensures a good exposure.

Step 4: Compose the photo using the viewfinder

olympus trip 35 camera guide

Use the projected frame lines to see the area that will be captured in your photograph.   There are hash marks to indicate the change in frame at close focus.

Step 5: Take photo by pressing shutter button

olympus trip 35 camera guide

There should be a small click as the shutter fires - indicating a photo has been taken! 🙌 If instead a red flag appears in the viewfinder, this is a warning that there is not enough light in the scene for a proper exposure. 

olympus trip 35 camera guide

You can manually disable the red flag low light warning and take a photo anyway in low light by setting the aperture to '2.8'.

Towards  the end of the roll it is important to not try to wind on the camera hard when you start feeling quite a lot of resistance or cannot wind on further -  this signifies that the roll is finished, but if pushed too hard at this stage can result in the film snapping in the back of the camera.

Unloading Film from the Olympus Trip 35:

Step 1: Check the film counter 

Once you've taken all the photos on your film roll (either 24 or 36 frames), check the film counter to ensure you've reached the end.

[Image 10: Film counter indicating the last frame]

Towards  the end of the roll it is important to not try to wind on the camera hard when you start feeling quite a lot of resistance -  this signifies that the roll is finished and if pushed too hard can sometimes result in the film snapping in the back of the camera.

Step 2: Press rewind button in

olympus trip 35 camera guide

Find the small black button on the base of the camera and push it in to disengage the film from the winding mechanism and allow the film to wind back into the film canister inside the camera.

Step 3: Rewind the film 

Press the rewind button located on the bottom of your Olympus Trip 35. Then, turn the rewind knob clockwise to rewind the film back into the cartridge. Keep rewinding until you feel the tension release, indicating that the film has been fully rewound.

Step 4: Open the camera back

olympus trip 35 camera guide

Following the same steps as when loading the film, locate the camera back lock tab on the bottom of your Olympus Trip 35. Pull it outwards to open the camera back.

Step 5: Remove the film cartridge

[Image 13: Film cartridge being removed from the camera]

Pull up the rewind lever and lift the film cartridge out of the film chamber.

Step 6: Store and develop your film 

[Image 14: Film cartridge ready for storage or development]

Place the film cartridge in a light-tight container to protect it from light exposure. Take or send your film to a lab for development or develop it yourself using the appropriate chemicals and techniques.

Shop The Olympus Trip 35

Olympus trip 35 vintage 35mm film camera | tested & fully refurbished | 100 day guarantee, olympus trip 35 vintage 35mm film camera - forest slate green | tested & fully refurbished | 100 day guarantee, olympus trip 35 vintage 35mm film camera - burnt orange | tested & fully refurbished | 100 day guarantee, olympus trip 35 vintage 35mm film camera - golden yellow | tested & fully refurbished | 100 day guarantee, olympus trip 35 vintage 35mm film camera - teal green | tested & fully refurbished | 100 day guarantee, olympus trip 35 vintage 35mm film camera - lipstick pink | tested & fully refurbished | 100 day guarantee, olympus trip 35 vintage 35mm film camera - royal blue | tested & fully refurbished | 100 day guarantee, olympus trip 35 vintage 35mm film camera - sand beige | tested & fully refurbished | 100 day guarantee.

  • Choosing a selection results in a full page refresh.
  • Opens in a new window.

Casual Photophile

  • 35mm Lenses
  • Camera Reviews
  • Point and Shoot

Olympus Trip 35 – Camera Review

Josh solomon.

  • October 3, 2016

olympus trip 35 camera guide

As enthralling as photography can be, long days, months, and years spent shooting can wear you out. In the worst case, it can lead to a photographic malaise that can dismantle even the most well-built minds from the inside out. It can render the best shooters incapable of even the simple task of pressing a shutter button. It’s shooter’s block, our equivalent to writer’s block, and it hit me hard over the summer.

I jumped out of bed one morning full of energy, ready to take on the world with my trusty Nikon F and Leica M2. But instead of plunging into a world filled with beauty, intrigue, and possibility, I found my surroundings cold, ugly, and indifferent. The images I tried to form seemed trite and overplayed, and I soon lost confidence in my ability to make a decent picture. Even the storied reputations of my F and M2 failed to inspire me. Every time I peered through their viewfinders I saw nothing but dust in the pentaprism and emptiness between the framelines.

Sufficiently depressed, I decided to stay home and put my cameras on the shelf. And it was while I was lying face down on a pillow listening to the opening lines of Chicago’s “Hard To Say I’m Sorry” that I realized I did, in fact, need a little time away. But I didn’t need a full-on vacation from the hobby itself – no, that would be too drastic. I just needed a change from the manual cameras that sat on my shelf. I needed an easier camera, and I had a feeling one camera in particular could fit the bill – the Olympus Trip 35.

Olympus Trip 35 003

The Olympus Trip 35 is a camera I’d heard a lot about but had never tried myself. Its reputation for ease of use and high quality seemed the perfect cure for my shooter’s block. And if the Trip 35 was the prescription, the Pasadena Camera Show was the pharmacy. There I found a beautiful Trip 35 for an absurdly low price, bought it, and quickly threw it in my bag.

One would think the Olympus Trip 35 would seem out of place next to legendary cameras like the aforementioned Nikon and Leica, but it actually fits right in. This camera, although not as capable as the other two, holds an equally lofty place in photographic history. Just as the F and the M defined the SLR and rangefinder genres respectively, the Trip 35 defined the point-and-shoot game. More impressive still, the Trip 35 actually outsold the Nikon F and the Leica M2 by millions. Take that, fanboys.

Olympus achieved these massive numbers by appealing to the casual shooter rather than pro photographers, specifically focusing on the new generation of moneyed vacationers. Racing from landmark to landmark and airport to airport, these sightseers simply lacked the time and interest needed to learn the boring particulars of photography required to operate a camera. Instead, they required a camera that was simple to use, but sophisticated enough to beautifully capture their memories.

Good design marries aesthetics to functionality, and the the camera gods couldn’t have picked a better company to bring the Trip 35 to life. Olympus’ design house, fresh off the ingenious half-frame Pen F, struck gold again with the Trip. The design is classic Olympus; clean-cut lines and an impossibly small form factor, the Trip wastes no time and gets straight to the point. It’s as well designed as any machine of its day, more impactful when we recall that the Trip came of age in an era where cameras were still fully mechanical, save for the occasional battery powered light meter. Automation seemed a distant (and expensive) fantasy, so when Olympus created a genuine auto-exposure camera out of primitive nuts and bolts, the world took notice. This was in no uncertain terms an engineering miracle.

The Trip 35 accomplishes this sorcery by determining the amount of light that enters a Selenium photo cell surrounding the lens, and choosing a correct aperture based on this reading. The camera then chooses a shutter speed of either a 1/200th or 1/40th of a second and we get a perfect exposure. When the camera’s incapable of making an acceptable exposure, a little red flag shows up in the viewfinder and the shutter locks out. The magic of this system is that it takes all exposure-related worry out of our minds. We don’t have to agonize about aperture, shutter speed, or even battery life, a godsend for vacationers and anxious photo geeks.

But before we experience it, it’s quite easy to question the Trip 35’s simplicity. After all, how accurate could a camera this old and primitive be? And could the lens be good enough for our 21st century eyes? As I drove home from the camera show, my new Trip in the passenger seat next to me, these questions rolled through my mind. I really needed this camera to be decent, if I was to pull out of my photographic death spiral.

Just then, I received a text message from my sister. Can you pick up some pork buns in chinatown? thx. With this, I had my mission; buy some pork buns, shoot the Trip, and see if this ancient camera could walk the walk.

The first thing I noticed was its build quality. Comprised of metal and plastic, the Trip 35 is solid, but never heavy; lightweight, but never flimsy. The only disappointing aspect of the camera’s feel is its film advance wheel. A dinky plastic affair reminiscent of disposable cameras, this lackluster cog is forgivable when we remember that the Trip was built to be a consumer-level camera.

Peering through the viewfinder showed bright frame-lines with tick marks both for up-close shots and for landscape shots. These are helpful in view of the Trip’s lack of automatic parallax correction. Having used fancy Leica , Nikon , and Contax rangefinders renowned for brightness and clarity, the Trip’s viewfinder beats most of them. Its relative simplicity is a nice change from the cluttered and overly complex viewfinders of other machines. The Trip 35 also features a small window in the bottom right of the VF (affectionately dubbed the “Judas Window” by Trip 35 disciples) which shows both the chosen aperture and exposure setting on the camera.

Olympus Trip 35 009

So far, so good. But how was I to determine focus? I quickly realized that the Trip’s a scale-focus camera, which is not ideal for accuracy. But before I started feeling like Olympus left me all alone and helpless, I realized that they were kind enough to provide some handy distance-measuring tools. Settings along the lens barrel show a picture of one person for portraits, two people for pictures of two people, three people for group pictures, and a mountain symbol for everything in the distance, including mountains. I stopped hyperventilating, and realized that, for a point-and-shoot camera, this is more than enough. And for all you nitpickers, Olympus also included precise distance measurements in both meters and feet on the underside of the lens. Phew.

Once shooting the Trip started to shine, and I was easily able to focus on exactly what matters most in photography – composition. From the first frame I found myself joyfully snapping away at whatever tickled my fancy, even though I didn’t know what aperture values and shutter speeds the Trip 35 was choosing. Frankly, I didn’t give a damn. All that mattered to me was finding different angles, new ways to play with light, and how to capture Chinatown’s unique charm. It felt like with each and every frame, the Trip was dissolving my shooter’s block more and more, and I wanted to just keep shooting.

So the little Olympus and I danced through Chinatown’s colorful landscape, happily snapping away. In no uncertain terms, it was the most fun I’d ever had with a camera. Even though the heat of the afternoon beat on my shoulders and the sweat sizzled on my brow, the Trip 35 and I ran through the city without a care in the world. The streets led us to the door of a steamy Chinese restaurant, then a pile of steaming pork buns, then back to the equally steamy interior of my car. I didn’t care how long the journey took or how much fluid I lost in that heatwave. It seemed like I sweated out my shooter’s block, and I eagerly raced home to deliver the buns, and develop the film.

But something was nagging me about the camera the entire way home; the focus issue. Had I gotten the focus correct for every shot? How was I to trust those markings? How could I possibly live without a focusing aid? Anxiety began to rear its head again and I had to stop myself from speeding over to a one-hour photo lab to assuage my fears. I gripped the steering wheel tight and told myself to trust the Trip. Besides, I still had a job to do. These pork buns weren’t going to deliver themselves.

After delivering and munching on said pork buns with my contented sibling, I decided to get the roll developed and scanned. My fears were partially founded. Some of the shots, especially photos of close subjects or darker scenes, came back fuzzy due to a combination of my poor distance estimation and the nature of the Trip’s exposure and focus systems. While the Trip automatically helps achieve sharp focus by selecting a smaller aperture for greater depth-of-field, this is only possible in bright light. As things get dark, the ability to shoot at a smaller aperture quickly disappears. In these situations it can be really difficult to nail correct focus. One minor consequence of this is that shooters with an affinity for portraiture and those sweet bokeh balls will probably be disappointed by this camera.

Olympus Trip 35 004

But expecting creamy bokeh and close range performance from the Trip 35 (or most point-and-shoots for that matter) is like expecting a ‘93 Honda Civic to outpace a Tesla Model S. It just won’t happen, and trying will lead to frustration. But just like that Honda, if you regard the Trip 35 as a reliable machine good for an occasional joyride, it will never disappoint. The Trip 35 is capable of a great many things , but we must be careful to recognize and respect its own limits.

When we get the focus right, the Trip’s fantastic 40mm F/2.8 Zuiko lens delivers in spades. The lens is a front-focusing Tessar type lens, which means that it’s very simple and very sharp, and it retains this sharpness edge to edge without chromatic aberration, spherical aberration, or any kind of distortion due to its simple optical formula and Olympus’s masterful execution. The lens’ quality even overcame the limitations of expired film, and ended up giving me some great results.

For whom is this camera best suited? First and foremost, the Trip 35 might just be the perfect camera for the casual photophile. Olympus built this camera to document the daily adventures of the everyman, and the Trip does this beautifully. And for experienced shooters, the Trip 35 can be a great way to break free of shooter’s block, or inject our shooting with something fun and carefree. It emphasizes the art of composition rather than the cold calculations of exposure, but even more importantly, it reminds us to relax, have a pork bun, and not take ourselves too seriously.

Want to try the Trip 35 for yourself?

Buy it on ebay, buy it on amazon, shop b&h photo’s vintage gear, follow casual photophile on facebook and instagram.

[ Some of the links in this article will direct users to our affiliates at B&H Photo , Amazon , and eBay . By purchasing anything using these links, Casual Photophile may receive a small commission at no additional charge to you. This helps Casual Photophile produce the content we produce. Many thanks for your support. ]

Share this post!

  • Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Reddit (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Pinterest (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Tumblr (Opens in new window)
  • Click to email a link to a friend (Opens in new window)
  • Camera Review
  • film camera
  • olympus Trip

olympus trip 35 camera guide

Josh Solomon is a freelance writer and touring bassist living in Los Angeles. He has an affinity for all things analog. When not onstage, you can find him roaming around Southern California shooting film and humming a tune.

29 comments

olympus trip 35 camera guide

Very nicely done.

olympus trip 35 camera guide

Great review of the Trip! This is the camera that lured me away from Lomography and the whole low-fi aesthetic. While the metering system is somewhat primitive and the zone focusing can be imprecise, especially in low light, it’s obvious that all the money and work went into the lens. In the right circumstances it’s absolutely tack sharp. Once I started getting sharp images from my Trip, the Lomo LC-A+ and the Holga started looking a lot less appealing.

The Trip definitely has some big limitations but on its own terms it’s a great camera.

Here’s my Trip album on Flickr to get an idea.

https://www.flickr.com/photos/21156896@N07/sets/72157645739914959

olympus trip 35 camera guide

Thanks for adding your Flickr album. It’s great for people to be able to see what these cameras can do in varied situations.

Thanks so much! Those images are fantastic; they really showcase what that lens can do. Funny you mention the LC-A+… ?

Thanks! The LC-A+ was the camera that got me back into using film after an extended dalliance with digital photography. I used it really heavily for about 2 years before becoming curious about other cameras. The fact that the Lomo is also a zone focuser made it very easy for me to switch to the Trip and the XA2.

olympus trip 35 camera guide

Great write up Josh, and really nice album Neilson! I had to do a double take on some of those shots, especially the close up portraits, realizing that you had used a Trip.

olympus trip 35 camera guide

I agree, what a great review and some fine shots on that flickr gallery. I’ve just bought my 50th Olympus Trip 35 and am steadily rebuilding them from head to toe. I’ve posted some reviews and other helpful reviews on my site https://trip35.co/

olympus trip 35 camera guide

Great pictures from the Trip. You got to love these little cameras!

olympus trip 35 camera guide

The Trip 35 was *made* for landscapes and group photos in good light outside. It’s really dang good for those things. For everything else, not so much! But like you, on a day when I’m just out and about shooting stuff, I find the Trip 35 to be big fun.

My last outing with my Trip 35: https://blog.jimgrey.net/2015/04/20/olympus-trip-35-revisited/

If I ever get on an airplane again I think I’ll be bringing this camera… We’ll see. Josh and your post have helped convince me. Thanks for sharing.

olympus trip 35 camera guide

Great review of one of my favourite cameras and one of the best free cameras I’ve ever been given. The quality you can get from this little package has always astounded me, this is an example taken with just bog standard Poundland special film (Agfa Vista 200) https://the6millionpman.wordpress.com/2016/09/30/cardiff-bay-sunset-3/

And yet again I confess to being an Olympus fanboy.

Beautiful colors and range on that.

olympus trip 35 camera guide

Great article Josh, and thanks for publishing it James. There wasn’t a link, but I started the Olympus Trip 35 users group on Facebook, here is the link. P.S. A few famous photogrpaphers in the group.

http://www.facebook.com/groups/OlympusTrip35

Hey my friend! Thanks for commenting. We did include a link there, it’s in the third to last paragraph where it says the Trip is “capable…” etc.

And for anyone down here in the comments, do check out the FB group. Amazing talent there shooting with all kinds of Trips.

The Trip Flickr group is worth checking out too. Lots of good stuff there.

https://flic.kr/g/5jsssh

olympus trip 35 camera guide

Great write-up! I have three of these and, while I’m by no means a great photographer, I do love the pick-up-and-go nature of the Trip 35. For those who are interested, I spent an entire day refocusing the lens on one of mine;

https://teeritz.blogspot.com.au/2014/04/re-focusing-lens-on-olympus-trip.html

Almost drove me nuts!

That post is scary. You’re a brave man.

olympus trip 35 camera guide

Bought a Trip after reading a recommendation by Ken Rockwell. At the time I thought I only ever needed one camera – an FE – and I had one. However, the Trip is great for other things. As you say, the pictures are so sharp. And its so easy to use.

olympus trip 35 camera guide

I love my Trip 35. Fantastically sharp lens and incredibly easy to use! The zone focusing took a bit getting used to and I do still occasionally misfocus, but when that happens I embrace my inner William Klein. Also, my copy came with a lens cap and zipped up in a bag so the selenium is not at all worn out and the AE is spot-on. I actually trust shooting slide film in this camera more than any of my all-manual cameras!

olympus trip 35 camera guide

Hi! Thank you so much. I am seriously considering to buy a Trip. I want to go traveling and bring a good camera. Do you think this one will do? And some people say it’s not really for taking photo’s in the dark/on parties. Are they right?

Thanks again 🙂

Hey Nikki! The Trip is the perfect camera for travel and casual outdoor shooting IMO, but it does suffer in low light without a flash. A little compact flash will help, and it does have a manual aperture override for accurate flash exposures.

If you’re going to be spending lots of time indoors I would suggest either picking up a cheap P&S with a built in flash, or upgrading entirely to a compact SLR/fixed-lens rangefinder with a fast (f/2 and under) lens for low-light shooting without a flash. Hope this helps!

Hello Nikki, I am the Admin of the Olympus Trips 35 Users Group, I recommend you join to get advice, and there are trustworthy sellers in the group.

See the website link below my comment

olympus trip 35 camera guide

I’ve recently picked up aTrip 35 and have been very pleasantly surprised by the ease of use and picture quality. I even tried some low light close shots and had better results than I expected. Tip #1: use 400 speed film to increase versatility. You get more depth of field in any situation and therefore more focussing accuracy. You will also hold off the “red flag” for a stop or two. Tip #2: learn how to guesstimate the zone distances as accurately as possible. If you’re shooting close-up in lower light try to nail the actual distance e.g. set the lens on 1 meter and try to be 1 meter away. Use a tape measure at first so you can see what the distances look like. As the light falls or distances get closer then more accuracy is required from the photographer. Tip #3: remember that you can press the shutter button half way down to lock the exposure. Meter off a mid-tone then recompose and shoot. This will help with back lighting and other tricky light. Tip #4: try to shoot within the limits of the design and you will get good results. The Trip 35 was meant for family holidays and a whimsical approach to photography. If you require critical focussing or metering the Trip was never really designed for that. Enjoy!

olympus trip 35 camera guide

Hi, Josh. Great writing. I enjoyed reading your review and laughed so much at the pork bun adventure! Thanks!

olympus trip 35 camera guide

Thirty-seven years of shooting film and the Trip 35 was a camera I’d always ignored for being ‘too simple’. I spotted one in a local charity shop last week that was cased, boxed and in lovely condition and I got it for next to nothing. I ran half a roll of FT-12 ASA50 cinema film through and the results were far better than I expected. I started out on Olympus all those years ago (still use them) but I’m a bit ashamed of myself for ignoring this little gem. My 8 year old is just starting to take an interest in photography and this is going to be ideal for her.

Thanks for a great review and for pointing out a couple of little features I hadn’t spotted.

olympus trip 35 camera guide

Quick pedantic note: In virtually everything I’ve seen online about the Trip 35, there’s one thing that nobody ever seems to say:

The Trip 35 is essentially the full-frame version of the earlier half-frame Pen EES and EES-2.

I had an EES-2 and it was a great shooter for an inexpensive camera. It worked exactly the same way as the Trip: the selenium meter around the lens chose one of two shutter speeds or raised a red flag if there wasn’t sufficient light; it had a four-icon zone focus lens; there was one manual speed for flash along with adjustable f-stops when not in Auto. Of course, the Trip had a different focal length lens to produce a full-frame image, but I suspect it’s of a very similar design to the EES-2’s. And note that the Trip 35’s top plate includes the EES-2’s hot shoe, along with the back cover/rewind knob from the Pen series (and frame counter from the Pen F series), and the viewfinder is essentially the same as the EES-2’s.

My point is: the Trip 35’s super-successful design wasn’t actually new, the camera was scaled up from the already successful Pen EES series.

olympus trip 35 camera guide

Thank you… Now I’m on my way for fun an Mindfulness 🙂 A very brilliant text who give me interests and energy. Thank you 🙂

olympus trip 35 camera guide

Just bought one, trying it out tomorrow. I would suggest to buy a tripod and a self-release cord, set it to A and just set for the distance. I used to carry a 110 film camera back in 1977 and was taught photography back in 1981 from a WW2 vet. Warhol used a Pentax 35afm because he could set a high iso without flash.

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

New york city and the half-frame 35mm olympus pen d, the cinematic point and shoot – minolta p’s (freedom vista) review, olympus xa2 – point and shoot 35mm film camera review.

olympus trip 35 camera guide

The next page contains information on this camera.  If the image below looks like your camera, click below to see the PDF manual.

Butkus camera manual site

If you find this manual useful, how about a donation of $3 to: M. Butkus, 29 Lake Ave., High Bridge, NJ 08829-1701 and send your e-mail address so I can thank you.  Most other places would charge you $7.50 for a electronic copy or $18.00 for a hard to read Xerox copy.

If you use Pay Pal, use the link below. Use the above address for a check, M.O. or cash.

Click here for Camera Manual site TO OPEN THE FILE, CLICK ON THE LINK BELOW.   TO SAVE, RIGHT CLICK AND CHOOSE "SAVE TARGET AS" SAVE TO FOLDER OF YOUR CHOICE Problems opening PDF files or printing problems - click here

CLICK HERE TO CONTINUE TO  Olympus Trip 35 PDF MANUAL

CLICK HERE FOR PR FLIER

Olympus Trip 35 camera

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!

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment.

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.

Similar Posts

Olympus mju i vs mju ii: what’s the difference.

Date written – 04/08/2023 I’ve shot a tonne of MJU IIs and MJU Is over the years and in that time I’ve figured out how these two cameras differ! The Olympus MJU I is a compact point-and-shoot camera with a 35mm 3.5 lens and the Olympus MJU II is a compact, weatherproof point-and-shoot camera with…

Nikon FE2 VS Nikon FM2: What’s The Difference?

I’ve been shooting film for around 7 years and over that time I’ve mainly used the Nikon FM or Nikon FM2! The key differences between the Nikon FM2 and FE2 are reliability, exposure modes and working with/without a battery. These are small aspects that can make a big difference when it comes to making a…

The Pentax ME Super Review: Everything You Need To Know

I’ve shot and tested a hell of a lot of Pentax ME Supers over time I’ve got to grips with this fantastic SLR, this has provided me with great insight on this compact king. The Pentax ME Super is one of the best 35mm Aperture Priority cameras ever made. Many people agree that the Pentax…

Is The Olympus MJU II Zoom 80 Any Good? Full Review

I’ve shot with a lot of Olympus Stylus Epic Zoom 80’s over the years and now I’ve got a lot of experience with this cult classic point-and-shoot camera. The Olympus Stylus Epic (MJU II) Zoom 80 is a great 35mm point-and-shoot camera that is extremely versatile with a good lens. Following the amazingly popular Olympus…

The Nikon L35 AF Review: Everything You Need To Know

I’ve worked with many Nikon L35 AF, AF2 and AF3 cameras over the years and I’ve discovered the quality of this retro beauty. It’s a mixed bag, with some common issues and amazing shots, it’s well worth finding out if it’s worth trying one out. The Nikon L35AF is one of the best 35mm Point…

The Olympus AF-10 Review: Everything You Need To Know

I’ve shot with the Olympus AF-10 for a number of years, so now I know the pros and cons of this budget point-and-shoot film camera! The Olympus AF-10 (AKA the Olympus Infinity JR) is a compact 35mm point-and-shoot camera with a 35mm 3.5 autofocus lens. The Olympus AF-10 can be purchased in red or black…

We will keep fighting for all libraries - stand with us!

Internet Archive Audio

olympus trip 35 camera guide

  • This Just In
  • Grateful Dead
  • Old Time Radio
  • 78 RPMs and Cylinder Recordings
  • Audio Books & Poetry
  • Computers, Technology and Science
  • Music, Arts & Culture
  • News & Public Affairs
  • Spirituality & Religion
  • Radio News Archive

olympus trip 35 camera guide

  • Flickr Commons
  • Occupy Wall Street Flickr
  • NASA Images
  • Solar System Collection
  • Ames Research Center

olympus trip 35 camera guide

  • All Software
  • Old School Emulation
  • MS-DOS Games
  • Historical Software
  • Classic PC Games
  • Software Library
  • Kodi Archive and Support File
  • Vintage Software
  • CD-ROM Software
  • CD-ROM Software Library
  • Software Sites
  • Tucows Software Library
  • Shareware CD-ROMs
  • Software Capsules Compilation
  • CD-ROM Images
  • ZX Spectrum
  • DOOM Level CD

olympus trip 35 camera guide

  • Smithsonian Libraries
  • FEDLINK (US)
  • Lincoln Collection
  • American Libraries
  • Canadian Libraries
  • Universal Library
  • Project Gutenberg
  • Children's Library
  • Biodiversity Heritage Library
  • Books by Language
  • Additional Collections

olympus trip 35 camera guide

  • Prelinger Archives
  • Democracy Now!
  • Occupy Wall Street
  • TV NSA Clip Library
  • Animation & Cartoons
  • Arts & Music
  • Computers & Technology
  • Cultural & Academic Films
  • Ephemeral Films
  • Sports Videos
  • Videogame Videos
  • Youth Media

Search the history of over 866 billion web pages on the Internet.

Mobile Apps

  • Wayback Machine (iOS)
  • Wayback Machine (Android)

Browser Extensions

Archive-it subscription.

  • Explore the Collections
  • Build Collections

Save Page Now

Capture a web page as it appears now for use as a trusted citation in the future.

Please enter a valid web address

  • Donate Donate icon An illustration of a heart shape

Olympus Trip 35 Instructions

Bookreader item preview, share or embed this item, flag this item for.

  • Graphic Violence
  • Explicit Sexual Content
  • Hate Speech
  • Misinformation/Disinformation
  • Marketing/Phishing/Advertising
  • Misleading/Inaccurate/Missing Metadata

plus-circle Add Review comment Reviews

Download options, in collections.

Uploaded by DesignedPluto on November 21, 2021

SIMILAR ITEMS (based on metadata)

  • Destinations
  • Outdoor Adventures
  • Travel Photography
  • Trip Planning
  • Bucket List
  • Terms/Privacy
  • Travel Resource Library

My Wandering Voyage

The Olympus Trip 35 – a perfect travel film camera

Discover the Olympus Trip 35, a film camera made for travelling | My Wandering Voyage #filmphotography #Olympus #Travel #Travelphotography

The Olympus Trip 35 is a compact, battery-free point-and-shoot 35mm film camera known for its ease of use and quality. When it was released in 1968, it was marketed as the perfect film camera to take on your travels.

NOTE: Travel is not recommended at this time. These posts are here to serve as inspiration when we can explore again. Hey there – this post likely contains affiliate links, which means I earn a commission (at no extra cost to you) if you purchase from them. This helps me earn a few dollars to run this website.

Discover the Olympus Trip 35, a film camera made for travelling | My Wandering Voyage #filmphotography #Olympus #Travel #Travelphotography

Imagine yourself as a traveller in the 1970s . Airlines were becoming more popular than ever, with more and more destinations opening up to international exploration. The Grand Tour of the 19th century had felt a resurgence for the everyday person. You only connected with those back at home by postcard and you took photos on film, waiting to share them once you returned.

With over 10 million units sold during its 16-year run, it would be likely that as a traveller in the 1970s, you would have had (or would have wanted) the Olympus Trip 35. How about today? With film photography becoming more popular again, is the Olympus Trip 35 a worthwhile film camera to take on your travels?

What is the Olympus Trip 35?

The Olympus Trip 35 is what is known as a point-and-shoot camera – one that does most of the work for you. The camera has a fixed 40mm f/2.8 lens. The camera uses just two shutter speeds and a selenium photocell as a light metre.

The Olympus Trip 35 was marketed as an easy-to-use, compact camera to take with you on your travels. They are super lightweight, take regular 35mm film and work with a click of a button.

Oastler Lake camping | Olympus Trip 35

How does the Olympus Trip 35 work

The Olympus Trip 35 doesn’t need a battery to operate, which is pretty darn cool if you ask me. It uses a solar-powered selenium photocell light metre to automatically set the aperture and select a shutter speed.

First up, the Olympus Trip 35 has an ISO range of 25 to 400, which makes it perfect for a film stock like Kodak Gold 200. You can use (the crème de la crème) Kodak Portra 400, but because that film stock is so expensive, I’d use the cheaper Kodak Gold 200 or Kodak Ultramax 400 in this point-and-shoot camera. You could even try a nice black and white film stock, although I haven’t done that yet myself.

The Olympus Trip 35 just has two shutter speeds – 1/40s or 1/200s, which the camera chooses automatically based on the available light. The camera’s aperture ranges from f/2.8 to f/22, which it also chooses automatically when in “A” mode. You can take the camera into Aperture-priority mode by twisting the aperture ring on the lens, but there’s really no need to.

The camera has a hot shoe where you could sync with a flash, although I’ve not tried that yet.

Lastly, the only thing you really need to think about when using the Olympus Trip 35 is the focus setting. The camera has four focus zones marked by four symbols: portrait, two people, a group of people and landscape. It’s relatively easy to figure out what focus range you need, but if you need more specifications, the focus zones are 1 metre, 1.5 metres, 3 metres and infinity. For most travel photos, you’re going to stick to the landscape focus zone.

Olympus Trip 35 film camera

Is the Olympus Trip 35 easy to use?

Once you get the hang of it, yes, the Olympus Trip 35 is so easy to use! The first step is to choose your film stock. The ISO ranges from 25 to 400 so you’ll want to choose a film stock in that speed. (Kodak Gold 200 and Ultramax 400 are some of my favourites).

Next, you need to load the film. There’s a small release button on the left-hand side to pop open the back cover. The 35mm film loads in like most other 35mm film cameras. You need to pop the rewinder knob up, fit in the film and push the rewinder knob back in. Then thread the leader part of the film into the take-up spool making sure that the teeth are grabbing onto the perforated part of the film. Tighten the film by using the film advance wheel, making sure the rewinder knob is turning as you crank the film advance. Close the back of the camera and advance the film three times until the counter is at 0.

Make sure you’ve set your ISO to match your film stock. You can do so by twisting the outer ring of the lens.

Make sure the aperture is set on “A” so that the camera can decide what aperture to use. Once you do that, the camera will decide on either 1/40s or 1/200s for the shutter speed based on the available light.

close up of Olympus Trip 35 lens and controls

Next, choose your focus zone. If you’re taking a portrait, use the portrait focus zone, if you’re taking a landscape, use the landscape focus zone. It’s pretty simple.

Then you look through the viewfinder you’ll notice that you can see the lens in the viewfinder. That’s because it’s a parallax viewfinder, rather than a mirror system like you see in most DSLR cameras. The viewfinder in the Olympus Trip 35 has parallax markings, which help you frame up an image when your subject is close to correct for this viewing error.

The second, very small window you see under this (which is called the Judas window – don’t ask me why) shows the aperture session and distance symbol that you’re using.

Once you look through the viewfinder, click the small shutter button on the top right to take the picture.

If a small red flag appears in the viewfinder, it just means that the camera has decided there’s not enough light and won’t take the photo.

olympus trip 35 camera guide

Finding an Olympus Trip 35

I think what sold me on the Olympus Trip 35 was how easy it was to use. I had just started my journey back into film photography and I already had the 100% manual Canon AE-1. I wanted something light, enjoyable and fun to use, while still being vintage.

I think I stumbled across the camera while perusing YouTube and thought I’d look it up. I was surprised at the range of cost. Some were selling for over $300 CAD, while others were listed for only $60 CAD.

I learned that people were buying these cameras cheap, replacing the exterior with new leather and reselling them for a lot more, which is why you see Olympus Trip 35s in fun colours. I ended up looking at three Olympus Trip 35s that were for sale but weren’t functional before buying the one I found. There are two major things you need to look out for when searching for an Olympus Trip 35.

First, make sure the aperture blades aren’t stuck. Sticky aperture blades is pretty common in these vintage cameras. You can test to make sure the aperture works correctly by looking through the front of the lens as you change the apertures and pressing the shutter. The aperture blades should change accordingly, opening and closing with ease. If it doesn’t it’s not the end of the world. There are a couple of tutorials on how to fix this online.

close up of Olympus Trip 35 viewfinder and Judas window

Second, make sure the selenium photocell functions. This is key because if doesn’t work properly, the camera won’t metre light properly and your images won’t come out. To test this, you can place your hand in front of the photocell, covering it completely. Try to take a photo, if the red flag appears, it means that it works. If it takes a photo, then it means the selenium photocell isn’t working.

I looked at three different Olympus Trip 35s where the sellers didn’t know if it worked properly or not. I ended up passing on all three before finding one at a camera store in Collingwood that actually worked.

Then I put just one roll of (relatively) cheap film through it and found it worked perfectly.

The tip is to keep a lens cap on it or in a case while not using the camera. Use this handy guide for more tips when buying an Olympus Trip 35.

Why the Olympus Trip 35 is a great travel film camera?

The Trip name is a reference to its intended market—people who wanted a compact, functional camera for holidays.

For me, I think the joy of it is wrapped up in one image I took while on a camping trip in the summer. I was headed out on a kayak on Stormy Lake near Restoule Provincial Park. I wanted to bring my camera, but because I use my camera for my wedding photography business, there was no way in hell I was putting it in a kayak, even if it was protected by a dry bag. I just didn’t want to take that chance. So I put my phone and my Olympus Trip 35 in a dry bag and set off.

I had just brought my film camera out to take a photo when suddenly, a loon popped out of the lake in front of my kayak. I love the sounds of a loon and had heard them often, but I had never seen one so close. I snapped a quick photo of it with my Olympus Trip 35. I didn’t have to worry about aperture, shutter speed and I knew I already had it on landscape focus, so I just pointed the camera at the loon and snapped the photo.

By the time I put down my film camera and picked up my phone to take another photo, the loon had dove back into the depths and when it resurfaced again a few minutes later, it was too far away.

I had to wait another 3 weeks before I saw that photo, and it was even more magical once I saw the image developed.

So why is the Olympus Trip 35 such a great travel film camera?

Hopefully, by now I’ve convinced you that it is easy to use. The camera is lightweight and compact, plus it won’t accidentally take a photo if you’ve got it stashed in your bag. Plus, since it doesn’t need batteries, all you really need to worry about is making sure you have enough film!

Loon on Stormy Lake | Olympus Trip 35

Olympus Trip 35 sample photos

So far, I’ve put four rolls of film through this camera and I’ve loved how it turns out every single time. The camera is so light, it fits in my waist bag, and makes shooting a breeze. I can’t wait to take this on my next photography adventure! Here are some sample photos from the Olympus Trip 35.

little daisies | Olympus Trip 35

Love film photography? Join Grainery.

I’m pretty new to film, but I’ve absolutely LOVED this new app called Grainery . It’s Instagram-inspired but focuses solely on analog photography. It’s really new, the actual app for iPhone and Android is still in development, but the website works perfectly. And it’s free! Plus, the guy who is developing it is super grassroots and is planning to keep it ad- and algorithm-free.

If you are looking to upgrade to Grainery+, it’s only $3/month, which helps support the developer. (Not sponsored, just something I genuinely LOVE.)

Screenshot of Grainery App

If you love film photography, then what are you waiting for! Join Grainery and follow me @mywanderingvoyage . It’ll be fun!

Love beautiful photos?

I’ve launched a print shop!! After a couple of years of imposter syndrome, I finally launched my own print shop and I am stoked to share it with you!

You can hang up your favourite prints in your home, get a canvas print or even print on metal! Check out the Print Shop now!

Want to know when a new print collection drops and get exclusive discount codes? Sign up for the Print Shop list and you’ll be the first to know!

My Wandering Voyage Print Shop

Olivia Rutt

Olivia Rutt is the travel writer and photographer behind My Wandering Voyage, a travel website helping working millennials find time to travel. She shares insight in trip planning, travel inspiration and photography tips. Olivia hails from southern Ontario, Canada where she works in the media industry between travels. Follow Olivia on Instagram where she shares her travel photos, or catch up with her on Facebook or Twitter.

Further Reading...

How to take better travel photographs - tips and ticks | My Wandering Voyage travel blog

How to take better travel photographs

This guide will help you with the best way to organize your travel photos so that you can easily find them, show off your best pictures and put them together in a memorable way. #TravelPhotography #Photography #Lightroom | My Wandering Voyage travel blog

Best way to organize your travel photos

What's in my camera bag? Camera gear for travel photography | My Wandering Voyage travel blog

What’s in my camera bag? Camera gear for travel photography

Mywanderingvoyage.

This is Chapter 32, page 1. 🥳⁠⁠Well, here I am, another year older. What a year it's been. I don't think I've hustled as hard as I have this year. Working full-time and running a business has been mind-blowing. Good and bad.⁠⁠There are things I couldn't do this year because I just didn't have the time. And sadly, travel has taken a back seat this year. But there is still so much I accomplished, and it's at this time of year that I look back on all these things that brought joy to my life. ⁠⁠This year I: ⁠🏕️ Visited 14 provincial parks, 5 of which were new to me⁠🎞️ Renewed my love for film photography and ended up owning 12 film cameras 😅⁠🛶 Took my first backcountry canoe trip⁠⛵ Went sailing for the first time⁠🛌 Stayed in three tiny cabins⁠🚐 Fell in love with van life⁠🎶 Went to my first concert! (And then two more!)⁠🧳 Travelled internationally for the first time since 2019⁠🎤 Screamed the lyrics to Noah Kahan for approx. 5829 minutes ⁠And so much more! ⁠⁠I've got big plans for 2024, and it is going to shake up everything! So thank you for following along and your support over the last year. ❤️‍🔥⁠⁠⁠•⁠•⁠•⁠•⁠•⁠#GoodTimesOutside #NatureTherapy #HikeON #SheWanders #She_Explores #MerryBirthday #DecemberBirthday #DecemberBaby #SagittariusSeason #ChristmasBirthday #FilmPhotography #FilmIsNotDead #AnalogPhotography

Privacy Overview

olympus trip 35 camera guide

Olympus Trip 35 Review – A cult classic point & shoot

8 May, 2013

Post Categories:

Share this post:

I’m certainly not the first and I suspect I won’t be the last to write a little something about the Olympus Trip 35. I have read this camera had sales figures of around 10,000,000. Olympus used the ‘trip’ moniker on a lot of cameras subsequent to the one in question here, so who knows how many trip 35’s were sold? What is clear is that the number is vast! You only need to go on eBay and see how many are for sale at any one time. Just search for ‘Olympus trip’ on google and you will find entire websites dedicated to the things. This camera is a popular little snapper and has been since it hit the market in the late 60’s.

Olympus Trip 35

It’s production ran from 1967 through to 1984! It’s popularity was helped along by David Bailey and by the fact that the very simple 40mm lens is exceptionally high quality. It was touted as a camera that could take professional quality images yet is small and very easy to use … No wonder they sold so many!

The name “Trip” comes from the the idea that it was intended as a camera for taking on holiday. I guess this translates to a camera for everyone. And that it really is! This camera is a true point and shoot that even the most inexperienced photographer could use with little chance of failure. This is due to the slightly limited but very simple design and operation. The camera is almost entirely automated for all situations apart from shooting with a flash. Load the camera with a film between 25 and 400iso, set it as such on the dial around the front of the lens and you can let the camera do pretty much the rest.

The selenium cell based light meter effectively powers the cameras operation. With the camera set to ‘A’, based on the light hitting the meter it will choose the most appropriate aperture between f2.8 and f22. It will also choose either 1/40th or 1/200th for the shutter speed. If the amount of light isn’t adequate for at very least 1/40th and f2.8 it will simply prevent the photo from being taken. It tells you this is happening by popping up a little red flag in the viewfinder. If this happens it is intended that the user attach a flash.

If taken off ‘A’ and an aperture selected manually the meter and the flag are disabled and the camera set to shoot at 1/40th. The assumption is that a flash would be attached and that an appropriate aperture for the subjects distance would be selected. Of course it also means that as long as you are happy shooting a 1/40th you can just choose your own aperture and shoot without the little flag stopping you. This does lead to the camera being used more creatively and outside of the way it was intended but more on that later!

Focusing is achieved by selection of one of four possible preset distances which are denoted by four familiar pictures. A head and shoulders for the closest focusing and a picture of mountains for infinity. The second furthest focusing distance (denoted by three little people) is highlighted in red. The same red as the ‘A’. This is no accident, in daylight set the camera to ‘A’ the the three little red people and you can shoot away with little worry of out of focus images.

This simplicity does make for a very enjoyable shooting experience, but with a little imagination the camera can be used (as previously mentioned) outside of the intended way.

The first little trick is quite an obvious one really. The camera can be tricked into over or under exposing by changing the film speed. Eg 200 ISO film in camera and up to 1ev of under exposure can be achieved by setting it to 400iso. You could of course also dial in up to 3ev of over exposure. An example of where this might be useful would be shooting a backlit subject eg a person stood in front of a window.

Another trick is for low light shooting. When set to ‘A’ low light shooting is somewhat limited. That pesky red flag rears its little head and a 400iso limit is a little low. As mentioned before though, the little red flag can be disabled, and if not using the lightmeter there is no need to worry about what ISO the camera is set to. So as long as you are happy at 1/40th you can put whatever ISO film in you like and manually select exposure with the aperture control. There are in fact many people who do this some of whom post in the Flickr group. It’s not something I have tried since resurrecting the camera… But I’m going to … And will post some shots when I get around to it!

So what’s all the fuss about? Surly there are more highly specified cameras that allow shooting in more circumstances without such limitations. Well yes, but it’s the simplicity that is the charm, combined with a superb lens and the fact that they so rarely go wrong it’s hard not to love this camera!

So that’s the Trip 35, a cult classic, incredibly simple to use, hardy, cheap as chips and packed with charm … Basically, buy one! Use it, love it!

Additional – I have done a ‘Through the viewfinder’ article on this camera which can be found here Through the Viewfinder – Olympus Trip 35

Some useful links: Help with dating your trip Instructions for repairing your trip 35 A possibly useful modification

Find more similar content on 35mmc

Use the tags below to search for more posts on related topics:

Contribute to 35mmc for an ad-free experience.

There are two ways to contribute to 35mmc and experience it without the adverts:

Paid Subscription – £2.99 per month and you’ll never see an advert again! (Free 3-day trial).

Subscribe here.

Content contributor – become a part of the world’s biggest film and alternative photography community blog. All our Contributors have an ad-free experience for life.

Sign up here.

About The Author

olympus trip 35 camera guide

David Wignall on Olympus Trip 35 Review – A cult classic point & shoot

Comment posted: 11/11/2021

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment.

Notify me of new posts by email.

olympus trip 35 camera guide

Robert Gerrish on Olympus Trip 35 Review – A cult classic point & shoot

Comment posted: 10/04/2020

olympus trip 35 camera guide

Camera Review Blog No. 06 – Olympus Trip 35 – Alex Luyckx | Blog on Olympus Trip 35 Review – A cult classic point & shoot

Comment posted: 26/11/2019

Olympus Trip 35 review - Kosmo Foto on Olympus Trip 35 Review – A cult classic point & shoot

Comment posted: 15/04/2019

5 Frames With An Olympus 35 RC - by Julian Higgs - 35mmc on Olympus Trip 35 Review – A cult classic point & shoot

Comment posted: 03/05/2018

olympus trip 35 camera guide

Neilson on Olympus Trip 35 Review – A cult classic point & shoot

Comment posted: 25/02/2016

olympus trip 35 camera guide

Christos Theofilogiannakos on Olympus Trip 35 Review – A cult classic point & shoot

Comment posted: 16/10/2015

olympus trip 35 camera guide

Hamish Gill replied:

Huh, that's interesting! I didn't know that ... Very clever little cameras really!

olympus trip 35 camera guide

Dave on Olympus Trip 35 Review – A cult classic point & shoot

Comment posted: 09/04/2015

Yeah, thats what I'm saying ... Put 200iso film in and set it to 400 and it will under expose it by 1ev Put 200iso film in and set it to 100, 50 or 25 and it will over expose buy 1,2 and 3ev respectively... Thats right isn't it??

Olympus Trip 35 on Olympus Trip 35 Review – A cult classic point & shoot

Comment posted: 24/05/2013

Trip 35 and some very cheap film and Connie. on Olympus Trip 35 Review – A cult classic point & shoot

Comment posted: 23/05/2013

Leave a Comment

Related Posts

Grainsplaining International Women's Month Print Sale

25 March, 2024

By Molly Kate

olympus trip 35 camera guide

7 March, 2024

By AndreArma

Film Photography News - March 3, 2024

3 March, 2024

Analogue Showcase at 2021 TPS

2 March, 2024

olympus trip 35 camera guide

Photography & Projects

Looking for some inspiration, or just want to flick through the project work and photos?

olympus trip 35 camera guide

Reviews & Experiences

If you're looking for photography equipment and peripheral reviews, this is the place to start!

olympus trip 35 camera guide

Theory & Reflections

olympus trip 35 camera guide

Tutorials & Knowhow

If you want to learn or discover a new technique, build on your skills, or be inspired to have a go at a bit of DIY or camera modification, then you’re in the right place.

Contribute to 35mmc

Paid Subscription

£2.99 per month and you’ll never see an advert again! (Free 3-day trial).

Subscribe here

Content contributor

Become a part of the world’s biggest film and alternative photography community blog. All our Contributors have an ad-free experience for life.

Olympus Trip 35 Film Camera Review

A cult classic, an engineering marvel, and an excellent value for a modern film photographer.

Olympus Trip 35 (black paint) and a few trip necessities.

Olympus Trip 35 is one of the most popular 35mm film cameras ever produced. It’s affordable, it’s easy to use, the lens is sharp, it needs no batteries, and it’s compact.

Trip 35 uses a scale focus system, which may seem daunting at first — but it’s not difficult, and the camera has unique aides to help you get the right distance — I’ll explain below.

I’ll also cover all the basics of operation (including the auto and manual modes), lens performance, and build quality of this excellent entry-level Olympus film camera .

A Cult-Classic, Engineering Marvel, an Excellent Value for a Modern Photog

Why is Olympus Trip 35 a favourite of so many photographers?

Olympus Trip 35 is not an expensive camera. It has decent specs, but it’s not the sharpest, fastest, or most compact camera. Yet, it’s loved by many photographers of all levels today.

Back when it was introduced — over 55 years ago — it was a huge hit. The camera was in production for 15 years, having sold between five and ten million units .

Trip 35 sold for $59.95 at launch in 1968, or $530 in today’s money. But you may still find a working copy for $50 in 2024!

Olympus Trip 35 wtih Kodak ColorPlus.

But it’s not just the price that makes this camera good. Trip 35s are built very well with lots of metal components and an excellent glass lens. They are a pleasure to hold and use. They’re nearly pocketable and don’t require any advanced photographic know-how or a manual to get started: if you know how to load film , you can use this camera.

🤓 Trip 35’s automatic exposure system that chooses an aperture and shutter speed by converting light energy into mechanical force is of particular interest to film nerds like me. Though many fancy cameras from the era used selenium light meters for aperture or shutter-priority modes, Trip 35 combined both functions in a relatively simple and remarkably reliable design .

Olympus Trip 35 wtih Kodak ColorPlus.

Olympus Trip 35 specs and features.

Trip 35 is a successor to Olympus PEN (namely, EES and EES-2) cameras’ excellent mechanical/optical design and portability.

My black paint brass Olympus Trip 35 version weighs 413g/14½oz , though some copies of this camera may weigh up to 20g lighter. The camera is nearly pocketable at 12×7×6cm (4 ½ ×2¾×2¼”), though it’s not the smallest .

Olympus Trip 35’s remarkably small (for the time) dimensions and ease of use are undoubtedly at the core of this camera’s name and ethos: a camera that’s easy to throw in a small bag or a pocket for a trip.

 ☝︎ Further reading: “ How to Travel With Film Through Airport Security .”

The leaf shutter on Olympus Trip 35 has two speeds: 1/40s and 1/200s. It can switch between the two automatically via the mechanical trap-needle system. In manual mode, Olympus Trip 35 only uses the 1/40s shutter speed. There are no Bulb and no self-timer modes.

The lens is a non-interchangeable Olympus D. Zuiko 40mm 𝒇2.8-22 (four elements in three groups). The closest focus distance is 1m/3ft. The lens uses an odd 43.5mm screw-in lens filter thread that can be adapted to the more common 40 or 46mm threads .

Fully automatic exposure (A) is controlled mechanically by converting ambient light energy via selenium cells (bubbles around the lens) into mechanical movements that modify the aperture and shutter speeds. The camera can be operated manually via the aperture ring around the lens, which will always trigger the shutter at 1/40s if not set to A. The exposure meter is operational between EV8 and EV17 ; it accepts films with ISO 25 — ISO 400 (which needs to be dialled in manually before shooting). No batteries needed.

Small image.

The viewfinder features a mechanical “red flag” warning system for scenes with insufficient lighting (the camera will also prevent exposures in those conditions). It shows bright lines with parallax markings inside a small but bright window with 0.55x magnification. The eye relief isn’t great, but if you aren’t wearing glasses, you’ll notice a “ Judas window ” that overviews the camera’s shooting mode and distance settings.

Film advance is done with a thumb wheel; rewinding via the rewind knob is unlocked with a rewind button; the film cover opens with a small latch a the bottom-left when looking at the camera’s back.

Hot shoe and a PC socket are available for flash sync. Learn how to use flash with cameras like Trip 35 here .

Free Olympus Trip 35 manual download.

I’ve recently scanned the manual that my camera came with and converted it to a convenient PDF file that you can download for free here:

➜  Free Download :   Olympus Trip 35 Instructions Manual  (PDF)

Small image.

This manual took some cropping and assembly as its pages aren’t standard (it’s folded like a map). I hope that this little bit of extra effort makes it easier to read on your screen. However, I’m not sure how well it will look in print.

You’ll be asked to sign up for a free account with Analog.Cafe. It comes with access to more downloadable guides, additional website features, and a monthly community newsletter.

Taking the first photo with Olympus Trip 35: loading film & setting focus.

Trip 35 is easy to load — the only tricky part is finding the latch to open the film door. ( If you’ve never loaded film in these types of cameras, check out this guide .)

Given that you’ve loaded your Trip 35 with film rated between ISO 25 and 400, you’ll need to set the ASA/ISO dial to match your film speed . In general, ISO 100-400 films do best with this camera (a higher-ISO film works best in subdued light, and lower-iso film provides finer grain).

For automatic exposures, the ring around the lens closest to the camera body should be set to “A.” But manual exposures are possible at the constant 1/40s shutter speed (can be metered as 1/30s) with the apertures selected via the same ring (i.e., any number other than the “A”). Learn how to shoot film cameras in manual mode here .

A view through the Olympus Trip 35 viewfinder window.

I appreciate the bright frame lines with parallax markings in the viewfinder . They make framing feel a little easier than on cameras with masks . Though I would prefer the self-illuminating kind.

The viewfinder window is fairly small. It’s usable with the glasses on; however, I had to use contacts to take advantage of the “Judas window” — a small secondary view below the main finder frame lines that shows the set distance icon and camera shooting mode/aperture.

Pointing the camera at things that are insufficiently lit for the film ISO/ASA set on the camera would raise a small translucent red plastic flag and block the shutter button. This would not happen when the camera is in manual mode (i.e. when an aperture value is selected instead of the “A”).

Olympus Trip 35’s shutter button provides medium-high resistance, it has a long travel distance, and it’s very well-balanced with the rest of the body for shake-free hand-held exposures . The leaf shutter is also shake-free (though it feels a little loud for what it is ).

Trip 35 uses a zone-focusing system. For a casual photographer, it works by turning the focus ring around the lens until it clicks to either a single-person icon 👤 for portraits, a two-person icon 👥 for group portraits, a red “group-snap” icon ⍒.⍒ , or the mountains icon 🏔️ for landscape photos.

Below the lens barrel, there are more precise focus markings in feet and metres. Learn how to zone-focus quickly and accurately here .

Olympus Trip 35 wtih Kodak ColorPlus.

Olympus D. Zuiko 40mm 𝒇2.8 lens.

One of the most celebrated components of this camera is its lens. It’s very sharp in the middle , especially at 𝒇5.6-8 , with only minor swirl and softening in the corners.

Olympus Trip 35 wtih Kodak ColorPlus. No sharpening applied.

The lens renders a medium-low amount of contrast on my copy, but the coating appears to work well, as I noticed no overwhelming or unexpected flaring in any of my photos.

Overall, I found D. Zuiko 𝒇2.8 well-corrected, suitable for reproducing fine detail on high-resolution films.

The 40mm focal length is common and well-suited for a non-interchangeable camera system. It translates to ~57° diagonal angle of view — very close to the 60° in our central vision . Essentially, this means easy framing for most situations.

The 40mm D. Zuiko may not be appropriate for interior/architecture photography, close-ups, telephoto, or certain landscape images.

Olympus Trip 35 wtih Kodak ColorPlus.

Olympus Trip 35 portability and ease-of-use (ergonomics).

Even though Trip 35 isn’t the smallest or the lightest 35mm film camera , it’s reasonably portable for the type of lens it uses and a full metal body. All of its controls are perfectly positioned for quick, intuitive action. With a little practice, you can use this camera one-handedly.

I kept mine in wool jacket pockets and hoodies with no issues. Despite fitting will in hand, Trip 35 is noticeably hefty; my Peak Design wrist strap solved any danger of dropping this camera.

Olympus Trip 35 build quality & variations.

Trip 35 was a remarkably successful design; understandably, Olympus didn’t want to change it much while it continued to make record sales. All of the Olympus Trip 35s look nearly identical, with some known changes introduced in the 1970s that had little effect on appearance and no effect on performance (i.e. a plastic shutter button instead of the metal one).

The only significant divergence from the standard design was the black paint brass Trip 35 , which remained in production for just two years. This variation is much rarer than the silver aluminum bodies, but in Olympus’ world, this means that there are less than a hundred options available at any time, and they cost $50 extra.

If you plan to keep this camera for a while and are willing to spend a little more, the black version may be worth it (if you like the look of brassing). It has excellent build quality and an impressive appearance; every part fits perfectly, in line with what you’d expect from the much more expensive Olympus PEN half-frame SLRs .

Olympus Trip 35 wtih Kodak ColorPlus. The Auto mode added about 1-2 stops of over-exposure.

But despite their clever design and quality assembly, Trip 35s can be prone to deterioration.

In my copy, the light meter over-exposes every brightly lit frame by 1-2 stops. It’s difficult to say if it’s the time taking a toll on the intricate cells or if it’s the imprecise nature of the selenium metering that’s preventing me from taking perfectly exposed images.

A clever photographer can always compensate by setting the film ASA/ISO higher in full sun or shooting Trip 35 manually. But if you’re looking to get a copy, you should verify that the camera is sold as fully functional . An online listing would say that in the title or the description.

Trip 35 mods, hacks, and repairs.

Repairing Trip 35s may cost as much or more than the value of the camera. The good news is that simple fixes (like cleaning oil of the shutter and aperture blades) aren’t difficult if you’ve got the right tools and know-how.

Another common issue with cameras this old is the light seals. The soft, spongy material tends to crumble over time, which in turn can create light leaks . I have a guide on fixing that quickly and cheaply here .

Being a mechanical camera with manual controls, Trip 35s can survive past the span of the selenium cells that power its fully automatic shooting mode. Some photographers may prefer to use the camera in the manual mode for more precise control over exposure. You may even modify yours to shoot with the faster 1/200s shutter speed for improved action snaps and reduced motion blur.

How much does Trip 35 cost, and where to find one.

Olympus Trip 35 film camera is a fantastic value in terms of fun, image quality, and build quality. Most copies of these cameras can be bought between $20-120 — depending on the condition. And a few bucks more can get you the rare-ish black paint version .

❤ By the way: Please consider making your Olympus Trip 35 purchase using this link so that this website may get a small percentage of that sale — at no extra charge for you — thanks!

About this article :

It can take five hours of work (or more) to write and proof a quality five-minute read with high-res illustrations. Below are the people who made this one possible. All content is reviewed, styled, and edited by Dmitri .

Ask for help in our forum if you can't find a price for your camera.

Don't forget to update your personal camera inventory , Google [Bot].

  • Categories:
  • Most watched

Find a camera by name:   

Olympus :  Trip 35 (chrome)

1967-1984. 35mm film, point-and-shoot viewfinder camera. Solar-powered selenium light meter. Very common, more than 10 million cameras were sold.

Camera manual

Olympus: Trip 35 (chrome) camera

Camera is in these wishlists: sarkioja

by Markv86 » Wed Aug 11, 2010 10:09 am

by diser » Wed Aug 11, 2010 5:34 pm

by diser » Tue Feb 01, 2011 5:13 am

Home | Library | Forum | Advanced search | --> Most watched listings | About | Disclamer | Contact us © Copyright 2007-2023: CollectiBlend®

Olympus Trip 35 Repair Instructions

  • Olympus Manuals
  • Digital Camera
  • Repair instructions

Olympus Trip 35 Repair Instructions

  • Instructions manual (13 pages)
  • page of 17 Go / 17

Advertisement

Quick Links

Related manuals for olympus trip 35.

Digital Camera Olympus TRIP 35 Instructions Manual

Summary of Contents for Olympus Trip 35

  • Page 1 Olympus Trip 35 Illustrated Repair Instructions Olympus introduced the Trip 35 in 1968. The camera remained in production for 20 years, and Olympus sold over 10 million of them. Both of these numbers must surely stand as records in the annals of camera history. The popularity of this camera was due to the convergence of two factors.
  • Page 2 1. Remove the top of the camera. The top is held on with three screws. One is on the right side, just under the wrist strap lug. The other two are under the film rewind crank. To get to these two screws, it is necessary to remove the film rewind crank.
  • Page 3 3. With normal daylight shining into the cell, the needle will deflect about half way to the right. If this happens, the selenium cell and meter are working fine. If the needle doesn’t move, the cell and the meter might still be working OK.
  • Page 4 4. Push down the shutter release half way. The trap bar will rise up to trap the needle against the brass plate. The aperture setting cam rises right after the trap bar. If the meter is working, but the cam does not move, then the problem is with the aperture blades.
  • Page 5 5. Once you have verified that the problem is not with the cell or the meter, it is time to remove, clean and lubricate the aperture blades. You can desolder the hot shoe wire to set the top aside and out of the way. This makes the camera easier to handle, but is not necessary as long as you are careful.
  • Page 6 6. The front, inner ring is connected to the front lens element by three set screws, so the front lens element turns as the front ring rotates. The front lens element is mounted on threads, so it moves in and out as it turns. A tang on the front ring engages the focus ring, so that the front ring and the focus ring move as a unit.
  • Page 7 7. Note the position of the front lens element. Use a red marker to mark the 12:00 position. Then just to make double sure, screw the lens in the whole way and note how far it turned. In the picture below the lens turned to about the 2:30 position.
  • Page 8 8. Unscrew the front lens. Clean both sides thoroughly. Put it in a plastic bag to protect it, then put it in the next cup of your ice cube tray.
  • Page 9 9. Now loosen the wires that run to the photocell. These wires run behind the tripod mount, and must be loosened before the photocell can be removed.
  • Page 10 10. Remove the screws that hold the photocell in place. Put them into the next cup of the ice cube tray.
  • Page 11 11. Gently lift up the photocell. Grasp the wires and gently pull them thru the camera body.
  • Page 12 12. Remove the three flat head screws that hold the ASA ring and focus ring in place. Be careful not to lose the ball bearing detent on the ASA ring à it’s only about 1mm in diameter. It may be held in place by grease. Put the screws (and the ball detent if it’s loose) into the next cup of the ice cube tray.
  • Page 13 13. Remove the aperture ring. Be careful, this has a ball detent, too. You know what to do with the screws and the ball.
  • Page 14 14. This will reveal the middle lens element. Remove it, clean it, put it in a sandwich bag, then put it into the next cup of the ice cube tray.
  • Page 15 15. You’re almost there. The aperture assembly is next. Remove the three screws that hold it in place. Clean it thoroughly in the lighter fluid. You may have to soak it several times. Work the blades back and forth. Make sure all of the old lubricant is removed.
  • Page 16 16. While the aperture assembly is soaking, remove the rear lens assembly and clean it.
  • Page 17 17. The shutter assembly is next, but it is unlikely there is a problem with it. So you’re finished! Just retrace your steps to reassemble everything, working your way backwards thru the cups in the ice cube tray. A little graphite between the aperture ring and the focus ring will make these move smoothly.

Rename the bookmark

Delete bookmark, delete from my manuals, upload manual.

IMAGES

  1. Olympus Trip 35 Instruction Manual With Photos

    olympus trip 35 camera guide

  2. Olympus Trip 35 Camera Walkthrough

    olympus trip 35 camera guide

  3. Olympus Trip 35

    olympus trip 35 camera guide

  4. Olympus Trip 35

    olympus trip 35 camera guide

  5. Yet another Olympus Trip 35 Review

    olympus trip 35 camera guide

  6. Olympus Trip 35

    olympus trip 35 camera guide

VIDEO

  1. 1978 Olympus Trip 35

  2. Olympus Trip 35

  3. Olympus TRIP 35底片相機Q080153

  4. Olympus Trip 35底片相機

  5. OLYMPUS TRIP 35 Repair

  6. Olympus Trip 35. Testing the meter

COMMENTS

  1. OLYMPUS TRIP 35 INSTRUCTIONS MANUAL Pdf Download

    Digital Camera Olympus Trip 35 Repair Instructions. (17 pages) Film Camera Olympus TRIP 35 Instructions Manual. (13 pages) Digital Camera Olympus Trip 500 Basic Manual. Olympus digital camera basic manual (100 pages) Digital Camera Olympus Transcription Module Specifications. (4 pages) Olympus TRIP 505 - Camera Manual.

  2. How To Use The Olympus Trip 35: The Full How-to Guide

    The Olympus Trip 35 was introduced in 1967, and discontinued in 1984, which is considered a long production run for a 35mm film camera. Over ten million Olympus Trip cameras were sold in this time. Many people wrongly call the Olympus Trip a rangefinder camera, however we would classify it more as a point and shoot with zone focusing.

  3. OLYMPUS TRIP 35 INSTRUCTIONS MANUAL Pdf Download

    Digital Camera Olympus TRIP 35 Instructions Manual. (13 pages) Film Camera Olympus Trip 500 Instructions. Olympus trip 500: instruction manual (4 pages) Film Camera Olympus 102455 - Stylus Zoom 115 QD DLX Date 35mm Camera Instructions Manual. Stylus zoom 115 instruction manual (english - 1071 kb) (70 pages)

  4. How to Use The Olympus Trip 35: A Complete Guide

    How to Take Photos with the Olympus Trip 35: Step 1: Ensure the camera is wound on. This gets the shutter ready and primed to take a photo. Step 2: Set subject zone focus distance on the lens. The Olympus Trip 35 has 4 settings which equate to focusing zone distances away from the camera (shown on the underside of the lens barrel):

  5. Olympus Trip 35

    The Olympus Trip 35 operates completely without batteries. Its light meter and programmed automatic exposure system is solar powered! This makes it one of the world's most advanced cameras which provides fully automatic exposure completely without batteries or external electrical power. The examples below are from one 24-exposure test roll of ...

  6. Download Olympus TRIP 35 Instructions Manual

    Digital Camera Olympus TRIP 35 Instructions Manual 13 pages Film Camera Olympus Trip 500 Instructions 4 pages Olympus trip 500: instruction manual

  7. PDF Olympus Trip 35 Instruction Manual

    Olympus Trip 35 Instruction Manual. OLYMPUS TRIP35 OLYMPUS TRIP35. Set tho Camera to system F thc "A". front of System is to Set F to the Can be Kamera Man dreht den der. man. 2) r Cut the rear tock. The ROCkwand. the with the rewinding Put the fil into mere. Push thor the ushcd ding While maintaining or on dos Films.

  8. Olympus Trip 35 Camera Walkthrough

    This video is a complete walkthrough of the Olympus Trip 35 Camera. It covers everything you need to know about the camera including everything listed below:...

  9. Olympus Trip 35

    The Olympus Trip 35 is a camera I'd heard a lot about but had never tried myself. Its reputation for ease of use and high quality seemed the perfect cure for my shooter's block. And if the Trip 35 was the prescription, the Pasadena Camera Show was the pharmacy. There I found a beautiful Trip 35 for an absurdly low price, bought it, and ...

  10. Olympus Trip 35 Review

    This little Olympus Trip 35 has limitations: There are only two shutter speeds: 1/40 sec and 1/200 sec. The camera sets them for you based on the amount of light, but if you turn the aperture dial off "A" to one of the f-stops, the shutter is 1/40. The light meter, being a selenium cell, does not have low-light capacity.

  11. Olympus trip 35 instruction manual, user manual, pdf manuals

    If you find this manual useful, how about a donation of $3 to: M. Butkus, 29 Lake Ave., High Bridge, NJ 08829-1701. and send your e-mail address. so I can thank you. Most other places would charge. you $7.50 for a electronic copy. or $18.00 for a hard to read Xerox copy.

  12. The Olympus Trip 35 Review: Everything You Need To Know

    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 ...

  13. Olympus Trip 35 Instructions : Olympus Optical Co. Ltd : Free Download

    Olympus Trip 35 Compact Camera Instruction Guide / Manual Collection manuals_olympus; manuals; additional_collections. ... Identifier olympus-trip-35_20211121 Identifier-ark ark:/13960/s2mjkvbzz34 Ocr tesseract 5.0.0-rc2-1-gf788 Ocr_autonomous true Ocr_detected_lang an Ocr_detected_lang_conf 1.0000 Ocr_detected_script Latin Ocr_detected_script_conf

  14. The Olympus Trip 35

    August 28, 2022. The Olympus Trip 35 is a compact, battery-free point-and-shoot 35mm film camera known for its ease of use and quality. When it was released in 1968, it was marketed as the perfect film camera to take on your travels. NOTE: Travel is not recommended at this time.

  15. Olympus TRIP 35 Manuals

    We have 3 Olympus TRIP 35 manuals available for free PDF download: Repair Instructions, Instructions Manual Olympus TRIP 35 Instructions Manual (13 pages) Brand: Olympus | Category: Digital Camera | Size: 0.81 MB

  16. A cult classic point and shoot

    With the camera set to 'A', based on the light hitting the meter it will choose the most appropriate aperture between f2.8 and f22. It will also choose either 1/40th or 1/200th for the shutter speed. If the amount of light isn't adequate for at very least 1/40th and f2.8 it will simply prevent the photo from being taken.

  17. Olympus Trip 35 Film Camera Review

    In manual mode, Olympus Trip 35 only uses the 1/40s shutter speed. There are no Bulb and no self-timer modes. The lens is a non-interchangeable Olympus D. Zuiko 40mm 𝒇2.8-22 (four elements in three groups). The closest focus distance is 1m/3ft. ... Olympus Trip 35 film camera is a fantastic value in terms of fun, image quality, and build ...

  18. Olympus TRIP 35 Instructions Manual

    Olympus Trip 35 is a compact film camera that offers both automatic and manual exposure control for creative photography. With its sharp D. Zuiko 40mm f/2.8 lens and automatic shutter system, it captures clear and well-exposed images. The manual focus ring with distance symbols and meter/foot scale allows for precise focusing.

  19. Download Olympus TRIP 35 Instructions Manual

    Film Camera Olympus TRIP 35 Instructions Manual 13 pages. Digital Camera Olympus Trip 500 Basic Manual 100 pages. Olympus digital camera basic manual. Digital Camera Olympus Transcription Module Specifications 4 pages. Digital Camera Olympus TRIP 505 User Manual 1 page.

  20. SCL Photography Guide: The Olympus Trip 35 Film Camera

    A fresh look at an old classic, to get you shooting your old Trip 35 or perhaps to interest you in investing in this great little film camera.Includes guide ...

  21. Manual Olympus Trip 35 Camera

    Manual for Olympus Trip 35 Camera. View and download the pdf in English. This product currently has 1 frequently asked question, 0 comments and has 0 votes.

  22. Olympus: Trip 35 (chrome) Price Guide: estimate a camera value

    Olympus: Trip 35 (chrome) - 1967-1984. 35mm film, point-and-shoot viewfinder camera. Solar-powered selenium light meter. Very common, more than 10 million cameras were sold. Antique, vintage and used digital ... Very common, more than 10 million cameras were sold. Camera manual.

  23. OLYMPUS TRIP 35 REPAIR INSTRUCTIONS Pdf Download

    Page 1 Olympus Trip 35 Illustrated Repair Instructions Olympus introduced the Trip 35 in 1968. The camera remained in production for 20 years, and Olympus sold over 10 million of them. Both of these numbers must surely stand as records in the annals of camera history. The popularity of this camera was due to the convergence of two factors. Page ...