Olympus 35 SP
I had read a lot about the Olympus 35 SP rangefinder camera and almost all of it was extremely positive. So when the chance to get one arose I didn't hesitate. Some users say that it is as good as a Leica. I've never had the chance to use a Leica so I won't be able to compare but let's see what this camera has got going for it. The Olympus 35 SP was produced between 1969 and 1972 with probably around a quarter of a million produced. The camera itself uses 35mm film. It has a Zuiko 42mm f1.7 7 element lens which has a reputation of being extremely sharp. It has fully automatic or metered manual exposure modes. And it is the only rangefinder camera with centre weighted and spot metering. It does use a battery for the meter but all the photo taking operations are mechanical so it can be used without a battery. My favourite digital camera is my Fuji X100S. So purely on appearance the Olympus is off to a good start. Surely ...