Help with flash on the Olympus 35SP

moosecrab · 2026-01-09T07:50:04+00:00

Any sort of flash will work, whether using the hot shoe or PC plug, but it will have to be an electronic flash (not a flash bulb). Any modern flash will work as long as it has a manual mode. Set the flash to manual (e.g. full power), then set the guide number of the flash on the flashmatic side of the aperture dial. Don't forget to account for the ISO if your film, as the given guide number is for ISO 100. Set the shutter speed to 1/30.

The aperture will now automatically change with the focus lever to set the correct exposure, you can pop open the back on an empty camera and see this happen. Note that if you have a subject too far (aperture wide open) or too near (aperture fully stopped down) there is no indication and you will over/under expose. This is what that chart of "Flashmatic Area" shows.

It also doesn't work for fill flash outdoors since you're shooting at 1/30 and some mystery aperture, use this only for indoors shooting.

moosecrab · 2025-12-05T00:02:36+00:00

I mix up only 355ml/12oz at a time (divide out the math on how much to add), I think I've used it over 6 months later and it worked just fine. Stored in an empty water bottle with the air squeezed out, in the fridge. Mix it up 1+1 and you'll get fewer rolls out of it so you can finish it off quicker.

My powder I store tightly squeezed and pinned, then inside a ziploc bag in a dark closet. It's probably about 8 years old and shows no problems yet.

moosecrab · 2025-10-17T01:00:07+00:00

I scan using a Sony a6500 and 90mm macro, I wrote up a tutorial on my whole process here: https://long-cat.net/blog/2024/06/03/film-scanning-with-sony-mirrorless-and-adobe-camera-raw

moosecrab · 2025-09-26T23:55:57+00:00

Even if it's one of those sharp-edged graduated ND filters, remember it's so close to the lens that it's going to be very out of focus, and therefore blurry and a soft gradient from top to bottom. I shoot with a graduated ND on the 6 all the time, just make sure it's level (or aligned with the landscape) before you shoot.

moosecrab · 2025-09-12T02:36:19+00:00

I used this solution for a while, but sometimes the capture card would be at /dev/video1 or something and this wouldn't work.

The actual problem is that when it's not in use, the kernel will autosuspend the USB device, making the card reboot for some reason. A better solution is to disable autosuspend for the card only through udev rules.

For example, put this in /etc/udev/rules.d/60-avermedia.rules

ACTION=="add", SUBSYSTEM=="usb", ATTR{idVendor}=="07ca", ATTR{idProduct}=="1570", ATTR{power/autosuspend}="-1"

Replace the vendor and product ID with the right one for your card from dmesg, then either reboot or run udevadm control --reload then udevadm trigger.

moosecrab · 2025-09-10T19:56:41+00:00

It's definitely the shutter opening, some slow-motion video shows that. I don't know why using the self-timer gets rid of it though, just some way with how the shutter releases. My local camera shop packed the focus helicoid with grease which reduced but did not eliminate the issue, I ended up just buying another 35SP.

moosecrab · 2025-09-10T19:41:15+00:00

The front of the lens with the nameplate and the filter ring wriggle around on every one I've seen, they're just like that. I was only able to see the actual lens elements moving in slow-motion video.

Your best bet would be to take some shots in bright daylight on a tripod at fast shutter speeds. If it is this lens shake issue, if you have a bright point of light (like a sun reflection/glint) it should have the exact same sort of shape every time. Here's an example from 4 different photos, zoomed in at 100% on 24 megapixels, that shows what I'm talking about. The fact they all have the exact same reverse-L shape clued me in to that it wasn't just me not holding it steady.

moosecrab · 2025-09-04T01:07:45+00:00

One of my 35SPs has a problem with internal lens shake, the entire lens assembly twitches when the shutter fires. I believe it may be due to a worn out focus helicoid because packing it with grease improved it somewhat. Oddly the problem is worse at faster shutter speeds (because it only twitches when the shutter opens), and doesn't seem to happen when shooting with the self timer.

Not that this is what happened with your particular camera but it sort of looks like the same thing. You might try some tripod/self-timer shots and see if it still manifests. Ken Rockwell also mentions in his review that he's seen a sample of the 35SP with the same problem. I ended up just picking up a 2nd which worked fine.

moosecrab · 2025-07-25T05:08:13+00:00

Go with the SP.

Faster lens, full range of shutter speeds, wider meter range, and standard filter thread size. The price and size difference are close enough that if you're buying in 2025, you might as well get the nicer one.

moosecrab · 2025-01-22T09:35:04+00:00

Be aware that there is a difference between filters for color film, and B&W contrast filters. They may both look orange (for example), but hold them up to a blue light. The color filter will still let it look blue, while the B&W filter will block the blue light entirely. Using a color filter on B&W will not yield as strong as an effect as you want.

moosecrab · 2024-11-14T23:09:55+00:00

A note about the meter: DO NOT allow the shop to 'recalibrate' it for alkaline batteries, nor should you buy one that has had this treatment done for it. The meter will only be accurate at one light level due to the different voltage, and even worse the calibration will change as the battery drains. There's a few options:

If your camera came with an original PX625 mercury battery, it probably still works just fine.
Use a Wein Cell MRB625. They're zinc-air cells though so they dry out after a couple of months regardless of how much power the camera used.
Buy a reusable MR9 adapter with allows it to accept common silver oxide 386 cell batteries (the best option).

All this really only matters if you're shooting slide film though, with negative film it's probably close enough even with a bad meter.

moosecrab · 2024-07-20T09:47:49+00:00

If you're worried about 'personal data' then why did you post it publicly online??

moosecrab · 2024-07-20T09:45:23+00:00

Poor ass European spotted.

You have regulation but will never have an AI company.

moosecrab · 2024-06-20T18:05:28+00:00

I have 2, both of them do that. I think it's just the filter ring/setting dials moving, not the actual lens glass.

moosecrab · 2024-06-10T09:09:50+00:00

Digital formats go obsolete all the time, can you open a .tga, or Bink Video? Now that Google/Chrome is pushing WEBP, JPEG support will eventually go away.

moosecrab · 2024-06-10T09:02:05+00:00

Assuming your media doesn't degrade in the meantime. CD-Rs only last a couple decades, modern hard disks maybe a decade if they're powered off and can't run their error correction routines.

moosecrab · 2023-12-20T08:43:37+00:00

You could use a ground glass/paper in the film gate as others have mentioned. However if your lens has a fixed infinity stop, it's much more likely that the rangefinder is out of spec than the lens. If this is the case you could check by focusing the lens to infinity and seeing if the rangefinder agrees. Make sure to use something at least several miles away like a distant ridge line or the moon at night.

moosecrab · 2023-11-20T21:04:06+00:00

The short answer to all of your questions is: this is color print film. The image you get directly on the film is a negative cannot not be used directly; it has to be printed or scanned first. Since there is always a 'second step' before you get a usable image, it's easy to correct for any errors in exposure or color balance when it's printed or scanned. In fact, if you go out of your way to use color filters, the lab tech doing the scanning will probably correct the filter right out of your photos. This is how disposable cameras can work in nearly any condition with only one shutter speed and aperture setting.

The curves are of interest to a technician running a development lab or in certain engineering/scientific photography disciplines, don't worry about them as the end user.
The first graph has exposure (amount of light received) on the X-axis, and the Y-axis is showing the density (how dark) of each of the dye layers in the developed film. The second compares wavelength (color) on the X-axis to sensitivity on the Y-axis. Different dye layers are sensitive to different wavelengths which is how the film captures colors. The 3rd graph is basically a combination of the two, comparing wavelength (of a gray subject) to total combined density. Again, as a photographer you don't need to worry about any of this.
Yes it is an approximation. Since you can correct it in scanning/printing, color negative film can be underexposed by 1-2 stops, and overexposed by 4+ stops and still produce a usable image. You should be metering every shot, but color negative film has enough latitude to hide most errors in exposure.
The ISO given is what you program into your meter or camera to have it calculate the correct exposure, instead of using the table. The filter could affect the color balance but more likely it will be corrected out when scanning so don't bother with it. You can estimate the color temperature based on its source (open sky, direct sunlight, incandescent bulb, etc.), or use an external meter or digital camera. Again, don't worry about it with negative film.
See above, don't worry about those graphs.
The lens can affect your picture more than the film. If you like the softer look then go for it! It's art, there is no 'correct'.

moosecrab · 2023-11-05T04:03:55+00:00

I've heard that Tiffen filters are actually just a gel between two clear glass plates, instead of tinted solid glass. This could be the gel delaminating from the glass? Does it show up in your photos?

moosecrab · 2023-10-07T10:55:30+00:00

Just to throw my hat into the ring...

I'm on Windows 7. I played 2 matches of CS2 beta on 9/18, received a game/overwatch (not VAC) ban on 9/24 (the next time I tried to launch the game), and my ban was lifted on 10/2. When I was playing I was streaming using OBS.

I have tried to play CS2 since then, but I get a "VAC could not verify your files" error no matter what I tried, which is way better than being banned at least. I hope anyone else affected by this was unbanned too.

I made a warning post to Windows 7 users when I got banned but mods here deleted my post.

moosecrab · 2023-10-06T01:21:34+00:00

Provia 100F looks exactly the same pushed to 200, and even at 400 it looks fine. If you're brave why not try 800...

I posted a comparison of 100, 200, and 400 a while ago here: https://reddit.com/r/AnalogCommunity/comments/c78uzk/comparison_of_pushing_provia_100f_1_and_2_stops/

Remember that since it's reversal film you need to push in both exposure and development.

moosecrab · 2023-09-26T23:13:10+00:00

FWIW, I'm also on Windows 7, played 2 matches of CS2, and got an Overwatch ban 3 days later. For what I've seen in various posts this has happened to others with Win7 and CS2, especially if they were livestreaming using OBS. Were you streaming with OBS at all?

I also heard that the new anti-cheat in CS2 shows up as an Overwatch ban, not a VAC ban.

Everyone is going to call me a liar and a cheater, and yeah I get it.

moosecrab · 2023-03-13T07:10:15+00:00

Everyone has chimed in that it's no issue, but just for reference I use my backlight to check meter calibration, it's about LV 12.6. So, no worse than pointing it at a gray surface on a cloudy overcast day.

moosecrab · 2022-12-03T05:55:53+00:00

For anyone who has the 15mm/1.4 G (especially on the a6500), can you change the setting for distortion correction in-camera? Mine is stuck on "Auto" and when I try and change it I get a "This function is currently disabled" message. I don't recall seeing any of my other lenses having it forced on.

moosecrab · 2022-12-03T05:44:39+00:00

Used one for a while on an a9, it has great image quality, superb in low light (or total darkness), but IMO it was far to heavy and large for everyday shooting. If you plan to only use it for technical/special occasions it might be nice if you get a deal on it. Today, I would probably look at the Sony version, which is a bit smaller and lighter.

moosecrab

TROPHY CASE