The best beginner camera?

April 18, 2022

This icon of a film camera was where my film photography journey started and where I encourage others to start.

Olympus produced this camera between 1967 and 1984 with over 10 million units sold, making it one of the most successful cameras of its time. The Olympus Trip 35 is driven by solar powered selenium cells that surround the camera’s lens, so no batteries are required. These cells measure the light levels and determine the most appropriate aperture and shutter speed for a given situation. This makes it a great camera for beginners who are getting into film, as choosing the correct exposure settings can be difficult.

Selenium cells on an Olympus trip 35

If there is insufficient light, a red flag will pop up in the camera’s viewfinder. This stops the shutter from firing, preventing any underexposed images.

Red flag system as shown in the original Olympus Trip 35 instruction manual

Focusing the camera is incredibly simple, just choose between 4 different zones that are located on the lens:

Headshot
Picture of 2 people from the waist up
Group photo
Landscape

Zone focusing

The Olympus trip 35 is fitted with a 40mm f/2.8 lens which is ideal for keeping your subject in focus while making the background slightly blurry. This sharp lens can produce some fantastic photos, here are just a few of my favourites:

The leather finish on the Olympus Trip 35 can often become dirty or damaged but as it is easy to remove we can replace it with a range of different colours and designs!

Some of these many designs are available for purchase!

So is this the best beginner camera? Well it really depends who you ask as everyone's preference is slightly different. However, in my opinion this a camera that you can not only learn with but then never stop using!

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