Olympus Trip 35 repair & common faults
Good coverageThe Olympus Trip 35 is a compact 35mm viewfinder camera from 1968, sold in huge numbers through to the late 1980s. It needs no battery at all, exposure is set automatically by a selenium cell driving a trapped needle mechanism, and it only has two shutter speeds, so most faults trace back to that one linkage rather than electronics.
Selenium-cell auto exposure (trapped needle) · Two-speed leaf shutter, 1/40s and 1/200s · No battery required · 40mm f2.8 Zuiko lens
Common Olympus Trip 35 faults
Olympus Trip 35 photos coming out too dark or a small diamond shape visible in the lens
On the Trip 35 the aperture sits closed to its smallest setting until the shutter release pushes a cam up to meet the meter needle. Old grease inside the aperture assembly gums the blades so they can't open, so every frame gets shot stopped right down. If the aperture doesn't visibly open when you press the release, that's the mechanism at fault, not the film or meter.
Olympus Trip 35 shutter release feels stuck or won't fire properly
The Trip 35's shutter release also drives the trap bar that catches the meter needle, so a stiff or jammed release usually means that linkage has gummed up rather than the shutter itself. It can bind partway down under your finger. Try a full firm press first, but if it still won't travel, the mechanism needs proper attention rather than forcing.
Olympus Trip 35 red flag shows in the viewfinder even in good light
The red warning flag is meant to appear only when there isn't enough light for a correct exposure, and it shares its linkage with the aperture cam. If it shows in daylight, or never shows even in dim rooms, the cam or needle-trap mechanism is off rather than the meter cell reading wrong. Check you haven't got the flash setting knocked out of place first.
Olympus Trip 35 meter needle won't move or exposure looks random
With no battery in this camera, exposure is set entirely by a selenium cell driving a needle inside the body, so a dead or weak reading means the cell itself has faded with age rather than a power fault. A loose screw can also get pulled onto the needle's magnet and jam it solid. Shooting in bright daylight and checking nothing changes is the only check possible without opening it up.
Olympus Trip 35 viewfinder looks dim or hazy
A dim, hazy or spotty viewfinder on the Trip 35 is almost always dirt or old haze sitting inside the finder optics rather than damage, and doesn't affect the taking lens or exposure at all. It's cosmetic to using the camera, not a sign of a wider fault. If the small window beside the finder looks fogged too, that confirms it's dirt rather than anything mechanical.
Stuck on your Olympus Trip 35?
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Try it now ›Scatto is a reference tool for people who service film cameras. It explains mechanisms and quotes service data, but it cannot see your camera at the bench, so verify anything load-bearing before you act on it.