Olympus Ace

       Introduced in 1958, the Ace is the only interchangeable lens 35mm camera Olympus produced. There were two models: the one shown here and a second version that featured a built in selenium light meter. If you're a minimalist who doesn't use cameras that are decked out in all kinds of whistles and bells, then this one's for you. Completely devoid of gizmos and gimmicks, the Olympus Ace is a model of simplicity and ease of operation.

     The Olympus Ace comes equipped with a  2.8/45mm Zuiko lens. According to the owner's manual, two other Zuiko lenses are available: a 2.8/35mm and a 5.6/80mm. I think another lens was added later, but I'm not sure. These are dedicated bayonet lenses that can be mounted only on the Olympus Ace.
      The "Golden Bright" parallax corrected viewfinder window is large enough to accommodate eyeglass wearers without a problem.  Because the 35, 45, and 80mm frame lines appear in the viewfinder, there's no need for accessory finders. Note the large light gathering window between the rangefinder and viewfinder windows.

      To remove a lens, grasp the two knobs (blue dots), depress the lever (green dot), and twist the unit counterclockwise. Reverse the order to replace the lens or to set another one in place.
       Interestingly, just about the only concession Olympus made to anything beyond the inclusion of basic controls on the Ace is the self timer atop the lens barrel. (small red dot).

      The controls for the camera's aperture, shutter speed, and focusing mechanism are conveniently placed on the barrel of the lens. The green dot marks the click stopped aperture adjusting ring. If I had one complaint, it would be that it's difficult to see the little black dot on the lens barrel that delineates the f stop openings. White denotes the knurled focusing ring. Yellow indicates the depth of field scale, and fuscia marks the shutter speed control.
       The X that appears in the little window indicates electronic flash. A small lever (blue dot) switches to the "M" setting for flash.
     

          Viewed from above, the Olympus Ace sets the standard for simplicity and ease of handling. All you can see are the rewind knob, the accessory shoe, the shutter release, the film advance lever, and the film counter window.
  

      Viewed from below, the Ace reveals only the rewind button and the tripod socket, which is nicely placed in the center of the base plate. Unlike those in many other RF cameras, the rewind button on this camera doesn't have to be held down while you rewind the film. That's a nice touch.
       
         Because of its excellent viewfinder; its logical placement of controls; its ability to mount several supplementary lenses; its whisper quiet shutter; and its swing open back cover, the Olympus Ace is an excellent choice for the street photographer. There is, however, one major problem. Because Olympus produced relatively few of these cameras, they're somewhat scarce and difficult to find. At this writing I saw just four units for sale at a leading auction site. But the good news is that the prices for them aren't very high. The Collectiblend website values this camera at $60-$160 depending on condition.

COMING SOON: The Canon IVSB and IVSB2