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[OM] Parts commonality -- Olympus and R!coh?

Subject: [OM] Parts commonality -- Olympus and R!coh?
From: Steve Dropkin <steve@xxxxxxxxxxx>
Date: Sat, 20 Nov 2004 12:57:08 -0600
While cruising through yet another thrift store yesterday, I found a
Se@rs "35|RF" rangefinder camera that reminded me _very much_ of my
Oly 35RC. When I got home and hit the Internet, however, I learned
that this camera was made for Se@rs by R!coh (this one is equivalent
to their 500G). 

Putting the two cameras next to each other, though, demonstrates some
startling similarities in the location of controls like the shutter
release and hotshoe (which line up when the cameras are placed
top-to-top); the film-speed selector and light sensor within the lens
assembly; even the sync connector in same place in the upper corner of
the side. The lenses, of course, are different (the Oly's is 2 mm
bigger); shutter speed is set on _top_ of the 35RC; the self-timers
and the advance levers are mostly-cosmetically different. But these
cameras could be mistaken for one another very easily, I think.

So is it just a coincidence that these two cameras look so very much
alike? Or that in a rangefinder this small there are very few places
to move things around? Or that Japanese manufacturers (Olympus in
particular) share large amounts of components -- or designers -- for
some cameras?

Oh -- link to pictures: http://medfmt.8k.com/mf/kb/ contains links to
photos of both cameras (though the RF there appears to be a somewhat
later model than mine and their 35RC is missing a self-timer lever).

Steve

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