Olympus Auto and Auto-B Electro-Set

Olympus Auto photographed by David Broglin (Image rights)

The Auto series were rangefinder cameras introduced by Olympus in 1958 and 1959. There were two models, the Auto and the Auto-B, also engraved as the Electro-Set. These cameras featured:

• built-in selenium exposure meter, coupled to shutter speed, aperture and ASA film sensitivity settings, and with match-needle window on top of the camera.
• on the Auto, the shutter speed and aperture rings were cross coupled, so that changing speed ring would then also rotate aperture ring to compensate and maintain the exposure setting.
• the Auto featured a flip-up cover over its selenium meter cell, which allowed for low light and daylight reading. The Auto-B meter cell did not have a cover.
• viewfinders with automatic parallax correction.
• 7-element G.Zuiko 42 mm / f 1.8 fixed lens, fitted to the Auto.
• 5-element E.Zuiko 42 mm / f 2.8 fixed lens, fitted to the Auto-B.
• Seikosha-SLV shutter with speeds 1 sec to 1/500 sec plus B mode and X and M flash-synchronization.

Olympus Auto-B image by J Hopper (Image rights)

Both models allowed mounting of a flip-to-the-side selenium booster cell (with lens shade) accessory to the front lens ring, with cabling to a socket on the front of the camera.

Despite the model names, these cameras did not have automatic exposure mode. The first Olympus rangefinder with automatic exposure was the Auto Eye.

The Auto was sold in Japan for ¥34,800 (including the case).

Links

• Auto on Olympus Global History.