Olympus's budget fixed-focus 35mm compact — focus-free 35mm lens, motor wind, built-in flash, AA power
The Olympus Trip 100 was a basic fixed-focus 35mm compact introduced in 1992, one of a series of inexpensive point-and-shoot models that carried the Trip name made famous by the Trip 35. Built in Malaysia with a black plastic body, it sat at the bottom of the Olympus compact range, below the autofocus Mju and Superzoom lines.
It uses a fixed 35mm lens with no focusing mechanism — the camera is focus-free, so shooting amounts to opening the sliding lens cover and pressing the shutter. Film speed is set manually with a slider on the underside offering ISO 100/200 and ISO 400 positions; there is no DX coding. A built-in flash, motorised film advance with automatic end-of-roll rewind and a frame counter complete the features. Power comes from two AA batteries; there is no self-timer and no tripod socket.
This is a snapshot camera in the plainest sense, suited to casual film shooters who want point-and-shoot simplicity and the unfussy look of a simple fixed lens. It appeals to beginners trying film cheaply, though fixed focus and the lack of any exposure or focus control limit it in low light and close-up work.
The Trip 100 needs working AA power to do anything — advance, rewind and flash are all electric, so a dead transport means a dead camera. Check the flash charges and fires, the sliding cover switches the camera on, and the film door shuts tight. Values are modest, so favour clean, film-tested examples.