A cool 35mm compact

[digic]

Hi guys.

I'm looking into getting myself a nice carry-around 35mm compact, peferrably with a prime lens, but would like it to be relatively affordable.
Go!

 

[AgX]

Olympus µ-II

 

[mcgrattan]

Yes, Olympus mju-II. Assuming you don't mind auto-everything. Tiny, pocketable, excellent image quality and a 35mm focal length.

There are other compacts that will produce better results, but you start getting out of the realms of 'relatively affordable'.

 

[thegman]

Rollei 35 is always worth considering.

 

[Spicy]

+1 for the Rollei, if you want to feel involved in the photo taking process (ie: not auto-everything)

 

[ajuk]

Fuji Natura?

 

[digic]

+1 for the Rollei, if you want to feel involved in the photo taking process (ie: not auto-everything)

This looks cool. Also had a look at the 35B

 

[ath]

Olympus XA. Has a rangefinder and allows quite a bit of control.

 

[nsurit]

Olympus XA as opposed to XA 2, XA 3 or XA 4. Bill Barber

 

[danfogel]

Ricoh GR1v or Yashica T4

Also +1 for XA

 

[Nick Merritt]

Yashica T4, in addition to the three previously mentioned.

 

[Mustafa Umut Sarac]

KEH have a Rollei 35 with excellent Triotar lens for 170 dollars. If it is working without any problem , its hard to beat with any Japanese camera.

 

[landscapepics]

I recently purchased an Olympus XA for £25, equivalent to $40

I can't think of anything more compact that has a rangfinder

 

[Thomas Bertilsson]

The Yashica T4 is hard to beat. Razor sharp lens and an amazing auto-focus / auto-exposure system that rarely does anything wrong.

 

[PentaxBronica]

The only thing I'd be uneasy about with the Rollei is the fact that it's a viewfinder rather than rangefinder camera. I have used a 1930s Zeiss folding camera which lacked any means of measuring the distance to subject and found it frustrating. When I put it on a tripod and used an SLR to find the right focus (read off one camera's focus scale, transferred to the other) the resulting images were very sharp indeed, but if you shoot it hand-held without any guidance for focusing you quickly find why old photos tend to be soft!

 

[mcgrattan]

Yes, if it was me, I'd want autofocus or a rangefinder. It doesn't really matter how good the lens is if everything is out of focus. Fine if you are shooting landscapes, or daylight outdoor scenes where you can zone focus or 'hyperfocal' focus. But portraits, or anything in lower light, or closer up, nope. The mju is good and cheap.

If it didn't have to be quite as cheap, my own personal favourite is the Rollei AFM/Fuji Klasse. Good size, lots of manual control, excellent lens, good flare resistance, and (in my experience) very accurate metering.

 

[elekm]

If you practice, you can become quite good at guessing distances -- for recommending the Rollei 35.

However, more details are needed from the original poster. What price range is "reasonable"? What features: Auto-everything?

A nice alternative is an Olympus 35 RC or perhaps a Konica C35 Automatic.

Otherwise, go to a thrift shop and get any point and shoot or $10 or less.

 

[mcgrattan]

Also, Kodak Retinas can be pretty compact if you want an all-manual camera with a great lens. Heavy, though, and the ergonomics are idiosyncratic.

 

[Loren Sattler]

I have had good results with a Rollei Prego 90. Purchased several on the auction site for $20-$30. It is a compact plastic point and shoot 35mm camera with 28-90mm lens range, Schneider optics and auto everything. Here is a scan from a print from New Years.

 

[Loren Sattler]

Scan did not take? Another try:

 

[elcabezagrande]

In addition to those previously mentioned, among my favorites are Pentax PC35AF (quiet) or Canon MC (noisy). Nikon L35AF. Canon ML. Truthfully, as far as AF compacts, or compact rangefinders, most of them have very good lenses. The rest is all a matter of ergonomics, availability and utility. See what they have at the local thrift stores and flea markets, and don't be afraid of some of the less-known names, like Chinon or Samsung. Some of the cameras listed here are not what I would call inexpensive for a carry-around camera, though.

 

[h.v.]

Yashica T4
Contax T2/T3
Rollei 35
Olympus Mju
Olympus XA/XA2
Ricoh GR1v
Fuji Natura (if you can get your hands on one)

Those are really the best of the best. Can't go wrong with any of them.

 

[digic]

Thanks, everyone!

 

[blockend]

Mju II aperture stays open too long as speeds climb and no manual ASA or override, just DX. Minimum 400 asa film needed for street work, faster if you can get it. A strictly portrait camera on slower films.

 

[perkeleellinen]

but would like it to be relatively affordable.

Many of the cameras mentioned here are not very affordable. The Yashica T4 has unfortunately achieved 'cult' status with the accompanying price tag. The Ricoh GR series cameras are great but costly, there's one in the classifieds now. Rollei 35s and Contax T series are also costly.

The Mju II is probably the best bet, I use 800 speed film in mine to overcome the aperture issue blockend speaks of above.

Can I also suggest the Nikon AF6000 (Lite Touch)? It's got a 28/3.5 lens and can be had on ebay quite cheaply. The only issue with it is that it doesn't read 800 & 1600 film. So as long as you shoot only 100, 200 and 400 films you're fine.