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Absolute best bang-for-the-buck AF 35mm setup?


I doubt very much if the 20 to 35 was ever made as a F2.5 they were all 2.8 constant
 

I had the stickiness. A little rubbing alcohol and a Gin Martini took care of that. Actually a Gin Martinus because I only had one.
 
Paul Howell said:
My last Nikons were the F3P and FG, when I check Ebay seems that the F4, pro level body are going for less than the F100, other than the F100 will work with G lens, what is the advantage of a F100 over a F4?
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The auto-focus system, on the F100, is leaps-and-bounds ahead of the auto-focus on the F4. If you photograph action, you will notice a difference. The F100 also supports the vibration reduction (VR) feature on lenses so equipped.
 
In terms of best bang for buck, then a F5, not much than the F100, pro build, uses AA batteries, will work with D and G, although OP is looking for AF, the option for MF lens in stopped down metering. Down side, it seems to be heavy, as heavy as my Minolta 9 and not much lighter than the 9000 with motor drive and 12 AAs.
 
MultiFormat Shooter said:
The auto-focus system, on the F100, is leaps-and-bounds ahead of the auto-focus on the F4. If you photograph action, you will notice a difference. The F100 also supports the vibration reduction (VR) feature on lenses so equipped.
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That plus it used AA batteries and more bang for the buck than the F5, unless you need to add weight lifting to your physical fitness program.
​
 
Sirius Glass said:
I had the stickiness. A little rubbing alcohol and a Gin Martini took care of that. Actually a Gin Martinus because I only had one.
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I will go along with the alcohol for the backing but the focussing zone lock on mine is sticky internally and whilst it is still working I will let the proverbial 'sleeping dog lie' I only ever use the central point on which it is set so I have no problems with that.

I was also surprised when I bought mine the battery pack was not the usual AA batteries but 2 x CR2's exactly like the F80 and F6. I was nor aware that there were different options.
 
Sirius Glass said:
I had the stickiness. A little rubbing alcohol and a Gin Martini took care of that. Actually a Gin Martinus because I only had one.
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Hand sanitizer gel and toothbrush did wonders for my Dynax 7. I didn't have Gin Martini but was still delighted.
 

I was able to score a EOS 55 with the 28-70 3.5-4.5 for 30 dollars + shipping last year. The pano feature is a gimmick but its a fun little tool to make you look at your compositions with -- had a lovely time taking it around the Pacific North West
 
Thanks again for all of the good discussion. For those of you keeping score, I decided to keep scouring ebay and ended up winning an F100 with MB-15 grip that "wouldn't power up" for less than $80. Seller told me it might be because of battery corrosion on one of the terminals of the battery insert. It arrived today, and after about 3 minutes of scurbbing with alcohol wipes and a small blade, I popped in some new AAs and it turned on with no problem. Fired a bunch of shots in each mode and everything seems to be operating A-OK. Couple more minutes scrubbing the stickiness mostly off and I was more than happy that I listened to all you folks praising the F100. Feels great in the hand! I'll probably end up flipping the grip because I've never really felt the need for them, ending up with a a solid camera for about fifty bucks.

I've got my eyes on a few of the older Sigma (pre-Art Series) primes, and if I snag them I'll have more capability than I'll ever need, at a mere fraction of the original MSRP. Really excited to start running some film through this thing!
 

I hope you enjoy your F100 even more than I have.
 
PeteGM said:
As a Minolta fan, my first inclination was something in the Maxxum family.
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As usual, I am w-a-a-a-a-y late to the party, and popped in to say you are right -- as a cheap-camera aficionado, I think it doesn't get any better than Minolta AF. I've bought a 400si body for $12 (needed it for parts and it turned out to be working) and a Maxxum 5 and kit lens for less than $17. I spent more on batteries and film for it! I wrote about that one for DPReview.
Aaron
 

Hah I read that review while I was on my quest! The 5 and the 50 f/1.7 would have probably been the proper answer to my question as I posed it: the actual best bang for the buck. Only thing missing was two command wheels. I hate shooting with 2 wheels when using lenses that don't have aperture rings.

And then of course, like every other time I've told myself I "don't need something that expensive," GAS creeped in and I ended up with the F100 and plans to buy a few old mid-level primes, bringing my total expenditures to probably around $500. Not horrible in the grand scheme of things but much worse than the "$100 for an entire system" that I was hoping to spend.

Funny thing is, I think I'm still going to add a Minolta system. I mean with some smart shopping you can get the 50 f/1.7, the legendary 70-210 beer can, and one of the well-regarded zooms like the 35-70 f/4 or 35-105 plus a decent body for about $100. That's such a crazy value that I feel like I still have to do it.
 
If you are thinking about a Minolta, how about the 9000, first generation pro level camera, only manual advance AF pro level body, then add the motor drive, takes 12 AA batteries, listed as 5.5 FPS, with Lithium AA I think closer to 7. The body takes 2 double AAs. It is a fine match with the 70 to 200 beer can and 35 to 70. I have 3, one I keep for parts, the other 2 are pretty good shooters as long as you can live with first generation AF.
 
SCORE!
 

You should be able to get a Nikon 50 1.8D lens cheap, and those are excellent w any AF Nikon SLR. Film or digital.
 
My best bang for buck was my Nikon f55. Cost $7 from KEH ten years ago. It looked brand new.
Though every time I set out to get another, they are not $7 any more and I wind up spending a few dollars more and get another f75.
 
Nikon F90. Almost an F100 but way cheaper. The common sticky back issue keeps the prices down but just clean the yuk off with alcohol.
 
I would go with the Nikon EM and a few E series lenses : Series E 50mm/1,8, Series E 100mm/2.8, Series E 75-150mm/3.5. For a wide angle I would say Nikkor 28mm/2.8Ais.
 
I highly recommend the F100 (and I'm primarily a Canon shooter!) because it does everything well and it's a joy to handle. The N80 (F80) is a great camera but it reacts slower and has a somewhat longer shutter blackout, if that matters to you at all. It does for me when shooting birds or other wildlife. Also, the film compartment door breaks on these cameras; my last N80's door gave out while it was sitting still and was not being handled. The door just drifted open because the door latches had given out. It can happen with the F100 too, but at least there are repair options for it, and you can buy a replacement door. I have one just in case that ever happens. I would seriously consider the F100. For about $200-$250 you get an outstanding pro-grade camera!

Andy
 
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