For years I have kept a Yashica Electro 35 rangefinder camera underneath the driver's seat of my car; it's my beater camera, as it were. I like the camera; it's small, quiet, unobtrusive, and dirt cheap. I have four of them and didn't pay more than, I think, $40 for the lot. But recently I've noticed that I've been taking a lot more close-up photos and, with a rangefinder like the Electro, that can be a problem. Sometimes serendipity works in your favor but most of the time ... not.
So I'd like to replace the Yashica rangefinder with an SLR of similar characteristics: cheap, rugged, quiet, etc. My past experience with 35mm cameras has been exclusively with Minolta equipment and, if batteries were still available, I'd simply get an SRT-something and be done with it. But mercury batteries are not available, Wein cells don't hold up well to the environment below my seat (I've tried, with an SRT-101,) and spending $100+ for the alkaline battery conversion seems too expensive for this. Here's what I'm ideally looking for:
Manual/auto-focus and exposure isn't much of a factor for me assuming that I can do the manual exposure thing when required. Come to think of it, 35mm isn't an absolute necessity, if someone knows of a medium format camera which fits the bill. Not interested in a Diana, etc., but thanks for the suggestion. They have their places but under my car seat isn't one of them.
Thanks for your help: I just don't know enough about 35mm cameras other than Minolta to be able to figure out what would work for me and what wouldn't.
Mike
So I'd like to replace the Yashica rangefinder with an SLR of similar characteristics: cheap, rugged, quiet, etc. My past experience with 35mm cameras has been exclusively with Minolta equipment and, if batteries were still available, I'd simply get an SRT-something and be done with it. But mercury batteries are not available, Wein cells don't hold up well to the environment below my seat (I've tried, with an SRT-101,) and spending $100+ for the alkaline battery conversion seems too expensive for this. Here's what I'm ideally looking for:
- Cheap
- tough. It isn't easy living on the floor of a car in all seasons!
- Uses a current battery, something I can actually buy
- Can operate with at least one shutter speed with a dead battery
- Compact. There isn't much room under my seat!
Manual/auto-focus and exposure isn't much of a factor for me assuming that I can do the manual exposure thing when required. Come to think of it, 35mm isn't an absolute necessity, if someone knows of a medium format camera which fits the bill. Not interested in a Diana, etc., but thanks for the suggestion. They have their places but under my car seat isn't one of them.
Thanks for your help: I just don't know enough about 35mm cameras other than Minolta to be able to figure out what would work for me and what wouldn't.
Mike