Best choise for P&S on a very small budget

darkosaric · Apr 3, 2020

So, I tested some cheap P&S cameras that I got some time ago. I have tested all with expired Polypan F iso 50 film, printed on expired Fomaspeed paper. Any other film / paper combination should give you even better results. Some basic digital contrast / levels are done in scanning.

I got 3 cameras for 7 euros (that means every camera is little more than 2 euros):
- Mini Junior AF-10 (fix lens)
- Maginon zoom superzoom 1100
- Goldline AW8000 (fix lens)

and I got Nikon TW20AF (dual fix lens 35mm/55mm) for 13 euros, what is already much more expensive.

So what I want to say is the following: best P&S camera to buy when you are on very thigh budget is any generic zoom lens P&S of newer generation. One of those 38-70mm, or 38-110mm, or similar. At first one thinks that fixed lens is better, because on SLR system that is true. But on cheap P&S we have many fixed lenses that are actually bad, and those zoom lenses are newer and better designed, and actually better.
Yes - on zoom end f stop it is around f10 or worse, but on the wide end usually it is f3.5, and that is good. Just use it as prime lens on wide end.

So here are examples:

Junior AF-10:

Goldline AW8000:

Nikon TW:

Maginon superzoom:

Dusty Negative · Apr 3, 2020

I don’t know a thing about those cameras, but I like a lot of these prints! Where in Hessen is this?

macfred · Apr 3, 2020

Dusty Negative said:
I don’t know a thing about those cameras, but I like a lot of these prints! Where in Hessen is this?

Yes, Ilike them all. It's not Hessen - the stele was made by Ernst Barlach and is located in Hamburg at the Alster river.
It says : 40.000 sons of the city gave their lives for you (40.000 Söhne der Stadt liessen ihr Leben für euch).

blockend · Apr 3, 2020

darkosaric said:
So what I want to say is the following: best P&S camera to buy when you are on very thigh budget is any generic zoom lens P&S of newer generation. One of those 38-70mm, or 38-110mm, or similar. At first one thinks that fixed lens is better, because on SLR system that is true. But on cheap P&S we have many fixed lenses that are actually bad, and those zoom lenses are newer and better designed, and actually better.

That bears out my findings. The rule may fall down with superzooms, that can be mushy at longer focal lengths. Later generation multi-coated standard zooms, generally perform pretty well. I've never tested how much better they perform than similar primes, my guess is there isn't much to separate them except maximum aperture.

Other issues are more important, like start up time, shutter lag, battery drain on powered zooms and how much manual control the camera permits.

Dusty Negative · Apr 3, 2020

macfred said:
Yes, Ilike them all. It's not Hessen - the stele was made by Ernst Barlach and is located in Hamburg at the Alster river.
It says : 40.000 sons of the city gave their lives for you (40.000 Söhne der Stadt liessen ihr Leben für euch).

That’s what happens when I don’t wear my glasses!

MattiS · Apr 3, 2020

A very nice series of b&w shots. I guess, my favourite is the Junior AF-10 - perfect imperfection.

darkosaric · Apr 3, 2020

It is Hamburg .

BTW - here are the cameras, for size comparison:

Wes/HikePics · Apr 3, 2020

I like the look of all the shots. It is great you found these cameras so inexpensive. I have not seem them here in the US but the Maginon looks very like the Vivitars.

I have collected many inexpensive point & shoot cameras recently. Some have focus free primes, auto focus primes, dual-lens and zooms as long as 35-135mm. I haven't gotten around to testing them all yet, but soon. As far as lens specifications go I have a Canon AF35ML with 40mm F1.9, Canon Sure Shot Supreme with 38mm F2.8 and Minolta AF-Tele 38mm & 60mm (F2.8 & 4.3) Dual Lens. The longest zoom is a Ricoh Mirai Zoom 35-135mm with Macro. It's a big camera but well featured. ALL of my point & shoot cameras have been bought with very little money.

I think the last few years of point & shoot cameras didn't get much interest as there were plenty of auto focus/auto exposure SLR cameras for a good price as well as those who were already making the jump to digital cameras. But I think those last point & shoot cameras have a lot to offer in image quality.

Ko.Fe. · Apr 3, 2020

I have couple of 5$ P&S with AF, some with fixed focus. To be honest, they give images not far apart from expensive lenses and more complicated cameras.

From tiny Samsung with slow zoom:

BradS · Apr 3, 2020

Last time I owned a camera that cost less than a roll of film, I found it totally disorienting. It put the whole equation up-side-down...
I had to give the damned camera away before I got completely dis-oriented and lost all sense of self.

cowanw · Apr 3, 2020

Looks like the Goldline AW8000 would make a very nice Portrait camera.

darkosaric · Apr 3, 2020

cowanw said:
Looks like the Goldline AW8000 would make a very nice Portrait camera.

This I will try . It is 28mm - pretty wide, but it has manual focus option, so for portraits that will be a plus. And it will definitely not be sharp, but "dreamy"...

Ariston · Apr 3, 2020

The Youtube experts all say the Olympus Stylus non-zoom cameras are the ones to have. But I have had a couple of the Stylus zooms, and they are no slouch for a point and shoot. And cheap. So I agree with you anout zooms.

I sold my Stylus Epic as soon as I realized there were people willing to overpay for it. Now I have the first version, which is just as compact, but cost $4 at the thrift store.

darkosaric · Apr 3, 2020

Additional cute thing in this Maginon is a notch on a negative, it reminds me on a Hasselblad negatives .

blockend · Apr 4, 2020

The thing with compact cameras is as soon as you grow to love one, they die on you. Like owning an elderly rescue dog.

darkosaric · Apr 4, 2020

blockend said:
The thing with compact cameras is as soon as you grow to love one, they die on you. Like owning an elderly rescue dog.

There is some true there, I love my Minilux, and I know sooner or later there will be this famous E02 fail. Already thinking should I: a) get Summarit M mount lens, or b) buy kit for mounting lens from Minilux to M mount (some guy is selling those in Hong Kong).

blockend · Apr 4, 2020

darkosaric said:
I love my Minilux, and I know sooner or later there will be this famous E02 fail

My standby was the MjuII. Owned from new, it eventually failed to a common focus racking issue. Some of my favourite black and white candids were taken on that camera. Current go to is the XA3, a near perfect compact with zone focusing, 1600 ASA capability, manual film speed override, and a 1.5 stop backlight button. It works fine, but I just know it's on borrowed time. Then I'll move on to the 40-ish other 99p compacts from the happy times of film photography. Plastic compact cameras were made to last 5 years of casual use. They're at least 15 years old, and the XA series are 35-40 years old.

darkosaric said:
Already thinking should I: a) get Summarit M mount lens, or b) buy kit for mounting lens from Minilux to M mount (some guy is selling those in Hong Kong).

Get a Summarit.

darkosaric · Apr 4, 2020

I still remember when my Minox failed in the middle of shooting in Istanbul... Shutter is so quiet that I did not noticed at first, I hate Minox - such a beautiful lens in such unreliable body.

blockend · Apr 4, 2020

darkosaric said:
I still remember when my Minox failed in the middle of shooting in Istanbul... Shutter is so quiet that I did not noticed at first, I hate Minox - such a beautiful lens in such unreliable body.

From memory the 35mm Minox was somewhat notorious for failing, and the Soviet copy even worse! Manufacturers had nailed small lens design, while the polycarbonate bodies and electronics were works in progress.

Huss · Apr 5, 2020

darkosaric said:
There is some true there, I love my Minilux, and I know sooner or later there will be this famous E02 fail. Already thinking should I: a) get Summarit M mount lens, or b) buy kit for mounting lens from Minilux to M mount (some guy is selling those in Hong Kong).

It is the flex ribbon that fails on the Minilux. There is a guy on ebay who repairs them by replacing the ribbon. I would do that when the time comes. He also is very very reasonable.
https://www.ebay.com/itm/Leica-Mini...212902?hash=item46abee02a6:g:3FQAAOSwhxNbhjvC

darkosaric · Apr 5, 2020

Thanks Huss, that was ages ago, in the mean time I have sold Minox for parts. Now smallest P&S that I use a lot is Leica CM zoom, that I got really cheap.

Huss · Apr 7, 2020

darkosaric said:
Thanks Huss, that was ages ago, in the mean time I have sold Minox for parts. Now smallest P&S that I use a lot is Leica CM zoom, that I got really cheap.

I was referring to the Leica not the Minox!

You may want to keep that ebay seller bookmarked, as he also repairs the Leica CM zoom.

Thepng · Apr 7, 2020

Following this thread! I just went through the heartbreaking death of a Nikon L35AF just as I was beginning to get to know it... Looking for a good but cheaper P&S that won't hurt the wallet as bad when it dies.

darkosaric · Apr 8, 2020

Thanks Huss !

CMoore · Apr 10, 2020

For many years i have owned and used a..... Canon Sure-Shot 80...i think.
Recently my sister in-law gave me a Minolta that is very similar.
My experience with these is the same as with all my different 35mm SLR.....if they are working properly, they all take "The Same" picture.
So, if price is the main concern....buy the cheapest one you can find.
They are very convenient to have on hand.

Best choise for P&S on a very small budget

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