Camera purchase help: Canon vs Nikon vs Pentax Vs Olympus vs Minolta

[Paul Howell]

I have never used the Olympus OMs, but I have heard that they are well made and I have rarely heard anything negative about them.

The Air Force, AP, LA Times, maybe others tested the OM1 as a replacement for the F, and projected F2, they just did not hold up as well. On the other hand there were several well know PJ who shot with Olympus.

 

[faberryman]

The Air Force, AP, LA Times, maybe others tested the OM1 as a replacement for the F, and projected F2, they just did not hold up as well. On the other hand there were several well know PJ who shot with Olympus.

If you anticipate becoming a war correspondent, then it is probably best to stick with a Nikon F2.

 

[Paul Howell]

I was an Air Force combat photographer at the time, then went on to the wires, and I shot with a F, F2, last F3P, of the three I liked the F2 the best, no really good reason as the F3 had more features and was weather sealed. I think one of the reasons the AF stayed with Nikon was the cost moving to a new system, lens are expensive. The F was ground breaking for the day, but having to remove the back to load film was a pain when in the field. The Navy on the other hand picked Topcon, the Super DM and later the Canon F1.

 

[jnk]

If you wanted to do a seal replacement job yourself It’s easy to do and you can get your seals from Jon Goodman. I’ve bought many seals from Jon and instructions come with the seals.
If the camera requires a CLA it can exceed $100 plus shipping sometimes, then again any purchased body might require the same. Great thing about a CLA tho is getting the shutter speeds adjusted and everything lubed.
I’m not familiar with your body but I do know that on some of the older bodies the screens can be lousy whereas a late model will usually be much better.

yes. this is why I suggested a overhaul. install seals from someone who does it all day and all night, and make shutter speeds back to factory specs. camera is old no doubt shutter speeds are off which will be a problem when meter reads f5.6 and 125S and shutter goes to 50 when put on 125S. being a cheapskate rarely pays off

 

[Autonerd]

Long commentary from a bargain camera hunter:

I'm a die-hard Pentaxian, but if you're looking for the best value in 35mm SLRs, hands down (IMHO) it's the autofocus Minoltas from the 90s and later. 400si and Maxxum 5 are among my favorites. I own both, paid less than $20 and they are great cameras. Zoom lenses are dirt cheap; I haven't priced primes because I don't shoot AF much.

However, it sounds like you want manual-focus. That's my preference too!

The FG is my favorite Nikon -- I think you'll find it's loved by the people who own it and disliked primarily by people who haven't used it but "heard it's a lousy camera". I have found it both better to use and more durable than my FE (a camera that I personally think is over-rated and a bit over-priced, though not so much as the FMs). But one of the problems with Nikons is the lenses are expensive. Pre-AI lenses are cheaper but this means either using a Nikkormat (big, heavy and awkward to use) or the aforementioned FE (which means stop-down metering, which is a pain). As a lover of bargain cameras, it's not my first recommendation.

I'm all about Pentax -- I think the lenses are pretty reasonably priced (especially the 50/1.7) though some variants, like portrait lenses, get expensive. (I would pass on screw-mount though -- aside from the Spotmatic F, Spotties requires stop-down metering, plus the lenses are mildly radioactive... seriously).

Aside from the K1000 (price inflated by nostalgia) I think the Pentax Ks are decently priced -- particularly KM and KX. (The KX is my very favorite camera.) But like the Nikkormats they are big and heavy. MX is small but expensive and, like the FE, I've never really loved it. If you don't need manual control, the auto-only ME, MV, MG are good bargains. ME Super is my favorite walk-around body, but it's manual controls (buttons instead of a dial for shutter speed) are a bit awkward. I think of it as an auto camera with a manual mode rather than the other way around. Same for Super Program, though I don't own one of those.

You can get expert repair done on Pentax cameras from Eric Henrickson -- visit Pentaxs.com.

That brings me to my REAL recommendation: RICOH! Their XR- and KR-series cameras (made late 1970s-early 80s) are good manual-wind workhorses that sell for peanuts. They are compatible with Pentax lenses but Ricoh's Rikenon lenses (which are lighter) work well too. They feel a bit cheap and plasticky -- in fact RIcoh was an early adapter of polycarbonate, which is light and strong (20 years before Canon started using it for the EOS).

The XR-2 and XR-2s (s models can take a motor drive) are excellent full-featured camera with manual and automatic modes, match-needle meter with aperture readout (using a "Judas window"), shutter speed 4s- to 1/1000, DOF preview, multiple-exposure switch, built-in eyepiece blind for long exposures, mirror lock-up with the self-timer. Feature set compares favorably with the Nikon FE and I personally like the XR-2 better.

If you want a mechanical camera, that's the XR-1/XR-1s, which pretty much matches my Pentax KX feature-for-feature. (That said, a mechanical camera may need its shutter lubed and serviced and I don't know of anyone who specializes in Ricohs.)

I also like the KR-10, similar to XR-2 with fewer features. I don't like the KR-10 Super (or any Ricoh with the meter activated by a bar-shaped button on the front) -- the LCD meter readout is hard to use. Also don't care for the auto-wind KR-10M.

And if you want a REAL bargain, Sears rebadged these cameras -- XR-2s as Sears KS Auto, XR-1 as KS-1000, KR-10 as KSX. (Again, I say avoid the Supers.) Sears Auto lenses are rebadged Rikenons. Same cameras, even cheaper prices.

How cheap? Earlier this month, I bought a KS Auto with a Sears Auto 135/3.5 -- supposedly working -- for $15. (Don't know if it does work as the seller took forever to ship.) I've bought several Ricoh/Sears cameras and I don't think I've ever paid more than $40. Most came with lenses, and all but one of the electronic-shutter cameras have always worked perfectly. (I've had less luck with the mechanical XR-1 and KR-5, but nothing a CLA wouldn't fix; still, hard to justify an $85 CLA on a $20 camera!)

If you want some sample images, go to my Flickr page (https://www.flickr.com/photos/aarongold/) and search for Ricoh and again for Sears. Lenses are a mix of Pentax and Ricoh and I usually note which I was using in the description.

IMHO there is no better manual-focus bargain!

Aaron

 

[Bill Burk]

When I wanted a wide angle, it was a lot easier getting a good deal on a Pentax M42 lens… That’s a big reason I like old Pentax screw mount bodies.

The Olympus equivalent is a thousand dollars or more, you can pick up practically anything in M42 for a couple hundred dollars.

Let the lens you can get for the price you want to pay… drive the camera body you put it on. Any camera will do. It’s just an empty box, the lens is what makes the image.

 

[Marcelo Paniagua]

To much myth about the OM4 draining issue. Have two OM4 and 2 OM4t and no difference of battery life. Battery last from 6 to one month depending on use. But yeah OM4t is better bid.

Repeat my dislike for OM2. Had two of them gone dead.

 

[MattKing]

Repeat my dislike for OM2. Had two of them gone dead.

I've had my OM-2s since the early 1980s and my OM-2n for several years. Both have been great, other than the need to reattach the mirror on the OM-2s after around 30 years of service.
This is just to say that our opinions are heavily influenced by our own experiences.
I will say though that at least early on, when I sold OM equipment, I never had complaints from a customer.

 

[Huss]

The N75 is small and light weight. The F80/N80 is not.

 

[M-88]

To much myth about the OM4 draining issue. Have two OM4 and 2 OM4t and no difference of battery life. Battery last from 6 to one month depending on use. But yeah OM4t is better bid.

Repeat my dislike for OM2. Had two of them gone dead.

Had four OM-4 bodies in past five years. Three of them had drain issue. Alkaline batteries would hold roughly for two months, silver oxide - up to four. Pushing the VF illumination button always worsened the longevity of batteries. So it isn't really a myth.

 

[Sirius Glass]

To much myth about the OM4 draining issue. Have two OM4 and 2 OM4t and no difference of battery life. Battery last from 6 to one month depending on use. But yeah OM4t is better bid.

Repeat my dislike for OM2. Had two of them gone dead.

My Nikon N75's and F100's batteries last years. Batteries lasting for 6 minutes to a month sounds a lot like a battery drainage problem even if one puts lipstick on it.

 

[Pigsonboy]

My preference is Canon as there seems to be far more choice of bodies and lenses on the used market. As others say you can't really go wrong with any of the 4. I also have Nikon F2 and Fe but sold off some others - the Nikkor lenses seem to me to be much more expensive.

 

[MattKing]

The OM-4T and the upgraded or later production OM-4 all had the improved circuitry in them, and as such will give most users 6 months to one year of battery life.
Even my OM-2s will give me several months of use from a pair of SR44 batteries.
One of the reasons that the auto exposure, single digit OM bodies use batteries more quickly is that the metering circuits are designed to give automatic, off the film meter readings even if you just grab the camera, point it at your subject and release the shutter. Essentially, the meters are always ready for instantaneous use - no need for the operator to even turn the system on.

 

[lxdude]

View attachment 316589
The only camera anyone ever needed.

Except it had no self TIMEr

 

[M-88]

Essentially, the meters are always ready for instantaneous use - no need for the operator to even turn the system on.

Still a design flaw in my opinion. I know the legend as to why it was made like that and even if true, I'd much rather have a power switch. Standard OM-2/2n, even when turned off, still manage to expose correctly at certain range of speeds. Can't recall if it was between 1-1/60th of a second, or 1/60 and above though.

On the other hand, can't say that I'm a fan of power switch on Nikon FM/FE either: wind-on lever poking into my face (I'm the left eye user) is not much fun.

 

[MattKing]

Standard OM-2/2n, even when turned off, still manage to expose correctly at certain range of speeds.

The OM-2/2n use the same "always instantaneously available" auto exposure system.
From the OM-2n manual:

 

[flavio81]

1. Cheap lenses:

2. Features are a nice to have.

3. Weight:

If "Cheap lenses" is a requirement i'd recommend a Nikon body. Small and light = FE/FM, with inferior build qualty EM/FG, and with comical build quality FM10/FE10 (lightest)

As for your other choices: Canon, Nikon, and Pentax were the top 3 japanese manufacturers.

Canon had a R&D budget bigger than the other three.
Nikon outsold all the others in the professional segment.
Pentax for a long time outsold Canon, Nikon and Minolta combined. Pentax, big company.

If you want low weight AND small size, your choices are either the OM cameras, or Pentax's M cameras: ME, MX, ME Super, Program Plus (Program A) and Super program (Super A).

I'd suggest you to handle at least one of the OM cameras and the Pentax MX (or ME Super) and choose based on whichever body you like the best.

Then get the lenses.

Any camera will require preventive service to work reliably over time, and this is true of any of the brands mentioned.

 

[Paul Howell]

Pentax sold a lot of consumer grade cameras, the Spotmatics are easy to work with, here in the states there are techs who still work on them. I have my Spotmatic that I bought in 1966, works fine, but the meter is a little dodgy, now off by stop and a half, on my list to send for CLA. In terms of bargain lens, Minolta A mount, have no idea what is available in India, which is important to OP, we can recommend camera after camera that is not available in India at a reasonable price. Back to Pentax, for song the ZM, all manual, light, built in winder, works with all K and KA lens in manual mode. Will not work with later AF lens without an aperture ring.

 

[flavio81]

Pentax sold a lot of consumer grade cameras, the Spotmatics are easy to work with, here in the states there are techs who still work on them. I have my Spotmatic that I bought in 1966, works fine, but the meter is a little dodgy, now off by stop and a half, on my list to send for CLA. In terms of bargain lens, Minolta A mount, have no idea what is available in India, which is important to OP, we can recommend camera after camera that is not available in India at a reasonable price. Back to Pentax, for song the ZM, all manual, light, built in winder, works with all K and KA lens in manual mode. Will not work with later AF lens without an aperture ring.

With the remark that many professionals used the Spotmatic back in the 60s, even in war scenarios. It was much more compact and lighter than a Nikon F with Photomic TTL meter -- which wasn't even invented when the Spotmatic was released. It has proven to be highly reliable, and the Super-Takumar and Super-Multi-Coated Takumar have already proven their worth. Pentax, for example, was the first japanese company to offer a 50/1.4 SLR lens, before Nikon for example.

 

[Paul Howell]

I bought the Spotmatic used, came as a 3 lens kit, 35mm, 50, and 135, at a pawn shop in Long Beach Ca when Long Beach was still a Navy town. I followed up with the Konica T, the 1.2 57mm a 28mm and 100. The Konica had open aperture metering, and shutter speed preferred auto exposure. Of the 2 l liked the simplistic approach of the Spot, while I could shoot faster with the Konica. Later I traded the Konica for a Nikon F for the motor drive. I still miss the 57 1.2, great lens wide open. I kept my Spotmatic kit, added lens and second body, and a few Chinon M42 bodies as well, all the Nikons I've owned are all long gone.

That brings me to another camera for OP, Konica T3.

 

[Bill Burk]

I've got two OM-4 with battery drain feature (and now OM-3). I got used to it, still don't 'like' the feature. I feel like 'all' modern cameras are like this, you really must attend to the battery if the camera isn't mechanical.

I grew up with my dad's Spotmatic-II which he left in a drawer by the stairwell, for years at a time, and it would still have a working meter when I would pick it up and check it. ES-II similarly would have very long battery life. The installed set of four MS-76 would last years. These days I remove the batteries as a precaution to keep them from leaking.

The batteries don't last long enough in the OM-4 and OM-3 to leak. Basically every time I pick one up it needs a new pair of MS-76. I just keep six cells in my pocket wherever I go and it's never a problem with new batteries.

 

[flavio81]

I've got two OM-4 with battery drain feature (and now OM-3). I got used to it, still don't 'like' the feature. I feel like 'all' modern cameras are like this, you really must attend to the battery if the camera isn't mechanical. (...)

ES-II similarly would have very long battery life.

The OMs probably required service by a competent repairman. It's not normal that an electronic camera leaks batteries.

As you already mentioned, other electronic cameras like the ES-II can have great battery life.

I had great battery life with the Nikon FE for example. Another fully electronic machine. A Canon AE-1 that I owned for years had great battery life.

I had a Canon EF that drained batteries very quickly (funnily enough, the EF classifies as 95% mechanical machine, the electronics are there only for speeds longer than 1/2 seconds and for the meter). I finally solved the problem.

I had a Canon A-1 that leaked battery too if it wasn't turned off. But this is not normal.

 

[flavio81]

The OM-2/2n use the same "always instantaneously available" auto exposure system.
From the OM-2n manual:
View attachment 316721

Even I, a staunch detractor of the OM System, will have to concede that this is a genius idea.

This also means that the electronics are never off, but that isn't a bad thing. Yoshihisa Maitani mentioned (on an interview regarding the conception of the OM system) that he prefers cameras that have no shutter button lock, because they should be always ready. I prefer shutter locks, however his point of view is totally valid. Thus, it's logical that the camera electronics shouldn't be able to be turned off.

Again, the recommendation is always to buy a camera that suits your own preferences.

 

[xkaes]

Thus, it's logical that the camera electronics shouldn't be able to be turned off.

Sounds like the Minolta XK Sensa-switch on 1972. Grab the camera -- it turns ON.

 

[brose]

The OM1 was my work-provided camera in the 1980’s. I sorta liked it and took some nice photos with it. My personal cameras at that time were a Contax 139 and 167, which I thought were great. Fast forward to last year when, after shooting medium format exclusively for 20 years I decided to acquire a legacy SLR system. I looked them all over and decided on Olympus. I liked the small size of the bodies and lenses, the overall quality, Maitani’s engineering creativity and his place in history, and, most of all, that they are largely mechanical and can still be repaired. Contaxes are beautiful and nicely designed but when they break you throw them away.

Nikon is a good choice, too, for similar reasons, but they are a tad larger and heavier.

I like using the Olympus system. I have an OM1n and OM2n and a range of wide angles and macros. The main thing I don’t like is the lack of aperture readout in the viewfinder. I wish Maitani could have figured that out. But, my Leicas and Hasselblad’s don’t have that either, so you adjust.