Cheap camera for slides

pcsaba1981 · Jan 2, 2014

Hi All,

I showed some projected slides to my brother who never saw slides before. He said he definitely wants to shoot slides. Not too much, some rolls per year. It looks so awesome, he said.

I'm looking for a nice camera for him. It should be cheap, small, simple. Forget about the slow zoom lenses, we're looking for something faster. Ideally it'd be a rangefinder with fast lens and matrix metering, if such a thing exists. Cheap is keyword here.
I think it'd be nice if the metering would be optimized for slides like matrix metering in Nikon SLR-s.

Any ideas?

Chris Nielsen · Jan 2, 2014

Cheap WITH matrix metering? And with a fast lens? Does he need a zoom? If not, how about a Olympus Stylus Epic? 35mm lens, f/2.8, awesome metering, although not matrix I don't think you can really go wrong with it

Jeff Kubach · Jan 2, 2014

Look up KEH used cameras.

Jeff

elcabezagrande · Jan 2, 2014

The Nikon L35AF would be a good choice. Small, fast and cheap, with a great lens and accurate meter, and simple enough operation for the neophyte.

OldBodyOldSoul · Jan 2, 2014

Nikon FA? It's not a rangefinder but it's small(ish) and has decent matrix metering even with manual Nikon lenses.

thegman · Jan 2, 2014

Define 'cheap', Nikon 35Ti?

Chan Tran · Jan 2, 2014

thegman said:
Define 'cheap', Nikon 35Ti?

Nikon N80. It's cheap nowadaay

ic-racer · Jan 2, 2014

Got a like new Nikon N55 body for my son from KEH for $6 a few months ago. That has matrix metering and can accept the fastest Nikkor lenses. The last few consumer grade Nikon 35mm SLRs are some of the best point-and-shoot cameras made.

trythis · Jan 2, 2014

I second Nikon N80. You must have autofocus lenses though. I use one for traveling and it nails every exposure, has matrix, spot and center weight average.
Can be shot full auto, Shutter or aperture priority, or manual.

The only things it doesnt have is mirror lockup and the lack of manual lens use.

removed account4 · Jan 2, 2014

yashica T4

aoresteen · Jan 2, 2014

I'd go with an Olympus OM-2 or OM-2n with the 50mm f/1.8 "Made in Japan" lens to start. Then add the 85mm f/2 or the 35mm f/2. Or a fast 28mm lens.

Fixcinater · Jan 2, 2014

Canonet QL17 would be my vote for a rangefinder. F/1.7 lens, good metering for the era.

Stylus Epic would be a great P&S, f/2.8 lens though.

elcabezagrande · Jan 2, 2014

I wish the 35TI, the FA, and the T4 met my criteria of "cheap (inexpensive)". The Sylus Epic, maybe if you are patient enough you can find one for $50 or less. The Nikon AF600 would be another good option that would be "cheap" in my book. Or a Yashica Electro 35, or a Konica C35, if he prefers a rangefinder, or an Olympus XA2 or XA3 for a scale focus choice. All have good, accurate meters, and good optics. The OP stated that his brother would only use the camera a few times a year, so I doubt that he wants to invest $250 or more, and while the later Nikon AF bodies may be inexpensive enough, the lenses may not be.

fretlessdavis · Jan 2, 2014

If you're looking for inexpensive, it's hard to beat the Takumar M42 stuff. All Pentax bodies take M42 lenses with a cheap adapter. My ME Super does well with slides in 35mm, and they're dirt cheap. If you teach him a bit about metering, it's not hard to get good results with center-weighted or spot metering. Using manual mode and pointing the camera around the scene is no big deal. You also have an AE mode with eV compensation. My camera of choice when I load up some Provia in 35mm is an MX, but the full manual operation might be daunting to someone starting out. Also, an MX these days is about $100 on its own.

as far as cheap and fantastic M42 lenses goes, you can be off and running with the Super Takumar 35mm f/3.5 (incredibly sharp) Super Takumar 55mm f/2 or f/1.8 (optically the same) and the Super Takumar 135mm f/3.5. there are tons of bodies that'll work great with M42 glass, and for about $100 you can be up and running with 2 quite nice primes.

elcabezagrande · Jan 2, 2014

If he were to go the SLR route, a working Yashica FX-3 with a Yashica ML 50/2 can often be found for about $25. A great compact SLR setup.

LiamG · Jan 2, 2014

How about a Nikon N75 with a small prime? I've seen N75's for >$40, and it's got a pretty decent matrix meter. Not super small, but you probably aren't going to find a better meter/dollar ratio for ease of use w/slides.

pen s · Jan 2, 2014

Has not anyone realised yet that at five 36 exposure rolls per year your brother will probably spend more on film and processing than on whatever cheap camera is likely available.

Checking prices at B&H five rolls of the least expensive Fujichrome with processing would run about $100 plus shipping.

Cheap camera for slides

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