I have 14 film cameras equally divided between Pentax and Minolta that range anywhere from basic (MX, SRT201) to advanced Dynax 7, Pentax Z-1, Z-1P) and the one I use the most is the MX. It does have a battery powered LED style meter which is simple to learn, but it doesn't require one. When I bike I wear a chest harness that holds it in place. The advice to have any of the older analog cameras CLA'd is not only good advice, but a necessity if you're contemplating multi-day treks. I do have an ME Super, but for some reason I rarely use it; relying on the MX or XD-7/11. The XD-11 is a great camera, but they tend to be a bit delicate; the MX is built like a small tank.There is no single best for your purpose; any one of several smaller, lighter, SLRs from a reputable manufacturer will do.
Having said that, some Pentax and Olympus models from the late 1980s are a bit smaller and lighter than most Nikons and Canons from the same era.
The Pentax MX was the all-mechanical version of the Pentax ME Super. The MX is about the same size as the ME Super, but a few grams heavier. Being a mechanical camera, the MX will work without a battery; I don't believe the ME Super will work with a dead battery, tho it might work at 1/125th second shutter speed, only? I've used both, and I prefer the MX because it works more like what I was used to - but the ME Super offers automatic exposure, it that is important to you. (Auto exposure requires "A" series lenses.) Fortunately, batteries last a long time in these cameras (unless you forget to turn off the meter when you are not using them), and they are quite small, so carrying spares is not a hassle.
Personally, I have carried Pentax MX bodies and Pentax lenses on bicycle trips totalling about 6,000-7,000 miles - never had any problems with them.
My advice for anyone who wants to buy a classic, film-era SLR for a big adventure would be to have a CLA (clean, lube, and adjust) done by a reputable service person before you leave.
And for another two cents worth. Eliminate the Leica, Rollei, most if not all compact, pocketable cameras. They're not as versatile as
an SLR but are more compact and lighter.
The Pentax K 1000 was one of the most popular cameras for high school basic photography classes when they were introduced.
The battery is only for the meter.. The ME, ME super, MX and LX was sold at the same time as the K1000and were smaller and lighter.
ME is fully automatic, ME Super is Auto with manual controls, MX us full manual battery for meter only and the LX is the full system(pro) camera.
MX and LX are out of you budget. The rest are maybe's dependent on local sales fluctuations like church, boot, retail or personal sales.
The Olympus Om-1 and OM-2 are the same size. The 2 is battery dependant where the 1 is not. I don't think you can buy an OM3 or 4 anywhere near your budget.
Canon AE-1 probably did the most to popularize 35mm camera sales when it came out but I think most people used it in automatic rather
than manually. The drawback to the AE-1 is the fact that using the meter in manual was awkward because you took your light reading
and took the camera down from your eye to set the controls. The AE-1p gave several auto modes and a convenient manual mode.
They're all battery dependent and larger & heavier than Olympus and Pentax.
Minolta SRt 100, 101, and 102 are all full manual, battery is only for meter. The battery was discontinued long ago but there are workarounds.
Heavier and larger than OM's and Pentax M cameras
XD-7 and XD-11 give manual and automatic features and are nice cameras
The XE-5 and XE-7 give manual and auto settings.
The shutters are electronically controlled and battery dependent.
ALL of the X cameras are battery dependent. XE and XD are larger than Pentax and Olympus
To make it clear as mud, The Pentax K1000 is larger & heavier not battery dependent, LX, ME, MESuper, are all battery dependendent
Canon A series ARE ALL battery dependent.
Olympus and Pentax are the smallest and lightest of the list. Clear yet?
Does anyone have an experience and can tell me how different are Minoltas SRT101, SRT102, SRT201 and XD-11, XG2 ?
Is any of those classic cameras specifically good at night photography?
My suggestion is to opt for something a little less than vintage and buy a Canon Rebel T2 film camera. That's the US model designation. In Europe it is known as 300X, and in Japan it is known as Kiss 7. This is the last and best of the Canon Rebel film cameras. It is small, light, easy to use, and an excellent picture taker. It has automatic exposure control and automatic focus, though those features can be over-ridden easily if you want to shoot in manual mode.
As for lenses, the most practical choice, given your budget and application, would be a 28-90mm zoom lens. You can probably find this kit (camera body and lens) for around $50 to $100 US on ebay, though sometimes you may find them selling for more or less than that amount. If you are lucky you might find one with a 24-85mm or 28-105mm zoom lens within your budget, either of which would be a step up from the 28-90mm zoom lens.
If you want to choose a single focal length rather than a zoom lens then consider getting a 50mm f/1.8 Yongnuo lens. You can usually find these for around $50 US, brand new. The advantage is that the lens is faster than the zoom lenses (i.e. is capable of letting in more light), which allows you to shoot in dimmer light without slowing the shutter speed too much, and the pictures will be a little sharper with this lens rather than a zoom lens, provided you do your part of holding the camera steady. However, it doesn't zoom, so you may have to resort to "zooming with your feet" in a lot of cases.
Another option would be a Canon Rebel 2000. It's an earlier version of the Rebel film camera line than the T2. It's probably the most popular SLR film camera ever made, so they are very plentiful. It doesn't have quite as many features as the T2, but honestly, most of those features are ones you will probably never miss.
One advantage of the Canon Rebel film cameras is that they can use any lens that will fit on any of the other Canon cameras from the EOS series, including lenses that would go on a full-frame digital Canon SLR, from the humblest zoom or "nifty fifty" lens to monster Telephotos and zooms costing many thousands of dollars, and the beauty of this is that no one will know from looking at your pictures that you were using a humble Rebel camera rather than a top of the line Canon film SLR.
There are cameras from other makers that approximate what the I said above, but the advantage of the Canon line is the excellent compatibility between camera lenses and bodies across the EOS product line and the fact that Canon is the most SLR popular brand, so it will be easier for you to find a suitable kit for you to buy.
On the other hand, if you want to really go vintage then an Exakta SLR is an interesting choice, though not one that I recommend for you because it may be harder to find one in good shape. Slightly less vintage would be a Pentax Spotmatic or a Nikon F. Those were probably the most popular brands in the late 1960s to 1970s, with the Pentax focused on the high end amateur market and the Nikon F focused on the professional market. The Pentax K1000, which you have already mentioned, is another good choice. There were a lot of other good camera makers from that era as well, though except for Minolta or maybe Olympus I would be hard pressed to actually recommend them today for various reasons.
Of those you mentioned, the XD-11, OM-2 and Pentax ME Super are good choices.
I have experience of most all the cameras mentioned here as I acquired them for purposes of my own research into SLR's dating back to 1957 beginning with the original Asahi Pentax. Here are most of what I have in 35mm showing their relative size differences. I would suggest making sure that the camera you get is fully functional or solid money back guarantee - a very important consideration due to their age.
I would suggest that you consider the age of these cameras. One reason is batteries used. Prior to 1972, most cameras used the discontinued mercury batteries. There are easy workarounds if you really want a camera designed with it. Another is that the older cameras tended to be larger and weigh more then their newer models. In this case they happen to have different lens mounts too.
One camera not mentioned here but worth additional consideration is the Ricoh XR-7 but I do't know the availability of it in your area. Here's an ad for it that outlines it's key features.
The XR-7 is very similar in size to the Pentax ME Super but has conventional controls - as opposed to the push button shutter speed control of the latter. However, it will not function at all when batteries die.
BTW, with very few exceptions, cameras with automatic aperture capabilities may offer 1 shutter speed (sync speed) when batteries die. The exceptions are Nikon FM3A, Canon New F-1 and Pentax LX. The FM3A has all shutter speeds available while the other two only have sync to top shutter speeds available.
I'm into night photography and make extra long exposures that usually last tens of minutes in duration. Here is one of the Hoover Dam that was taken using the Pentax LX on Kodak Ektar 100 in aperture priority mode lasting about 45 minutes.
Most all cameras with aperture priority can reliably autoexpose a scene lasting seconds. Few others can achieve minutes.
Can always try something different, but gotta start somewhere!
@baachitraka and @AgX I see that you're from Germany. What are your thoughts on old German Praktica from 70's-80's ?
Great choice and you got it for a great price.View attachment 221701
So this is what I bought today locally (via fb market) for 100$ AUD. Pentax Program A, has been tested etc. Needs the batteries for flash. I will start with this one and see how I like it. If anyone else used it, let me know how you like it. Can always try something different, but gotta start somewhere!
Thanks everyone for your comments, I appreciate your help!
View attachment 221701
So this is what I bought today locally (via fb market) for 100$ AUD. Pentax Program A, has been tested etc. Needs the batteries for flash. I will start with this one and see how I like it. If anyone else used it, let me know how you like it. Can always try something different, but gotta start somewhere!
Thanks everyone for your comments, I appreciate your help!
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