70's/80's compacts
There were so many excellent compact 35's from the 70's, particularly, that can be picked up very reasonably on EBay and other places. Many of these, including the Canonet, Olympus 35 SP/RC/RD line, Minolta's Hi-Matic line, had lenses that were easily the equals of the average SLR lens back then--in other words, very good. Depending on the model you can get the amount of automation you want. No DX, no autowind, instead usually a good rangefinder and the silence of winding your own film. I had an Olympus 35SP that offered the choice of auto or manual, spot or average metering, guide number assisted flash, and a superb Zuiko lens that produced many chromes that I still treasure. It was the practice of some back then to buy an SLR body and other focal lengths and use the 35 RF for the normal lens. The only drawback nowadays is the mercury battery question but there are many ways around that. Plus, if you've gotten accustomed to buying so many batteries with the winders now it can be a pleasant surprise to have to buy only about one a year! Most of these cameras had very light use and you can actually find new ones every so often. I bought a Trip 35 Olympus, new in box, a year or so ago and am enjoying it for when I don't take the Leica. Yes, like the Rollei 35, they tend to be a little heavier, but don't count them out.
