Every day companion camera

[aoleg]

May I suggest a Pentax MZ-6 with today's "pancake" SMC Pentax DA 40/2.8 lens? It's a pretty slim combo, absolutely no compromises on IQ whatsoever.

 

[Richard S. (rich815)]

In 35mm the Contax T2 is a great little camera but from what I recall does not allow manual focus....

Yes, the Contax T2 does have manual focus.

 

[Paul Howell]

Konica Hextar 35 F 2, manual override for both auto focus and exposure. Manual focus would be zone. Used around $500.

 

[pstake]

Yashica FX-3 or Contax 139Q with a Tessar 45 pancake lens.

No zoom, though ... and not as small as the T's or G's or the Olympus XA.

 

[Grainy]

About 10 years ago I had a Contax TVS (don't remember wich number, but probably II), loved that camera. I do not remember everything about it, but I think it had manual zoom (with filter mount), very good lens, aperture priority, EV+- and "manual" focus. It was built like a tank and quite small.

 

[dehk]

When you mentioned Autofocus. Small but robust are kinda out of the window.

 

[andrewc]

About 10 years ago I had a Contax TVS (don't remember wich number, but probably II), loved that camera. I do not remember everything about it, but I think it had manual zoom (with filter mount), very good lens, aperture priority, EV+- and "manual" focus. It was built like a tank and quite small.

I just bought a TVS and absolutely love it! It has AF, manual focus, Aperture priority AE, exposure comp (+/-5), parallax lines displayed in the vf determined by how close the AF thinks the subject is. The lens is great, the camera fits in a jacket pocket, and it's quiet. A near-perfect camera!

 

[Richard S. (rich815)]

I considered a TVS but 56mm at the long end at f/6.5 was a bit slow for what I wanted.

 

[artobest]

When you mentioned Autofocus. Small but robust are kinda out of the window.

In general, true. But my Nikon 35Ti has survived a motorbike crash, bumping along the road, and still works a treat. And it has a titanium body.

 

[removed account4]

yashica t4

 

[jscott]

Rollei 35 will only give you 4 out of 8, but it's very strong in the small, rugged, and high quality photo categories. My first introduction to it was a slide presentation by a Mt Everest climber many years ago. The photos were excellent, projected on a huge auditorium screen. Then at the end he pulled out the little Rollei and said "this is what I used". I have several, and although I also shoot med and large format, I'd have to say many of the best shots have been with the little Rollei. It's a quirky camera, not for everybody, but it's the one I am most likely to have along with me.

 

[Mike Wilde]

Minolta 16ii meet's 1-6 and (no auto exposure).

The down side of the 16-II is not the lack of auto focus ( it is actually fixed focus, about 6').
It is my habit of wanting to size things up though the viewfinder before I decide if there is a photo 'there'.

With this camera, it's compactness comes from mechanical ingenuity. You open it to get at the viewfinder.
If you don't find the image in that moment and want to close the camera again, you automatically advance the film, whethere or not you decided to trip the shutter.

My camera in the bag all the time camera is either an XA or XA2, or stylus of some model or other. A Canon Sure Shot p&s also lives there sometimes when shooting e-6.

 

[tron_]

I don't know if its been mentioned but I LOVED my Olympus 35RC (unfortunately I was an idiot and broke the shutter speed selector wheel). Smallest rangefinder I have seen/used and the photos always looked great.

Usually I carry around a Nikon FM with a 50mm 1.8 AF-D on it. Pretty small!

 

[dehk]

In general, true. But my Nikon 35Ti has survived a motorbike crash, bumping along the road, and still works a treat. And it has a titanium body.

Impressive!

 

[Rolfe Tessem]

Contax T, T2, or T3.

Of these, only the T is a traditional manual focus, but the T2 and T3 can be manually focused after a fashion.

 

[Loren Sattler]

For people snap shots (especially in dark places like bars) I have had great luck with the Rollei Prego 90. I can fit it in the back pocket of my jeans. The Schneider lens is excellent and the point and shoot style with autofocus is quick and easy to use. The negative quality is amazing and the camera can be bought on the auction site for as little as $15. to $20. due to lack of demand.
Here is a current listing:http://www.ebay.com/itm/Rollei-Preg...ilm_Cameras&hash=item2c646b0709#ht_2591wt_936

 

[darinwc]

I would highly reccomend a nikon N75 with a 50mm f1.8 or 28-85mm G (underrated lens btw).
It is a little big for a pocket, but it is featherweight which makes it great for backpacking or long walks. The Canon EOS Rebel Ti is about the same.

There are many threads that discuss small cameras. Small is in right now. Heres a roundup:

Lightweight SLRs (as above) light but not small. Models also from Pentax Minolta. Dirt cheap, lenses may be compatable with your dslr. All the features you want, excellent image quality. No one will laugh at you for using film. (until you have to change the cartridge)


fixed lens rangefinders: vary in size and price. Generally metal and heavy. Will need CLA and compensation for adapted batteries. Great if you like vintage style and manual focus. Reccomend: Olympus 35RC or Canon QL17 GIII

Point-and-shoots: Go-anywhere all-weather cameras like the Olympus Stylus Epic and Yashica T4 are great, but no bargain. Single focal length lenses are better quality than zooms. AF only. (the earlier olympus stylus is a bargain though)

Others to look at: olympus XA, Rollei 35, Nikon L35AF. Contax G2 (if you have the cash)

 

[Keytarjunkie]

I don't think anyone's mentioned it yet, but I think the Fuji Klasse/S/W would be the camera for you. Look it up.

Contax T, T2, and T3 come in a close second.

Personally, I went with the Olympus Stylus Epic. It's dirt cheap, the lens is great, and when I'm point-and-shooting I don't really care about manual controls, I'm just spontaneous. So it works. It's also so small! I had a Yashica T4D but I like the Olympus better.

 

[Pumalite]

Olympus XA

 

[IronStar]

I usually carry around Olympus XA2, as people in my country become quite nervous as soon as they see someone with SLR.

 

[wblynch]

XA2 are great shoot-from-the-hip cameras. Just set the focus zone and click (almost silent). My complaint is the ratchety sounding film advance. That's a little loud.

 

[nathantw]

I used to carry around an Olympus XA until it was stolen. The pictures were okay, but the lens displayed vignetting in the corners when shot wide open. Also the lens distortion in the corners made people look weird. The camera after that was a Nikon L35 that I simply loved. That was Nikon's first consumer point and shoot. It did what many other cameras didn't at the time. The photos that I took with that were amazing. I loved the fact that if I held the auto flash unit down that I'd get available light photos instead. I took one of the most memorable wedding pictures that I've taken using that method. Also it allowed filters and the ISO was changable whenever I wanted. I was able to change film midroll too.

I personally used to carry a Konica Hexar everywhere I went. It was large but it fit in my coat pocket. There were only a couple times I wished it had a longer lens, but for the most part 35mm f/2 was perfect. It was a toss-up between that camera and a Leica M and after side by side comparisons I chose the Konica because it really was more silent than the Leica and at the time there were reports of mechanical problems with the frame counter and other minor things with the Leica. I didn't want to deal with those. So, I used the Hexar up until 2008 when my wife gave me a digital p/s.

 

[BikoBikoBiko]

Contax g2 is the only one I can think of that's small enough with autofocus.

+1

 

[Diapositivo]

My camera for this kind of situations is a Yashica T3.
16-step autofocus, focus is lockable so you can focus anywhere, lock, and recompose. Range: 0.5m to infinite. No proper manual focus though.
Auto exposure, no manual correction.
Fixed lens length.

The good things:
Very rugged I tell you;
Very good Carl Zeiss T* lens, 35mm - f/2.8. Only problem is vignetting sometimes. For the rest, very very good. I've sold images taken with this camera.
Vertical viewfinder (waist-level) besides the ordinary one, a rarity and something useful.
Incorporated flash, can be excluded and can be "forced" for fill-in.
Weatherproof.
Auto loading of film. Very nice and working very well.
Tripod thread and self-timer.
DX code up to ISO 6400;
Very small, really pocketable.
Light meter has a range of LV 3 - 17 @ ISO 100.
Intelligent lens cover, can be slided over the lens and it protects the lens and turns off the camera. You slide it off the lens and the camera is on. Lens always protected. No "protective" filters needed (which I don't use in any case).

The only thing I really miss is a manual override of auto exposure. I make do with a palm projecting a shadow on the camera in backlit situations.

 

[vincebodie]

Of all the cameras mentioned here I have experience with just one - the Olympus 35ECR. In one roll shot side by side with my Yashica Lynx IC, it did okay in comparison. (But then again the Lynx is one of my absolute favorite cameras ever.) I need to use it some more to get a better feel for it.

Another one I haven't seen mentioned is the Pentax PC35AF. Great little autofocus 35/f2.8 p&s, does seem to eat batteries though. Between it and the Olympus you'd have pretty much every feature in your list.

The Nikon 35Ti also looks like a great little package.