Good - older - smaller - slr with great lens

tim k · Sep 7, 2010

Well I found one Sorta

Thank you everybody for your sugestions. I did however manage to find something that none of you suggested. Of course it was not at all what I was looking for. I mentioned to the guy at my local used camera shop what I was looking for, and the only thing he remembered was "small". So he gives me a call and the rest is history.

I did make a list of all your suggestions, case the gas thing rears its ugly head again.

Thx

elekm · Sep 7, 2010

After you use enough cameras, you don't even think about the direction a focusing or aperture ring turns.

My second SLR was the Pentax MX. Love the camera, although sometimes I think the body might almost be too small.

Of course, if you want a tiny SLR, get the Pentax 110. The challenge is finding film, followed by getting it processed.

blockend · Sep 8, 2010

j-dogg said:
If you want something bulletproof, Nikkormat FTN all the way and the better Nikon Series E and later Nikkor glass works on it.

Yup. For a budget set up that lacks nothing, a Nikkormat, Sigma 28mm F1.8 APO and a Tamron SP90 F2.5 would be hard to beat.

John_Nikon_F · Sep 8, 2010

blockend said:
Yup. For a budget set up that lacks nothing, a Nikkormat, Sigma 28mm F1.8 APO and a Tamron SP90 F2.5 would be hard to beat.

Probably would want an FT3, since, IIRC, the Sigma 28/1.8 doesn't have a prong on it.

blockend · Sep 9, 2010

John_Nikon_F said:
Probably would want an FT3, since, IIRC, the Sigma 28/1.8 doesn't have a prong on it.

Oops. That's shown my ignorance from long use of separate light meters

Pumal · Sep 9, 2010

The bitch with the Rollei 35 S is loading it.

John Hermanson · Sep 9, 2010

My vote for OM-1N, 3Ti. Mechanical shutters, uses battery for meter. OM-2N (electronic shutter) virtually same size as 1N. Good system camera, lots of used lenses on the market, lots of repair parts available. John

tim k · Sep 9, 2010

Its a qwerkey little camera no doubt, but I'm suprised to hear you say its hard to load. It loaded just like anyother slr I've owned. I had no issues at all.

elekm · Sep 9, 2010

I certainly wouldn't put a Nikkormat (any of them) in the "small body" category. Great cameras, but they don't fit the bill for what the person is seeking.

Regarding the Rollei 35 cameras, I never had a problem loading them. But I can understand how people can have some issues with them.

John_Nikon_F · Sep 10, 2010

blockend said:
Oops. That's shown my ignorance from long use of separate light meters

Not a problem. If you're shooting with a hand-held meter, then any 'mat will work. And, the FT, FTn, and FT2 can still meter, just have to stop down the lens, if you're using an unmodified Series E or AF lens.

With respect to the Nikkormat being big, compared to an EOS 3, it's small. So, it fits the bill. Not by much, since it is, after all, Nikon F3-sized, but it does do the job.

-J

jacksond · Sep 10, 2010

I have had 2 OM2s and the batteries were always going flat! I seem to remember the problem with the OM4 as well as the OM2 when I was selling them back in the 80's. OM1s were fine.

jacksond

Steve Beswick · Sep 10, 2010

My vote would be for the Pentax P3n (not the P3). Full manual when you want, full auto exposure when you don't (With an "A" lens of course, otherwise aperture priority). Easy to use meter lock, super easy film loading, small but with a great grip. So cheap now that when you drop it you say "meh", pick it up and keep shooting. LED shutter speed readout, above average viewfinder. Only two small seals on the back door and a mirror bumper, and they are all the newer kind that don't turn sticky. Tool and coin free battery change. Batteries are common and cheap, and seem to last forever. DOF preview. With A bit of patience you can get a body and a 50mm on eBay for around $40. It is so cheap that when you get mugged for it, you hand it to the mugger with a smile on your face, saying "buy yourself something nice with it."

Of course if you want really small, even smaller than the Rollei 35, there is always the Olympus XA, But I can't tell you about those as I have never had one.

Chris Nielsen · Sep 10, 2010

As per another thread somewhere here, I'm seriously considering dumping a Nikon AF kit for an OM kit. About the only thing holding me back is the lack of aperture display in the VF...

lxdude · Sep 10, 2010

Yeah, I have a P3n I got for very little money. I did drop it, a couple feet onto concrete, no less (first time ever in 35+ years, cheap strap). I said "oh friggin' well" which I guess is equivalent to "meh". Checked it out later; slight cosmetic damage, no other problem.
Sort of an improved ME Super, except the ME Super doesn't have plastic top and bottom covers and does have IMO, a somewhat better viewfinder. On the other hand, the meter readout is so simple, I wish my LX had something like it. The shutter speed selection is obviously better than the ME Super's and what's really nice, there's no need for a mode selector. Selecting shutter or aperture priority, program or manual is so easy I don't see why it was done any other way. With the P3n Pentax finally understood that DoF preview, meter lock, and a cable release socket are important. A typical Pentax, in that it fits the hand well.

Andrew Moxom · Sep 10, 2010

Contax 139 quartz

Exeter2010 · Sep 10, 2010

If it MUST be an SLR, than Nikon FE2, or Oly OM as a close second. It sounds like a rangefinder would better fit the OPs original laundry list: Small, metal, manual, fast prime lens, minimal battery reliance, etc... Why not a CV Bessa or Zeiss Ikon? Or, of course a Leica M.

lxdude · Sep 10, 2010

Whatever it is, try it and make sure it works for you. Some people find the Olympus or M-series Pentaxes too small for easy handling. I don't have small hands but I have no problem with them. Some people love their huge viewfinder magnification, while others want to take everything in at once, so like less magnification. I love the Nikon FM cameras except for the viewfinders, which would be fine if I did not wear glasses.
It's really a matter of what you like.

Good - older - smaller - slr with great lens

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