Looking for cheap, quality, full mechanical and manual 35mm camera with good lenses

pdmk · Aug 6, 2014

Hello, I would like to ask for some recommendations.

I am looking for cheap (lets say less than 150$ inc. lens), full mechanical, full manual camera. No electronics, no batteries please, light meter is not needed I use external one +Sunny 16.
If possible, smaller in size (weight is not that important but also lighter is prefered), but good build (metal preferable), with quality lenses available (looking for 50mm and something wider like 35 or 28mm). And it would be a great + if camera will be able to do 1/1000s.
Total costs should be less than 150USD.

Any ideas please? This will be used just for "normal" shooting like street photo.

Thanks

darkosaric · Aug 6, 2014

nikon FM + 50mm f2 nikkor-H

CHX · Aug 6, 2014

The Praktica MTL range is worth looking at. They have a lightmeter built in that uses a single button battery, but the camera itself is completely mechanical - leave the battery out and you can use the camera just fine, shutter and everything else is true manual only. They are quite cheap to fine, and very solid and reliable. The good thing is that they use the M42 mount, so you can get some good wide angle lenses relatively cheaply. Shoots up to 1/1000

Failing that, Zenit's are my own favourite manuals. A couple of M42 choices here, and the all manual ones are exceptionally rugged. Like the MTL, good metal build, and Zenits tend to be cheaper too, as well as mechanically much simpler (nothing to go wrong), and I find, more comfortable to operate (the shutter is conventionally placed). Most of the E range are literally fully manual (not even battery meters), but the downside is that the top shutter speed is 1/500.

Zenit E and Zenit 11: Completely manual. Metal build (some very late model 11's had a plastic top panel, but otherwise all metal including film door)
Zenit TTL and 12: TTL meter (one button type battery) but fully manual camera - leave out the battery, the meter stops and everything else goes on as normal. TTL is all metal, the 12 is same as later 11's with Plastic top cap but otherwise all metal.

Lenses wise. All of the above will usually come with a decent prime, either a Praktica/Pentacon 50mm (which usually open right up to f1.7 or f2) or Helios 58mm f2, which is a lovely all-rounder.

For wide angles, you can go bargain-basement and get Prinzflex or some other cheap wide 28mm or 35mm for next to nothing (literally <£10) but they have an awful reputation. Decent wide-angles tend to be more expensive, though the old Soviet era "Mir" range to have fantastic optics and are good value and are not beyond the realms of affordability. I'm still salivating over the Mir-20 If you are on a really strict budget, it might be worth getting a cheap crappy wide lens to experiment with and find what you like doing best with it, whilst saving up for a better one.

blockend · Aug 6, 2014

You can get a Canon FTb, standard and wide lenses lenses, for less than $150. You should be able to find a Minolta SRT with similar lenses for the same price. Neither could be described as light. You might get an OM1 and the glass you're looking for, but I suspect you'd have pay more. Pentax (Spotmatic, etc) and Nikon (Nikkormat) bodies are well within your price range, the lenses perhaps not.

pdmk · Aug 6, 2014

thanks, I shoot medium format and just want something for walk around (I have Mamiya rz67 ii and Fuji GW690II which are both big and heavy and especially fuji takes only 8 picture per 120 film.. :/). So I am not looking for the cheapest 35camera available. Regarding those russian/eastern europe cameras I am little affraid about lens quality. Or I shouldnt be?

I was also thinking about Nikon as darko mentioned, but I was looking also on Pentax KX or MX (but I have big hands), Yashica FX3 or Minolta SRT 101/102...
but any ideas are welcome. thank you

aoleg · Aug 6, 2014

Olympus OM1n + Zuiko 50/1.8 or 50/1.4

Small, robust, great ergonomics. Smooth and quiet operation.

Prest_400 · Aug 6, 2014

aoleg said:
Olympus OM1n + Zuiko 50/1.8 or 50/1.4

Small, robust, great ergonomics. Smooth and quiet operation.

+1 on this recommendation.
Mine was bought serviced from a technician for about that price. With the 50mm 1.8

You might find a small plus in "commonality" with the Fuji as the OM has the shutter speeds in the bayonet mount and not on the top plate, as most other SLRs do.

I got a GW recently and it has made me look a bit better at the OM.

blockend · Aug 6, 2014

Generally speaking, orphan mounts like Canon FD and Minolta MD are cheaper than extant versions from Nikon and Pentax. Screw thread Pentax used to be cheap, but Takumar enthusiasts among digital users, especially movie makers, have seen nearly all old quality M42 lens prices rise. My favourite outside the larger brands is Yashica. An FR (Yashica's incursion into professional cameras) can be bought for next to nothing, and their high quality ML lenses are still very reasonably priced. Even the DSB single coated range are very nice, I like their signature look, and they're very cheap.

Later plastic bodied SLRs are cheaper, lighter, have more tricks, but lack the classic full manual experience.

pdmk · Aug 6, 2014

ok to make it short I am deciding between Pentax MX + Pentax 50 1.7 I have nice offer for 90GBP (cca 150USD) (black body version looks in good condition) or mentioned Olympus OM1n (no offer here need to check ebay but prices are simillar).
I do not have any accessories to any of these cameras so for me it doesnt mater which camera I choose. I will do some review, but if anybody has experience with those cameras please let me know.
Also please continue with your suggestions maybe this thread will be helpful to other people

thank you again

edit: it is MX not KX sorry

blockend · Aug 6, 2014

It depends whether you require body+ standard+ wide lenses for your budget. Bodies and standard lenses were turned out by the million, wide angles were slightly more specialist, especially from camera manufacturers. Wide aperture lenses increase costs exponentially. The good news is 50mm f1.7 to f2 lenses are generally excellent. Your KX is a good choice and you shouldn't have any trouble finding a 28mm f2.8 in K-Mount for a reasonable price.

John_Nikon_F · Aug 6, 2014

Nikkormat FT2 with a 50/2 Nikkor-H. Can be had in good working order for $65-70 US.

-J

rbultman · Aug 6, 2014

Lots of good recommendations here. Assuming you have no existing system, and as someone who has Canon FD and EOS mount systems, I would look at Nikon. The glass can be used with older mechanical bodies as well as newer DSLR bodies whereas Canon's lens mounts are not interchangeable. Nikon owners will need to fill in any details regarding when limitations existing regarding lens use in different bodies. That being said, I love my FTbn and FD glass.

aoleg · Aug 6, 2014

The KX is a much bigger, clunkier camera than the OM, but also a more mechanically robust one. It has a sophisticated metering system and a small window that shows selected aperture in the viewfinder. That little window has a mirror that can get misaligned; this would call for a service (a general CLA would be enough to fix this small issue).

The OM is definitely smaller and more elegant. One thing to watch out on these old OM's is prism viewfinder: foam around the prism rots and can ruin prism silvering. For this reason it's worth buying the OM from somebody who knows their stuff. If rotten, the prism must be replaced (a much cheaper OM10 can be victimized as OM1 and OM10 prisms are interchangeable).

trythis · Aug 6, 2014

There is a Canon FtbN in the classifieds for $45 and fd primes can be had cheap. FL lenses even cheaper.

Rick A · Aug 6, 2014

As posted before, Olympus OM-1n, but for really cheap Fujica STX-1. Fujicas are really under rated,, however they are rock solid little gems that only require batteries for the meter and are built by Cosina.

nsurit · Aug 6, 2014

Olympus OM 1 or 1n with 50mm f1.4 or 1.8 lens. Light, reliable and affordable. Plenty of great glass shoul you want to expand your kit.

Ricardo Miranda · Aug 6, 2014

@CHS
A couple of comments:

TTL is all metal, the 12 is same as later 11's with Plastic top cap but otherwise all metal.

My Zenit 12XP is fully metal as is the 11.
A trick I learned yesterday: the KMZ engineers were thoughtful of technicians and any owner that wanted to repair their Zenits, so they added a way to calibrate the meter from the outside on the 11, 12, TTL and some very late E, EM and ET series.
See the silver screw on the font panel on the left of the mount, just bellow the ASA/GOST dial?

Zenit 12XP by Rodrigo Neves - Catching up with your great work s, on Flickr
That hides another screw for the calibration of the meter.

For wide angles, you can go bargain-basement and get Prinzflex or some other cheap wide 28mm or 35mm for next to nothing (literally <£10) but they have an awful reputation.

I have some of these and they seem to be ok! The Russian ones are also very good. The MIR-1 even earned a Brussels Grand Prix.

@pdmk

Regarding those russian/eastern europe cameras I am little affraid about lens quality. Or I shouldnt be?

Most of those lenses are excellent both build and optical quality. Many are derived from known optical designs. See the Juspiter-8 50mm f/2, otherwise it is a Carl Zeiss Sonnar design.

If you want a rangefinder, you can't go wrong with a Zorki 4 and a Jupiter-8. If you don't mind not having 1/1000th sec., you can get a small and light Fed 2 or the Zorki 5 or better the 6.
The Zorki 5 was good enough for Henri Cartier-Bresson to use one and Picasso wasn't shy of using a Fed 2.

pdmk · Aug 6, 2014

Rick A said:
As posted before, Olympus OM-1n, but for really cheap Fujica STX-1. Fujicas are really under rated,, however they are rock solid little gems that only require batteries for the meter and are built by Cosina.

My friend was recently looking for cheap film camera, which looked nice (its a She.. you know camera must look nice most important thing) . We found on our local webpage Porst CR-1 with 50/1.9 lens. She liked it it was cheap around 20 Euro in really nice condition (no scratches, clean etc.). Porst CR-1 is basically eastern german copy of Fujica STX-1. And it looked really good and the shutter sound was beautifull. So yes I can also recommend to somebody either Fujica STX-1 or cheaper Porst CR-1

darkosaric · Aug 6, 2014

Ricardo Miranda said:
The Zorki 5 was good enough for Henri Cartier-Bresson to use one

This is new to me. Where did you found this info? Can you show us the link?

markbarendt · Aug 6, 2014

darkosaric said:
nikon FM + 50mm f2 nikkor-H

Yep.

With or without battery.

Ricardo Miranda · Aug 6, 2014

darkosaric said:
This is new to me. Where did you found this info? Can you show us the link?

Here you have it: http://www.pdexposures.com/more-reason-for-tony-to-love-hcb/
and http://ussrphoto.com/forum/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=2583

darkosaric · Aug 6, 2014

Ricardo Miranda said:
Here you have it: http://www.pdexposures.com/more-reason-for-tony-to-love-hcb/
and http://ussrphoto.com/forum/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=2583

As usual German censorship of youtube forbids me to watch video - but anyhow wow . Maybe on his trip to USSR he got is as gift and used it there ?

Ricardo Miranda · Aug 6, 2014

I'm sorry you can't watch it. The footage mentioned is from an earlier film, I believe it was a documentary done in the 60s in France.

cliveh · Aug 6, 2014

How about a Kodak Retina IIa folder?

E. von Hoegh · Aug 6, 2014

pdmk said:
Hello, I would like to ask for some recommendations.

I am looking for cheap (lets say less than 150$ inc. lens), full mechanical, full manual camera. No electronics, no batteries please, light meter is not needed I use external one +Sunny 16.
If possible, smaller in size (weight is not that important but also lighter is prefered), but good build (metal preferable), with quality lenses available (looking for 50mm and something wider like 35 or 28mm). And it would be a great + if camera will be able to do 1/1000s.
Total costs should be less than 150USD.

Any ideas please? This will be used just for "normal" shooting like street photo.

Thanks

Any of the mechanical Nikons - the F has no built in meter and you can ignore (if you wish) the meters on the others. Nikkormats Ft and Ftn take no-longer-available cells anyway. From the Ft2 on they all take modern easily available s76 cells.
The 50/2 Nikkor H is a real sleeper. There's a 28/3.5 Nikkor that's often available for 50-60 bucks.
With a little patience you can get a camera and both lenses well under your budget.

Looking for cheap, quality, full mechanical and manual 35mm camera with good lenses

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