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

Ricardo Miranda said:
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.
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I will remember the link and when I will go on vacation in some country that has less censorship - I will watch it .
 
Smaller & lighter suggests later cameras.
All of the following use the battery ONLY for the meter.
Olympus OM-1n........Doesn't have a traditional shutter speed dial on top. It's around the lens mount like the Nikkormat.
I never got used to the SS selector and went back to SS on top cameras.

Pentax MX or KX, KM or K1000. The K's are a bit larger than the MX. Again found that I didn't care for the MX because of size. Spotmatics were compact & well balanced, Excellent ergonomics, very comfortable. Similar size to the K's but better feel.

Nikon FM, FM2. Similar in size to the K Pentaxes

Weird Soviet cameras never appealed to me. Nor did off brand machines.

Older Canon, Nikkormat, Minolta SRt's. Canon & Minolta I found ungainly. Nikkormat has the SS around the lens mount and it's nowhere near compact.

F and F2 Nikon with straight prisms are both OK
 
Unless someone knows the source of Nikon Fs that still leave loose change from a hundred fifty bucks for a standard and wide angle Nikkor, this thread has drifted from the OPs request.
 
Mamiya 1000 DTL might be worth looking into
 

The MX is lovely, and the black body is somewhat uncommon, fetching higher prices. $150 with the f1.7 is a good price, unless it is a real beater. I have three, lord help me! and I love them dearly. If the center weighted meter is working it is a good one. It uses easily obtainable silver cells, not mercury. The interchangeable screens are a plus if you can find them used. Wonderful viewfinder. Mechanical shutter, no batteries needed. A "Judas window" shows the f stop set in a little window, a nice touch.

The camera was intended for professional use, offering interchangeable data backs, none of which will accommodate current dates, a bulk film back, a 5 fps (IIRC) motor drive, etc. The camera is quite rugged. Oddly enough, no mirror lockup.

Watch for the 2 fps winder, it adds just enough added bulk and weight to suit me to a tee, as they say. A warning on the winder: the battery "drawer" which takes 4 AA cells, is secured by a tiny screw with a serrated head for your finger. Be careful. If this strips out you'll have to work up some sort of kludge to "fix" it. Bad, bad Pentax!

I don't know about shipping costs, etc, from the USA, but I've had excellent service from KEH. They rate conservatively; their BGN typically shows signs of careful use, certainly not abuse. No, I get no commission from them!

The OM 1 is lovely, but as an owner of an OM 4 I still prefer Pentax. Greater used lens availability. I also have a Pentax KX, excellent meter, viewfinder. No motor or winder, but mirror lockup and DOF preview. Somewhat bigger than the MX, it is essentially what the K 1000 really should have been. Meter shut off coupled to film wind, shutter release lock. Again mechanical shutter, no batteries required.
 

Hi pdmk,

I can only help with Pentax. As has been stated M42 lens prices have shot up recently (especially for SMC-Takumars), Pentax K mounts are plentiful and prices are now good value (they were more expensive at one point). There are loads of 'M' series 28mm, 50mm & 135mm lenses out there, 35mm are harder to find. Many Pentax shooters prefer the 'K' series lenses (marked 'SMC Pentax') to the 'M' series lenses (marked 'SMC Pentax-M'). Pentax still sell the 'FA' lenses which are fully compatible with these cameras (they're autofocus capable but retain the aperture ring), the 'FA Limited' lenses (31mm, 43mm & 77mm) are among the best there are (with prices to match).

As for the MX/K1000/KX options, the MX is slightly smaller (not significantly so) with LED meter info (some people prefer a needle) and a split-image/microprism ring focus aid, the KX/K1000 only have a micro-prism spot in the centre. The MX has a bigger viewfinder but some people find the shutter speed dial harder to adjust with the camera at the eye. The KX requires the film advance lever in the stand-off position to meter (can be a problem for left-eye users), the K1000 has no on/off switch - you need to keep the lens capped to switch the meter off. The MX & KX offer shutter speed & aperture read-out in the finder, the K1000 only a +/- needle.

Ultimately it makes little difference, the KX was only made for a couple of years in the mid-70s whilst the MX was later and the K1000 was in production until the late '90s (later ones had plastic top & bottom plates). Condition of the camera is more important. My MX's feel better engineered than my K1000's, one of my KX's has a broken/dodgy meter switch or ISO dial.

As for price 90 GBP for an MX & 50/1.7 is about right, depending on condition, the black versions are highly sought after.
 
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John Koehrer said:
Weird Soviet cameras never appealed to me.
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What is weird about the Zenits?


The Zenit E is amongt the most manufactured SLRs.

(The only weird thing I experienced with a Zent E was a strange (mal-) function in combination with the shutter lock.)
 
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With the budget of $150, I would recommend

Nikomat FTn + Nikkor-H 50mm F2 + Nikkor-P 105mm F2.5(Sonar)

If you are lucky enough, you may find a Nikkor-HC or a Nikkor-P/PC(D-Gaus) within that budget.
 
Minolta 101 or 102, Konica T or T3, Yashica made several 35mm in 42mm as did Cosina and Chinon, sold under several house brands, Spotmatic, and Miranda, of the lot the Spotmatic is my choice for a rugged 35mm with many many good lens.
 
that's the least reliable camera I ever owned,bought new,mine lasted a week before the shutter got stuck and never worked again.
 
I cannot recommend the OM-1. aoleg has mentioned one problem, but other common problems are that a heavy lens or a bump on the lens can screw up the metering system and there is a wire attached to the battery compartment that can corrode, but if you don't care about a meter these are non issues. My recommendation is a Minolta SRT series camera. Buy one and plan on getting a CLA and you are good to go . The Nikormats are good cameras if you don't need a meter. The metal shutter is very reliable and will give no problems. There is a resistor band that controls the meter that wears out. Another winner is a Vivitar 220SL . It uses Pentax screw mount lenses and has the same shutter as the nikkormat and should be dirt cheap.
 
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thank you very much for all help. I have decided for Pentax MX (black version) +Pentax 50/1.7 for 90GBP (cca 150USD) incl shipping to my country.
 

The K1000 is simpler than KX, runs off alkaline batteries too, simple is more reliable, a CLA >$.
The OM10 prisms may not fit easily, and the swap would be >$, simpler to remove foam and damaged silver coating from prism, if you can lift the top plate yourself.
You need to solder in a diode and use silver cells afterwards.
Some of the OM lenses are not easily maintainable contemporary Pentax lenses are to better build standard.
But both OM1 and K1000 are cult cameras, getting one in charity shop difficult.
 
I am surprised no-one has plumped for a Fujica SLR from 70's .. the 701 -705 or 801 all M42 .. all superbly robust, easy to use, and have a meter if you need one. Then add fujinon glass... the 50-55mm prime range are all excellent... and all easily obtainable for well under $150
 
A lot of SLRs to choose from this price range with lens included.

Personally, I'm not fan of any SLR, due to light seals and flipping mirror.

With RF, scale cameras you could have fancy, clean Leica IIf with collapsible Industar-22 on it.
I used to have one kit for this price range. Sold the camera, keeping lens for Leica M4-2.

Rollei 35 is amazing camera to play under S16 rule. Two wheels are very logically placed for it. And it is most compact walk around camera, which is solidly build.
 
pdmk said:
thank you very much for all help. I have decided for Pentax MX (black version) +Pentax 50/1.7 for 90GBP (cca 150USD) incl shipping to my country.
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Excellent choice! You might enjoy Pentaxforums.com for further information and advice.
 
GRHazelton said:
Excellent choice! You might enjoy Pentaxforums.com for further information and advice.
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+1. The MX is a nice little camera, fairly recent and with usable metering. The 50/1.7M is a classic lens; two generations of later Pentax lenses (SMC Pentax-A and SMC Pentax-F) are based on it.
 
You chose wisely. Come to think of it, I haven't had to repair many of these over the last 25 years.
 
Yashica FX-3

The first camera that came to my mind is the Yashica FX-3 (or FX-7). The first SLR I ever bought. Got the body, 50mm lens, Yashica Flash and bag at a yard sale for $1.50.... Sent it to Chicago for service ($45.00 plus shipping), got a new green leatherette for ($19.00 I think) and was shooting away. I later found extra lenses at a Goodwill cheap.... It will take Contax Lenses (C/Y mount) if you come across them...

Just Say'N:munch:
 
ah, too late

(there was a url link here which no longer exists)
 
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