Looking for the perfect mechanical SLR

[BradS]

IIIc with collapsible Cron and SBOOI is more compact and reliable.

I was just poking the bee hive.

 

[Ko.Fe.]

I was just poking the bee hive.

I see, old Leica SLR and FTb mentioning by others must be kind of the same as well.

 

[Crantz]

Thanks for the input, escpecially to those who happen to read my opening post. I'll be looking for a good offer on a Cosina CT-1A and then will further see. Sounds like the perfect fit for me so far. And yes, guess I should've put "perfect SLR for me" in the title.

 

[zanxion72]

Consider also a Nikon FM. Simple and perfect in any way. Quite serviceable too.

 

[RLangham]

Nikon F2 is only slightly larger than the FM/FM2x series. F2s are selling for less than FM2n models.

Yeah but in absolute terms they're fairly large and quite heavy cameras, being built to take abuse in the field.

 

[Horatio]

Yeah but in absolute terms they're fairly large and quite heavy cameras, being built to take abuse in the field.

Too bad the F3 didn’t carry forward an all mechanical shutter like the F2.

 

[BrianShaw]

Too bad the F3 didn’t carry forward an all mechanical shutter like the F2.

LOL... I hear you, just like I heard a colleague say when I chose a F3 over a F2 when they were still simultaneously available new. When was that 1981 or so? His F2 has been gone for years; my F3 is still serving me well. That decision didn't seem to hurt Nikon at all, and certainly didn't hurt me.

 

[Craig75]

voightlander bessaflex tm might be another to consider - made in early 2000s so it should be running smooth, should be lightweight from using voigtlander rangefinders, very small, and m42 mount

i havent used one and im assuming 1 billion pounds secondhand these days but it might fit the bill

https://petapixel.com/2013/04/03/review-the-bessaflex-tm-is-a-beautiful-and-refined-m42-camera/

 

[Radost]

WIth SLRs I dont understand why people want old SLRs. Yea it looks cool but considering "for example' an ELAN 7s and similar are pretty much perfect and have autofocus old SLRs are a not fun. Manual Focusing on most 35 slrs is a pain.

 

[Chan Tran]

LOL... I hear you, just like I heard a colleague say when I chose a F3 over a F2 when they were still simultaneously available new. When was that 1981 or so? His F2 has been gone for years; my F3 is still serving me well. That decision didn't seem to hurt Nikon at all, and certainly didn't hurt me.

At around that time, actually 1982, I had the F2AS and wanted the motor drive so I bought the F3HP and the motor drive instead as the whole camera/motordrive combo was slightly less than the MD2/MB1 for the F2. I too like your colleague thought the F2 was better than the F3 but it has grown on me and became my favorite camera.

 

[Horatio]

LOL... I hear you, just like I heard a colleague say when I chose a F3 over a F2 when they were still simultaneously available new. When was that 1981 or so? His F2 has been gone for years; my F3 is still serving me well. That decision didn't seem to hurt Nikon at all, and certainly didn't hurt me.

The F3 is a great camera but it’s toast when the electronics crap out. Just sayin’…

 

[Horatio]

WIth SLRs I dont understand why people want old SLRs. Yea it looks cool but considering "for example' an ELAN 7s and similar are pretty much perfect and have autofocus old SLRs are a not fun. Manual Focusing on most 35 slrs is a pain.

It’s not a handicap for those of us who grew up with all-manual cameras.

 

[RLangham]

Too bad the F3 didn’t carry forward an all mechanical shutter like the F2.

I think that would probably have hurt Nikon pretty severely in context. The F2 was only barely capable of shutter speed priority and only when paired with a bulky external motor. By the time the F3 was coming out Canon had light, smallish auto exposure SLR's going out to even the consumer market, as well as a robust revamp of the F-1 with capabilities that made the Nikon F2 look downright limited.

While we might wish for an all-mechanical sequel to the F2, the market would not have picked it up.

 

[Chan Tran]

The F3 is a great camera but it’s toast when the electronics crap out. Just sayin’…

Electronic vs Mechanical? I doubt that either can prove to last longer. The only different is that the electronic may go all in a sudden, the mechanical gives you some warning. I have a lot of old cameras and I don't find either ones are likely to last longer.

 

[Chan Tran]

WIth SLRs I dont understand why people want old SLRs. Yea it looks cool but considering "for example' an ELAN 7s and similar are pretty much perfect and have autofocus old SLRs are a not fun. Manual Focusing on most 35 slrs is a pain.

If you want AF I don't see why you want SLR. I love to manually focus an SLR. I love the Leica M but didn't get it because I love manual focusing with an SLR (no split image please just the ground glass screen).

 

[RLangham]

WIth SLRs I dont understand why people want old SLRs. Yea it looks cool but considering "for example' an ELAN 7s and similar are pretty much perfect and have autofocus old SLRs are a not fun. Manual Focusing on most 35 slrs is a pain.

See, why shoot film at all with that outlook? To most of us the fine control afforded by mechanical SLR's with manual focus and metered manual exposure is what lets us exploit the medium to its full capabilities.

It comes down to knowing and loving the machine in your hands. People once achieved formidable speed with graflexes using double film holders, because they did it professionally for thousands of hours.

Likewise with a pure manual SLR with no meter, I can judge exposure, frame, focus, fire and wind on in around two and a half seconds, though to me speed is not of the essence in most cases. I have been practicing semi-casually for about three years, so imagine twenty or thirty years of professional experience. And this would be what I call fun, much more so than letting the camera do most of it for me.

 

[BrianShaw]

While we might wish for an all-mechanical sequel to the F2, the market would not have picked it up.

Although not a "professional" camera, wasn't that the niche filled by the FM? I can't recall the sequence in history, but I recall using Nikkormats about that time, which I thought had mechanical shutters (but could be mistaken).

 

[BrianShaw]

Electronic vs Mechanical? I doubt that either can prove to last longer. The only different is that the electronic may go all in a sudden, the mechanical gives you some warning. I have a lot of old cameras and I don't find either ones are likely to last longer.

I didn't know how to phrase a response; your response is similar to what I was thinking. In electronic cameras (FE and a few others) the failures have always been mechanical.

 

[Paul Howell]

I have had the electronics fail on a number of Pentax Z bodies.

 

[choiliefan]

Electrolytic capacitors in Minoltas are notorious for failing.

 

[BradS]

Electrolytic capacitors in Minoltas are notorious for failing.

and they are easily replaced.

 

[faberryman]

Likeewise, with a pure manual SLR with no meter, I can judge exposure, frame, focus, fire and wind on in around two and a half seconds, though to me speed is not of the essence in most cases. I have been practicing semi-casually for about three years, so imagine twenty or thirty years of professional experience. And this would be what I call fun, much more so than letting the camera do most of it for me.

Wow. Two and a half seconds. That sounds pretty fast for someone who only practices semi-casually.

 

[jimjm]

Although not a "professional" camera, wasn't that the niche filled by the FM? I can't recall the sequence in history, but I recall using Nikkormats about that time, which I thought had mechanical shutters (but could be mistaken).

Yep, the FM/FE series were essentially the replacements for Nikkormat, which were the "budget" alternative to the professional F and F2 bodies. As anyone who's used Nikkormats knows, there's nothing cheap or lightweight about them.
It seems Nikon used the Nikkormat series to test out numerous new features like vertical-travel metal shutters, in-body metering and auto-exposure mode, without introducing them on their flagship F and F2 bodies (possibly alienating their pro clients).
The FE/FM bodies continued the use of the vertical-travel metal shutter, and were still very well built, but a lot smaller and lighter than the Nikkormats.

 

[RLangham]

Wow. Two and a half seconds. That sounds pretty fast for someone who only practices semi-casually.

I shoot at least incidentally probably four times a week and I go hiking with cameras probably monthly so semi-casual might not be the word I should have chosen.

I don't mean to brag. I don't think compared to some of the old PJ's that what I said was that impressive. Assuming that my camera is already set for the overall outdoor light levels, that's one second to compensate the aperture or shutter speed up or down a stop or two depending on the light levels in the specific shot, one second to frame and focus, and half a second to wind on.

This isn't hard to do, though I seldom need to do it that fast.

 

[faberryman]

I have never timed myself. The thought has never crossed my mind.