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ongakublue

ongakublue

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hi everyone,

what do you think are the most reliable modestly-priced old cameras? give the least trouble and have stood the test of time really well and you can divide it between purely mechanical (except light meter) and more battery powered or automatic models.
 
Given your recent run, you understand very well that in the used market anything can happen. I have acquired some of the top models of a lot of brands and have found out that even the best may require quality care. So it is important for me to know good available service because you never know when it will be needed.
 
Canon VI, P or 7
Nikon S3 or SP

Are each more reliable than a Leica M, with a better build standard.
 
Nikon F-801 (s) or N8008(s) as it's called in the US. I had a few in my hands and own one, I've seen them battered, scratched and dirty, they all worked just fine. Mine has scratches left and right of the film window inside the camera, and some of the symbols on the buttons have worn off. The AF motor sound a bit screetchy but otherwise, in my opinion, these things are unkillable, apart from water damage maybe. As an added bonus, it has the HP finder of the F3 and a nice hefty weight to it but not too much. Matrix metering with AF lenses is a nice touch and it has full compatibility with Ai lenses. A F-801 costs roughly 30 Euros, the s is a bit more.
Mechanically, maybe a Minolta SRT101?
 
anfenglin said:
Nikon F-801 (s) or N8008(s) as it's called in the US. I had a few in my hands and own one, I've seen them battered, scratched and dirty, they all worked just fine. Mine has scratches left and right of the film window inside the camera, and some of the symbols on the buttons have worn off. The AF motor sound a bit screetchy but otherwise, in my opinion, these things are unkillable, apart from water damage maybe. As an added bonus, it has the HP finder of the F3 and a nice hefty weight to it but not too much. Matrix metering with AF lenses is a nice touch and it has full compatibility with Ai lenses. A F-801 costs roughly 30 Euros, the s is a bit more.
Mechanically, maybe a Minolta SRT101?
Click to expand...


I am thinking of buying a Nikon F3. Any experience of that? The point is that I want an slr that is not very big but reliable with a very big selection of lenses available to it and with aperture priority.
 
Hi,
I also own the Nikon f801s. Its not the sexiest of the SLR but it never failed to me ... ¡¡¡38€ (kit lens included!!!
I had a couple of Zorki 4 ... no problems at all (35€ each, Jupiter 8 or Industar 61 included). I prefer this mechanical cameras ...
Regards
Antonio
 
Any mechanical Japanese SLR of the 70s is pretty reliable.
 
ongakublue said:
I am thinking of buying a Nikon F3. Any experience of that? The point is that I want an slr that is not very big but reliable with a very big selection of lenses available to it and with aperture priority.
Click to expand...
Probably an F3 is the most reliable aperture priority camera but you are dependent on the condition of a relay and the battery.
Some pros stayed with their F2.
Another option is a FM3A.
 
I had an F3 for a while, I liked how it was made, solid and it felt right in my hands, I also loved the finder. I'm also a big fan of manual lenses and manual, mechanical cameras without too much plastic and I prefer switches to buttons. I never liked how it sounded though and I hated the little lcd. I sold it a while ago in favor of more MF gear. 35mm is starting to bore me a bit.
 
I still have a fully operational 1968 Nikon F with a straight prism that I carried daily for three decades and once dropped and watched as it tumbled down a flight of a dozen concrete steps.
Does that qualify?
 
MontanaJay said:
I still have a fully operational 1968 Nikon F with a straight prism that I carried daily for three decades and once dropped and watched as it tumbled down a flight of a dozen concrete steps.
Does that qualify?
Click to expand...

I once did that with a Zenit, but I wouldn't class it as the most reliable :smile:
 
ongakublue said:
hi everyone,

what do you think are the most reliable modestly-priced old cameras? give the least trouble and have stood the test of time really well and you can divide it between purely mechanical (except light meter) and more battery powered or automatic models.
Click to expand...

any camera still in use today:smile:
 
All cameras go out of adjustment eventually, from Leicas to Zenits. One of the best quality cameras at the cheapest price has to be Nikkormat. They were hand built to the same standard as the system cameras like the F, and have mechanical linkages. The light meters die, but if you want automation you're probably looking at a different kind of camera.
 
Nikon Pro models from F to F6 are all pretty reliable and I have an F5. Some of the Prosumer models equally so, with the Nikon F90x rating very highly here, (and I have one of those) perhaps better than the F100 that superceded it, although I love my F100 and personally have had no trouble from it.
 
All good info. Yeah I have a Minolta from 1978 that will outlive me I think. I was born the year before it was made. I suppose I really mean that I want something sturdy an pretty low maintenance. I have had issues with the battery operated ones. I am looking into getting an F2. I like the idea of something almost totally mechanical and I want a very big selection of lenses. The old Minolta lenses are very good but Nikon goes all the way to the present.
 
Xmas said:
Canon VI, P or 7
Nikon S3 or SP

Are each more reliable than a Leica M, with a better build standard.
Click to expand...

I own and have used a Canon P and 7 and a Leica M4. The 45-year-old Leica still works; neither slightly older Canons do. Also, the five lenses for the Leica are fine performers. For a while I used the 50mm f/1.4 Canon lens on the Leica for indoor sports in poorly lit indoor gyms Then Kodak began selling T-Max 3200, and I could get much better photos with the F/2 Summicron. Nikkormats and Nikon Fs have also given good service
 
No machine works reliably for many decades without lubrication, adjustment and other maintenance, if you expect reliability from your requipment you have to have your cameras serviced occasionally.
 
Not sure what modest price means to you, but:

Spotmatic
Minolta 202
Konica T3
Nikon Nikkromate
Nikon FM
Canon FTb
Pentax MX

AF
Nikon N90s
Canon EOS 1 or 1N
Pentax Pz 1
Minolta 7
 
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