Also the Nikon F65 (N65), an ideal P&S in its own right, as good and certainly as quiet as all the other'baby Nikons' made in the late 1990s / early 2000s.
Our at home point and shoot is an F65 I bought new at a discount sale in Melbourne in 2006 for (IRRC) about A$270. It came with a so-so 28-80G zoom which I didn't give results I liked and I soon parted company with it in a part trade for four Nikon E lenses (28, 35, the superb 50 1.8 and the amazing 100 which does stellar work on the F65, my partner's D90 and now and then my D700 when I need a short tele and my 85 1.8 D isn't to hand), a 35-70 AF in its original box, an impressive stash of B&W film and an MB-17 battery pack/grip. This pack takes four AA batteries and doesn't add much to either the weight or noise level of the camera, which is very quiet.
In 13 years of (admittedly irregular) use, my F65 has never malfunctioned and still works like new. It's satisfyingly fast and responsive to use and produces quite excellent images on FP4+ or HP5+. Like all the other small non-metal (it's made of polycarbonate, whatever that is) Nikons of its time, Even with the winder it's light and easily carried in a backpack or a small camera bag along with film and one or two lenses. It has a satisfying array of exposure modes - I use it almost entirely on 'M' or the 'A' setting which lets me select the f/stops I prefer to shoot at. Metering is spot on and there is an override to set the camera to under/overexpose. My camera also has a quartz date back which I have to admit I've never used, but it would be handy for someone wanting data imprinted on their negatives or slides.
I believe the late Galen Rowen used the F65/N65 as one of his preferred cameras for his mountain photography.
Out of curiosity, I've just checked Ebay Australia and found six at auction prices from A$50 to (a classic case of hope versus common sense) A$800 for clean-looking models without lenses. F55s are cheaper with Ebay prices starting at a whopping A$15. There is also an F60, but as I've never seen or used one I will leave it to others to sing its praises. Overseas F65 prices (again, Ebay) are somewhat higher, but the point here is that these cameras are still available at bargain prices, aso Series E or older AF lenses. For travel, an F55-F60-F65 with kit zoom, a 35-70 AF or a 28 or 25 E lens is, I reckon, an ideal minimalist kit for backpackers.
Many good but now forgotten cameras can be found on Ebay, in charity shops or small camera stores. As someone has commented, prices are quite likely to go up soon, so if you want a good camera for street work or P&S, grab one or even two of these small Nikons and maybe an E lens. They are worth investing in.
.
