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Point and shoot advise

pradheep thavamani

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I just recently sold my Leica CM and thought I should look for something less than 1k price. Please help me to decide what I should consider buying. I shoot mostly slides and color negatives once in a while. What I have in mind is Fujifilm DL super mini or Minolta TC-1. Which one I should pick and please share your experience.
 
The TC-1 is a SUPER camera, but it depends on what lens you want -- 40mm? 35mm? 28mm?

28mm is what the TC-1 has. Super lens. Good enough for cropping -- if that's not an issue for you.
 
  • Huss
  • Deleted

Minolta TC-1 is unreliable now so be careful with getting one.

Are you set on those two cameras?
 
You should check out the countless Contax/Yashica/Kyocera P&S cameras. They are all great optically -- with Tomioka lenses -- some fixed focus, some manual, some AF. For example:

  • Yashica AF-J
  • Yashica AF-J 2
  • Yashica auto focus
  • Yashica auto focus motor
  • Yashica auto focus motor D
  • Yashica Auto Focus Motor II
  • Yashica LAF
  • Yashica Lynx
  • Yashica MF-2
  • Yashica MF-2 super
  • Yashica MF-3
  • Yashica MF-3 super
  • Yashica 35-ME
  • Yashica 35-MF
  • Yashica 35-MC
  • Yashica MG-2 AutoFlash
  • Yashica Motor J
  • Yashica Partner
  • Yashica Partner AF
  • Yashica T
  • Yashica T-Zoom / T4 Zoom / Kyocera T-Zoom
  • Yashica T2 / Kyocera T
  • Yashica T3 / Kyocera T Scope
  • Yashica T3 Super / Kyocera T Scope2
  • Yashica T4 / T4 (Safari Edition)
  • Yashica T4D / Kyocera Slim T / Slim T (Safari Edition)
  • Yashica T4 Super / T5
  • Yashica T4 Super D / T5D / Kyocera T
  • Yashica Kyocera EZ Junior
 
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The top end point and shoots tend to be unrepairable, lack of parts. In the consumer level point and shoots there are many options, many have good but slow lens, most are full auto and later models with DX coding cannot be fudged. I had a box of around 40 of vairs brands, most were given to me and I have sold them off in the last year. I did keep a Konica Zup 28 to 50mm zoom. The meter is accurate enough for slides, but will be fooled by strong backlighting. The other is a Pentax WR with 38 to 90mm.
 
Contax TVS. Excellent with great zoom. Underpriced below $500.00.
 
I would avoid any Contax now, as well as the Nikon 28 and 35 ti. They have become very unreliable and unrepairable.

Because of that I use and recommend the Fuji Klasse W. It is the last of the luxury p&s cameras and thus the newest. Because of that also the most reliable.
Super lens, small, excellent exp compensation dial on the front. Downsides are slow AF and the exposure lcds in the vf are hard to see in daylight.

There is the first gen Klasse, and the second gen Klasse W and S. The second gen is much better.

Taken w my Klasse W:







 
Huss said:
I would avoid any Contax now, as well as the Nikon 28 and 35 ti. They have become very unreliable and unrepairable.
Click to expand...
My TVS made pictures comparable to those above. True, it went belly up after a few years. But I understand that they are now repairable with a key part reproduced. If I could find mine somewhere in the house I would try to have it fixed. Still, at current prices they are almost disposable.
 

What you said is correct, that is why I sold my Leica CM 18130 which is fabulous camera. Did you shoot these images on slide films?
 

Contax cameras are fantastic - no doubt. As is the Nikon Ti etc. The problem at this point is they are pushing up daisies.
I got rid of my TVS III as the AF became unreliable. When it nailed focus, the pics were spectacular.

This is actually why when Leica said they were introducing a new film camera - and made such a big deal about it - I was hoping it was a new P&S like the CM. Instead of the M6 which is the exact same camera as the MP they are already making but with cosmetic differences.
 
pradheep thavamani said:
What you said is correct, that is why I sold my Leica CM 18130 which is fabulous camera. Did you shoot these images on slide films?
Click to expand...

No, Fuji C200.




Another awesome P&S is the Rollei QZ35W and T. Titanium build, superb lens. No other P&S has these specs:



Downside? Big camera. Size of a Leica M. No built in flash.
 
I have to second the TVS. I've had one for years. Titanium covers make it pretty durable. I've dropped it a couple of times. There are a few people who fix them these days. Biggest problem with them, like all small cameras, is the flex cable. Those can now be replaced on a lot of cameras including the TVS.

There are lots of good small cameras, all a little different than the next. Just depends what you are looking for. Zoom or no zoom. Focal length? Those two questions narrow it way down.
 
I favored Konica C-35 cameras back in my rangefinder days. You do have to focus them, sorta. The wide lens makes for a large DOF. Hard to find a good one now, but not impossible, and there are numerous clones made by other manufacturers still around. Those were always my travel cameras, and I never had bad exposures even w/ slide films. They's such an attractive camera too, it was hard to leave the house w/o someone commenting on how nice it looked.
 
Huss said:
No, Fuji C200.




Another awesome P&S is the Rollei QZ35W and T. Titanium build, superb lens. No other P&S has these specs:



Downside? Big camera. Size of a Leica M. No built in flash.
Click to expand...

I have come across this camera before but I did not look into details. Do you have any experience with this camera? Which is better the T or W as version when it comes to sharpness?
 
pradheep thavamani said:
I have come across this camera before but I did not look into details. Do you have any experience with this camera? Which is better the T or W as version when it comes to sharpness?
Click to expand...

Yes, I have owned both the W and the T version. I kept the W as I like having the 28mm option. Both have fantastic lenses. As good as primes.

If you scroll through the list you can read a brief review of it here, when it came out:

Popular Photography

books.google.com

As I mentioned previously the downsides are size and it does not have a built in flash. But a Metz style handlebar add on flash.

pics I have taken with it:







 

I found a good deal on this camera with complete set like new condition less than 850 dollars(not ebay). Of course specs does impress me so does the price.
 
pradheep thavamani said:
I found a good deal on this camera with complete set like new condition less than 850 dollars(not ebay). Of course specs does impress me so does the price.
Click to expand...

Some of those ebay prices are insane. It seems Japanese sellers are trying to convince people they are worth over $2500!
 
FYI, if I had to pick between the Klasse W and the Rollei QZ, I'd most prob pick the Klasse W. The Rollei does have the better specs, the far more sensitive meter (EV -2 to 20 or something like that), but... the Klasse W fits the idea of a P&S better by being much smaller, simpler, and has a built in flash. The lenses seem to be about as good on both.

The Rollei is a camera to get serious with..
 
Huss said:
Some of those ebay prices are insane. It seems Japanese sellers are trying to convince people they are worth over $2500!
Click to expand...

Problem is no one is making p&s film cameras anymore. Everything with film photography is getting expensive like cameras, films, scanners, chemicals, developing etc. Hong Kong sellers are the same as well.
 
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