Oly RC or Vivitar ES. Both are small with very good lenses.
Kiron Kid
Kiron Kid
Quality, pocketable 35mm travel camera?
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I was looking at a Rollei 35mm that was not much bigger than a pack of cigarettes at a local place here. Seemed like a nice little camera. I've got my mother's old Olympus XA2 because that is the camera that I remember being in front of so much as a youngster (not that I'm not a youngster by many standards).
BUT, I've just got to toss a wrench in the whole machine here and suggest something a bit different: and Olympus PEN F. They're half-frame so you'll get twice as many shots out of it, they shoot verticals by default so it's better suited for spontaneous portraits (in my opinion), its about as small as they come for SLR's, and it has that great post-mod styling that we all know and love!
That's my vote.
BUT, I've just got to toss a wrench in the whole machine here and suggest something a bit different: and Olympus PEN F. They're half-frame so you'll get twice as many shots out of it, they shoot verticals by default so it's better suited for spontaneous portraits (in my opinion), its about as small as they come for SLR's, and it has that great post-mod styling that we all know and love!
That's my vote.
Thanks, all, for the suggestions. I have shot a few rolls in the HiMatic 7SII, the Stylus Epic, and the Oly RC. All are good solutions and the lenses were terrific by any standard. I haven't had my hands on the Konica S3 or C35 but the S3 is going for a bunch of $$$ on the auction site.
Is the S3 that much better than the others mentioned?
Think I will have to make the rounds today at the thrift stores/pawn shops and see what is out there.
Fred
Is the S3 that much better than the others mentioned?
Think I will have to make the rounds today at the thrift stores/pawn shops and see what is out there.
Fred
35ti Impressions
I've been using a 35ti (acquired used from the auction site) for a couple of months now and am very impressed. As expected, images are sharp and contrastyI'd say that the lens and focusing system are excellent. In the category of nice surprises, I'd say that the viewfinder is easily the best I've seen in a point and shoot, and the matrix metering has been utterly reliable. I also like the fact that exposure compensation settings do not disappear when you shut the camera off, making it easy to shoot at your own E.I., and that the camera shows you shutter speed, aperture, and focus distance (the latter two on the top deck), so you can always double-check those.
Only two things disappoint me: the camera is noisier when extending the lens and focusing than I would like, and there is notable shutter lag, even though the lens focuses when you half depress the shutter release.
I've been using a 35ti (acquired used from the auction site) for a couple of months now and am very impressed. As expected, images are sharp and contrastyI'd say that the lens and focusing system are excellent. In the category of nice surprises, I'd say that the viewfinder is easily the best I've seen in a point and shoot, and the matrix metering has been utterly reliable. I also like the fact that exposure compensation settings do not disappear when you shut the camera off, making it easy to shoot at your own E.I., and that the camera shows you shutter speed, aperture, and focus distance (the latter two on the top deck), so you can always double-check those.
Only two things disappoint me: the camera is noisier when extending the lens and focusing than I would like, and there is notable shutter lag, even though the lens focuses when you half depress the shutter release.
Contax Aria.
A range of high quality zeiss lenses available. The 45mm lens is flat as a pancake. But a 35-70 F3.4 vario is a superb lens if you only want one lens with you. The lens is quite bulky but the camera is light and small for a high quality slr with matrix, centre weighted and spot metering.
Or Smaller a contax G2 rangefinder.
Or how about a fuji GA645 (60mm f4) autofocus, very small and light for medium format.
Or FUJI 645Zi with 55-90 lens, autofocus and flash. Very highly rated travel camera and small for a medium format camera. would fit in large pocket easily.
A range of high quality zeiss lenses available. The 45mm lens is flat as a pancake. But a 35-70 F3.4 vario is a superb lens if you only want one lens with you. The lens is quite bulky but the camera is light and small for a high quality slr with matrix, centre weighted and spot metering.
Or Smaller a contax G2 rangefinder.
Or how about a fuji GA645 (60mm f4) autofocus, very small and light for medium format.
Or FUJI 645Zi with 55-90 lens, autofocus and flash. Very highly rated travel camera and small for a medium format camera. would fit in large pocket easily.
Olympus XA2. I have one for sale if you'd like.
Well, as always, everything in life is a compromise. Did a little prowling today in the thrift shops/pawn shops and came home with an Olympus Stylus and a Minolta X-700 with a 50/2 MD for a very modest sum. Both in Excellent ++ cosmetic condition and worked perfectly after installing fresh batts. Now I have to find a 45mm f2 Rokkor-X pancake lens to go with X-700 (the 50 is just a tad too large to pocket easily) and a Gordy strap and give them both a trial run (will probably take them both!).
Off topic, I can't seem to get into the classifieds anymore as if all the ads have disappeared except for the headers. Anybody have any suggestions? It seems I have gotten into a 'custom view' mode and can't figure out how to get back to normal view.
Fred
Off topic, I can't seem to get into the classifieds anymore as if all the ads have disappeared except for the headers. Anybody have any suggestions? It seems I have gotten into a 'custom view' mode and can't figure out how to get back to normal view.
Fred
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It's broke. There is something in the announcements forum.
I've gone 16X20 from a negative made with an Olympus XA and consumer Fuji film, scanned on an Epson 3200 and printed on an Epson 3800. Bill Barber
You'r probably right.
That may very well be the case Fred, in that the design is based on Tessar as many modern lenses are , I bought my 35GT after reading a test report in SLR Camera magazine that said their test staff got such good results they couldn't believe it, and tested it three times, and said it performed better than many SLR standard lenses.
The Rollei 35S has the Sonnar lens, while the 35T has the Tessar. The Sonnar is great, but when shooting wide open, you don't have much room for error when guessing focus. I've probably shot 100+ rolls with one of the Rollie 35 cameras. They're very solid, but you want to thoroughly inspect the camera.
Make sure that the film advance is working correctly. After moving production to Singapore, a key metal gear in the film advance was replaced with a nylon gear. It worked fine, until a heavy-handed user reached the end of the roll and forced the advance, which sometimes broke one or more teeth from the gear, rendering the camera useless from that point on.
Rollei eventually returned to using a metal gear.
Also, check that the lens collapses properly. The film must be advanced and the shutter tensioned before the lens can be collapsed. Again, some users forced the lens to collapse without winding the film, permanently damaging the mechanism.
The SE and TE models use LEDs in the viewfinder (and I believe a selenium cell, rather than a cadmium disulfide cell). While more accurate, they require a 5.6-volt battery that isn't easy to find today. And I find that metering in the viewfinder is very clunky.
The original design of having a waist-level match-needle meter system is superior for this camera. You can see the aperture, shutter speed and meter needle all at once.
It also seems that many, many Rolleis have a ding in one or more corners. If you can find one that doesn't, consider it a bonus.
To get to a really pocketable camera, you'll want to move to the modern day cameras.
There are a number of Japanese rangefinders that might fit the bill, including those from Olympus, Canon and Konica. They all will need to have new light seals installed. No exceptions.
German cameras rarely have foam light seals, as they used a better design for the back that didn't require foam.
I concur with the thoughts about the Cosina Voigtlander -- they are excellent value for the money.
Some of the early Kodak Retinas are pocketable, but will need to be serviced before they can be used.
Agfa made some very nice lightweight 35mm cameras, starting with its Solinette II and Super Solinette and continuing with a number of other cameras. The knock against nearly all of Agfa's folding cameras is that the lens is often frozen from lubricant that has hardened to near concrete and plastic-covered bellows that easily develop pinholes.
Also, Voigtlander's folding Vitos and some of the rigid-front Vitos are excellent cameras. Get one with a Skopar.
Zeiss Ikon had the folding Ikonta/Contina, Contina II and Contessa and later its rigid-front Contessa, which is an excellent camera.
Agfa toyed with half-frames, and its Optima-Parat is excellent.
If you have the money, a prewar Zeiss Ikon Tenax II (shoots square photos) is outstanding, and the uncommon (not rare) postwar Tenax with a Tessar is another good choice.
An oddball choice is the East German Werra -- great lenses in a small package and very well made. It came from Carl Zeiss Jena -- one of the few cameras ever made by a Carl Zeiss company.
I forgot the Ducati. But it's a niche camera that you probably could call rare. Plus, you need the tiny special film cartridge.
You can read more about these and many others on my site.
Make sure that the film advance is working correctly. After moving production to Singapore, a key metal gear in the film advance was replaced with a nylon gear. It worked fine, until a heavy-handed user reached the end of the roll and forced the advance, which sometimes broke one or more teeth from the gear, rendering the camera useless from that point on.
Rollei eventually returned to using a metal gear.
Also, check that the lens collapses properly. The film must be advanced and the shutter tensioned before the lens can be collapsed. Again, some users forced the lens to collapse without winding the film, permanently damaging the mechanism.
The SE and TE models use LEDs in the viewfinder (and I believe a selenium cell, rather than a cadmium disulfide cell). While more accurate, they require a 5.6-volt battery that isn't easy to find today. And I find that metering in the viewfinder is very clunky.
The original design of having a waist-level match-needle meter system is superior for this camera. You can see the aperture, shutter speed and meter needle all at once.
It also seems that many, many Rolleis have a ding in one or more corners. If you can find one that doesn't, consider it a bonus.
To get to a really pocketable camera, you'll want to move to the modern day cameras.
There are a number of Japanese rangefinders that might fit the bill, including those from Olympus, Canon and Konica. They all will need to have new light seals installed. No exceptions.
German cameras rarely have foam light seals, as they used a better design for the back that didn't require foam.
I concur with the thoughts about the Cosina Voigtlander -- they are excellent value for the money.
Some of the early Kodak Retinas are pocketable, but will need to be serviced before they can be used.
Agfa made some very nice lightweight 35mm cameras, starting with its Solinette II and Super Solinette and continuing with a number of other cameras. The knock against nearly all of Agfa's folding cameras is that the lens is often frozen from lubricant that has hardened to near concrete and plastic-covered bellows that easily develop pinholes.
Also, Voigtlander's folding Vitos and some of the rigid-front Vitos are excellent cameras. Get one with a Skopar.
Zeiss Ikon had the folding Ikonta/Contina, Contina II and Contessa and later its rigid-front Contessa, which is an excellent camera.
Agfa toyed with half-frames, and its Optima-Parat is excellent.
If you have the money, a prewar Zeiss Ikon Tenax II (shoots square photos) is outstanding, and the uncommon (not rare) postwar Tenax with a Tessar is another good choice.
An oddball choice is the East German Werra -- great lenses in a small package and very well made. It came from Carl Zeiss Jena -- one of the few cameras ever made by a Carl Zeiss company.
I forgot the Ducati. But it's a niche camera that you probably could call rare. Plus, you need the tiny special film cartridge.
You can read more about these and many others on my site.
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Fred, your thrift-shop luck is very good!Fred Aspen said:
Re: the Konica Auto S3, the Auto S2 is also a wonderful camera with an excellent lens. Olympus had a big range of pocketable cameras of various sizes. The 35 SP is a technical marvel with a spotmeter, but the 35 RC is quite a bit smaller than the SP (or Konica Auto S2, Minolta HiMatic, Yashica Electro 35, etc.).
Mike, you've started me on a new quest that I can't afford -- for a Zeiss Tenax! Your pages are wonderful.
P.S. The classifieds are back up!
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Pocketable 35
The 45/2 Rokkor is OK if you stop it down a little. If you can make some more room in your pocket, the 50/1.7 MD lens is truly excellent. I haven't used the Stylus Epic but I have seen some nice work done with one. Is the lens on the Konica Auto S3 better than the one on the Hi-Matic 7SII? I would say they are close. The advantage of the 7SII is that you can set both the shutter speed and the f/stop manually. Another small camera I sometimes use is the Olympus 35SP. It isn't as small as the RC or RD but it has an very nice lens. The SP has a button on the back which gives a spot meter reading. There was also a later 35SPN but that model is hard to find. I have two Rollei 35 models. One is an original 1966 model made in Germany and the other is the first model made in Singapore. Both cameras have the f/3.5 Tessar lens. I haven't compared this to the f/2.8 Sonnar but I find the Tessar to be quite good. The Rollei is very heavy for its size and it's not for everyone. I don't use it often but when I do I like it.
The 45/2 Rokkor is OK if you stop it down a little. If you can make some more room in your pocket, the 50/1.7 MD lens is truly excellent. I haven't used the Stylus Epic but I have seen some nice work done with one. Is the lens on the Konica Auto S3 better than the one on the Hi-Matic 7SII? I would say they are close. The advantage of the 7SII is that you can set both the shutter speed and the f/stop manually. Another small camera I sometimes use is the Olympus 35SP. It isn't as small as the RC or RD but it has an very nice lens. The SP has a button on the back which gives a spot meter reading. There was also a later 35SPN but that model is hard to find. I have two Rollei 35 models. One is an original 1966 model made in Germany and the other is the first model made in Singapore. Both cameras have the f/3.5 Tessar lens. I haven't compared this to the f/2.8 Sonnar but I find the Tessar to be quite good. The Rollei is very heavy for its size and it's not for everyone. I don't use it often but when I do I like it.
Dynachrome,
I ran some tests on the Minolta 50/2 and it is every bit as good as my other 50s, Nikkor, Planar, Canon EF. I would sure like to see some test data on the Minolta collection. Of course, sample to sample variation will come into play here but all I am interested in is the ability to crank out a decent 11x14 whenever I want and be pleased with the result.
Fred
I ran some tests on the Minolta 50/2 and it is every bit as good as my other 50s, Nikkor, Planar, Canon EF. I would sure like to see some test data on the Minolta collection. Of course, sample to sample variation will come into play here but all I am interested in is the ability to crank out a decent 11x14 whenever I want and be pleased with the result.
Fred
Contax T3 is smaller than the T2 and quite shirt-pocketable. The "manual" feel is about the same, I suppose.
Olympus Stylus is also good but it has no real manual function at all other than the flash selection and a spot metering mode...
Olympus Stylus is also good but it has no real manual function at all other than the flash selection and a spot metering mode...
Ricoh's range of wideangle P&S cameras are said to be very good indeed. Charlie Waite used one for some of his images in his "In my Mind's Eye". Not sure if they are still manufactured, but perhaps you can trawl ebay for one.
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I have a late model 50/2 Rokkor. It's a nice lens but I still think the 50/1.7 MD is better. Any number of standard lenses for SLR cameras can give you a nice 11X14. After a certain point your technique must be good enough too.
I bought my wife a minty T4 a couple of years ago. I think she may have put 2 rolls of film through it. It's sitting on top of the piano. In the meantime I see they've become sort of a cult camera. Anyone want it for $195. I'll guarantee it to be right.
Lately I've been carrying around a Canon Sureshot Classic 120 in my jacket pocket for grabbing shots as the mood strikes. Not a very expensive P&S, and I'm quite happy with the results. The only downside I've found so far is that the focus and zoom motors are fairly loud as P&S cameras go, so being subtle in a quiet room doesn't work very well with it.
I tried the same with an Olympus Stylus 120, but I prefer the extra modes and metering of the Canon.
I also have and use depending on the application:
- Olympus RC - nice, bright rangefinder, accurate meter (zinc-air hearing aid battery required) that goes up to 800 ISO, decent form factor, but the lens has a soft coating that's easily damaged, and it frequently doesn't come with a lens cap (although I'm told step-up filter rings are relatively common so a more standard size cap can be used). No built-in flash, although comes with a hotshoe.
- Olympus XA - very nice lens for its size. Clamshell design protects the lens without additional lens cap. Meters up to 800 ISO. Has compact screw-on flashes available. Downside: rangefinder spot tends to be dim in indoor light (and yes, I had mine CLA'd - it was even dimmer before).
Also I just bought a pancake Industar 50/3.5 in M42 mount, for use with an adapter on my ME Super - those lenses are very cheap ($20 or less), and the ME Super is already quite compact, so I'm curious to see how much more portable this setup becomes... (There is also a K-mount Pentax pancake 40mm lens, but it's significantly pricier than $20, so I'm not sure the extra expense is necessary.)
I tried the same with an Olympus Stylus 120, but I prefer the extra modes and metering of the Canon.
I also have and use depending on the application:
- Olympus RC - nice, bright rangefinder, accurate meter (zinc-air hearing aid battery required) that goes up to 800 ISO, decent form factor, but the lens has a soft coating that's easily damaged, and it frequently doesn't come with a lens cap (although I'm told step-up filter rings are relatively common so a more standard size cap can be used). No built-in flash, although comes with a hotshoe.
- Olympus XA - very nice lens for its size. Clamshell design protects the lens without additional lens cap. Meters up to 800 ISO. Has compact screw-on flashes available. Downside: rangefinder spot tends to be dim in indoor light (and yes, I had mine CLA'd - it was even dimmer before).
Also I just bought a pancake Industar 50/3.5 in M42 mount, for use with an adapter on my ME Super - those lenses are very cheap ($20 or less), and the ME Super is already quite compact, so I'm curious to see how much more portable this setup becomes... (There is also a K-mount Pentax pancake 40mm lens, but it's significantly pricier than $20, so I'm not sure the extra expense is necessary.)
I have made several trips of a few weeks each to E. Europe traveling - without a car. I have carried
Ricoh GR1's, Leica Miniluxes, Olympic Epic, Nikon FM, Rolleiflex, and 120 folders. The best photo accessory on these trips has consistantly been my black, Nylon Domke 803 satchel. I can carry all sorts of compact camera gear plus small umbrella, food, water, etc. in that Domke. And the Domke is slim, easy to carry when getting onto and off public transportation and doesn't attract undue attention - unless it is stuffed full to the point of buldging!
As to focal lengths the 28 (used 90%) and 50 (10%) have served me best. The smaller of flat cameras fit in smaller pouches that I have "Velcrowed" to the inside wall of the main compartment. I can access one of the cameras very rapidly from the Domke - almost as fast as from a belt pack or shirt pocket.
On occasion I have carried one of the smaller cameras on my belt when I didn't want or it wasn't appropriate to carry the Domke satchel.
Ricoh GR1's, Leica Miniluxes, Olympic Epic, Nikon FM, Rolleiflex, and 120 folders. The best photo accessory on these trips has consistantly been my black, Nylon Domke 803 satchel. I can carry all sorts of compact camera gear plus small umbrella, food, water, etc. in that Domke. And the Domke is slim, easy to carry when getting onto and off public transportation and doesn't attract undue attention - unless it is stuffed full to the point of buldging!
As to focal lengths the 28 (used 90%) and 50 (10%) have served me best. The smaller of flat cameras fit in smaller pouches that I have "Velcrowed" to the inside wall of the main compartment. I can access one of the cameras very rapidly from the Domke - almost as fast as from a belt pack or shirt pocket.
On occasion I have carried one of the smaller cameras on my belt when I didn't want or it wasn't appropriate to carry the Domke satchel.
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