Recommendations for cheap SLR + 35mm lens

briandaly · May 13, 2008

I'm looking for a cheap small manual focus SLR, preferably with a built-in light meter. I propose shooting mainly with a 35mm prime on it.

I'm currently thinking about a Minolta x-nnn or Olympus OM-xx.

Anyone have any recommendations?

Thanks,
Brian

Vonder · May 13, 2008

You're going to get a hundred recommendations. Nearly all used film SLRs are cheap. HOW cheap? Stay away from Canon EOS, Nikon, and Pentax because their old lenses still can be used on DSLRs, making their glass more expensive. Stay away from those in any sort of bad condition. A camera that looks nearly new probably hasn't seen much use. A camera that looks beat to hell - well, has been. Some cameras can take it, some can't.

Minolta MD, Canon FD cameras, Fujica (both AX and M42 mounts), Chinon, Mamiya, etc. are all pretty good bets if you start out with a camera in good working condition. Olympus OM cameras too, but they tend to be pricier. I have a Chinon model "SLR" (nicely confusing name) that works great and takes great photos. Got it, and a lens, for $20.

If you pay more than $50, you had a GAS attack.

Pinholemaster · May 13, 2008

A used Pentax K-1000. A classic, and wonderful camera.

rwyoung · May 13, 2008

I wouldn't "stay away from Canon EOS, Nikon, and Pentax" just because some of their lenses work on modern dSLR bodies. It is pretty hard to beat a good Pentax MX/LX or Nikon F2/3/5/6 body and a quality prime. For example, the Pentax MX body is 100% manual so the non "A" lenses work and those would be less desirable to a K10D or K100D owner. Similar statement for Nikon and Cannon, just substitute the appropriate nomenclature for their non-auto mode manual lenses.

briandaly · May 13, 2008

I was considering manual-only for two reasons:

1. Lenses should be cheaper as they are less convenient for DSLR users (although in many cases they can still be used on DSLRs).

2. Generally, I would expect a brighter viewfinder with a split prism for easier manual focusing (over manually focusing through the viewfinder of an auto-focus camera)

Vonder · May 13, 2008

He did say cheap.

rwyoung said:
I wouldn't "stay away from Canon EOS, Nikon, and Pentax" just because some of their lenses work on modern dSLR bodies. It is pretty hard to beat a good Pentax MX/LX or Nikon F2/3/5/6 body and a quality prime. For example, the Pentax MX body is 100% manual so the non "A" lenses work and those would be less desirable to a K10D or K100D owner. Similar statement for Nikon and Cannon, just substitute the appropriate nomenclature for their non-auto mode manual lenses.

Off-brand cameras go for much cheaper than the bigger brands. You need $300-400 for a Pentax LX. You may be richer than I but that ain't cheap in my book!

cmo · May 13, 2008

One of those cameras that are cheap because collectors ignore them is the Yashica FR - a simplified Contax RTS. Very good lenses (made by Yashica and Zeiss, it's the Contax-Yashica bayonet), solid mechanics and dirt cheap: you might get a whole set with three lenses and some accessories for 50 bucks. Invest 10 more and you have a spare body. There is an FR-1 that lacks some features, too.

haris · May 13, 2008

Look at flea market or garage sales or clasifieds in papers (but NOT in photo magazines). Same cameras you find in secondhand shops or photo magazine ads that cost 100 or 200 or more USD/EUROS, in flea market or garage sales you can find for 10, 20 USD/EUROS.

But, be carefull when buying on flea maket and garage sales you are buying "as it is", no warranty or money return policy I am afraid

Try former Eastern Europe or USSR makers and models (FED, ZENIT, PENTACON, etc...). You hardly can find cheaper than that, especially if you can buy in (continental) Europe, and more of if you can buy in former communist European countries. FED for example could be found in few passed years in flea market for 2,5 to 10 EUROS, those countries are full of them...

BobbyR · May 13, 2008

Yashica, Fujica, Praktica etc. all used screw-on lenses on some and there are some very good screw-on lenses out there.

If I were you I would look for the best 35 you can afford and then find a camera to fit it.
Bobby

cmo · May 13, 2008

haris said:
Try former Eastern Europe or USSR makers and models (FED, ZENIT, PENTACON, etc...). You hardly can find cheaper than that, especially if you can buy in (continental) Europe, and more of if you can buy in former communist European countries. FED for example could be found in few passed years in flea market for 2,5 to 10 EUROS, those countries are full of them...

Of course, you will need to buy five cameras to find one that's working and test 10 lenses of the same make to find out which is centered - and after that, there is hope and trepidation after every roll because you never know if it worked this time...

I live in Germany, it is very easy to get FSU gear here - but many people learned their lesson and forgo that trash. The price difference between a Zorki, Fed, Zenit, Pentacon, Werra on the one hand and a good used japanese camera is VERY small today, but the difference in quality is homongous.

milkplus-mesto · May 13, 2008

A Pentax ME Super

You can usually get hold of these for less than $50. So a Pentax ME Super is a great choice, I know at least 5 people who own them, and all of them are totally satisfied.

Also, there is a good amount you can do to repair them yourself if anything goes wrong.

briandaly · May 13, 2008

BobbyR said:
Yashica, Fujica, Praktica etc. all used screw-on lenses on some and there are some very good screw-on lenses out there.

If I were you I would look for the best 35 you can afford and then find a camera to fit it.
Bobby

Good idea. Any recommendations?

Steve Bellayr · May 13, 2008

Whichever camera you decide upon look up the specifications for the battery replacement availability. Older cameras use 1.35volt Mercury batteries. Allegedly these batteries are still available in Europe; definitely not in the USA.

pschwart · May 13, 2008

briandaly said:
I'm looking for a cheap small manual focus SLR, preferably with a built-in light meter. I propose shooting mainly with a 35mm prime on it.

I'm currently thinking about a Minolta x-nnn or Olympus OM-xx.

Anyone have any recommendations?

Thanks,
Brian

Minolta x700 is a great choice -- very small and light, simple to operate, but it doesn't do spot metering. A Nikon FM2N would be a good all-manual camera.
You might also consider a Nikon N90s. It has all the bells and whistles of a modern camera, and you can choose to autofocus or use older manual focus lenses. The N90 is a pretty hefty camera, and you will be constantly recharging batteries. Check KEH, they are a more reliable source than eBay and they have a good selection.

juanito · May 13, 2008

I satrted photography with the Olympus OM system. I had the OM1 and the OM2 bodys and several Zuiko lenses. Th OM's are light, reliable, quiet and have a bright viewfinder. I don't have tue system any more because it has been stoled.
It's sad that Olympus dropped down the Om system.

Juan Carlos

Paul Howell · May 13, 2008

briandaly said:
Good idea. Any recommendations?

Many of these camera are now 35 years old, some used odd batteries, others are not very reliable. For 42mm mount I would look for a working Spotmatic or Spotmaitc II. I have 3 bodies one with a working meter, it was my second 35mm bought it in 1967, one with a dead meter and one with a meter that is off by a couple of stops, but with a hand held meter all are good to go. You should be able to find a good working Spot locally from a reputable dealer. On the other hand either Minolta or Olympus are also good bets.

nsurit · May 13, 2008

Olympus OM 2 or 2n would be a good choice. Zuiko lens are wonderful and you can build a decent kit around your camera should you decide to expand. Not as pricey at Nikon or Canon. These can be had for a song if you are patient. You should plan on having a CLA done at some point when buying a camera this old. Figure $100 to $125from a good repair person. One can be found a zuiko.com. Bill Barber

IloveTLRs · May 13, 2008

Pinholemaster said:
A used Pentax K-1000. A classic, and wonderful camera.

I'll second that. A K-1000 was the first real camera I used when taking photo classes in college and I still have it.

It uses the K mount which is supposed to have about a million different lenses, plus the camera uses LR44 batteries which you can get anywhere in the world.

rwyoung · May 13, 2008

Pentax LX was the top-of-the-line pro camera and will be more expensive. The MX was one down and is much less expensive. Both are quite mechanically reliable and you get what you pay for. The ME and ME Super make good manual cameras but they can be a bit of a bugger to trick into running 100% manual. I'd avoid most K1000s as they tend to be pretty shagged out but YMMV. In the USA, consider getting the camera and prime lens from KEH.com. They are reputable and knowlegable in their ratings.

Same goes for the Nikon line. A good FM2 (F2M? I can never remember) is an investment, not a throw-away camera. Well kept and well cared for it will last a very long time.

Same goes for the lenses.

And as for battery types, there are replacemtns available for the mecury (1.32V cells) that are non-toxic (as batteries go). However they are probably zinc-air and will have a shorter shelf life. Those cameras that run off the 1.5V alkalines are a better choice.

Back to the Pentax line, Ricoh and one other company (name escapes me now) also had K-mount lenses. Some sold with a Ricoh badge, others with a Sears (as in Sears & Roebuck) badge. The Ricoh models will go for less and in many cases are just as good as the Pentax branded cameras. There are some downgrades in material (more plastic, less metal, especially around the lens mount and tripod mount). There are also some late model Vivitar manual cameras with a K-mount.

I don't have the link handy, but Google around for "pentax manual" or "ricoh manual" and you may find the site where a guy has collected lots and lots of camera manuals. Most available for viewing. Send him a dontation if you end up using one of his manual copies.

John Koehrer · May 13, 2008

Requirements:
Small
Cheap
Manual
Pentax MX=fully manual, battery for meter only. ME & ME super use electronic shutters.

Pentax KX/KM/K1000 all manual, batteries available, not compact. Features vary.

Pentax Spotmatic, screw mount, hundreds of lenses available. Battery(meter only) extinct.

OM1n See Above, OM2/n uses electronic shutter. batteries available for the 2, I don't believe so for the 1.

Nikon FM/FM2 fully manual, batteries available, lenses a trifle more $$

Minolta Xxx All need battery to operate in manual. Srt cameras & lenses are cheap & plentiful, not compact.

I don't think Canon ever made a compact slr.

nsurit · May 13, 2008

OM 1 or 1n can have a CLA and conversion to use currently available batteries for about $110. See Zuiko.com. I have about 17 or 18 that I use in a basic photographyu class. They are wonderful for learning the basics. Bill Barber

BradS · May 13, 2008

I'll buck the trend and STRONGLY recommend AGAINST buying 35mm gear, especially bodies, from KEH. Their rating system is based entirely upon cosmetics and they do not do even the most basic mechanical checks. I have had it with their policy of endless exchanges...letting me, their customer, do the work they should be doing to test the cameras they sell. I've had nothing but bad luck buying 35mm gear from them.

I'd wait for an APUG member to list a good used Nikon body at a reasonable price. There are some here who perpetually list stuff at outrageous prices and there are others who always seem to list things at very fair prices and with very honest descriptions...

BobbyR · May 13, 2008

briandaly said:
Good idea. Any recommendations?

This site http://www.mflenses.com/ has user using lens you normally don't read about often and it seems the 35mm f2.4 Flektogon is quite highly rated.
Prakticas were fairly decent cameras especially the later ones.

waynecrider · May 13, 2008

I'll put in my rec for a Canon FTB or FTbn. Mirror lockup, great lenses, reviewed as able to survive the Sahara or the Arctic. Really reasonable price wise.

r-brian · May 13, 2008

There's a Nikon FM with a 50mm f2 Nikkor listed on the classifieds. I'd jump on that deal with both feet if I didn't already have a FM and a F3. Go for it and don't look back.

And I have no connection what so ever with the seller.

Recommendations for cheap SLR + 35mm lens

haris

Privacy & Transparency

Privacy & Transparency