Searching for really, REALLY small analog camera

[Tim Gray]

It's not super small, but is roughly Stylus Epic size. Ricoh GR1. Great camera.

 

[Pumalite]

The rea lstrength of the venerated Olympus XA is the lens (35/f2.8), as much so it's cheerfully pocketable size and clever, functional design. Always keep in mind the challenges that Olympus engineers overcame in fitting a 6 element /5 group lens into a tiny body! Who else had done that?? Otherwise, I can think of the Rollei and Minox 'minis' with their quirky, sometimes irritating designs. It's a matter of personal preference. And availability. Many of these old classic 'minis' are now well used (perhaps over-used) and getting one that is reliable and that will serve you for any number of years is conjectural. "Seek and ye shall find."

+1

 

[elcabezagrande]

Nikon Lite Touch/AF600. An underrated gem of (fairly) recent vintage. Tiny, robust construction, and a great lens. I am also a big fan of the Canon MC, although it is a little noisy. The Ricoh R1 is a less-expensive alternative to the GR1. Pentax PC35AF, great Pentax lens, manual film advance, manual ISO. Konica Lexio 70 with a 28~70mm lens in a package that is smaller than the XA.

 

[Mendewesz]

Get bigger pockets.

If I'd like bigger pockets I'd ask on some fashion forum, thank you.

 

[Daire Quinlan]

I've gone through a €25 compact camera phase over the last few months. First one I got was a Canon Prima Tele. Turned out to be a good bit bigger than I'd anticipated and has the irritating habit of firing the flash any time there isn't BLAZING SUNSHINE. On the other hand it's got a neat half frame switch. I stuck a roll through it and did only diptychs for the last roll. Good fun. I'll probably get rid of it though.
Next one I got was the above mentioned Nikon af600. Now THERE'S a small camera. Plus it takes nice shots, and you can disable the flash. Doesn't remember the settings though and turns itself off after a couple of minutes which is a bit of a PITA.
Last one I got was a Konica Big Mini 302. Only slightly bigger than the af600 (although for some reason it SEEMS bigger). Very nice 35mm lens, can turn the flash off and has +/- 1.5 exp. compensation. Again doesn't remember the settings, but you can turn off the flash while the camera is switched off and it'll remember the setting when the camera is switched on again. Then promptly reverts to the defaults when you switch it off. WHY Konica, WHYYY ??!? It's so close and yet so far In addition there's no lens protection, needs to be stuck back into a case when pocketed which is annoying.

None of them have any control over aperture of course and they're all DX-encoded only. I have an XA as well but for some reason I never really took to it.

Woops, some examples of ...
af600: http://www.flickr.com/search/?w=31589949@N00&q=af600&m=text
Big Mini: http://www.flickr.com/search/?w=31589949@N00&q=big+mini&m=text
Canon : http://www.flickr.com/search/?w=31589949@N00&q=canon+half+frame&m=text

 

[jeffreyg]

Contax TVS...small, auto or manual programs and focus with a built in flash and also has a pano mask.

http://www.jeffreyglasser.com/

 

[Steve Roberts]

As someone's said, they all have their pros and cons. I have examples of the T4, XAs (various), Oly 35RC, mjuII, Pentax Espio 105W, Konica Lexio, etc., purely because they turn up for next to nothing at car boot sales and in charity shops for a couple of quid and are hard to resist.
The mjuII is probably smallest, but is prone to overexposing flash shots and suffers from light leaks around the v/finder (black tape essential!)
XA is good all round, offering great versatility and surprisingly accurate exposures under all kinds of conditions.
T4 I bought for a couple of quid but haven't put a film through yet.
Espio 105W - like the aluminium shell and ergonomics, but v/finder is rather small and not very accurate. Like 28mm wide end, though.
Konica Lexio (can't remember the precise model designation) W version has a 28mm wide setting. Love this camera for its size, but sooner or later the clam shell switch plays up.
Olympus 35RC - biggest of all, but though it uses batteries for its meter, the shutter is mechanical and works fine without batteries. For that reason alone it has a lot going for it in my book.

For things I might want to do with a P & S, the lenses on all of the above have been absolutely fine. I've recently been out and about a few times with a Pentax MX + 40mm pancake (as someone has already suggested with an ME) and find that a useful combination, though in a case it gets a bit bulky (even with the snub-nosed front)

Happy hunting,

Steve

 

[Richard S. (rich815)]

Rollei 35S or Olympus Pen F with 38/2.8 pancake.

 

[Richard S. (rich815)]

Oh or Contax T2.

 

[Thomas Bertilsson]

I have a Minox 35GT and a Rollei 35SE. Both are stellar performers. If something's wrong with the prints, it certainly wasn't the camera letting me down, but the other way around.
The meter in the Rollei is absolutely amazing. Both cameras have scale focusing, which you have to learn.

I have tried a Yashica T4 and a T5. Both are amazing cameras. The most amazing thing about them is that the autofocus seems to get it right every single time. The lens is pin sharp, and it's sooooo easy to just point it in the direction you want to shoot, burn off a frame, and move on. It does this really really well.

 

[Roger Hicks]

You might also consider a Tessina.

Very nice Swiss-made half-frame 35mm, with all the features you'd expect on a full-grown camera.

- Leigh

Well, 14x21mm with non-standard cassettes... I'd back a Kodak Retina IIa every time. Or if you don't mind half frame, Olympus Pen W.

Cheers,

R.

 

[Roverman]

Contax t3, beautifully built camera which takes stunning pics and can be set from full auto to total manual control, including focus. It's equipped with a ziess 35mm f2.8 sonnar and all glass viewfinder.
a non photo friend borrowed mine and as soon as he look though it said wow! And was so impressed with the results went and got one for himself.

 

[Bill Burk]

Did anyone bring up the vintage Japanese HIT cameras?

 

[BrianL]

Smallest goes to the Minox 9.5mm film format cameras. I've had a III, EC, B, C, and LX. I kept the C, though in hindsight I should have kept the LX in lieu thereof or in addition to. But the film was nonexistent up here and the guy wanted the LX so, traded me a Rolleiflex for it. There is no difference in from results between the C and LX. Ther problem is availability of the film and processing. It actually seems more available now than when I disposed of my LX but there is a premium to pay.

The Minox 35mm series such as the ML, GT, Touring, etc. are 1st rate lens wise; equal to the Leica glass but, Minox was using Leica slugs and grinding and polishing them. Leica eventually bought Minox for the grinding technology as Leica did not have the expertise in grinding such small lenses and then spun it off to the relative shell it is today. Now, the LX is more a collector's item as each issue is a commemorative moore than a user. Do stay away from the ML unless getting a very late one as the earlier ones had repeatedly shutter problems. I had the ML and finally after the 2nd shutter let go, I disposed of it. When it worked, the Leica stayed home more oft than not. The GT is a good bet.

Other than the Touring and ML, the Minox cameras including the EC, B, C and LX all use the now nonexistent PX27. However, adaptors are available to use modern batteries. The 35 series have a folding front that collapes the lens with no fiddling. The Rollei on the other hand has a collapsible lense that you have to twist to release to retract and pull out and lock. It seems the Rollei have potential issues with the shutter if the lens is collapsed or not locked in place. Not sure how much of a problem but have seen it mentioned a number of times. Just means you need to make sure it is extended and locked or you do not try to fire the shutter when collapsed.

The Rollei 35 is also a contender and not to be sneezed at. But the control layout and thicker body than the Minox 35 series makes it somewhat less pocket friendly. It is pocketable, though.

One not mentioned is the Konica AA-35, a 1/2 frame camera. It uses a sliding shell and has the looks of a digital. The size is msall enough and the body shallow enough to easily fit into your white shirt pocket. It includes a flash and has manual iso settings so you can quasi use is as a manual setting camera. The metering on the one I have is very close to the Weston Ranger light meter I use from the results. While the camera sort of looks to be something you'd find in the $5 thrift bin, they do not go for as cheaply as expected as the lens quality is very good, not up to the Monox but not so far off as to be objectionable; easily as good as most better lenses from Japan. Only systemic waekness seems to be the battery door that tends to break. Mine did and I simply hold it in place with tape. It uses ordinary AA batteries to power the auto wind and rewind, shutter and, meter as well as the built in flash and they seem to last a long time. So, no battery issues and no expensive batteries to deal with.

 

[TimFox]

If you want an Olympus, restrict yourself to the XA without suffices. The later ones are more auto, but the original XA rangefinder is a great little camera.
I especially like the detachable flash: without flash it fits nicely into a normal shirt pocket.
The only drawback is that you can't attach a filter in front of the lens.

 

[Someonenameddavid]

If you want an Olympus, restrict yourself to the XA without suffices. The later ones are more auto, but the original XA rangefinder is a great little camera.
I especially like the detachable flash: without flash it fits nicely into a normal shirt pocket.
The only drawback is that you can't attach a filter in front of the lens.

But the XA3 and XA4 are relatively rare and have useful features: one has a 28mm wide angle and the other has macro. The XA1 is to be avoided. The XA2 has a bog-standard Tessar f3.5

David

 

[thuggins]

But the XA3 and XA4 are relatively rare and have useful features: one has a 28mm wide angle and the other has macro. The XA1 is to be avoided. The XA2 has a bog-standard Tessar f3.5

David

The XA3 is the same as the XA2. They just added DX and a couple other minor features. The XA4 has both the 28mm lens and the macro (pretty much a freebie with a 28mm lens). The XA1 is a great camera. The soul of a Trip in the body of an XA. It uses a selenium cell so it never needs batteries. You only get two ASA settings (100 and 400) and it is fixed focus. But neither of these are big drawbacks for a pocket camera.

The three smallest 35mm full frame cameras are the XA's, the Stylus and the Minox. Although individual dimensions vary (e.g. the Minox is taller, but not as thick when closed) they are essentially the same volume. The Minox is a classic clamshell design, so it is much bigger with the lens door open and the lens pulled out. The Minox also has a shoe on top, so it can snag on a pocket. Both the XA's and Stylus use Olympus' classic "sliding dust barrier" so they are the same size opened as closed. With the Stylus you also get a built in flash.

I haven't had the best of luck with the Minox shutters as they get older. The Olympus' seem much more dependable, as befits a camera built by the gods.

 

[eurekaiv]

How about a Pentax Auto 110? It's ridiculous how tiny it is, yet it's a legitimate SLR with a reasonable variety of interchangeable lenses available.

 

[LunoLuno]

I haven't had the best of luck with the Minox shutters as they get older. The Olympus' seem much more dependable, as befits a camera built by the gods.

The Minox35 is one of few cameras I really want to possess once again. It's a pity it has such a bad reputation about its soon-to-be-dead electronic shutter. I really wish a company like Cosina would make a copy of that little gem, preferably with a more reliable shutter unit.

 

[M. Lointain]

If you want great image quality and you want to be able to put it in your pocket there aren't that many cameras that fit the bill. I disagree on the XA and the Yashica T4 and the other second tier P&S's. I don't think the lenses are all that stellar. The lens on the T4 for example is contrasty but not all that sharp when you get into the negative. The images just don't hold up upon enlargement unfortunately. I personally would pass on the Rollei 35 if you don't want your pants to fall down. It is pretty heavy. The miniature Minoxes are fun to use as a novelty (I have one and am probably going to buy a slitter for it) but seriously lack in picture quality unless you are only looking to print 4x6's. The Ricoh GR1 is thin enough to put it in your jeans pocket and the lens is absolutely top notch. Until it died I used it instead of buying a 28mm for my Leica. The lens is that good. It is probably the best all around pocketable camera. I don't want to blow hundreds on a pocket camera again so after a lot of looking I decided to give the Minox 35 a try. I have one coming.

 

[Poisson Du Jour]

^ I agree with the above sentiments on the Ricoh GR1 which if my memory is correct I upgraded to after trading in an Olympus XA in 1997. The GR1 lasted only one week before it was killed off in a freak wave on the beach where I left it on top of my t-shirt while I had a swim. You know what happened! I do recall the lens being exceptionally sharp. After that upsetting mishap it was back to finding another XA, which I secured in the autumn of 2000 and kept that until 2005. I don't see many second-hand GR1 specimens about; people are either holding on to them as one of Ricoh's finest, or they are just sparsely distributed. I'm very happy with my XA and the first prints were exceptionally sharp, well exposed.