Shutter Priority Compact Cameras, do they exist?

Lasse Larsen · Jan 11, 2021

Hi all,
I am currently considering getting an Olympus 35 RC because it can fit in a pocket and I can use it in shutter priority mode.

I already own a Contax TVS and a Nikon F3.

My use case is this: I want a camera that can fit in my trousers pocket, shoot in low light and not worry about my meter being wrong.

I want to set my shutter speed at around 1/60 so I don't get motion blur, and I can get enough light on an f/2.8.

Basically I need a camera that can be locked to a shutter speed around 1/30 - 1/90 and it needs to fit in a pocket.

I know SLRs can be compact, but it is not what I am looking for.
I know that a lot of 70-80s Rangefinders are compact, the ones i am considering are:
Olympus 35 RC
Ricoh 500
Rollei 35 s.
(and there are more in the Olympus and Minolta families)

But does anyone know of any 80's, 90's, 00's compact point and shoots with shutter priority mode?
I simply can't find any.
Not even the high end ones like Leica, Contax, Ricoh Gr, Nikon 35Ti, Minolta TC-1 etc...

ronnies · Jan 11, 2021

Canon Canonet G-III QL-17 is shutter priority.

Ronnie

Lasse Larsen · Jan 11, 2021

Thanks Ronnies. I have been considering that one too. But I am also trying to see if I can find something even smaller than that.

Two options I have found:
Minox 35ML:
While not a shutter priority, you can trigger the button on the Hot Shoe to make it think it has a flash on.
In AE mode it will default to 1/125 sec. with all apertures.
In AE mode and aperture set to "P" it will default to f/2.8 and 1/40 sec.

Cosina CX-2:
When hot shoe button is triggered, shutter speed will default to 1/45 sec.
Aperture can be set to f/2.8 manually.

Those two options seem very appealing, though both have gone up in price.

A great option would be if the Minolta AF-C could be tricked in the same way.
Then I would have a low light f/2.8, super compact camera with autofocus :O

ic-racer · Jan 11, 2021

I have been looking for the ideal point and shoot camera since I first used a Konica C-35 when it first came out. What I do now is use a Nikon N55 or N75. It is like a point and shoot with features of a Nikon F5. They really are pretty small. I have some early autofocus, autowind P&S from the 80s that are larager than the little nikons.

AgX · Jan 11, 2021

Lasse Larsen said:
Two options I have found:
Minox 35ML:
While not a shutter priority, you can trigger the button on the Hot Shoe to make it think it has a flash on.
In AE mode it will default to 1/125 sec. with all apertures.
In AE mode and aperture set to "P" it will default to f/2.8 and 1/40 sec.

Cosina CX-2:
When hot shoe button is triggered, shutter speed will default to 1/45 sec.
Aperture can be set to f/2.8 manually.

Those two options seem very appealing, though both have gone up in price.

"Shutter-Priority" designates an Autoexposure mode in which exposure-time is preset and the aperture chosen by the camera automatically.

This is not the case in the cases above.

Lasse Larsen · Jan 11, 2021

Hi AgX.
That is fully correct. I asked for the shutter priority feature to simplify my request.
My concrete goal is explained in the use case. That I can fix the shutter speed between 1/30 - 1/90 and have the aperture at f/2.8.
The two cameras mentioned above pose a kind of fun workaround to the problem.

I am very interested in hearing other people who have tried to solve this.
Would be fantastic if any point and shoots had the feature built in.

bernard_L · Jan 11, 2021

Lasse Larsen said:
I am currently considering getting an Olympus 35 RC because it can fit in a pocket and I can use it in shutter priority mode.

Lasse Larsen said:
But does anyone know of any 80's, 90's, 00's compact point and shoots with shutter priority mode?
I simply can't find any.

? ?
The Oly 35C is shutter priority; just to be 100% clear, this means you set the shutter speed, set the aperture to "A", and the camera sets the aperture for you. Most compacts of the 70's era work the same: Miomta Himatic 7SII, Canonet QL17, Konica Auto S3, Oly 35RD... Later on, it became cheaper to manufacture an electronic shutter than a trap-needle aut-diaphragm, and compacts with aperture priority and auto-shutter became common. Of course, if you insist on '80's-90's vintage, you enter the domain of plastic fantastic.

bernard_L · Jan 11, 2021

I have a Mju-II, and find it perfect for carefree shooting. Not missing opportunities while fiddling with camera settings. The built-in program, relying on the autofocus, keeps the diaphragm wide open until the shutter speed is fast enough that camera shake is a non-issue. I never had reason to complain about this mode of operation. Same for Mju-I (cheaper).
And in practice, aperture priority auto is not that bad. Case in point: Minox 35. Turning the aperture ring until the indicated shutter speed is acceptable is much faster than matching a needle in metered manual mode.

Huss · Jan 11, 2021

I have the Cosina CX-2 with motorwinder (two of these!), and one diving housing made by Cosina for it. I have the Minolta AF-C. And I have two Ricoh FF1 and the Sears Mini35 relabelled version.

The one I recommend by far is the Ricoh/Sears. Tiny - size of the Minox - flip down lens cover, single wind lever film advance, single manual speed if you put something on the hotshoe (and then you are able to select the aperture), excellent AE exposure if you use it, and best of all, a fantastic lens.

Lasse Larsen · Jan 11, 2021

Huss said:
The one I recommend by far is the Ricoh/Sears. Tiny - size of the Minox - flip down lens cover, single wind lever film advance, single manual speed if you put something on the hotshoe (and then you are able to select the aperture), excellent AE exposure if you use it, and best of all, a fantastic lens.

Thank you. The FF-1 sounds very interesting! Watching a couple on eBay now. I really hope I can get one at a decent price.

bernard_L said:
And in practice, aperture priority auto is not that bad. Case in point: Minox 35. Turning the aperture ring until the indicated shutter speed is acceptable is much faster than matching a needle in metered manual mode.

I agree with that when it comes to daylight shooting.
But none of my AE cameras get the exposure right in the night time. My Contax usually wants to shoot 1/8 sec in situations where I know I can get away with 1/60 sec.
I have gotten the same result with Nikon cameras as well. Manual mode or shutter priority seems like the only choice in low light situations.
Maybe if any of the compacts has matrix metering i'd get better results, but I just like to set my shutter speed according to the light and know that the exposure will be good.

bernard_L said:
? ?
The Oly 35C is shutter priority; just to be 100% clear,...

Yes exactly, thats why I am considering that one. I was just struck by the fact that I had to go that far back in history to get a fixed shutter priority compact.
My hope was that I could find something either smaller, cheaper or with AF if I took 90's cameras into consideration.
But the options seem to be either 70's vintage or hacking/tricking a hot-shoe.

Patrick Robert James · Jan 11, 2021

I'll be blunt that I think a TVS is a better camera than those you are looking at.

Most point and shoots operate on a program that tries to keep the shutter speed higher until it runs out of aperture. In other words, they do what you are looking for. Anything more than that and you are going to run out of light anyway. On top of that, point and shoots have a flash.

I'd just keep using the TVS if I were you. Or pick up one of the nice small pocket point and shoots like the Mju.

AgX · Jan 11, 2021

bernard_L said:
Most compacts of the 70's era work [with shutter-priority]. Later on, it became cheaper to manufacture an electronic shutter than a trap-needle aut-diaphragm, and compacts with aperture priority and auto-shutter became common.

Good explanation.

Wallendo · Jan 11, 2021

The Olympus 35RC is a great camera. I dropped mine on the floor a few times too often and the auto mode no longer works, but when it did work, it did a very good job metering. I was even able to get good autoexposure results with EliteChrome 400 at night with this camera. I still have the camera but have to shoot in all manual mode due to not taking proper care of it.

alter ego 6x9 · Jan 11, 2021

Crazy idea - why not cheap p&s with fixed shutter speed? Minolta AF 101R has 1/125 - you always have it safe

removed account4 · Jan 11, 2021

not sure what shutter priority is anymore but a Pentax me super fits in a jacket pocket. ...
it has shutter priority ( is tiny and its lenses are amazing ) ... its like a sophisticated P/S with options ..

Huss · Jan 12, 2021

jnantz said:
not sure what shutter priority is anymore but a Pentax me super fits in a jacket pocket. ...
it has shutter priority ( is tiny and its lenses are amazing ) ... its like a sophisticated P/S with options ..

i’ve never seen a shutter priority ME Super

ronnies · Jan 12, 2021

jnantz said:
not sure what shutter priority is anymore but a Pentax me super fits in a jacket pocket. ...
it has shutter priority ( is tiny and its lenses are amazing ) ... its like a sophisticated P/S with options ..

ME Supers are Aperture Priority and Manual. No Shutter Priority.

Ronnie

Lasse Larsen · Jan 12, 2021

Patrick Robert James said:
I'll be blunt that I think a TVS is a better camera than those you are looking at.

Yeah I am coming to a similar conclusion. Will try and shoot some more night photography with the TVS and see if I can get used to using exposure lock or exposure compensation to get the right speeds. It actually does lock at 1/60 sec on flash mode. If only I could trick my flash bulb to not fire in that mode...
A guy at 35mmc tried hacking his T2 for this, but not going to run that risk https://www.35mmc.com/03/04/2016/hacking-contax-t2-low-light-street-shooting/

alter ego 6x9 said:
Crazy idea - why not cheap p&s with fixed shutter speed? Minolta AF 101R has 1/125 - you always have it safe

Haha! never heard of that one. Yeah if it had a slightly faster lens it would be really sweet

Huss · Jan 12, 2021

Konica c35 EF3's lowest shutter speed is 1/60 sec. So basically when the light gets low, it hits that pretty sharpish like. So presto chango - your camera with a fixed 1/60 sec speed! And you don't have to perform any hotshoe trickery to get it.
It's also a very fun to use camera with a nice lens. I have a red one and a blue one...

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I still would pick the tiny and superb Ricoh FF1 over this though.

alter ego 6x9 · Jan 13, 2021

Huss said:
Konica c35 EF3's lowest shutter speed is 1/60 sec. So basically when the light gets low, it hits that pretty sharpish like. So presto chango - your camera with a fixed 1/60 sec speed! And you don't have to perform any hotshoe trickery to get it.
It's also a very fun to use camera with a nice lens. I have a red one and a blue one...

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I still would pick the tiny and superb Ricoh FF1 over this though.

Following the same logic I would recommend Olympus Trip 35. With the red flag disabled it basically works at two speeds - 1/250 and 1/30 at any light.

Lasse Larsen · Jan 14, 2021

Huss said:
Konica c35 EF3's lowest shutter speed is 1/60 sec.

Genius! I didn't know so many point and shoots had fairly fast, lowest shutter speeds. Another good one for the list √

alter ego 6x9 said:
Olympus Trip 35. With the red flag disabled it basically works at two speeds - 1/250 and 1/30 at any light.

Excellent! Just reading about it's shutter mechanism on Camerapedia. It is a very interesting 'Aperture Priority' it has. Very cool that it gets away with only shooting those two shutter speeds ever https://camerapedia.fandom.com/wiki/Olympus_Trip_35

alter ego 6x9 · Jul 29, 2021

In a way - Hexar AF. You can set the slowest shutter speed -1/30, 1/60, 1/125- whatever you like for P mode.

Paul Howell · Jul 29, 2021

Konica Auto S3

Konica Auto S3
image by Alf Sigaro (Image rights)
The Konica Auto S3 is a versatile 35mm, shutter-priority rangefinder camera. The camera is very similar in most respects to the Vivitar 35ES, Revue 400SE and Minolta Hi-Matic 7sII, and is believed to have been built by Cosina for Konica. The S3 has a fast (f/1.8) 38mm, six-element lens that has garnered a reputation for extremely sharp and detailed images.

Lens: f1.8 38mm, 6 elements in 4 groups
Shutter speed: 1/8-1/500 sec.
Flash: Flashmatic linked manual flash feature
Display in viewfinder: aperture, over/under exposure
Size: 115x60x77 mm

Chan Tran · Jul 29, 2021

Lasse Larsen said:
Hi all,
I am currently considering getting an Olympus 35 RC because it can fit in a pocket and I can use it in shutter priority mode.

I already own a Contax TVS and a Nikon F3.

My use case is this: I want a camera that can fit in my trousers pocket, shoot in low light and not worry about my meter being wrong.

I want to set my shutter speed at around 1/60 so I don't get motion blur, and I can get enough light on an f/2.8.

Basically I need a camera that can be locked to a shutter speed around 1/30 - 1/90 and it needs to fit in a pocket.

I know SLRs can be compact, but it is not what I am looking for.
I know that a lot of 70-80s Rangefinders are compact, the ones i am considering are:
Olympus 35 RC
Ricoh 500
Rollei 35 s.
(and there are more in the Olympus and Minolta families)

But does anyone know of any 80's, 90's, 00's compact point and shoots with shutter priority mode?
I simply can't find any.
Not even the high end ones like Leica, Contax, Ricoh Gr, Nikon 35Ti, Minolta TC-1 etc...

I am not sure about the early 80's but from the late 80's on there is none. Most compact cameras from that point on became Point and shoot and they would have programmed mode and AF. Some may have aperture priority mode but not shutter priority mode.

removed account4 · Jul 29, 2021

ronnies said:
ME Supers are Aperture Priority and Manual. No Shutter Priority.

Ronnie

yea, you're right, I get a little mixed up sometimes

Shutter Priority Compact Cameras, do they exist?

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