Sleeper 35mm cameras - good and cheap

[kivis]

Bought a Nikon FM used in 1984. use it all the time for 26 years, never a problem. Can be had for about $100 or less.

 

[zumbido]

nonsense! there are quite a few 24mm lenses sold on ebay for under $100. That includes nikkors, canon fds, and minoltas. Olympus and Pentax tend to go for a bit more. Alternative manfacturers are seen for under $50 sometimes.

The often-rebranded Cosina and Tokina 24s are often available cheaply in some mounts. Minoltas sometimes, because not many people are using the MD lenses anymore. Pentax, not so much. This is a good example to illustrate the trade-offs of vintage systems; some, like the M42 and K-mount, have oodles of lenses available, which drives prices down in some cases but not across the board because these are also still easily usable on digital cameras. Depends on particular lenses, and there's not always a correlation to quality (just what's either a well-known "classic" or a current fad).

 

[darinwc]

and there's not always a correlation to quality (just what's either a well-known "classic" or a current fad).

People will often spend twice the money or more on lenses that are negligibly better than others. A good example of this is 50mm lenses, where f2 and f1.8 lenses often go for peanuts compared to their f1.4 versions. And the slower lenses generally are just as sharp and have better contrast.

 

[GeorgeDexter]

Nonsense? I thought this was a polite forum...

nonsense! there are quite a few 24mm lenses sold on ebay for under $100. That includes nikkors, canon fds, and minoltas. Olympus and Pentax tend to go for a bit more. Alternative manfacturers are seen for under $50 sometimes.

Regardless, I stand corrected. I hadn't realized how far manual focus gear had fallen. If you bargain shop, you can find Nikkor 24mm for under $100, which would leave you enough to get a 50mm, a 35mm and a body for under $200, with a little luck. You certainly aren't going to get Leica gear for that amount though, at least not with 3 lenses, even in screwmount.

George

 

[marcmarc]

Don't bother getting a cheaper camera. Take out an insurance policy for what you do have and you'll be happy you did. I have my Mamiya and Nikon gear insured with an all risk floater policy. This means I'm covered if anything of mine is stolen, falls off a tripod, dropped in the ocean etc. I pay about US $50-60 per year. Why bother with a camera you are not familiar with and may malfunction? Get insurance and use what you know and what you can expect good results from.

 

[jordanstarr]

marc...

Awesome advise I never considered. I should be doing that anyway.

Thanks everyone else for the advice. I have a lot to think about and there's a lot of good advice and experience floating around.

...Jordan.

 

[jimgalli]

Yashica Electro 35. Under $20.

 

[John_Nikon_F]

All three of my latest Nikomat/Nikkormat bodies have been $30 or less, including shipping. Yes, they've all needed refoaming, and at least a couple need some meter work, but they are useable as is. Got two black Nikomat bodies (an FTn and an FT2), and a chrome Nikkormat FT3 that I just got off the 'bay. Needs to have the baseplate swapped with one that will let the battery cap come out without a torch.

-J

 

[Wayne R. Scott]

If you may need to use your camera as a self defense weapon, I recommend a Koni-Omega. Just advance the film once and from the sound of it your opponent will think you have chambered a round in your .45 Auto. They should leave you alone then, if not use it as a club.

I'd just use my Nikon equipment and get the job done with cameras that I know work and that I know how to work.

Wayne

 

[Rick A]

If you may need to use your camera as a self defense weapon, I recommend a Koni-Omega. Just advance the film once and from the sound of it your opponent will think you have chambered a round in your .45 Auto. They should leave you alone then, if not use it as a club.

I'd just use my Nikon equipment and get the job done with cameras that I know work and that I know how to work.

Wayne

You bet, and when you're done clubbing them with it, it'll still work like it should.

Rick

 

[Anscojohn]

I second the sound of the Koni-Omega; its usefulness as a weapon; and its servicibility after bashing the skull of some malefactor.

 

[Joe Grodis]

I came across a Fujica 35-EE at a local flea market with case, flash, and a bunch of Kodachrome in the little aluminum containers. All was had for $10 (USD) The camera is built about as durable as a hockey puck. I was VERY surprised of the fine photographs it produced. To date it is the cheapest camera I own that takes excellent pictures!

 

[Jeff L]

If you have a Contax you might consider a Yashica FX-3

 

[Steve Roberts]

Beware, though. I bought a knackered Spotmatic for a boat trip where it could easily have ended up in the Thames estuary. It didn't, but I've since grown to love the camera and would have to buy another trasher if circumstances demanded it!
Steve

 

[dynachrome]

Sleeper 35mm cameras

I have a number of Cosina-made Vivitar SLRs. They are V4000S and V4000 models. These have K mounts, are light and cost very little. There are any number of decent K mount lenses which don't cost to much to go with them.

Finding a capable and inexpensive film camera today is not that difficult. The issues you bring up about how the camera might be damaged or stolen are more troubling. It's one thing to have to take pictures in an environment which is cold or got or rainy or has rugged terrain. In these circumstances, assuming no downpours, I might use a cosmetically less attractive Nikkormat or Canon FTbN. The cameras work well but are not cometically perfact so a few more scratches wouldn't bother me. The fact that your camera might be stolen is another issue altogether. If you could know that this theft would involve only the camera then you could make a dollar calculation. If you could be harmed in the process of this theft then I have to wonder why you would want to go to this kind of place at all. I grew up in NY City and there are still areas in it which I wouldn't go to on a bet. There must be some interesting places you could go to take pictures which don't involve a high probability of violence. This part of your posting doesn't have to do with cameras or photography. It has to do with judgment.

 

[Richard Jepsen]

Let me put a word in for the Minolta SRT 102 and lenses as a value leader for good and tough. The 102 has the brightest /spit prisim finder of the SRT series. SRTs are fully mechanical. Tough, one can pound nails with it. The finder has about a .90 mag using a 55mm with 95% coverage. Eye relief is such with glasses you can see the full frame. The full line of MC and most Rokkor X metal lenses are standardized to 55mm filters. With the leather half case the camera feels good to hold and rests in the heal of the right hand for stability. All in all, the SRT is still my favorite small format metal camera.

 

[moouers]

As much as I would love to recommend a Nikon N80 (great camera and so cheap used), I think an obviously older camera that can't be mistaken for digital would be a better idea, since you're afraid of being jumped. A modern SLR that may look like a DSLR (and thus a high resell value) could definately be a target of theft/mugging. An older camera that doesn't sport such names as Nikon or Canon would certainly draw less attention from would-be thieves. You have many more experienced people than I giving suggestions on these cameras. In fact, I'm not sure why I'm posting this at all.

 

[2F/2F]

Canon AE-1P with 50mm 1.8 and Yashica Electro 35 are two that immediately come to mind.

 

[Pumal]

How about Yashica 14e IC ( with an f/1.4 fixed lens)

 

[arealitystudios]

I’m going to throw my opinion in here and give a vote to the Minolta SRT-102. I only say this because many many years ago when I was very young I found myself in a situation where I did have to use my camera to defend myself. The Minolta was the only camera I owned at the time (I was 17) and being the naïve stupid kid that I was found myself in some less desirable neighborhoods of “the big city”.

In self defense I ended up swinging the camera around over my head by the camera strap like a battle mace and even hit a guy on the shoulder with it. It hurt the guy enough to get him to back off and nearly 15 years later the camera still works.

As others have mentioned though, these days getting a very good 35mm SLR is so cheap it almost feels like robbery.

 

[TheFlyingCamera]

I would also suggest the Yashica Lynx 14E as an option for a fixed-lens camera. Another good SLR series to consider are Mirandas. They had a variety of lenses for them, are quite durable, and they're very obviously not digital. They're also obscure enough to be cheap, but not so obscure as to be rare or collectible. I'd also suggest a cheap TLR like a Ciroflex or Yashicamat. The downside is you're basically stuck to one lens, but the upside is that you get those wonderful big 120 negatives. If you want a real battle weapon, a Pentax 67 really works wonders, and you can get an original P 67 without mirror lockup for cheap, just add a normal lens.

 

[Ian Grant]

It might surprise you when I say that probably the best 35mm images I've had the privilege to print (when printing commercially) were shot with an Exacta VX100 and it's 3 Zeiss lenses - 35mm Flektagon, 50mm Pancolor & 135mm Somnnar.

The quality was outstanding, it equaled Leica quality, very tonal rather different to Japanese lenses.

So add Exacta to the sleepers

Ian

 

[Lanline]

I agree with most above camera choices. Another one I would seriously recommend is KONICA FT-1/FS-1/TC/FC-1 or any other models really. The Hexanon lenses are very sharp and affordable due to the small market share in the USA. I bought an entire setup of Hexanons from the 21mm to 300mm all primes, the total cost was ridiculously cheap... Like under $1,000 for these lenses total. The only ones I do not have is the 50 f1.2 and the 85 f1.8

But in the arctic Minnesota winters, I prefer to find and use late model Minolta/Canon/Pentax/Nikon AF cameras - since they generally have better lubricates than the older cameras. I got a Nikon 8008 with Tokina AT-X 28-70 for $25, Canon Rebel T2 w/28-90 for $20 and a Canon Rebel G for $8 with 35-70 lens. I just grab whatever camera based on the weather and go. I will use these in rain/snow/cold because I can replace them with little cost.

The best thing I ever did with my photography was stop obsessing on gear (digital really). Now I just use the camera as a tool, one that for the most part is replaceable for less than almost anything digital. $300 SQ-A set-up for less an a digital flash.

 

[ragc]

Pentax Spotmatic (screwmount) for a great system, cheap, durable.

Nikonos II if you want to knock someone out cold and not damage the camera one bit. Very cheap, with a killer 35mm f2.5 Nikkor with giant DOF that is the standard above / below water lens for it. No worry with water, sand, mud, etc. Cast aluminum body, designed to take pressure at 160 feet of depth, will take the knocks, and as a plus, no lens cap is needed as the lens is sealed behind uncoated glass. 52mm filter thread. Small, cast metal diamond grip texture for great grip. Small and easily concealed, it is a scale focuser with moving DOF brackets that allow you to set up the shot without ever putting the camera up to your face.

 

[removed-user-1]

Pentax Spotmatic (screwmount) for a great system, cheap, durable.

Indeed; I picked up a battered but perfectly usable old Pentax S2 screwmount body with 55/1.8, 55/2.0 (about the same as the 1.8), and 135/3.5 Super-Takumar lenses for $75 last year at an antique shop. This is the camera I take with me when I just want to shoot some black and white film for fun; I don't even bring a light meter, I just estimate the exposure using sunny 16. These cameras are very easy to use and surprisingly small. Adding a 28 (instead of the 24 and 35 lenses) to this sort of kit would probably cost less than $50, so figure on $150.