suggest a camera

topKam said:

You guys were a good help, pointed out some good choices and some not so good choices.

Ended up on the pentax mx. the build got me, smallest mechanical slr ever sounds right for me. And the ability to use m42 screw mount is going to be interesting.

Click to expand...

The smallest fully mechanical SLR with the largest magnification viewfinder ever!

Untitled by Les DMess, on Flickr

With the 40mm f2.8 pancake lens, it is small enough for a jacket pocket.
Using an M42 adapter, I can use my Takumar 17mm fisheye and it is also a very small package.

MX_MX lenses by Les DMess, on Flickr

pentax mx

My neighbor has a great analogy for this. It's about groceries, but applies to everything. If you go into a store for just 1 item, you might get it. If you want to get 2 or 3 items, you will get them but tend to forget the original item. And if you have a long list of items, forget it.

Asking like this, you will probably get so many different answers it will be impossible to make a decision. It's also hard to recommend anything because the different cameras and systems really are different, and you don't know much until things are in your hand. The Pentax line has some small cameras, the MV I'm selling (shameless plug) is tiny, and takes a lot of different K and M42 lenses, so that system is hard to ignore, especially at their low prices. Pentax has some interesting MF and AF cameras.

Canon Ftb ql or either F1, particularly, the second F1n.

They may have some ability to use in part some of your EL glass and with a Canon adapter to take Pentax M42 lenses, etc you can have quality glass for a song.

FD glass is also very good, even in basic kit lenses, but I like primes anyway.

These cameras themselves are all metal and the idea of fending off an attacker gets a bit more real, when they wonder if they want to take a hit from a swing metal brick.

Good luck
IMO.

Forget what everyone recommended, those are their opinions and yours is the only one that matters. How does the camera fit in your hands? Which one feels go and handles well? Is it too large? Is it too large? Your opinion is the only one that matters.