suggestions for a *small* point and shoot?

[fotoobscura]

Afternoon.

I'm on the hunt for a small point and shoot that I can essentially carry with me all the time. Something wallet sized in thickness (height doesn't matter as much). I had a friend suggested the GR1 but these things are *really* expensive! I've been shooting my Rollei 35 but it's still a little too bulky to carry in a pocket all the time.

I'm ideally looking in the $100 range. Don't care what the frame size is, 16 or 35mm, or half frame, the look/style/color/coolness...the glass/output is what I care about. Obviously no auto-focus and a viewfinder/rangefinder would be fine. I'm really in it for portability and quality first. Ideally I could shoot up to 6400 but I can hack that in development if necessary.

I've considered rollei 16's.

What are your thoughts?

P.S. I'd be willing to trade my Rollei 35 for the ideal replacement.

 

[Peter Simpson]

Olympus XA1?

(thickish wallet...)

 

[pentaxuser]

How thick is your wallet? Mine is so thin due to hard times that only a digi phone might meet this requirement. If your wallet is very thick then a good number of the folders would meet your requirement.

pentaxuser

 

[jbrubaker]

Hi - Rollei 16 is a subminiature that takes 16mm film with auto exposure, so I don't think that fits your requirements. The Olympus XA model would be good - also one of the Minox 35 folding cameras. Both of the above are fairly thin and lightweight (primarily plastic), so they don't weight down your pocket too much. Both have good lenses! Regards ---john.

 

[bernard_L]

Olympus Mju-II (aka Stylus Epic). When I saw one at the charity for 3€, I couldn't pass it, even though I already had one. Excellent 35mm f/2.8 lens. Only gripe is the default mode at power on is auto flash.

 

[fotoobscura]

Ha! My wallet (at least full of business cards) is about 1.5" thick and about 4.5" long, maybe 3.5" wide. Will check out the XA1. Thanks!

 

[fotoobscura]

John,

Thanks! I'll check out the Minox 35 folding...Auto exposure is cool by me (I'm hand metering with my Gossen on the Rollei 35 so there goes my portability)..Good glass is key!

Hi - Rollei 16 is a subminiature that takes 16mm film with auto exposure, so I don't think that fits your requirements. The Olympus XA model would be good - also one of the Minox 35 folding cameras. Both of the above are fairly thin and lightweight (primarily plastic), so they don't weight down your pocket too much. Both have good lenses! Regards ---john.

 

[TheFlyingCamera]

If you don't mind manual everything, a Kodak Retina IIA would be awesome. If not, look at a Yashica T4. Terrific little camera with a Zeiss 35mm lens. Or a Contax T/T2. The T/T2 have full auto ( I think the T2 has aperture priority as well), fold up very compactly, and a brilliant Zeiss 35mm f2.8 lens. The T is more compact because the flash is detachable, much like the Olympus XA.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Contax-T-35...866979692?pt=Film_Cameras&hash=item35c0be8b6c

Here's one that's not cosmetically pristine, but still in GWO, at a reasonable price. The T2s are selling for a lot more than you're looking for on Ebay, but that may not be an accurate indicator of real world price.

 

[troyholden]

+1 to the Olympus Mju-II (aka Stylus Epic). I carry 2 with me at all times (ASA 400 & ASA 125 or 3200). Very lightweight, fits into a hoody or jeans back pocket. I found mine at the local flea for under $10 each.

The auto-flash thing is annoying. Just remember to press the mode button 2x each time you bring it out to suppress the flash.

 

[fotoobscura]

I like the T35- (without the flash, at least). The price is awfully steep for a worn camera from 1984, but perhaps I'm drinking the wrong Kool Aid.

The IIA is a interesting little camera...However, I'm looking for a shooter that isn't quite that manual. Something I can spend only a few seconds to set up and take a shot...With that in mind my Rollei was quite manual and I could bang out a decent shot in about 5 seconds (of course I generally shoot 1600 at sunny 11/16's)

If I could get a compact camera that was AP like my Minolta AL-F I'd be in heaven! I'm more of a high iso shooter and flash is not mandatory..

Thanks for all the suggestions!...Checking all of this out..

If you don't mind manual everything, a Kodak Retina IIA would be awesome. If not, look at a Yashica T4. Terrific little camera with a Zeiss 35mm lens. Or a Contax T/T2. The T/T2 have full auto ( I think the T2 has aperture priority as well), fold up very compactly, and a brilliant Zeiss 35mm f2.8 lens. The T is more compact because the flash is detachable, much like the Olympus XA.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Contax-T-35...866979692?pt=Film_Cameras&hash=item35c0be8b6c

Here's one that's not cosmetically pristine, but still in GWO, at a reasonable price. The T2s are selling for a lot more than you're looking for on Ebay, but that may not be an accurate indicator of real world price.

 

[zenrhino]

Seconded on the Olympic Epic Stylus/Mju II. A great camera with wonderfully accurate autofocus, a sharp lens and a very sturdy design.

 

[TheFlyingCamera]

I like the T35- (without the flash, at least). The price is awfully steep for a worn camera from 1984, but perhaps I'm drinking the wrong Kool Aid.

The IIA is a interesting little camera...However, I'm looking for a shooter that isn't quite that manual. Something I can spend only a few seconds to set up and take a shot...With that in mind my Rollei was quite manual and I could bang out a decent shot in about 5 seconds (of course I generally shoot 1600 at sunny 11/16's)

If I could get a compact camera that was AP like my Minolta AL-F I'd be in heaven! I'm more of a high iso shooter and flash is not mandatory..

Thanks for all the suggestions!...Checking all of this out..

Bear in mind that's a single example found in a 30-second search on a single venue - Things like that turn up on Craigslist often for less money, and there's always KEH/B&H/Adorama. The price point on the Contax T is because they were premium cameras with class-leading optics and sometimes fancier features than other point-n-shoots of the time. I was going to point you toward a Minolta TC-1 but they're even more ridiculously expensive than the Contax T2/T3 and comparable Leica P&S cameras. They didn't sell well when they were new because they had a Minolta badge on a camera priced to compete with Leicas and Contaxes. Today, they're rare, so they're silly expensive (well north of $600, with collector-grade pieces priced around $1K). The selling points were A: they had titanium bodies, B: they had a 28mm lens instead of a 35mm so they were great travel cameras, and C: the lens had a manual aperture control with effectively waterhouse stops with perfectly round apertures, for better bokeh. If someone handed me one today I would be thrilled to death, but I'm not going to spend that kind of money for one. Same with a Nikon 35ti - They sell for over $350, most over $500. They were created to cater to a specific market (rich fools looking for a point-n-shoot camera they could still play one-upsmanship with).

 

[ColdEye]

This: http://mattsclassiccameras.com/gaf_memo35.html

and this: http://mattsclassiccameras.com/konica_c35.html

They are essentially the same, very cheap, and they have VF/RF. Pictures come out nice too, be it color or BW. Also, it is SMALL.

 

[fotoobscura]

Ha. I like your style.

That 35TI is pretty f*ckin' cool..Being a Nikon 35 shooter that's sort of an attractive option (I am far from the guy on the Yacht throwing jumbo shrimp off the bow because the marinade doesn't have enough truffle oil). There are a lot of options out there which is great. Also makes it a hard decision...I do like the idea of shooting 35 at 35mm. Although I could theoretically afford a pricier camera, I'm inclined to pay much less to offset the fear of having a $500+ camera in my pocket as a shooter. Much less painful to break or misplace a $100-200 range... By far The most expensive (and my favorite for 15+ years) SLRs I own are my vast collections of Nikon FE and FE2's (I literally have a dozen of these). So my comparisons of SLR's to P&S's are a bit off...

Lots to think about..Thanks for this.

Bear in mind that's a single example found in a 30-second search on a single venue - Things like that turn up on Craigslist often for less money, and there's always KEH/B&H/Adorama. The price point on the Contax T is because they were premium cameras with class-leading optics and sometimes fancier features than other point-n-shoots of the time. I was going to point you toward a Minolta TC-1 but they're even more ridiculously expensive than the Contax T2/T3 and comparable Leica P&S cameras. They didn't sell well when they were new because they had a Minolta badge on a camera priced to compete with Leicas and Contaxes. Today, they're rare, so they're silly expensive (well north of $600, with collector-grade pieces priced around $1K). The selling points were A: they had titanium bodies, B: they had a 28mm lens instead of a 35mm so they were great travel cameras, and C: the lens had a manual aperture control with effectively waterhouse stops with perfectly round apertures, for better bokeh. If someone handed me one today I would be thrilled to death, but I'm not going to spend that kind of money for one. Same with a Nikon 35ti - They sell for over $350, most over $500. They were created to cater to a specific market (rich fools looking for a point-n-shoot camera they could still play one-upsmanship with).

 

[pentaxuser]

If your price range is $100-200 then the sky is the limit in terms of choice of camera. You'd need to check an aperture chart but set a folder on f16 and using a hyperfocal length of say 15 feet everything will be in focus from about 7.5 feet to infinity or if it is street/people shots then f11 will give you a massive range of distance and so becomes point and shoot

pentaxuser

 

[maximgrew]

Nikon AF600 or called lite.touch something in america? (the skinny black one). excellent quality glass and fits in your pocket i take mine everywhere

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Nikon-AF6...379902?pt=UK_Film_Cameras&hash=item337d2c2fbe

 

[Chan Tran]

The original XA has rangefinder focusing and the XA2 has scale focusing and that makes them not Point and Shoot.

 

[Richard S. (rich815)]

XA or the Mju mentioned above.

 

[perkeleellinen]

The Nikon AF600 is thinner than the Olympus Mju which has a bubble at the front, it's also got a wider but slower lens (28/3.5 vs 35/2.8).

 

[landscapepics]

I have two Olympus XAs, one from new and the other recently purchased for £25 with the A11 flash. I've used various other Olympus rangefinders or viewfinders but the XA is easily the most versatile, as long as you don't need to use filters. The only problem I have with mine is that they both overexpose so I adjust the ISO setting to compensate.

 

[thegman]

Lomo LC-A is quite small, and the lens is really not that bad. But personally, I'd stick with the Rollei and live with the slight bulkiness.

 

[Richard S. (rich815)]

I just remembered another one. Check out the Konica Big Mini 301. I just got one a few months ago. First few rolls I'm fairly impressed with.

Good thread on it here (though I paid more for mine than is discussed there, about $50):

http://www.rangefinderforum.com/forums/showthread.php?t=78044

 

[nexus757]

The Pentax auto 110 takes amazingly good photos for a tiny 110 camera. I've made 8x10 prints from 100 ASA b/w film that look every bit as sharp as 35mm. Might be worth a try now that lomo and fukkatsu are making 110 cartridge films again: http://www.ultrafineonline.com/110formatfilms.html

 

[dehk]

Why not go for an Olympus 35RC.

 

[pen s]

Tessina?
Not in the price range by a long shot but more compact than a Rollei 35 and uses 35mm film in a special cartridge for 14X21mm negatives.
Had a Rollei 16s a long time ago. Not really that compact and where are you going to get the film cartridges to reload?

I have several Minolta 16II's and they really are compact with a great lens, cheap too. Original Minolta cartridges will cost a lot more than the camera and I would think you will need at least 3 of them. The negative is very small at just 10X14mm but will print 5X7 without too much trouble, grainy of course unless you are using document film with a special developer. The other bug with the 16II is that the focus is fixed at 2.5 meters and you have to use supplementary lenses for shooting at other distances with optimal results. So, not fast to operate sometimes. The original Minolta cartridges are easy to reload.