The great Point & Shoot thread!

[Krzys]

I will be backpacking in 2 months and will be using an Olympus XA (not really a P&S but its so tiny that it fits into the category) and a Ricoh GR1. Plus any other small cameras which I may acquire. A friend of mine will also be taking my Olympus Stylus Epic. I really do think that the Olympus XA could be my favorite camera I've used so far. Great control and amazingly small.

Please share your P&S wisdom and photos!

I would really like to see an example of the Yashica T4's 'super scope' and how it actually works in practice.

 

[Rick A]

Good choice. I carried my XA everywhere I went for years. I loaned it to a dear friend who took it up Everest(he DNF'd the summit). Its still a great shooter, tho I almost never use it any more(old eyes and arthritic fingers) tell ya what, if you or your palls want it I'll make you a super deal on it and a pile of film.

 

[Krzys]

Cheers ralnphot, I'll send you a PM

 

[Ian Grant]

My Yashicamat 124 is my point & shoot.

Ian

 

[Krzys]

Is there an article of clothing with a pocket big enough to justify that camera as a point and shoot?

Yes... I class point and shoot by pocketability rather than function!

 

[Ian Grant]

I've never put any camera in a pocket, the Yashicamat hangs by it's shoulder strap, as did my Leica M3 when I still shot 35mm regularly, so yes it's my point & shoot no tripod etc. For serious work I use 5x4 or 10x8 as well.

So often when out & about the yashica goes along.

Ian

 

[mcgrattan]

The most consistent point-and-shoot I've used, in terms of end result, is probably the Rollei AFM35 [aka the Fuji Klasse S]. However, I also have a lot of affection for the Mju II (aka Stylus Epic). These days I often carry the Mju or the Rollei along with a larger camera. I find the pairing of something pocketable with fast film, and something bigger with slow film [or colour or E6] is often a perfect travel combination.

 

[Krzys]

I've considered the Rollei AFM35. How is it in terms of focusing lag and winder noise?

 

[Jeff Kubach]

The closest P&S I have is a Koncia A2. Which I like a whole lot.

Jeff

 

[photoncatcher]

Olympus always excelled in the "pocketable" camera line. I have a wonderful Oly 35RC that goes out with me almost everywhere. The glass is outstanding, and has never dissapointed. I also have an Oly IS-3 which I love to carry (not very pocketable) because of the great zoom, and the built in flash.

 

[Rodex]

I found the Minolta my parents always used. It is 8 years old I think. Looked like digital p&s. The funny thing was that it had a full roll of film in it and I sent it away for development Big surprise what's on them

 

[mcgrattan]

I've never really noticed any focusing lag, to be honest. It's very quick. There is winder noise -- it's noisier than the Hexar AF in silent mode (obviously!), but I don't remember it being especially obtrusive. It's remarkably well-spec'd for a small camera. I took mine to Paris for a weekend over New Year a few years back, and used it as the only camera, and I didn't miss anything about having a bigger one. Like all small cameras the flash is very low-powered.

All of these are the AFM35: http://www.flickr.com/photos/mcg_photo/sets/72157612348971745/

 

[benjiboy]

I use the Minox 35 GT it has an exceptional 35mm Colour Minotar f2.8 lens, is only the size of a pack of cigarettes and I've had 20"X16" prints from the negs, when I show people the prints and the camera I took them with they don't believe it.

 

[Pumal]

I use an Olympus Stylus Epic and a Rollei 35

 

[Rol_Lei Nut]

What I've gone through:
Minox 35 GT: Great lens, not very reliable (esp. the electronics)
Olympus XA: O.k. but not great lens.
Olympus Mju: Pretty good lens, too little control for my taste.
Olympus XA4: Disappointing (overrated) 28mm lens.
Rollei 35 S (&T & SE): Great lens. I find 40mm a bit too long.

If I were still using film for that niche, I'd go for one of the Rollei Pregos: I actually had one once, which I loaned to a GF (was very surprised by the results) but (foolishly?) sold it because of my ingraned prejudice against zooms...

For my mountain use & treks, I now either use an "unmentionable" P&S or go the whole hog and bring a Rolleflex SLR or Leica M kit (18/21 + 35 + 85/90mm lenses respectively). The leica M kit with bag is all of 1.5 kilos, the Rollei slightly more.
I've also taken a 6x6 folder on long treks, a Soviet Iskra, which was actually o.k. light & compact and amazingly good. I just find the lens a little too long for my tastes again.

 

[Excalibur2]

Nikon L35ad ATM:-

Very good lens, just under excellent SLR primes for sharpness.
http://i304.photobucket.com/albums/nn172/chakrata/img341.jpg

 

[Alex1994]

I have a Minox 35 and love it to bits, for me reliability has never been a problem. The lens is as others have said exceptionally sharp and it is very easy to set it to the hyperfocal distance to give yourself a lightning-fast, silent camera. I also used to shoot with an Olympus Trip 35 which gave me pleasing results, with the advantage that if it breaks, I can buy 10 for the price I paid for the Minox.

 

[fotch]

I also have a Minox 35, purchased new in the 80s, still works, great photos.
Love this camera although I do worry about it because of all the problems others have had. Still, will use it till one of us dies.

 

[benjiboy]

I bought my Minox 35GT second hand about twenty years ago and never had any problem with it as Alex 1994 writes if you set the lens at the hyperfocal distance there is no need to focus and it is noiseless which is great for street shooting, and it doesn't look too professional and attract any attention, I also have a Zeiss Contax with a 50mm f1.5 Zeiss Sonnar, and the lens on the Minox will give it a run for it's money for image quality

 

[luvcameras]

Before I went all digital, I loved the Stylus Epic...article here: Dead Link Removed


Dan

 

[Poisson Du Jour]

Being the ultimate Bushells Anti-Digital Trendy, my favourite point 'n shoot is...
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.... My Zero Image pinhole!

 

[Andrew K]

over the years I've owned many, many small cameras in the search for the "ideal" pocket camera....

My last, and favorite one was a Ricoh GR1/GR1S (had both) - sharp lens, aperture priority, and great LCD viewfinder confirming what you focussed on...

Other cameras I've had include...

Ricoh R1 - great camera, good panorama function - I killed mine by carrying it in my pocket for over 12 months without a case - so full of dust it struggled to move the lens in and out..but it kept on working

Minox EL etc...had a few of them - sharp lens - electronics very suspect....

Olympus XA - all mine have had great lenses (I've managed to drop 3), but the rangefinder spot does tend to fade a bit..

Olympus XA1,2,3,4 - all ok, but not as good as the XA

Rollei 35 - I've had a few - the best one was the LED with the"cheap" Triotar lens - which I found was sharper than the Sonnar

Contax T - nice camera, but I kept flicking the self timer switch by accident when I put it in my pocket, so when I wnet to take a photo nothing happened!!

Ricoh FF1s - a bit of a sleeper this one - styled like a Minox, but much more reliable...

Olympus Pen D series - these are all great - super sharp, full manual shutter speeds (meters are getting a bit old, but once calibrated they seem OK in most light conditions), and being half frame you get twice the shots per roll

Canon Demi - the original model is my favotite (and the most compact) - super sharp lens, programmed shutter - and twice the shots per roll..probably the other camera I'd consider as a pocket camera

Canon MC - super sharp lens, and when they work they are great..getting a bit old to trust now for day to day shooting..

Had a few APS cameras, but the film/processing let them down...

I haven't included various small rangefinders I've owned - Ricoh, Canon, Minolta, Konica hexar etc - all great, but not, by my definition, pocket cameras.........

 

[Krzys]

Do you think you could kill a Gr1/s/v by carrying it naked in your pocket for over a year?

 

[Andrew K]

it's the dust/lint that accumulates in your pocket that gets in to the camera and kills it (or more accuratley, gets into the seal around the lens and causes it to stick to the barrell. It also gets into the viewfinder and makes it hard to see through..)

On the other hand I kept my last ones in their leather cases in my pocket for a couple of years, and never had a problem with dust....

 

[Three Owls]

I carried a Canon GIII Ql17 on the Appalachian Trail for 3 or 4 months, it did great but was a bit larger than a XA. I had also, before that, carried a Minolta zoom 110 slr- couldn't love the sub-mini format though so it got replaced.