Vintage Compact 35mm options...

[BrianVS]

I'm glad the Retina's were brought up- great cameras, my choice for a pocketable was the IIa, the 50/2 Xenon is as good as a Summicron. The II has knob wind, and manually cocked shutter- also available with the F2 Xenon. The weak link is the "cocking Rack" of the lever wind Retinas. So the lack of it in the Retina II means the weak link is missing. For eyeglass wearers- the eyepiece of the IIIc is much better than the II and IIa. The "Big C" series is bigger, but was an even better finder. You can still buy new cocking racks for the IIc, IIIc, IIC, and IIIC from Microtools for $25. Just replaced one in my IIC.

 

[steven aimone]

So glad to receive these endorsements for the Retinas. As I mentioned earlier, I recently bought a IIIc at a yard sale for $10. Sent it off for servicing. Will have the "cocking rack," which was jammed, replaced and a full CLA. For a total of $150 or so I should have a minty IIIc. May wait to see how that works as a pocket option, though I may still want something lighter/smaller.

 

[steven aimone]

retina or half frame pen F

half frame in a 35mm is not very appealing to me, having just entered the 35mm world after doing medium format for a bunch of years. BTW... in medium format I do enjoy working with the low the low tech Becini 24S, a half frame. Its negs are still larger than full frame 35mm. Thanks for another Retina endorsement...

 

[steven aimone]

that's "Bencini 24S"

 

[BrianVS]

I can't resist...

RIMG0103 by fiftyonepointsix, on Flickr

But no- still endorse the Retina, unless you want a 35mm camera that can be worn on the wrist...

 

[Theo Sulphate]

In my experience with Retina IIa's, the most troublesome part is the film exposure counter. True, it won't disable the camera if it fails.

Just cock the lever fully and you're less likely to have problems. Also understand the little release button you may need to press after you've counted all the way down and the shutter/wind lever seems jammed.

 

[Patrick Robert James]

I've always thought Rollei 35s were klutzy and poorly designed for making photographs. Cool to look at though. I don't know if a Minox 35 is "vintage" enough for you, but that would be my first recommendation. The lens is fantastic. You already have the Retina, which would be an obvious choice. I owned a little Zeiss Ikonta 35 a long time ago and it was about as small as the Minox 35. You might enjoy that one.

 

[Brett Rogers]

Are you able to service any candidates yourself? Are you willing to pay for them to be looked at by a professional repairer? Some of the possibilities mentioned are very good, but are likely to at least need the shutters cleaned. And it is not always easy to find really good ready to use examples.

I've been very pleased with my Voigtlander Vitessa that has a 50mm Ultron f/2. But on arrival I had to do some servicing and adjustments to get it working correctly. It's a unique design. I don't find it too bad a camera to work on actually, though there were quite a few running changes over its production with things like rangefinder installations being modified, and the wind plunger can suffer from abuse or poor workmanship. But if you can get one that is working well it is a delightful, pretty, interesting camera with a superlative lens.

Out of left field, the first two Contaflex SLR models are fairly compact for a 35mm SLR. Much of that relates to their lens installation that does not protrude far from the body. They have a fixed 45mm Tessar that's excellent, a bright reflex viewfinder, and build quality that is outstanding. But you can forget about buying one that is ready to shoot because recently serviced specimens that are good to go are very rare. You'd need to get it looked at by someone prepared to attend to a sticking shutter and drive rings, or do it yourself. They're not really as bad to work on as their reputation suggests, but whether or not you're up to removing a shutter and re-installing it I don't know. But as far as I noticed you didn't mention a budget either, so it's hard to offer better suggestions without knowing what you are prepared to spend.
Cheers
Brett

 

[Theo Sulphate]

Vintage compact, eh?

Maybe Leica III of some form? This one in black enamel is a III from 1934:

The lens is a 50/3.5 collapsible Elmar.

 

[Les Sarile]

I don't know what you consider "vintage" but you might consider the Pentax MX or Olympus OM1 as they are fully manual - batteries only for meter, and are the smallest manual SLRs with the largest viewfinders. Size comparison . . .