what is the smallest mechanical SLR that you know of?

[trendland]

..... short of dropping them in a bowl of water and measuring displacement /QUOTE]

You would get the specific weight in adition (as average value) !
Water is from 20degreeC = 0,9982067 g x cm *3 But (guess you are off today) - you also may dissamble some cameras and continue with dropping parts of same Material in a bowl of water! What ever : The Jackpot is to tih & Trendland to 60/40 ....we agreed to it because
tih mentioned it first (but don't realy belive ....and I did not notice)!
And to specify 35mm a time later ?.... the lawer of tih said : "..is invalith due to the renewal ban of 1864" (the State Virginia against smith/wesson)!

with regards

PS : most expensive camera ? Phase One (~48.000,-) ? No see :

= 2.160.000,- (2014 Austria)

 

[68degrees]

I guess I was wondering if there were any really small 35mm slrs. Like the size of the Olympus XA. Also, I never understood why lenses have to be so big for SLRs? I mean look how small the lens is on an XA little rangefinder. an slr lens is huge and its the same film 35mm. Why is that?

 

[KN4SMF]

Because of the necessity of designing a lens where the back element clears the mirror for one thing. Also the amount of glass needed in designing lenses with wider maximum apertures.

 

[Theo Sulphate]

I guess I was wondering if there were any really small 35mm slrs. Like the size of the Olympus XA. Also, I never understood why lenses have to be so big for SLRs? I mean look how small the lens is on an XA little rangefinder. an slr lens is huge and its the same film 35mm. Why is that?

On a rangefinder (XA, Leica, etc.), the distance between the lens nodal point and the film plane can be shorter than for an SLR because there's no mirror. Since the distance is shorter, the lens (diameter) can be smaller.

Someone more familiar with optics can probably explain this better and more accurately.

 

[AgX]

The OP has ... said nothing about % of viewfinder representation.

Well, you did:

Let's re-ask the question another way. What 35mm SLR is the smallest that gives a 100% viewfinder representation of the actual film area?

So, do not laugh about other fellows who get confused by this thread...

 

[Pentode]

Well, you did

Actually, I was the one who said the OP said nothing about the veiwfinder, not KN4SMF.
I was not laughing at any members here with any cruel intent and I apologize if anyone has been offended by my post.

 

[Pentode]

Because of the necessity of designing a lens where the back element clears the mirror for one thing. Also the amount of glass needed in designing lenses with wider maximum apertures.

Exactly this. Automatic diaphragms also require the lens to be a bit larger. If large apertures and auto diaphragms are of little concern a Pentax SV and an Industar-50 together make a remarkably small package for a full-frame, 35mm SLR. The optics of the I-50 are only modest, the lens is slow (f/3.5) and the aperture is manual but that is one seriously tiny lens.