Which point and shoot

[wjlapier]

For a pocketable camera there really is no substitute for the Olympus Stylus Epic. Fast to deploy, fast to focus, fast aperure, super sharp lens, light, andfits in your palm. Sadly though, the days of buying one new for $95 or used for $60 are long gone. However, all of the Olympus zoom point and shoots are also decent, some even very good such as the 100Wide and 140 DLX. Won't break the bank, worth a try.
XA, yes, awesome, reading these posts reminds keep I should get one again. Pocketable, decently sharp, fun to use.
Contax TVS , perhaps the best zoom compact ever made, I have done whole trips using only this camera, even though I brought along my SLR kit. I shouldn't say more or prices will skyrocket on this sleeper.
One other tip, try 1 roll of slide film, either Fuji Provia or Kodak E100, have the slides mounted after developing and pick up an old slide projector at a second hand market. Project them and you will experience something magical and totally unique. Be warned though, You may fall in love with slide film.
As long as the point and shoot has a built in meter, there should be no issue shooting slide. The ones you like can be scanned for prints or sharing on your phone.

The Olympus zooms are really good. I have several and gave my daughter one--she loves it. I also found the Stylus Epic 35mm f/3.5 for fifty cents! It actually was .99 but the had a 50% off sale so quite the deal. Super sharp lens. The 2.8 Stylus Epics are super expensive.

 

[AndroclesC]

Aside from the cameras the OP mentioned in is opening post, I would also recommend the Nikon L35AF. It has a nice solid feel and the lens is super sharp. Images from this camera are beautiful!

Andy

 

[k.hendrik]

Canon AF35M II: small, light, sharp, easy, flash,25 to 400asa but sooo LOUD !

 

[Smaug01]

I went through a P&S renaissance lately, and tried several:

• Nikon "One Touch" L35AF3
• Olympus µ (Stylus original)
• Minolta Freedom II
• Canon "Sure Shot" AF35M2

I shot with other ones, back in the day.

My favorite if minimum size isn't a requirement is the Nikon L35AF3. It's the 3rd version. It fixed the battery door issue of the first generation. Has a 4 element 35/2.8 lens that is sharp and doesn't vignet. It uses a 2CR5 battery that charges the flash quickly when needed, and doesn't explode if left in for years. Or decades. It's the first P&S with the "half press to lock focus and exposure" feature. Solid construction. Decent ones of these go for $150 on FeeBay now.

The Freedom II has the sharper lens, believe it or not, but no way to lock focus, so it really is just a high quality granny camera.

The Canon AF35M2 uses AAs, which might seem to be an advantage, but it isn't. It sounds like it's always struggling to do its job. Flash charges slowly. Film advance and rewinding is sluggish. It warns not to use rechargeable batteries. Lithiums might be OK.

The Olympus µ is excellent, but the lens vignets the corners of the frame quite a bit. It's a triplet lens, so it's not as sharp on the edges, but quite sharp in the center. MUCH better than a lomo camera, but not quite the same level as a 4 element lens. These are currently going for $100 or so on FeeBay. It's half the size of the L35AF3 above.

My favorite compact camera is the Rollei 35. It's not a P&S, as you have to know what you're doing to use it. It's fully manual and mechanical, scale focusing. The lens is in another league than the ones above; truly SLR quality. (Tessar and Sonnar lensed models) To make up for the fact that everything is manually set, everything can be set at waist level, so folks will just think you're fiddling with your camera. But when you bring it up to your eye, all you have to do is quickly compose and shoot. Zero shutter lag. So it makes a great street photography camera as well. Plan on paying $150-200 for one where everything is right. Ones cheaper than that are a gamble. (unless you really trust the source) Avoid the B 35s and 35 Bs unless you're aware that the interior quality is not as good as the Tessar and Sonnar-lensed models. It has a triplet lens, so it's the same as the µ: softer edges, razor sharp in the middle. The internals use a lot more plastic and tend to strip out if not really well-treated.

 

[Smaug01]

What did you decide to get, Dylan?

 

[David Reynolds]

I agree with some of the replies above. The Olympus XA (I know it is not a point and shoot) rangefinder is a good choice. Simple settings and quick to focus. It fits in your pocket and produces good quality images. These posts have inspired me to get the XA out of storage (been in storage for over 20 years) and order new batteries. I look forward to using this camera.

 

[AgX]

It warns not to use rechargeable batteries.

The majority of compacts of that period have that warning.

 

[Andy38]

The majority of compacts of that period have that warning.

I tried on 2 cameras of the period that have the warning : a Nikon L35AW AF and a Canon AF35 ML.

It doesn't work with the "normal" NiMh rechargeable batteries but it does work with the new "Eneloop" (the 2 eneloop batteries used 2 months after they were charged, the normal immediatly after).

 

[Smaug01]

I tried on 2 cameras of the period that have the warning : a Nikon L35AW AF and a Canon AF35 ML.

It doesn't work with the "normal" NiMh rechargeable batteries but it does work with the new "Eneloop" (the 2 eneloop batteries used 2 months after they were charged, the normal immediatly after).

The AF352 I had would work with Eneloops, but the motor RPM was low; it sounded like it was barely getting the job done. Flash charging may be questionable. If it works, it will be faster than alkaline or carbon-zinc, (i.e. "General Purpose" or "Heavy Duty") but it may not get there since it has less voltage to step up.

Best bet are lithium.

 

[GarageBoy]

Lithium is risky because of they're 1.7v and don't drop much voltage under load