Point and Shoot with manual controls.

Hey guys,

Recently decided to sell my Olympus mju ii (stylus epic) as it kept disappointing me with missed focus on obvious subjects.

So now I'm in the market for a new point and shoot with some specific requirements:

1. a sharp, fast lens. preferably around 35-40mm focal length.

2. some way to see what focus distance the camera is choosing before I shoot, or a manual focus control.

3. aperture control and aperture priority mode would be amazing also.

So far I can only think of cameras like the Contax T2/T3 and Leica Minilux, which are unfortunately out of my budget range. Are there any solid alternatives that haven't skyrocketed price-wise?

Cheers!

Minox 35 series. Guesstimate distance. Select a aperture. Camera select shutter-speed. Price from 50 USD. Wonderful 35mm/2.8 lens and very pocketable.

Or Olymput XA

Yashica Electro 35 or Canonet 28. Both are aperture priority and manual focus. If you want a shutter prisority camera it is hard to beat a Canonet QL 17.

I think those cameras are a little bigger than the OP wanted. When he said he wanted a Point and Shoot with manual controls it's almost an oxymoron but I understood that he meant small cameras when he said Point and Shoot.

If size is irrelevant then something like the Nikon F5 can be a Point and Shoot with full manual controls.

Hey guys - Reporting back after getting my hands on an Olympus XA and putting a roll through it. I really don't enjoy trying to manual focus through such a tiny viewfinder, with such an old and dull rangefinder.

My first attempt at enjoying a point and shoot was an Olympus mju II, but I didn't like having no idea where it's focusing at all. I got way too many photos back from labs to find that it had completely missed focus on the subject.

I think now I want to try something that is basically exactly the Olympus mju II, but with an indicator that gives me an idea of where the autofocus is deciding to focus. Does something like this exist?

now I want to try something that is

1. basically exactly the Olympus mju II, but
    
   
2. with an indicator that gives me an idea of where the autofocus is deciding to focus.

I'm not familiar with that Olympus.

What kind of indicator do you mean? - P&Ss tended to have a "AF spot" marking in the centers of their VFs right? i.e.: You focus & recompose with them as oif you were using a RF.

If you want to see AFing results, get a nice little AF SLR with a matching compact lens. Canon make a 40/2.8 pancake and sold lost of film bodies. - I'd look at a EOS 500. - Was it named "kiss" & "Rebel" elsewhere?

An AF that evaluates almost the entire framed picture is a pretty new thing. The film cameras I am recalling had maybe 3 AF spots in a line or a cluster of 5 still cramped into the center of the image.

Hey guys - Reporting back after getting my hands on an Olympus XA and putting a roll through it. I really don't enjoy trying to manual focus through such a tiny viewfinder, with such an old and dull rangefinder.

 

My first attempt at enjoying a point and shoot was an Olympus mju II, but I didn't like having no idea where it's focusing at all. I got way too many photos back from labs to find that it had completely missed focus on the subject.

 

I think now I want to try something that is basically exactly the Olympus mju II, but with an indicator that gives me an idea of where the autofocus is deciding to focus. Does something like this exist?

What you ask for does not exist in a pocketable format without paying a high price - (what you don't want according to your original post). And even so, those expensive cameras you referred to are not perfect by any means.

Small digicams and now smartphones have long taken over this segment. If you don't enjoy the quirks, you should maybe consider giving up on film.

Hey guys - Reporting back after getting my hands on an Olympus XA and putting a roll through it. I really don't enjoy trying to manual focus through such a tiny viewfinder, with such an old and dull rangefinder.

 

My first attempt at enjoying a point and shoot was an Olympus mju II, but I didn't like having no idea where it's focusing at all. I got way too many photos back from labs to find that it had completely missed focus on the subject.

 

I think now I want to try something that is basically exactly the Olympus mju II, but with an indicator that gives me an idea of where the autofocus is deciding to focus. Does something like this exist?

Contax G1 or G2 glorified - point and shoots with a distance scale in the VF. The G1 is better if you want to manually focus. Not cheap of course.

Hey guys,

 

Recently decided to sell my Olympus mju ii (stylus epic) as it kept disappointing me with missed focus on obvious subjects.

 

So now I'm in the market for a new point and shoot with some specific requirements:

1. a sharp, fast lens. preferably around 35-40mm focal length.

2. some way to see what focus distance the camera is choosing before I shoot, or a manual focus control.

3. aperture control and aperture priority mode would be amazing also.

 

So far I can only think of cameras like the Contax T2/T3 and Leica Minilux, which are unfortunately out of my budget range. Are there any solid alternatives that haven't skyrocketed price-wise?

Cheers!

The Contaxs and Leica (and their elite bretheren) are called "compacts" rather than the plebian "P&S". They are 'out' because of price. "Fast" for a P&S is usually f/2.8. "Sharp" is a matter of opinion. "35-40"mm usually resolves to 38mm (although 35's are not uncommon, they add to the price).

The only P&Ss I've owned with focus distance indicators are ones from the 1980s; they have a scale like a scale focuser -- for example Nikon L35AF or Pentax PC35AF. I've never had the Nikon miss focus, but the Pentax would on occasion; both are 35mm f/2.8. I don't recall what kind of auto exposure they use, and neither have exposure controls for the user (except setting ISO).

What you want reads like a combination of an early 80s P&S and a 1990s one (except the 90s one likely is a zoom), and that may be asking too much, or, put another way, you are describing a "compact". Anyway, if you find one, let us know. I've been looking for years.

What you ask for does not exist in a pocketable format without paying a high price - (what you don't want according to your original post). And even so, those expensive cameras you referred to are not perfect by any means.

Small digicams and now smartphones have long taken over this segment. If you don't enjoy the quirks, you should maybe consider giving up on film.

There's the Rollei 35 (scale focus), the Kodak Retina 1(scale focus) and II series up to the small C, and the IIIc. Voigtlander Vito folders, the Zeiss-Ikon Contessa folder, just to name some. And there's the Olympus 35 RC. (the latter does not have metering in manual)

If one selects proper aperture and shutter speed almost any manual camera can be "point and shoot".

When people say P&S and in the case of the OP he really meant compact camera and not P&S.

I always found that compact Japanese rangefinders from the 1970's were small enough. But I've never wanted to carry a camera in the front pocket of my jeans, so YMMV.

Compact 35 Rangefinders

Olympus RC

Olympus 35 RD

You'll either need a battery adapter or short-lived hearing aid batteries because mercury batteries are obsolete. I've been happy with the adapter that I purchased from Frans de Gruijter in The Netherlands. email: battery.adapter@online.nl

I always found that compact Japanese rangefinders from the 1970's were small enough. But I've never wanted to carry a camera in the front pocket of my jeans, so YMMV.

 

Compact 35 Rangefinders

Olympus RC

Olympus 35 RD

 

You'll either need a battery adapter or short-lived hearing aid batteries because mercury batteries are obsolete. I've been happy with the adapter that I purchased from Frans de Gruijter in The Netherlands. email: battery.adapter@online.nl

I use the RC. I don't need battery. The camera works without battery.

I use the RC. I don't need battery. The camera works without battery.

Yes, the RC/RD will work without batteries in manual mode with no metering. The OP, however, wants aperture priority, so batteries would be required.

Yes, the RC/RD will work without batteries in manual mode with no metering. The OP, however, wants aperture priority, so batteries would be required.

But the RC, Like many compact fixed lens rangefinders of its time is shutter priority and not aperture priority. I personally like the Olympus XA and its aperture priority is OK but I would prefer if it's manual. When new the rangefinder is good but most of the used ones have faded rangefinder patch. One thing I dislike the XA is actually flash. You can't use any other flash besides the A11 or A16 and you have 1 aperture of f/3.5. If the shutter can be fixed at 1/60 or so and I can choose the aperture from f/2,8 to f/16 and use another flash it would be great. I can do that with the RC but not the XA.

But the RC, Like many compact fixed lens rangefinders of its time is shutter priority and not aperture priority. I personally like the Olympus XA and its aperture priority is OK but I would prefer if it's manual. When new the rangefinder is good but most of the used ones have faded rangefinder patch. One thing I dislike the XA is actually flash. You can't use any other flash besides the A11 or A16 and you have 1 aperture of f/3.5. If the shutter can be fixed at 1/60 or so and I can choose the aperture from f/2,8 to f/16 and use another flash it would be great. I can do that with the RC but not the XA.

Yes, getting the right aperture with shutter priority may require a quick fiddle to check aperture chosen for the selected shutter speed. I've never found it to be much of a hinderance on my RD. Besides - in many conditions I can estimate aperture with variations on sunny 16. Or I pull out the light meter app on my phone for a quick read so that I can set the shutter speed that gets me the aperture that I want.

The bigger problem is that my 24 year old son has taken a liking to my RD, so it's no longer in my possession. But don't feel bad - I kept him away from my Nikon SP!

If one selects proper aperture and shutter speed almost any manual camera can be "point and shoot".

Yes, zone focusing is just that. Does work better from f8 through the smaller f stops.