When only the best and most compact will do

<p>I'm off for a little R&R to Coconut Grove, Miami. Whenever I travel, as most LF members, I think about what Leica gear to take. Most often, as now, I grab my M2 with its 35mm 1:2.8 Summaron -- and that's it. It just makes sense -- it always has.</p>

<p>My favorite lightweights for travel are Rollei 35 with 40 f3.5 Tessar made in Germany and my Leica M-1 with 35mm f2 black Canon LTM.</p>

<p>My first Leica was an M4 with the 35/2.8 Summaron...it carried me thru 9 months in the Mediterranean Sea, countless countries in the area, and many years thereafter. The collection has waxed and waned over the years since, but that little Summaron wan an absolute gem. Sorry I eventually parted with it. Have a nice R&R and share some shots with us.</p>

<p><em><strong>The best camera is the camera you have.</strong> </em></p>

<p>No, wait. That's a cliché. And a pompous one. Let me try again.</p>

<p>The operative word is 'compact'. Media is not important. Neither is absolute size - after all, there are tiny cameras around but they have to compromise image quality. And usability is important - you can have a small camera which offers terrific images yet is difficult to use.</p>

<p>So my definition of 'compact' can include more than one lens and doesn't need to feature a diminuitive size. I think the Barnack bodies are great but not as quick handling as the Ms. But limiting an M body to one lens defeats the purpose.</p>

<p>I think you can carry two lenses and still have compactness. Say, a 35/1.4 and a 75/2.5. If you're carrying extra film, then an extra lens won't be an inconvenience.</p>

<p>The Olympus EP-1/2 is a great camera. Image quality is not as nice as a good 35mm image, depending on your criterea. The Panasonic GF1 is also a candidate:</p>

<p>http://craigmod.com/journal/gf1-fieldtest/</p>

<p>I'm not sure what my choice would be if I were asked. I see many choices but have no conclusion.</p>

Just got a Leica CL w 40mm Cron-C for exactly that purpose.

<p>Most people just use the camera on their cell phone. I suppose "Best" isn't in their requirements.</p>

<p>i don't know why but i love manual focus and fast lenses. i am a 35mm and dslr guy and the smallest i go is a bessa r rangefinder and a vc 35mm 2.5 lens. would love an olympus xa but they go for too much money on fleabay :(</p>

<p>you're welcome to borrow the Hit camera I got for christmas - it's compact enough that my daughter asked me why santa gave me a camera made for her barbies</p>

<p>Really like my Oly Pen S 3.5 viewfinder half frame camera. It's has scale focus, no rangefinder, but with a 28mm lens (E-AOV of a 40mm on full frame) you really don't need an RF. Wet prints up to 6X8 are the largest I can print on the baseboard and that's the sweet spot for print size with plenty of detail and not excessive grain even with Tri-X. All in all a really nice pocket camera that goes everywhere I do.</p>

<p>Like most people who frequent pnet, I own more than one camera. So to me, the best and most compact varies by situation. If you check out my site at <a href="http://kalahi.net">http://kalahi.net</a> you'll see that the best and most compact varies by situation -- sometimes you want an RF; other times a 400mm lens would be the most compact (example: Alaska).</p>

 

<p>My favorite travel camera was a Konica C35 w/ a sharp 4 element Hexanon 38 2.8 lens. Nice and small and no one noticed you when you were shooting it. Now I use a little Fuij E550 P&S digital camera because all of my travel photos just sit in a box in the closet and seldom get looked at. It's easier to just store the digital files on the computer, and more convenient to look at them now and then. Never thought I would say such a thing, but digital does have it's good points for some things.</p>

<p>Last year for a week long business trip I took a Leica IIIF with 28mm CV and 50mm collapsible cron with viewfinders for both. Results with 4 x rolls Fuji 400 Professional color film were excellent......and it is always fun using this equipment.</p>

<p>Paul<br>

I am in Coral Gables. How long will you be in the Grove? How did you son's first year at the UofC go?<br>

Mikal</p>

 

<p>Mikal, with my family for 6 days. My son worked hard (Dean's List) and loved U. of C. Best to you for the holidays and New Year.</p>

<p>My favorite light kit is an M, any M, the Tri-Elmar 28-35-50/4, an old Noctilux (for speed) and a 135/4.</p>

<p>i travel about 15 days out of a month and i find my M6 staying at home most of the time and my minilux with me most of it. even when i carry the M6 i only bring the summicron 50. </p>

<p>A IIc with a 3.5 Elmar and a 50mm 1.8 Canon is perfect for casual photography when I travel, an M3 with a 50mm f2 Hexanon and a f2.8 Elmar when the photography may be a bit more than casual. With the Elmars, either camera fits into a fat cell phone belt pouch.</p>

<p>Right now the best camera that I have which fits the above criteria is a Yashica CC rangefinder with a 35/1.8 Yashinon lens. It is pocketable, and simply takes great pics. I have a couple of Leicas which I also like to carry (from time to time), but the Yashica seems to give images of comparable quality, and is easier to load. The Yashica's 1.8 lens gives me some low-light advantage over the Elmar, Summicron, or Summitar lenses, but is in a more convenient 35mm focal length. These Yashicas are excellent cameras if you can find one.</p>

<p>Even though I'm a big Leica fan; they don't have anything in film that can match a tiny <strong>Contax T</strong> in size & IQ.<br />Full frame, coupled RF, settable apertures, speeds & ASA - A high quality Olympus XA</p><div></div>

<p>A 38mm Sonnar optic that is simply stunning.</p><div></div>

<p><img src="http://d6d2h4gfvy8t8.cloudfront.net/5807352-md.jpg" alt="" width="680" height="530" /></p>

<p><img src="http://d6d2h4gfvy8t8.cloudfront.net/5786356-md.jpg" alt="" width="680" height="452" /><br>

CONTAX T3 35mm/2.8 6 element Sonnar</p>

<p>Leica IIIF, with modern VC 35mm f2.5 classic lens and VC 35 mm VF. </p>

<p>Leica IIIF, with modern VC 35mm f2.5 classic lens and VC 35 mm VF. </p>

<p>I suppose it depends on how compact you want to get. A Konica Auto S3 would be a good start for an RF. You can include the Olympus 35SP and 35 RD models. I have two of the Minox 35 cameras but do not like them. Two SLR possibilities are the Konica TC-X with the 40/1.8 Hexanon and the Pentax ME or MX with the 55/1.8 SMC Pentax lens. You can go with the smaller 40mm lens but it will cost a lot more and won't be any sharper than the 55/1.8. A Nikon FE or FE2 is larger and heavier than an EM or FG or FG20 but better made. You can add a 45/2.8 GN Nikkor or even the later P model. Either way you get a very sharp lens attached to a smooth working body with many features. If you want to get really small you can find one of the tiny Canon fixed lens APS cameras. </p>