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The Continuing search for a great Pocket camera


ray .

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Ray wrote:

 

>Wonder if the Contax or any of the others compare well to the Hexar AF lens (which is not pocket)..

 

 

The Contax T3 has an excellent 35mm f/2.8 Sonnar lens which compares reasonably well with the Hexar's, but cannot offer the f/2 maximum aperture of the Hexar. The Contax T2 lens was not as good, with softness and significant light fall-off at the edges.

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<I>No one has yet mentioned the Ricoh GR1 series 35mm cameras, the last one of which is

pictured here. I've never had one, but can't recall ever having heard a discouraging word

about them. And I've seen photos, though I'm not sure from which GR1 they came. That

camera can deliver the goods.</I><P>

 

I still have a Ricoh GR1s, richly sumptuous in black. A nice cam. Long live film!

www.citysnaps.net
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I went on such a quest and ended up buying and personally testing the following cameras, ranked as per my preference:<p>

1. Minolta Tc-1 <p>

2. Ricoh Gr28 <p>

2. Contax T <p>

3. Nikon 35ti <p>

4. Contax T3 <p>

5. Contax T2 <p>

 

FYI, the Minolta Tc-1, pre-focussed, and Contax T, pre-focussed, have a shutter lag negligibly different from a Leica M3.<p>

The Contax T3's pre-focussed shuter lag is similar to a Hexar RF <p>

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Film: Rollei 35S or Minox 35GT-E. Most of the AF compacts have way more focus/shutter

lag. The Minox has the shortest shutter lag of any camera I've ever used, including Leica

Ms.

 

Digital: Panasonic LX2, Fuji F30. The Panasonic has RAW capture, image stabilization and

is good to ISO 200 if you use RAW capture. It has an excellent lens. The Fuji works

remarkably well even at ISO 400-800, has a good lens, and is very similar in size to the

Rollei 35. Both are reasonably responsive.

 

Godfrey

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Re: the GRD, There was a run of those produced about a year ago that are bad news. I

have one. It has been in for warranty work 3 times in 10 months, 3months in the shop...

the most common problem, the lens freezes and fails to retract or extend. the lens has to

be replaced. I would not buy one with out a warranty. a cool camera when it is working:)

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Agfa Optima 1535 Sensor (rangefinder) or the 1035 and 535 models (scale focus).

 

They are compact (104 x 69 x 56 mm), have the best viewfinder you can find in a P&S, no lag and a sharp 40 mm f/2,8 Solitar (4 elements, 3 groups). But they are full automatic and were introduced in the late 70's.<div>00N11v-39228984.jpg.5f501afbe47649482456b2760974d29d.jpg</div>

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I can personally vouch for the Contax T2. As with other film cameras its price has dropped remarkably over the past few years making it more of a bargain although it is still quite expensive (being a top of the line P&S with a full metal body.) It has a lens that is second to none in sharpness and contrast. The lens has (believe it or not)has an aperture ring so you can shoot full auto or aperture priority and there is also a little knob on the top right which allows you to select full auto focus or you can manually focus (with assistance from the built in electronic range-finder.) Finally you can manually set the ISO film speed if you wish to tweak the exposure. This is one Wow of a camera. But you would need to be prepared to pay perhaps $250 -$300 from memory which is still quite a lot for a P&S
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