Small 35mm camera to carry

[dale_weiss]

<p>I always like to have a camera on me. Right now I carry either a Canon Sure Shot 35mm or a Nikon Cool Pic 2200 digital. I am looking for an older 35mm camera to carry with me. Must be small point and shoot type or range finder, built well and manual. Just wondering what to look for on E bay. Any ideas? Thanks</p>

[dennis_w3]

<p>Olympus 35RC is a great little point and shoot--inexpensive, durable, lens is fast enough for the price (f 2.8)and very sharp. If you're more well-heeled, the Oly 35RD has a faster lens. Also consider the Konica Auto S3 or its Minolta equivalent, the Hi-Matic 7 S2. The Canon QL GIII is also a good little camera, according to some, but the two I had were not good; quality is inconsistent, IMO. If bigger size is OK, the Minolta Hi-Matic S2 is my favorite because of its incredibly sharp 1.7 lens, followed closely by the Olympus SP--these two are a toss-up. All of these cameras have either manual or automatic exposure.</p>

[janne_moren]

Rollei 35 is a good choice. Very small and well built, and the compact, blocky format without protruding stuff makes it really easy to keep in your coat pocket or bag. Scale focusing only, but in practice I have not found it to be a problem.

[paul_wheatland]

<p>Any of the Rollei 35's with Tessar or Sonnar lenses. Only caveat is lack of a rangefinder but hyperfocal settings have always worked for me. Build quality and performance are excellent! One of my favorite cameras.</p>

[Mike Gammill]

<p>Good advice. The Olympus RC is about the same size as a Konica C35 but offers manual settings in addition to shutter priority automation. Takes an odd 43.5mm filter, but you can find adapters to allow 46mm or other sizes to be used. If battery fails, you can still use the "sunny 16" rule to shoot manually.<br>

The Rollei 35's are great and with the lens collapsed even more compact than the Olympus. For real battery independence there is the Rollei B35 which has a selenium meter, but its Triotar lens is less than stellar wide open. From 5.6 down it is good. Also it is lighter than the orginal Rollei 35<br>

If by manual you want manual focus and advance, but want P&S exposure convenience then the Konica C35 with its programmed exposure and coupled rangefinder is good. If zone focus is enough, then consider the C35V, Minolta H-Matic G, or Yashica ME.<br>

If price is not an issue look for a Konica Auto S3. Like the larger Auto S2, it has a superb lens and accurate rangefinder. Limited manual capability though.<br>

Finally, if battery independence isn't important, the Olympus XA is hard to beat for compactness. It has aperture priority automation and an f2.8 lens. Electronic shutter to 1/500 sec. I will post a few sample images here.</p><div></div>

[ridinhome]

<p>How about an XA? Seems to get a lot of love around here.</p>

[Mike Gammill]

<p>Here's one from an XA.</p><div></div>

[ridinhome]

<p>Ha! We posted at the same time. Great minds think alike.</p>

[Mike Gammill]

<p>Well said, Kayam.<br>

Here's an Auto S3 image now.</p><div></div>

[Mike Gammill]

<p>I don't have my Olympus RC photos on this computer, but I will post a C35V image. The Konica C35V has the same excellent 4 element 38mm f2.8 Hexanon as the rangefinder C35, but is zone focus. Has programmed automation from f2.8 @ 1/30 to f14 @ 1/650.</p><div></div>

[john_tran14]

<p>Leica CL</p>

[Andy Collins]

<p>I'm a big fan of the Olympus 35RC but I've become just as big a fan of the Konica C35. It's literally a point, focus, and shoot camera with an outstanding lens, and it's very compact. I'd definitely look into that one. The Olympus XA or XA2 are both great choices. If you want something more modern with autofocus, look at the Olympus Stylus Epic. It's small enough to slip into your pocket and has a very sharp f/2.8 lens. It's sort of a cult classic. All of the other suggestions are great as well; the Canon GIII-QL17, Minolta Hi-Matic 7sII (it's usually costly, though), Auto S3 (also costly), these are all great cameras with superb lenses.</p>

[james_kennedy9]

<p>Kodak Retina IIa, Leica IIIc or IIIf, Voigtlander Vitessa, Vito B, Vitomatic.</p>

[Lou_Meluso]

<p>For a fixed lens camera, Ricoh 500G or 500GX is very good and very inexpensive. See my post here:<br>

<a href="00XSFF">http://www.photo.net/classic-cameras-forum/00XSFF</a><br>

<a href="00XSFF"></a>On the interchangeable lens front the Minolta CLE is excellent and uses Leica lenses but spendy.<br>

I have a Rollei 35, with an excellent Schneider S-Xenar lens. It Is very well made and super compact but scale focus only. This works fine for many folks but I am not a fan of scale focusing so mine sits.</p>

<p>If you want to step up to medium format quality, it's hard to beat a little 6x4.5 Zeiss Super Ikonta A folding camera. </p>

<p>Keep in mind this is a classic manual camera forum so that will be the suggestions you get. In the auto focus world, there are dozens upon dozens of very compact cameras that are very good and very inexpensive.</p><div></div>

[JDMvW]

<p>There are lots of relatively small rangefinder and viewfinder cameras. Although it is not the most ergonomic of the lot, the Rollei 35 models are my personal favorites.</p>

<p>The various Canonets including the various '17' models are good, and even the Canonet 28 is a nice shooter.<br /> Recently, I've been wandering and wondering down the Ricoh path, and I have to say that the small <a href="00XKwq">Ricoh Hi-Color 35</a> with the spring motor advance is a sweet camera. The later, manual advance ones like the <a href="00Xkkc">Ricoh 500G</a> cameras are also portable and pocketable.</p>

<p>But as I say, many of the small RF cameras from olden times are great optically. Mechanically is not usually a problem either, but like so many old cameras, the meters and "automatic exposure" systems may no longer be functional. They can however be used with manual settings and the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sunny_16_rule">sunny-16</a> rule on negative films to very good effect. [if you Google™ for "sweet-16", I'm afraid you won't get just the old Apple ][ editor :( ]</p>

[john_narsuitus]

<p>

<p>For low-cost simplicity, I carry the Canon Sure Shot or the Nikon L35 point & shoot compact camera.<br>

　<br>

For more control but at a slightly higher price, I carry the battery independent (except for light meter) Canon Canonet QL17 G-III or Minolta Hi-Matic 9 35mm rangefinder.</p>

<br>

.</p>

[john_robison3]

<p>My choice is an Olympus Pen S, viewfinder, scale focus, full manual control. And as an added bonus load a 36 exposure roll and shoot all year (half frame get double the number of exposures).</p>

<p>That last sentence was just a joke. I only get half a year out of a 36 exp roll. <grin></p>

[the celt 2]

<p>One more vote for the Olys. Either the 35rc (which I carry), or the XA. Both reliable, and the glass is great.</p>

[luis_g]

<p>Another vote for the Canonet(s) and my favorite, the XA.</p>

[red_buckner]

<p>Don't make up your mind until you've seen what the lens can do on a Minox 35. I would recommend the 35ML for the high automation and easy-to-locate battery. This is scale-focusing, with either Program AE or Aperture Priority. Self-timer, exposure lock, battery test. Fits easily into a breast pocket. And lots of nice little touches. But it's the lens you'd be buying, and you ought to. Go to the Minox forum here and you can see what it produces. </p>

[bonsignore_ezio]

<p>This (I mean, portability) has long been an obssession of mine, basically in relation to mountaineering, hiking and trekking. In this department I currently own (and use):<br>

- Canonet GIII QL17<br>

- Minolta High Matic 7SII (and its Revue clone)<br>

- Retina IB<br>

-Retina IIIc<br>

- Olympus XA<br>

- Olympus XA2<br>

- Olympus Stylus Epic<br>

- Rollei 35SE<br>

- Zeiss Super Ikonta A (531)<br>

- Zeiss Contina<br>

- Zeiss Contessa 35<br>

- Afga Super Solinette.<br>

It is my experience that amongst these, the only truly "pocketable" models are the three Olympus, the Contina, the Super Ikonta A and the Super Solinette. All the other types still need to be "carried" as opposed to "pocketed". The Rollei 35SE is somewhere in between; it would fit rather comfortably in a jacket's pocket (but not in a shirt breast pocket, unless you want to be seen as being in a competition with Dolly Parton).<br>

As regards 35mm, I nearly invariably ends up taking with me a XA or XA2, or the Stylus when either there is a likelyhood of needing a flash, or of having to use the camera with one hand only.</p>

<p> </p>

[dale_weiss]

<p>Great - Now my head is spinning. Thanks for the advise. I now have a starting point and will check around to see what I can come up with.</p>

[rick_drawbridge]

<p>You really should consider the Minolta Minoltina "S" for absolute top quality in build and lens. It's very small and quite beautiful. See my post:<br>

http://www.photo.net/classic-cameras-forum/00Rdiv</p>

[mfophotos]

<p>The Kodak Retina IIa is very pocketable and fully manual. The Schneider lens is excellent. Of course, it has no meter, but that should not stop anyone in this crowd.</p>

[frank.schifano]

<p>Small, pocket-able, and good you say? Two choices, Olympus Stylus Epic or Yashica T4 Super.</p>