It's time for a new, high-quality compact camera

[rossb]

Buying new vinyl regularly?

 

 

No, I usually purchase used LP's at Logo's in Santa Cruz. It works out well as they have books also and it is a favorite store in the area for my wife and I. You can inspect the records for wear before purchasing and the cost is very low.

[BeBu Lamar]

I have bought 2 new turntables in the last 20 years. The one I have now is 3 years old. I guess I am thinking that things that have a value like music, camera's and other things will just keep on going. I know a guy that restores Modal A Fords. He say's that you can get any part you want for it brand new.

 

I guess on the music thing is over the years I bought and built a nice collection of LP's and I always enjoyed playing them so why should I quit just because new electronic gadgets have come out. So I just stayed with it. I have other options as well as we all do.

 

You have a 3 year old turntable. If I had a 30 year old turntable I wouldn't need one now as it should still function perfectly. I wouldn't expect any less with my equipment. I am not an LP fan so I have a couple of turntable they are around 30 year old. They are so so and not good although they work like new.

My cassette deck is going to be 28 year old this coming Sept. It looks and works like new.

[rossb]

You have a 3 year old turntable. If I had a 30 year old turntable I wouldn't need one now as it should still function perfectly. I wouldn't expect any less with my equipment. I am not an LP fan so I have a couple of turntable they are around 30 year old. They are so so and not good although they work like new.

My cassette deck is going to be 28 year old this coming Sept. It looks and works like new.

 

 

My son wanted to put together a music system so I gave him my turntable and my brother gave him a 2 channel Sony Amp that works pretty good. He sourced out some speakers from Fry's electronics I think. I then bought a Music Hall turntable for myself and everybody is happy I think.

[john_cooper9]

I still listen to my 1973 B&W DM4 speakers, only had to replace the woofers a couple of times. I would like a modern version of my much-loved Linhof 220. 120 roll film is where it's at.

[c_watson1]

No, I usually purchase used LP's at Logo's in Santa Cruz. It works out well as they have books also and it is a favorite store in the area for my wife and I. You can inspect the records for wear before purchasing and the cost is very low.

 

Hope you're doing more for the film "revival" than you are for the vinyl "revival." Buying used LPs, like expired film, doesn't count.

[rossb]

Hope you're doing more for the film "revival" than you are for the vinyl "revival." Buying used LPs, like expired film, doesn't count.

 

 

I am not involved in vinyl or film revival with that intention. I shop at Logo's in Santa Cruz and they do not have new vinyl for sale as far as I know. . I do not purchase enough vinyl to keep anything alive anyway. An LP lasts a lifetime and I have room for just so many of them. Like vinyl I do not shoot enough film to keep anything alive. I buy HP5 in 100 ft rolls 2 or 3 times a year. and I purchase the chemicals I need at the same time to save on shipping and such. I am not going to buy any of the new films that are coming out. I do not see a new/used camera anytime soon as I have a couple nice camera's currently. I did look into a used Leica but once I realized they have poor eye relief I decided they are super cool and not for me.

[Richard Williams]

In the UK, over 3 million vinyl records were sold last year; sales have been growing for the last 8 years, but this was the most in 25 years. Last December, the record companies made more from vinyl sales than they did from downloads - presumably a lot of records ended up under Christmas trees. In the US, 9 million records were sold in the first half of 2015, and brought in more cash than ad-supported streaming. In specialised record shops (like camera shops, these still exist) the vinyl racks have gone back up, and records are now appearing in fashion chains and supermarkets - mainstream UK store Tesco has even been running limited edition coloured vinyl promotions. It's now fairly common to see new releases sold only as downloads and as vinyl (no CD). There are new turntable models at the low, mid and high end, and Panasonic is re-launching classic Technics models. HiFi chain Richer Sounds has dozens of different models, from £50 to £3000.

[chuck909]

I went into a music store a few weeks ago in Hopkins, Minnesota, USA. It was huge. All records. Thousands of new LPs, 45s, and even a few 78s. Loads of used, too. No CDs. I have to whip out my fountain pen and write down their phone number.

[rossb]

It sounds like the record industry is on solid ground it seems. Not sure who would be willing to make 35mm camera's these days or who even has the financial health to venture into that. I most likely will just shoot the camera's I already own and spend my few photo dollars on film and chemicals.

[Paul Lewis1664881697]

Until someone comes up with something new, you might consider the Pentax MX. It is pretty small form factor and has the biggest viewfinder magnification available on any 35mm camera. And of course Pentax lenses are of good quality and it will not be the limiting factor when it comes to capturing images on the film.

 

 

Thanks for the suggestion. The Pentax MX certainly does look like a small SLR, however there are no problems acquiring working SLRs these days. There is a profound lack of quality compact cameras with a fixed lens. The prices for unreliable, used ones has gone through the roof. Want a Contax T3 that can't be repaired? $1000 - $1500 !

[alonasmalok]

What does a Bessa have to do with a compact film camera? There are tons of used Leicas available that CAN be serviced, unlike any of the previously mentioned premium compacts. That is what killed off the Bessa.

[Dave Luttmann]

This topic came up on Japan Camera Hunter's blog as well. He was saying he gets many emails a day asking about compacts. Maybe if Fuji or Ricoh made one again, there would be a small market for them.

 

As to vinyl, my main system is a VPI TNT with SME V arm and Koetsu cartidge. In my office is my old Rega 3. We have a few record stores in town here that bring in new vinyl for virtually every release.

 

With film sales growing, we see an increased interest in film cameras, instant, and home processing.

 

Here's the JCH link

 

Compact cameras, the future - Japan Camera Hunter

[c_watson1]

Bellamy can shake his pom-poms as a cheerleader all he likes but it won't alter the realities of mirage-like demand for film cameras of any type when measured against film sales and the huge reservoir of used film cameras. Not happening. Not now.

[Gerald Cafferty]

It's good to see there's no shortage of museum curators :-)

[rossb]

My oldest son just bought a Leica M6 from Bellamy Hunt. It should arrive in a few days.and he said the tracking showed it was in San Francisco yesterday. I just purchased a Mamiya 645e from KEH and have been shooting it for a couple weeks. It's been a bunch of fun but hardly a compact.

[Dave Luttmann]

It's good to see there's no shortage of museum curators :)

 

?

[Gerald Cafferty]

?

Sorry it was meant to be sarcasm. But I did enjoy reading about previous centuries technologies, the same way I enjoy visiting transport and aviation museums.

[Alan Johnson]

In the standard focal length category there are older cameras that would be hard to compete with on price, like this Nikon with a 5 element lens:

Nikon L35AF Classic 35mm Film Camera Review with Sample Photos at D2 Gallery

But in the 28mm focal length category there seems to be only expensive older cameras like the Ricoh GR1.

[rossb]

Bellamy Hunt is for it apparently. Maybe he can get fuji or somebody to build it.

[Mike Gammill]

The Nikon Lite Touch with its 28mm f3.5 lens (3 elements) was a great performer for the price, but producing a comparable film camera would be expensive. Given enough time, Lomo may produce something comparable in features, but not certain if they could ever approach the quality of the last major name brand AF compacts.

[ben_hutcherson]

Personally, I'm saving my money at the moment for a Fuji GS645.

 

I'd buy up a Mamiya 6 in a heartbeat if I could afford one.

[rossb]

Personally, I'm saving my money at the moment for a Fuji GS645.

 

I'd buy up a Mamiya 6 in a heartbeat if I could afford one.

 

 

I'm with you. I would rather have either of those camera's.

[ben_hutcherson]

I'm with you. I would rather have either of those camera's.

 

What's not to love about a pocketable MF rangefinder? The Mamiya 6 gets the edge over the 7 for the greater number of exposures per roll and the collapsing lens.

 

There are enough compact 35mm cameras out there now. Some of them are pretty darn good and not that old either-I don't see there really being a shortage of them.

 

A "real"(i.e. not Holga) compact MF camera is something I really long for.

[rossb]

Well I read that Bellamy Hunt say's he thinks there is a solid market for a high quality compact. I would not know myself or what the would sell or not sell out there. Bellamy may be right or wrong about that. However he is trying to find somebody to work with him to make the camera's. I applaud him for that.

 

Basically I have enough camera's for many years and would just watch with interest in how it plays out. I have a Mamiya 645e and like the camera a great deal. If I dropped it I could get a new body for under $300.00 which fits my budget. I have a bunch of 35mm camera's already and probably am not going to use them much. I personally would not purchase a compact 35mm. For a pocket camera I use the cell phone. Yesterday I went hiking with the family and took 4 photos of them with my MF and one picture with my cell phone. I uploaded the cell photo to face book as soon as I got back into a service area. The MF photos will get printed for the family album. As far as purchasing a new MF camera of a smaller size I would not buy it becuase the cost would exceed my willingness to spend. I am just going to shoot my Mamiya and have fun with it. Next month I am going to hike Half Dome and plan on just taking my cell phone for a camera. It's a hard hike and I want minimum weight. I will go back at a later date with my 645e and take photos if I see something that I really want to shoot. I can carry that camera for 5 hrs with a tripod so I am reasonably mobile with it. Up Half Dome is something I have not done before but I know people that have and they say 10 hrs from the Mist trail. Longer if your not in shape for it. I cannot carry my MF for 10 hrs so I am not going to ruin my hike trying.

[c_watson1]

Hunt enjoys entertaining his site's followers and selling them stuff. I don't take him especially seriously on this or any other matter. Film camera sales were fading nearly 15 years ago and went over the falls just a few years later. I doubt there would be lineups to buy a $1000+ film compact when the Fuji X100T goes about the same price. The stuff of dreams...