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Choice of high quality film compacts?


MarkP

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So the only camera I ever regretted selling was my Contax T3 (with it's jewel of a 2.8/35 Zeiss Sonnar lens) and I'm considering buying a replacement.

 

There are a number of alternative high quality fixed focal length film compacts with manual override but I have no experience with them. They are mostly cheaper than the T3 and all have different and interesting features but I'm not sure any of them outshine the T3. The lens performance and viewfinder is obviously critical to my decision, as is size, and I like that there is an adapter for 30.5mm filters on the T3.

 

These include the: Contax T2, Nikon 35Ti (bigger and much heavier than the T3 but I like the analogue displays and VF info), the diminutive Ricoh GRV1 (28mmlens), and of course the Leica Minilux and CM (both not as compact as the T3). Perhaps there are others I should consider.

 

Any advice on these other cameras is greatly appreciated.

Mark

Edited by MarkP
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Rollei 35 SE. Smaller than your T3. Leica-like quality. Superb IQ. Excellent finder but 100% manual focus. No AF :rolleyes:, no focus aid :rolleyes::rolleyes:, no RF either. Just your eyes...

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I was partial to my Olympus XA but the RF spot has diminished in contrast over the years to the point of irrelevance. I had the Minox GT which like the Rollei has no focus aid but I would take the metal bodied Rollei.

 

The Minilux gives good results but the viewfinder is a tunnel.

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These include the: Contax T2, Nikon 35Ti (bigger and much heavier than the T3 but I like the analogue displays and VF info), the diminutive Ricoh GRV1 (28mmlens), and of course the Leica Minilux and CM (both not as compact as the T3

 

There is also the Minolta TC1 which had an excellent reputation in its day. I've owned the T2, T3 and Minilux and if I was buying again I'd probably plump for the T2. Although the T3 probably has the best lens (certainly it's the most contrasty and possibly the sharpest), I have had reliability problems with two of these cameras and I didn't care for the more fussy user interface compared with the T2. The Minilux is decent but I hated the tiny tunnel viewfinder and I wouldn't want to spend much money on one of these because of the infamous E02 error (I saw this happen when I tried out a black Minilux at one of London's well known dealers:o) which I don't believe Leica will fix. In fact, my understanding is that Leica will no longer support the CM either which, whilst it doesn't surprise me:mad:, it is nonetheless disappointing when you consider that this camera was still being sold new less than ten years ago – at a hefty price.

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Thank you all for your comments:

 

the Rollei looks like a very nice & compact camera with a fine lens but I want something that I can also use as a P&S which includes auto-focus with focus lock.

 

So the Minilux is out. The Leica CM has all the required features including an excellent lens but it is now not repairable (apparently Leica doesn't want to know about it) and is relatively large and heavy for a compact.

 

I had not previously heard of the Minolta TC1. A very quirky little camera it seems, very small and light, but max aperture of only 3.5 and a 28mm lens but worth considering.

 

I think I still can't go past the T3 or perhaps the Ricoh.

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The Leica CM has all the required features including an excellent lens but it is now not repairable (apparently Leica doesn't want to know about it) and is relatively large and heavy for a compact.

 

I think I still can't go past the T3 or perhaps the Ricoh.

 

I don't think any of the "high end" compacts will be easy to get repaired so I wouldn't necessarily rule the CM out on that basis but it does have a very poky viewfinder so it's not one I'd want to buy. I still think the T2 is the one to have. The T3 is too flaky and fragile in my experience.

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Thanks, I'll have another look at the T2 - it's certainly cheaper than the T3. Did you have problems unintentionally activating the flash setting when moving the aperture ring, and what do you think of the 38mm lens?

 

My T3 worked perfectly for 4 years before I stupidly sold it, and Kyocera in Japan is still servicing Contax T3s.

Edited by MarkP
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If you're set on a good quality compact film camera, all of the Ricoh, Nikon, Contax, Rollei and Minolta options are good choices. i would also add Minox to the list, depending on your criteria.

 

The only real caveat is that, with the possible exception of some Minox cameras, they are all getting on a bit and as the repairability issue has been raised it might be a disposable purchase if things go wrong. The upside is that many now for sale may have been bought around the time of discontinuation and not heavily used. In that case, all of them should remain viable for a good while yet.

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I have and can recommend:

 

Contax t3

Yashica t5

Olympus Mju II

 

You already know how good the Contax is.

Yashica t5 is not as pretty but probably a better camera. The waist level finder is a very nice and useful touch.

Olympus Mju II, the lens is exceptional. Super compact and super sharp. Super easy to use.

 

Never owned the Nikon 35ti but it looks great and is suppose to be v good.

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Can also vouch for the T5 - I bought one for my wife in the 1990s and it provided sterling service for many years (until I bought her a T3, which didn't:)). The T5 lacks the "luxuriousness" and the aperture priority control of the Contax cameras but has an equally good lens and takes great photos.

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Rollei 35 SE. Smaller than your T3. Leica-like quality. Superb IQ. Excellent finder but 100% manual focus. No AF :rolleyes:, no focus aid :rolleyes::rolleyes:, no RF either. Just your eyes...

+1 on what lct said.

 

There are three models of Rollei 35: The the 35 (no suffix), the 35 S, the 35SE. The 35 SE is the most sought after because of its lens. I have a black 35 SE and can vouch for the IQ of the lens - it is simply fantastic.

Edited by Carlos Danger
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I had an Olympus mju II. Lovely little package, but the image quality wasn't good enough to show alongside Leica or Nikon images - unlike the f/3.5 Tessar in my (German-made) Rollei 35 when stopped down to f/8-11. (But maybe I was unlucky with the Olympus.)

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The GR-1 was on my list. 28mm is my most used M-lenses after 50mm but if I'm to have only one focal length in a compact it would be in the 35-40mm range.

 

I once had the original Olympus u and wasn't impressed enough for me to look at this series again.

 

The Konica Hexar AF covers all the requirements except it's too big. The Konica Silver is also very nice but also too big.

 

I know nothing about the Klasse lens and its performance.

 

T3 still seems to be #1

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