Bliz Posted August 5 Share #1 Posted August 5 (edited) Advertisement (gone after registration) Now, I love my M4 and my M4-2. I like the focusing, I especially like the size and the quietness, I like the tactile feel. Lately I have been a bit frustrated with composing on a rf though, especially on wide angles where you have to use an external viewfinder (25,21 etc) while trying to make architectural or symmetry focused shots. I own a Canon F1 passed down from my father in law, which is a very nice SLR but I end up not using it because it honestly is a brick, with the 55mm 1.4 it passes 1200 grams, with the 24 2.8 it’s slightly better but still way too heavy for my liking as a “carry all day” kind of camera. I’m sure a few people here have a decade long experience with any kind of film camera ever made, which I don’t being 37, so I ask some advice on what camera would you suggest to someone who loves his Leica Ms but would want the precision of a slr. Right now I’m thinking either a Nikon fm2 or an Olympus OM2, both should be pretty nimble. Especially the Olympus is basically the size of an M body with a pentaprism on top, lenses seem tiny enough, people online say it has a quiet shutter. Prices for a used one seem reasonable (surely more than anything Leica related). The FM2 on the other hand is a bit more expensive and seem to have an important mirror slap and shutter sound. Regarding lenses I basically only shoot 21/24 and 35, sometimes 50 but not really. What do you guys suggest? Edited August 5 by Bliz Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Advertisement Posted August 5 Posted August 5 Hi Bliz, Take a look here What SLR to get to complement my film Ms?. I'm sure you'll find what you were looking for!
plaidshirts Posted August 5 Share #2 Posted August 5 I also have a Canon F-1, the N in my case, which like you mentioned is a "brick". Aside from that, I really like it as it's what I grew up with. The FM2 will be a little smaller and lighter, but not as small as an Olympus, which is a great choice because their lenses are some of the best. My suggestion is the Pentax MX, which is one camera I regret selling. I've been looking for one in black paint but they are not as common as Nikon or Olympus. Pentax also boasts a long line and decades worth of impressive lenses that stack up to the best from its Japanese competitors. The MX also has a more traditional layout unlike the OM which has shutter speed on the lens (I didn't mind it but may bother some). You can't go wrong with any of these as long as they are in good condition and well maintained. 2 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ko.Fe. Posted August 5 Share #3 Posted August 5 I have, M4-2 it was my main film camera. I have tried different SLR brans, except Leica labeled. My last choice was Nikons with film advance via lever. But I got rid of them just as of the rest of SLRs I have tried. I'm only keeping EOS 300, since it was my family main camera for sometime and it just keeps on walking. I have tried another film EOS, but they just bulk with no cigar. EOS film cameras works with all EF lenses. And AF is not a problem with UWA lenses. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
TomB_tx Posted August 5 Share #4 Posted August 5 I've used both M RF and SLRs since 1968, and after getting my M4 quickly traded my Canon SLRs (FT, etc) for a Leicaflex SL. I loved the quality and feel of the Leicaflex, but preferred smaller cameras, so when Pentax came out with the tiny MX (and bit larger LX) they became my SLRs until Leica brought the R4 - a very nice size camera with spot metering option, which I prefer. I now have R6, R7 & R8 (which is LARGE), and the R6 & 7 are a nice size option. But of course they are orphan cameras now and parts and service can be scarce. While I still have Canon F1 & Nikon F & F2 (which continue to work fine), I mainly stay with the R6 for film. For a digital SLR I use a Sony A7 for my old SLR lenses, as I like the small size and feel - and it works will with manual focus lenses. Using spot metering mode I use it much like an R4. 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
pgk Posted August 5 Share #5 Posted August 5 44 minutes ago, Bliz said: Right now I’m thinking either a Nikon fm2 or an Olympus OM2..... What do you guys suggest? Be awarethat these SLRs are now getting old and unlike your M4 & M4-2 can have issues such as prism desilvering, electronic circuit failure and more. Its well worth researching what existing owners find problematic on each model. Unlike your Leica M cameras often neither are economically repairable, in that the cost of working on them can soon exceed their resale value. So its worth looking for a clean and/or recently serviced copy. Same goes for lenses in that there are plenty available but they too can be costly to repair relative to their value. I really liked my OM-1 which I owned 40+ years ago. Good copies are available but many do show signs of their age. 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
SJCoates Posted August 5 Share #6 Posted August 5 Surely the obvious choice would be a Leica R camera? I bought into the R system back in 1999 with the R6.2 and never regretted it; it was a fantastic camera. I loved the simplicity of the manual-only control, and of course the Leica build quality. I considered a Nikon FM2 at the time but the legendary reputation of the Leica R lenses won me over. I only stopped using it when I switched to digital with the SL(601), otherwise I would still be using it today. The R6.2 and R6 do command quite high prices today, so if this is an issue then the other R bodies would be worth considering. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Carlos cruz Posted August 5 Share #7 Posted August 5 Advertisement (gone after registration) I really like om for size and lenses quality. I liked canon ef with overhanging shutter speed wheel but it’s basically same size as f1. My last camera before switching to rangefinders was Nikon f4s gave it to a friend, never looked back. If I were to pick an slr now I’d go for something 100% mechanical, where batteries are only used for light meter, a single digit Olympus or pentax. All electronic wonders of the 80s, 90s are dying with small chance of repair. 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
FrozenInTime Posted August 5 Share #8 Posted August 5 @blitz If accuracy of architectural framing is your main SLR use, keeping the M for street and action, maybe first track down a 24, 28 or 35mm shift lens, then buy a body for it. The Nikon and Olympus PC lenses are probably the most readily available, then Leica-R and Pentax. My only remaining SLR is a Nikon F2, and I have the 28 and 35 PC lenses for it. The 35 I would say is the better performer. Over the years I've also used the Pentax MX and LX, the FM2n and OM-1n ; of these cameras, the MX was my first and favourite - smaller than a Leica M3. 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
earleygallery Posted August 5 Share #9 Posted August 5 If you want a small and lighter SLR then I agree the Pentax MX is probably the best option, with plenty of lens options, or the Olympus OM1. If you have some Canon FD lenses you could consider an AE1, or even an AV1 (but that's auto only so you have to change the ISO for 'manual' control). 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
spydrxx Posted August 5 Share #10 Posted August 5 I still have a bunch of SLRs, most of which get little use these days. I can highly recommend either the Olympus OM-1 or OM-2. They're pretty inexpensive and the lenses are excellent...especially the higher end versions. Same thing goes for Nikkormats, Minoltas and Yashicas. 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
pgh Posted August 6 Share #11 Posted August 6 If super finicky about composition as stated then yes an SLR could help, but digital will help much more. You can go SLR or Mirrorless. Fuji or Nikon. All sorts of different sizes, but digital is going to get you where you want to go much better. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bliz Posted August 6 Author Share #12 Posted August 6 I already have a digital camera, I still enjoy shooting film. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
250swb Posted August 6 Share #13 Posted August 6 (edited) @Bliz if you can afford the slightly higher price I recommend a Nikon FM3a, one of the few cameras that can be used in either manual with meter, manual without batteries, or automatic. Nikon pretty much threw all the know about cameras at this and it's perhaps the best 'classic' film SLR ever made. The FM3a is the same size as an FM and the FM is a great camera if that fits your budget better, I would choose the FM2n if possible. Buy the Ai-S lenses as these are better backwardly compatible with other Nikon bodies. I do use Leica SLR's as well as Nikon but I wouldn't recommend a Leica as a first, second, or even third SLR, Nikon lenses are great and cheap, and unlike Leica's chaotic policy Nikon early on decided on 52mm as their standard SLR filter thread (with only a few exceptions) and these are easily available and cheap as well. As regards your other potential choice Olympus, yes great cameras and superb lenses, but in the winter my OM4 drove me mad because of the thin shutter speed dial needing me to take my gloves off to find it. It had to go. Also not as reliable as a Nikon but more reliable than a Leica. I should add that any concerns about different cameras having focusing rings that turn in different directions from Leica are soon dispelled by using them, it soon becomes automatic just like finding all the other dials and buttons on different camera is. Edited August 6 by 250swb 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
pgk Posted August 6 Share #14 Posted August 6 11 hours ago, SJCoates said: Surely the obvious choice would be a Leica R camera? The problems with R cameras are even more costly for repairs/ CLAs, there is a lack of spares and fewer donor cameras and R lenses are both heavy and expensive so don't really fulfil the OP's brief (might as well stick with the Canon F1 and lighter/cheaper lenses). Personally I would go for an Olympus because they are plentiful, small, light and lenses are good but relatively inexpensive (most anyway). An OM-1/2 and 35/2 will not cost a vast sum and offer a lot for what they do cost. They can still be serviced fairly reasonably too. Light trap foam kits (which will be needed if not already replaced) can be easily sourced on ebay and fitted by oneself. The Pentax MX is a nice little camera but some do actually find it marginally too small (I always have). Pentax lenses are good and cheap though and screw thread converters are simplicity itself. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bliz Posted August 6 Author Share #15 Posted August 6 Yes tbh the Leica R system was one I wasn’t considering, too expensive lenses and not a considerable advantage in weight and size over my canon F1. The choice seem to be among the various Nikon fm bodies, the Olympus OM1 or 2 and the Pentax MX. 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
pgk Posted August 6 Share #16 Posted August 6 Much as I liked the Nikon FM (I've had several), they aren't anywhere near as small and light as either the OM series or small Pentaxes; period lenses are heavier too. That said, they will take a vast amount of Nikon F mount Ai lenses, some newer ones of which will be lightweight. 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
earleygallery Posted August 6 Share #17 Posted August 6 Yes, the Nikon FM is another great camera but really not much smaller or lighter than the Canon F1 to make any significant difference IMHO (and Canon FD lenses with the polycarbonate barrels will be lighter than Nikon lenses). I have an R3 which is a really great SLR but I wouldn’t suggest anyone buying into the R system now primarily because the price of R glass has gone through the roof! I remember not that long ago talking to one of the London dealers about trading in some R lenses and they said they were not taking in any more R cameras or lenses. They now sell them again at eye watering prices (glad I kept mine!). 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
BWColor Posted August 6 Share #18 Posted August 6 Back in the day Olympus filled the role of small, light and competent. I loved my FM2, but not as small. Best images were from the vacuum film plate Contax RTSiii, but it is large and heavy. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
oldwino Posted August 6 Share #19 Posted August 6 I'd second the Nikon FM3a recommendation. Just a great camera, as are the manual focus Nikkor lenses. I've just picked up a Nikon F801, and it is maybe even a better complement to your M4 - it has autofocus (and the early nikkor AF-D lenses are cheap and plentiful!), autoexposure, autowinding, auto rewind, runs on AA batteries, big roomy viewfinder, and really cheap (mine is in mint condition for US$80 with a warranty) - in short, it is everything the M4 is not. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
BernardC Posted August 6 Share #20 Posted August 6 8 hours ago, 250swb said: I should add that any concerns about different cameras having focusing rings that turn in different directions from Leica are soon dispelled by using them, it soon becomes automatic just like finding all the other dials and buttons on different camera is. I disagree on that point. Cameras that focus the "wrong way" (Pentax and Nikon in 35mm) mess with my brain. It takes me a while to get back in sync, so I avoid them. Back to the original topic: it also depends on what lenses you can find. Leicaflex and R lenses can be expensive these days, as are Contax/Zeiss. Canon, Olympus, Minolta, Nikon, Pentax, and Yashica are usually cheaper, along with the oddball brands (Eastern Block, Fujica, Ricoh, etc.). I would avoid cameras with titanium shutters (top speed 1/4000), because they aren't fixable. A friend who was a fashion photographer used to go through FM2s in months, shooting a few hundred rolls and junking them when the shutter inevitably exploded. That was back in the days when people were trading them for AF cameras, so they were plentiful/cheap on the used market. I would also avoid anything that needs a mercury battery, unless you intend to use an external meter (which you already do with your M4). Every big Japanese brand made good cameras and decent lenses. Any of them should serve you well for a long time. Ideally you'll find that you have a relative or acquaintance who has a kit stashed away. If not, take your time to find the right kit. Deals are out there, along with over-valued junk. 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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