What SLR to get to complement my film Ms?

[FrozenInTime]

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23 minutes ago, Bliz said:

 

It's a mirrorless with af lenses though, right?

micro43 is mirrorless. The original Four Thirds E-1 ... E-5, E-420 etc. were mirror reflex cameras.

The sensor and viewfinder magnification was so low that olympus cheated and stated it with a 50mm lens - instead of the standard lens for that sensor size 25mm.

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[FrozenInTime]

12 hours ago, Einst_Stein said:

If I read you right, you are looking for SLR for precise composition. If so, my suggestion is to get used to it. 
RF cannot do everything, super tele, super wide, are not M good at. If those are bothering you, then by all means get a SLR or P&S or technical camera. 

I have always wanted to make a director's viewer for M lenses:

A small box with M mount, ground glass and a magnifier; could even be mounted on the camera forming a M mount TLR ( eye level -  no mirror unless after the ground glass like the Hasseblad RMFx ). Many of the tiny Voigtländer wide lenses would be ideal for the viewer lens.

Edited August 7 by FrozenInTime

[Carlos cruz]

39 minutes ago, FrozenInTime said:

I have always wanted to make a director's viewer for M lenses:

A small box with M mount, ground glass and a magnifier; could even be mounted on the camera forming a M mount TLR ( eye level -  no mirror unless after the ground glass like the Hasseblad RMFx ). Many of the tiny Voigtländer wide lenses would be ideal for the viewer lens.

For properly functioning director’s viewfinder you’ll need a pentaprism too. I prefer to use my m10 and with frame selector decide on which lens to put on camera. For a moment I thought about getting m-PL adapter but film lenses are just too heavy and awful to focus quickly. 

Edited August 7 by Carlos cruz

[FrozenInTime]

49 minutes ago, Carlos cruz said:

For properly functioning director’s viewfinder you’ll need a pentaprism too. I prefer to use my m10 and with frame selector decide on which lens to put on camera. For a moment I thought about getting m-PL adapter but film lenses are just too heavy and awful to focus quickly. 

Certainly easier with digital. 

Back in the film days Hasselblad had a wide range of through lens framing/viewing accessories that mounted in place of the magazine;  for the SWC, Flex-body and Arc-body; the ground glass adapter allow mounting for their full range of prisms, straight finders and the mirror finder. 

[Carlos cruz]

37 minutes ago, FrozenInTime said:

Certainly easier with digital. 

Back in the film days Hasselblad had a wide range of through lens framing/viewing accessories that mounted in place of the magazine;  for the SWC, Flex-body and Arc-body; the ground glass adapter allow mounting for their full range of prisms, straight finders and the mirror finder. 

I am old enough to remember Sinar ground glass with etchings for framing with different backs. I still have nightmares about calculating multiple flash exposures. My then boss treated medium format as b camera for details  and allowed me to take photos unsupervised, but she prefered mamiya, 6x6 was too small for her. 

[250swb]

2 hours ago, Bliz said:

 

It's a mirrorless with af lenses though, right?

It's mirrorless with EVF or LCD and manual focus or af. It's a professional system at the top end and as with all Olympus lenses they are superb. Currently I think the OM-3 would be the nearest equivalent of an OM film camera. 

[250swb]

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2 hours ago, FrozenInTime said:

micro43 is mirrorless. The original Four Thirds E-1 ... E-5, E-420 etc. were mirror reflex cameras.

The sensor and viewfinder magnification was so low that olympus cheated and stated it with a 50mm lens - instead of the standard lens for that sensor size 25mm.

How is the Olympus E1, introduced in 2003, relevant to the discussion nowadays? It had a 4.9mp sensor, but it was a Kodak CCD sensor. The bottom of the range now has 20mp and in walk around pixel shift mode that goes up to 50mp, or 80mp on a tripod. 

Edited August 7 by 250swb

[FrozenInTime]

11 minutes ago, 250swb said:

How is the Olympus E1, introduced in 2003, relevant to the discussion nowadays? It had a 4.9mp sensor, but it was a Kodak CCD sensor. The bottom of the range now has 20mp and in walk around pixel shift mode that goes up to 50mp, or 80mp on a tripod. 

Thanks to the EVF, it is only a matter of time before the last few remaining DSLRs follow film SLRs - all out of production. … will the M11-V do the same for the anachronism that is he Leica M optical rangefinder 😉 ( …  ducks  and runs for cover ) 

[BernardC]

2 hours ago, FrozenInTime said:

Thanks to the EVF, it is only a matter of time before the last few remaining DSLRs follow film SLRs - all out of production. … will the M11-V do the same for the anachronism that is he Leica M optical rangefinder 😉 ( …  ducks  and runs for cover ) 

Phase One and Pentax are probably the only remaining makers of DSLRs. You can find some EOS and Nikon bodies in shops, but they aren't making new ones.

The rangefinder is safe for now, because Leica can charge a significant premium. Japanese rangefinder production is done (one supplier made rangefinders for X-Pan, Zeiss Ikon, Cosina/Voigtlander, etc.). Pixii also makes their own rangefinder, which is amazing for such a tiny brand.

[hansvons]

20 hours ago, 250swb said:

Currently I think the OM-3 would be the nearest equivalent of an OM film camera. 

I have experience with the OM1. It’s an incredible camera for wildlife photography and any kind of outdoor photography that requires a light, yet sturdy and water resistant camera. However, the files are not comparable to the SL2-S, despite roughly having the same amount of pixels. The colour science isn‘t optimised for complex skin tones. But birds, insects, any kind of wildlife, even landscapes look natural and ooze modernity and professionalism. We use it for wildlife with the 300mm and the 1.4x extender glued to the camera. It‘s stabilising system is beyond belief and ideal for run-and-gun 800mm (in FF terms) shooting style.

[budrichard]

There is only one system to accompany your Leicas, the Nikon system because of the myriad of lenses and devices for the F Mount Nikon Cameras, robust build quality and still available.

The Nikon F started it all and still remains the best but as posted concern for aging is uppermost, especially with the Photomic Finders. Due diligence with the seller to determine if the camera and meter work correctly and if the light seals are functional.

Expect to pay at least $500 for a functional F camera with meter

I started decades ago with a Nikon FTn and Nikon F. Along side was an M3. The FTn was now used as the exposure meter for all cameras. No more taking a meter reading and transferring to a camera. The Photomic finders revolutionized News Photography.

I do have a F2 but do not like it as much as the FTn.

An FMn is a good choice and I have still have one but if you want the latest F style, as posted the FM3a is THE BEST.

I ordered mine sight unseen when first announced.

The Nikkor 24mm f2.8 is great and I also ordered one when first announced. It was a hit among News Photogs.

AS an aside, I have now transferred to a Nikon Zf and lenses for most of my work.

My M6 and M7’s sit unused.

By the way, a rumored Nikon Z rangefinder with a Nikon S3 form factor will shake up the World.

Digital finder, Z lenses and technology, rangefinder form factor will be impressive.

My Leica M Digital is now mostly unused and will probably never be used again if Nikon offers this camera.

The Zf offers a fully silent shutter Mode which puts everything ever previously offered to shame.

There is just the briefest sensation to the user of shutter actuation and none to anyone else.

-Richard

 

 

 

 

Edited August 8 by budrichard

[BernardC]

3 hours ago, budrichard said:

There is only one system to accompany your Leicas, the Nikon system because of the myriad of lenses and devices for the F Mount Nikon Cameras, robust build quality and still available.

Honestly, all the big Japanese brands made some great products, and had their share of not-so-great products. In wouldn't pay close attention to brand wars from the previous century. It's more important to find a camera that is working and in good shape.

3 hours ago, budrichard said:

The Nikkor 24mm f2.8 is great and I also ordered one when first announced. It was a hit among News Photogs.

That brings me back to my university days, 35+ years ago. I was hanging-out in the student darkroom, as I did a lot, and one of the photogs from the student paper was shooting a cover. He had a Nikkor 24, and I had my camera with a Zeiss 25 (Y/C), so we loaded a short roll in each and he shot the same setup using both lenses. It was a tabletop flash shot, so exposure was the same. Both rolls came from the same bulk loader, and they were souped together. When we compared the images, there was absolutely no comparison. The Nikkor was noticeably softer/mushier, and it had more distortion. Maybe it was a bad copy.

On a related topic, one of the things I learned in that darkroom is that equipment doesn't matter. Many of the best shots come from the cheapest equipment. There was a huge range of gear, ranging from old to new, cheap to expensive (even the odd Leica). It had absolutely no influence on results. The students who had a great eye produced the best shots, regardless of whether they bought their camera for a fiver at a charity shop, or their parents gifted them an F3 and a sac full of Nikkors.

[Bliz]

Checking in to say I got a very nice black FM2n body for around 200 which came with a pancake nikkor 50mm 1.8, now I’m eyeing the Voigtlander SL 20mm 3.5 really tiny compared to the nikkor and I have had good experiences with Voigtlander lenses on M mount.

[Coppereye]

On 8/5/2025 at 9:17 PM, Carlos cruz said:

All electronic wonders of the 80s, 90s are dying with small chance of repair. 

I would echo this sentiment.  Actually I still think it applies today.  
 

I recently moved home and I came across my Minolta Dynax 7000 with electric light meter, auto frame advance and rewind.  If I’m honest it still worked … I think as I never put a film through it.  

You have to think of the popularity of the body when it was first released, if it was popular there is more opportunity to find the spares to repair.  Even more difficult is finding the expertise to fix them at a price lower than you can buy another one.

The more bells and whistles the more possible points of failure.  
 

Let’s face it photography is in essence simple.  You point at something, focus on it, adjust the width of the aperture and shutter speed until the light meter turns green and you press the shutter.  

On a camera such as the superb Olympus OM10 the only “extra” is the ability to switch from manual to aperture priority, but the light meter still works.  Seen a few on eBay uk for £100-£175 - reskinned, tested and includes a 50mm f1.8 lens.  Don’t be scared of going back 20, 30 or more years.  My M3 SS is nearly 70 years old and looks like it came out of the factory yesterday.  
 

As for modern digital bodies I had a Pentax 645D for a short time.  I called it the hedgehog because it was covered in dials, switches and buttons.  So many points of failure make you wonder if one could be easily repaired in 2025?

 

Basically I go by the acronym KISS Keep It Simple Stupid. 

[Coppereye]

On 8/7/2025 at 3:36 PM, 250swb said:

How is the Olympus E1, introduced in 2003, relevant to the discussion nowadays? It had a 4.9mp sensor, but it was a Kodak CCD sensor.

For me a CCD sensor makes it relevant.  OK you can’t make a massive print without adjustment with a 4.9mp sensor but the CCD sensor gives images a fabulous filmic look to images where the modern CMOS with its increasing numbers of mega pixels  ( when did we start counting pixels again ) has a cleaner, almost sterile feel - it actually reminds me of slide film.  
 

I had a Leica S(006) with the CCD sensor - beautiful images - until the sensor corroded ☹️.  I then switched to the S(007) CMOS.

Have you seen the prices of a good M9.  They seem to be on the increase

 

[250swb]

13 minutes ago, Coppereye said:

For me a CCD sensor makes it relevant.  OK you can’t make a massive print without adjustment with a 4.9mp sensor but the CCD sensor gives images a fabulous filmic look to images where the modern CMOS with its increasing numbers of mega pixels  ( when did we start counting pixels again ) has a cleaner, almost sterile feel - it actually reminds me of slide film.  
 

I had a Leica S(006) with the CCD sensor - beautiful images - until the sensor corroded ☹️.  I then switched to the S(007) CMOS.

Have you seen the prices of a good M9.  They seem to be on the increase

 

Ah right, I get what you are saying now, the CCD sensor is beautiful, the M9 is Leica’s best M digital camera imo. But for the OP there is much about the OM system that is filmic because of the film filters and admittedly more limited ISO range (over full frame) that all add up to a film like experience.

[ApoVision]

The clear winner is the Nikon F6 - robust, relatively small and the exposure meter is a sensation, the most accurate in my view, perfect for slides. A nice additional feature is that you can have metadata imprinted on the film. Lenses up to the AFs where you can still set the aperture by hand, can be excellent.

Tried hard to become friendly with the R7, but the exposure meter is not perfect and what I disliked in particular is that there is no acoustic difference of the different shutter speeds (between ca 1/15 and 1/2000). Always makes you wonder whether the R7 did as told. Also had F, F2SB, F3P, F5, FA, FE, Canon F-1 ("old") and Pentax ME. Clearly, the F6!

[BernardC]

5 minutes ago, ApoVision said:

The clear winner is the Nikon F6 - robust, relatively small and the exposure meter is a sensation, the most accurate in my view, perfect for slides. A nice additional feature is that you can have metadata imprinted on the film. Lenses up to the AFs where you can still set the aperture by hand, can be excellent.

The original poster mentioned that the Canon F1 was too big, so something even bigger and heavier isn't what they are looking for.

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[colonel]

On 8/5/2025 at 8:12 PM, Bliz said:

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?

I use a Canon EOS 30. It was around £60  

The AF is surprisingly good and fast, and the metering is superb. It has auto loading and auto advance. Absolute dream to use.

 

[Bliz]

4 hours ago, BernardC said:

The original poster mentioned that the Canon F1 was too big, so something even bigger and heavier isn't what they are looking for.

This. As I said i got a fm2, pretty happy with the size. Might add a OM1 in the future.