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Looking for a sturdy manual M42 body - Fujica?
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PostPosted: Sat Aug 05, 2023 10:38 am    Post subject: Looking for a sturdy manual M42 body - Fujica? Reply with quote

Hi there!
Looking for my first (and only) film camera, that will serve in family holidays for when I want to get some film developed, to use with my M42 lenses like Fuji EBC stuff, Takumars, Rikenons and Helioses.

It has to be reliable, meaning no electronics to mess up as I am not in a country with readily available SLR labs....
Metal parts, metal shutter and solid mechanics.

Don't mind if it's fully manual if it's reliable and proven and easy to service when needed with ebay parts.

I have up to 150$ but of course if there is a 50$ one that would be great Smile

I am kind of a Fuji fanboy and have Fujifilm APS-c bodies that will look good on the shelf next to a Fujica, maybe Fujica made an m42 camera that fits the above?
Or... how about an old Zenit-E ussr body?

Thanks !


PostPosted: Sat Aug 05, 2023 10:10 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

in between the Fujica and the Zenit theres a lot of cameras. I imagine any Pentax Spotmatic would be most people's choice. The Fujis use a proprietary aperture coupling system which would make then low on my list of useful bodies


PostPosted: Sun Aug 06, 2023 6:02 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Zenits are not very reliable. Actually if a Zenit body looks unused, it probably does not work.

Chinon, Cosina and many camera shop brands like Porst etc are ones I would look.


PostPosted: Sun Aug 06, 2023 11:49 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Fujica made really good M42 camera's. The later camera's have a special bayonet.
My M420oldies are all still good working. Fujica 705 or 801 are good choices IMHO.
Nothing wrong with the 55mm 1.8 they are often equipped with either.
The cheap 55mm 2.2 is somewhat odd, with chances for soap bokeh.


PostPosted: Mon Aug 07, 2023 1:33 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Pentax Spotmatic is probably the most common and easier to find in working condition
If you don't want electronics, the SL (no lightmeter) is for you. That is all the electronics those cameras have

Chinons are also built like tanks, and very capable.

Fujicas, Mamiyas, and Yashicas are good cameras as well.


PostPosted: Wed Aug 16, 2023 11:40 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

I think the best choice would be the Cosina EC or one of its many rebadgings, such as the Chinon memotron cameras. They have aperture priority auto exposure with any M42 lens. If it's not an auto aperture lens you just set the aperture to your desired value, and then press the shutter. The metal bladed shutter on these models should also give great longevity and accuracy. Models of the same camera were also sold by Argus and Revuenon among others.

Another excellent choice would be the Mamiya DTL 1000 or 2000 cameras. Of all the models with a stop down metering feature, the one used by Mamiya is possibly the most elegant, no reaching around the front of the camera to fumble around and press some button, it's on the shutter advance control.


PostPosted: Fri Sep 01, 2023 2:35 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

The Spotmatic is nice, but I think the Fujica ST801 is nicer - better features and build quality, and much more likely to find a working and accurate meter (a real Achilles heel for older Pentaxes, haven't seen one yet that wasn't dead. Personally I'd look for a nice SV w/o a meter over a Spotty). And many folks consider the ST801 the high water mark for a body with M42 lenses; do some research and decide for yourself


PostPosted: Fri Sep 01, 2023 6:57 pm    Post subject: Re: Looking for a sturdy manual M42 body - Fujica? Reply with quote

Coyote23 wrote:
Hi there!
Looking for my first (and only) film camera, that will serve in family holidays for when I want to get some film developed, to use with my M42 lenses like Fuji EBC stuff, Takumars, Rikenons and Helioses.

It has to be reliable, meaning no electronics to mess up as I am not in a country with readily available SLR labs....
Metal parts, metal shutter and solid mechanics.

Don't mind if it's fully manual if it's reliable and proven and easy to service when needed with ebay parts.

I have up to 150$ but of course if there is a 50$ one that would be great Smile

I am kind of a Fuji fanboy and have Fujifilm APS-c bodies that will look good on the shelf next to a Fujica, maybe Fujica made an m42 camera that fits the above?
Or... how about an old Zenit-E ussr body?

Thanks !


I clearly understand your need for a M42 SLR.

Are you aware that many mounts are allowing you to mount M42 lenses? Examples are ...

* Minolta SR mount (e. g. SR-T101, SR-T303, Minolta XM, Minolta XD, Minolta XG-Series, Minolta X-300, X-500, and X-700)
* Minolta AF mount (e. g. Minolta 7000 and 9000, Minolta 7000i and 8000i, Minolta 7xi and 9xi, Minolta Dynax 7 and Dynax9, and many others)
* Canon EF mount (many SLRs)

You can get the necessary adapters for about 10 EUR/USD, but you'll have to stop down your lens manually before taking an image. That's no problem if your are doing portraits (usually wide open / tele lens, and therefore no need to stop down) or landscape (enough time to stop down), but it may be annoying for family photos.

Anyway - when using more modern Minolta AF or Canon EF bodies you would save lots of money AND at the same time get a more reliable body. I'm sure it's an un-popular opinion here - but the majority of my "fully manual" vintage SLRs I get are dysfunctional (certainly the Konicas, but often also the Mamiyas and the Minolta SR-T series as well as Canons AE-1). Newer AF SLRs usually are still working (apart from the earlier Nikon AF bodies which often have shutter problems).

You can get a fully working Minolta 7000, 9000 or 7000i for next to nothing (PM me if you need one ...), and you can get the latest generation of Minolta AF bodies such as the Dynax 5 or the 500 si for very little money. The Dynax 7 would be a bit more expensive (but really versatile), and even a true professional beast such as the Dynax 9 would be within your budget!

S

Minolta X-500/X-700:
http://forum.mflenses.com/show-us-your-cameras-t78192,start,132.html
http://forum.mflenses.com/show-us-your-cameras-t78192,start,164.html

Minolta XD-7 (here XD-s, but that's virtually the same SLR):
http://forum.mflenses.com/show-us-your-cameras-t78192,start,178.html

Minolta Dynax 7: http://forum.mflenses.com/show-us-your-cameras-t78192,start,125.html

Minolta Dynax 9: http://forum.mflenses.com/show-us-your-cameras-t78192,start,117.html

See what you can do with a Dynax 7 or Dynax 9: http://forum.mflenses.com/show-us-your-cameras-t78192,start,143.html


PostPosted: Sat Sep 16, 2023 9:40 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

I used Fujica SLRs for many years from the '70's 'till the early 2k's and the ST801 certainly was a pinnacle of M42 design … the 1/2000 sec. shutter came in useful on occasion as well Wink
Yes, most Fujica M42 bodies had the capability of using the unique Fujica open-aperture coupling with suitably equipped lenses, but that didn't stop them being used with stop-down metering with "normal" M42 lenses as well.
Currently I'm using an early Pentax Spotmatic SP with no problem. The metering is perfectly accurate with an appropriate zinc-air hearing aid battery fitted, though the stop-down metering did take a bit of "re-familiarisation" after so many years of open-aperture metering.
Prior to "investing" in a pack of hearing aid batteries and "adaptor" (which is just a suitably-sized rubber ring) I used my old Weston Master V meter with the SpotMatic … no batteries at all with a selenium meter Wink
I did own a Zenit E for a couple of years in the early '70's, as an "upgrade" from a Zenit 3m … it shook itself apart in the pannier of my Harley! Whether that was the vibration of the 'bike or the poor assembly of the camera I never did decide, probably a combination of both Wink


PostPosted: Fri Sep 22, 2023 10:00 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

it looks like you have m42 fuji (ebc) lenses and not x-fujinon bayonet?
most common in m42 is 55/1.8 and 135/3.5.
other are quite rare or cause you are fuji fanboy - you have collected some of those rare ones too?

options are 701 or 801. have them both but i would not put them high on the list.
901 is quite rare and with problems.

several people already mentioned: pentax sp (m42)

cosina's and other re-branded versions are maybe the best option (imo) but they are not in m42.

personaly im fan of cosina ct-1 and it's siblings (yashica, nikon, petri, vivitar, chinon?, revuenon, ...).

my sibling version is petri gx super 2000, light, quiet, basic manual operations, metal shutter

good basic meter and extra - a pentax bayonet to m42 conversion ring to use m42 lenses.

to repeat: it's a lightweight body. it's important.


PostPosted: Sun Sep 29, 2024 1:25 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

I have numerous film cameras, Nikon, Canon and Pentax, plus a Hasselblad. If you are looking for a reliable and very affordable body, you can't beat a Pentax Spotmatic F. I like the Spotmatic F because with Takumar lenses (M42) you can wide open meter with it.