No frills, vintage, street photography camera

[ChromaticAberration]

So the other day my girlfriend was "complaining" about how few photos we have of each other. Today I am thinking that maybe it'll not be a bad idea to start hanging out with her and once in a while take a camera to shoot some pictures of us.

With that in mind I am pondering the purchase of a cheap <50€ camera with a vintage look&feel, pretty automatic, that can be taken outside without the bulk of an SLR and be out of the ordinary, something that's a bit more rough on the edges, not plain and simple like todays point&shoots.

Any suggestions?

Thanks in advance.

[poilu]

why don't you use your 1000D, it is about the size of a p&s and have the green mode

[Minolfan]

I would vote for a Ricoh G(X) or ME.

[berraneck]

film camera? olympus mju2. it has an outstanding lens for its price

[Minolfan]

I fully agree, it is a great camera. But is is not very vintage looking IMO.

[Esox lucius]

[ludoo]

If you need auto exposure, why not look for one of the cheap '70s rangefinders? They can be had for next to nothing (<20€ usually, more like 10€ sometimes), have really really god lenses and pleasing ergonomics. And they are on the small side.

My personal favourite is the Mamiya 135EE



I paid 12€ for mine, and it never disappoints. The fact that modern zinc-air batteries (<1€ each) work without the need for an adapter is a plus. A couple of family snapshots from mine, cheap film, lab scan







I also love the Rollei XF35 though it's a bit more expensive, and the rangefinder assembly is fragile. On the other hand, it has a faster lens with really good coating. There are other models with a good reputation like the Konica C35.

If you don't need auto exposure and have a good cheap repairman near you, I'd get a Vitomatic IIa: there's plenty of them around, the Color Skopar is probably the best Tessar scheme lens ever made for 35mm, and its 1:1 viewfinder is gorgeous.

[ChromaticAberration]

Thanks for all the suggestions so far.

What I was thinking was having a camera for those moments where you dont want to complicate things, you just want to take that picture, in focus mainly, and that's it. The modern point&shoots don't attract me though. I would like to try something with a bit more personality.

I particularly enjoyed the Mamiya 135EE. I also like the Yashica Electro 35 but they do not seem very easy to find, at least the first one. Even on ebay.

Oh and durability is also important. User-friendliness likewise.

Wrap-up: vintage point&shoot (or close to that).

[ludoo]

Also be sure to check sizes and weights, as pictures might be misleading. The Mamiya for example has less features than the Yashica, but is smaller and lighter.

[kansalliskala]

Do you want vintage or retro?

[Nesster]

Repeating myself from the other thread...

How about an Oly 35SP or a Konica C35 or the larger Auto S2? Here's some threads with pics
http://forum.mflenses.com/olympus-35-sp-arrived-today-t33292.html
http://forum.mflenses.com/konica-auto-s2-t31600.html

[ChromaticAberration]

[LucisPictor]

Any 70s rangefinder would do.
Or a cam like my CANON AF35MII. That cam has a fantastic lens.
I would sell mine for little money.


(http://nalepa.wordpress.com)


(Cool, that is my post number 12345. )

[bogolisk]

[cooltouch]

The Olympus XA has to be one of the easiest cameras to carry around there is. I don't if it's vintage enough looking for you, and I don't know if you would be able to find one for less that 50€. But it is aperture-priority AE, all you have to do is focus.

Another one worth considering that you should be able to find for under 50€ is one of the Minolta Hi-Matics. Again, with a Hi-Matic all you do is focus. And it takes surprisingly good pics. Well, the earlier ones you focus. The AF models you don't. Unlike the Canon Sure Shot above, they have manual film winds. Here's a shot of an AF2. This camera was given to me, works great.



Some pics taken with a Minolta Hi-Matic E (auto exposure with manual focus), scanned on an Epson 4990 at 2400 ppi. Not sure about the film; I think it was just Fuji Superia 400.







Here's a link to an eBay auction for a Hi-Matic E. The BIN prices are crazy. The camera isn't worth that much.

Click here to see on Ebay

[luisalegria]

If you don't mind not having a rangefinder, and can go old-school on metering, these are very cool for street photography and quite cheap. You may have to dick around with the shutter to get them running well though -

http://forum.mflenses.com/watson-welta-weltix-from-1938-t30500,highlight,%2Bwatson.html

http://forum.mflenses.com/kodak-retina-1b-t23830,highlight,%2Bretina.html

http://forum.mflenses.com/kodak-retina-ia-t30091,highlight,%2Bretina.html

Metering really isn't a problem, with a bit of practice.

They are very fast in action too, with a bit of practice. Guesstimate the range is fine at f/8. Point and shoot really. Fiddling with a rangefinder slows you down.

On US ebay at least the non-rangefinder versions of these little old folders can be pretty cheap. $20-30 is a fair price.

Even cheaper are the real American rangefinders, with interchangable lenses to boot. These are also extremely cheap -

http://forum.mflenses.com/argus-c44-complete-outfit-of-the-poor-mans-leica-t20079,highlight,%2Bargus.html

http://forum.mflenses.com/argus-c3-and-its-lenses-t27812,highlight,%2Bargus.html

[womble]

Olympus Trip? You can get them jazzed up in fancy coloured leather now!

[ChromaticAberration]

[luisalegria]

Rangefinders were an extra-cost item on the really old cameras. These usually were made in rangefinder and non-rangefinder versions.

The price difference these days between the rangefinder and non-rangefinder vintage cameras of the 1930's-1950's is very great. You will also usually find the more compact cameras without rangefinders.

I have found that within some limits you can easily do without a rangefinder. A rangefinder will not really help at small f/stops or at more than 10'/3 meters. Its easy enough to estimate range. For street photography in general thats where you are going to be. A rangefinder can even slow you down. You may find that you have to train yourself to avoid it.

Now, if you want to shoot portaits at f/5.6 or bigger thats another story. But you can still do a decent job without a rangefinder with a little practice.

[Nesster]

... if range finder isn't a must, you could take a look at something like the Nikon EM, or Pentax ME / ME Super or similar petite SLR - with a small 50mm lens they often come with, it's a pretty small package.

+ 12 on the other advice given, once one's used to it, not having a focusing aid or built in metering isn't too big a deal.

[cooltouch]

[mo]

[RioRico]

My favorites of the ilk: SMALL --

* Weirdest: CANON (or Bell & Howell) DIAL-35 with wind-up drive
* Fastest: CANON Demi-EE 17, another half-frame wonder
* Handiest: Olympus XA (no suffixes, get the original)

NOT SO SMALL --

* Petri 7-S with 45/1.8 -- cult classic for street, no batteries!
* Yashica Electro35 GSN -- or maybe a Lynx 5000 -- cheap!
* Olympus Pen-FT half-frame SLR -- totally amazing!

Those half-frames were working cameras for me. I had photos published internationally. And loading 135 cassettes from bulk rolls made them especially thrifty.

[visualopsins]

Just a note to say Thank You to thread contributors, I have enjoyed reading every post, seeing the best of cool film compact cameras, especially catch my eye the Minox GT35 with fold-open front and miniscule size, definite retro look there!

[ChromaticAberration]