Quietest film point and shoot?

I use a Yashica t4 for color and a Ricoh GR1 for black and white. Neither is totally quiet but both are quiet enough. Never have had any issues being noticed shooting on the street due to the sound. The t4 is quieter than the GR1.

The XA is the quietest but not automatic focus and I have had a number of shots ruined by lens flare. I don't think the lens is actually that good despite what everyone says certainly not up to the quality of the T4 or GR1.

The original Contax T is like a better quality XA but the barn door lens cover is too clunky for me and again not automatic.

It seems like you either have to sacrifice a little of the quiet for something like a t4 or GR1 or sacrifice some portability and get a Hexar AF or sacrifice some quality and automation and get a XA or sacrifice a lot of cash and get a T3. Trade offs...

Actually another one to consider is a Lomo. Scale focusing but auto exposure and quiet with a really nice lens. I really like the 32mm focal length and it looks good with color or black and white.
 
Avotius said:
ps. This is heresy I know but side by side, I think the FF3 is even more responsive then the GR1S :eek:
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I have FF-70 (90 in U.S.) which is very similar to FF-3 so I understand your excitement with this model.

Some people here (Chubasco, Nesster) also have discovered this models. In Ricoh I trust!
 
Remember, the original question is about a point and shoot. Not a rangefinder or zone focus camera.

(I also agree that the Minox 35 series and the Olympus XA are very quiet cameras -- just not what we would traditionally consider to be a point and shoot, which were autofocus, autowind and autorewind).
 
Yeah, I think the XA is one of the quieter cameras around but like I said, point and shoot, I got plenty of manual focus cameras that I could use, but I find a special place in my heart for the mindlessness of using a point and shoot where I am not thinking about details and just shooting photos.

Might check out a Yashica T4, I hear its the same as the T5? There are a few T5's floating around that are kind of cheap.
 
For point-n-shoot, then, an Olympus EC would be nice. Fully automatic, no rangefinder, and it is very small and quiet - with a nice lens as well. I am told the Olympus Trips are also nice, but have not owned one so I cannot say. The one and only issue with the EC cameras is that they often have some corrosion in the battery cups that need to be cleaned up first - camera won't function without battery power. With battery power, however, it's the nicest P-n-S I've seen, with a great lens and very quiet.
 
Avotius said:
Yeah, I think the XA is one of the quieter cameras around but like I said, point and shoot, I got plenty of manual focus cameras that I could use, but I find a special place in my heart for the mindlessness of using a point and shoot where I am not thinking about details and just shooting photos.
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XA2 is a point-n-shoot. However, I think the XA has a better lens of the two.
 
If you don't like cheap Pentax PC35AF, check out Fuji Zoom Date f2.8 (aka Silvi in Japan). It has motorwind which is zippy and not loud (opposite to Ricoh FF-3/FF-90).
 
Best thing about the t4 is the lens particularly with color film (I don't like it as well with black and white). The Tessar renders out of focus areas really nicely and for whatever reason Zeiss lenses just have great performance with color film.

I like the photos from the T4 more than I do those from the significantly more expensive Contax T2 and it's lighter and less fussy (though no manual control) and "weather resistant" whatever that means. Truly a point and shoot or a point, hit the little button on top to get it into no flash mode, and shoot. That's the only major downfall, no way to have the flash stay off forever.
 
Olympus Stylus Epic... VERY quiet and VERY sharp lens. Very trim, smooth body when lens cover is closed... slips into a pants pocket easily.

Downside... no adjustment of aperture or shutter speed (doesn't bother me), and you have to turn the flash off each time you turn the camera on (does bother me).
 
Minolta AF-C, the only manual thing is film winding, which I prefer over auto-winding. It's auto-focus and auto-exposure, has a great lens and is roughly the same size as the XA. Shutter is really quiet, but film winding is a little noisy. Nothing too serious though, and a great little camera.
 
Avotius said:
Yeah, I think the XA is one of the quieter cameras around but like I said, point and shoot, I got plenty of manual focus cameras that I could use, but I find a special place in my heart for the mindlessness of using a point and shoot where I am not thinking about details and just shooting photos.

Might check out a Yashica T4, I hear its the same as the T5? There are a few T5's floating around that are kind of cheap.
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I'm with you on this one! I find the arbitrariness of a p&s to be both intriguing and fun! I have a Canon AF35ML (great lens on this one!) and an Olympus Infinity Zoom 230. Both are noisy beasts, though!
 
I'll put my vote in for some already mentioned.

The Stylus Epic / Mju-II is a great camera. Quiet and easy to use with quick response.

The Minolta AF-C is one of my favorites. Very sharp lens and quiet as well.

Getting out of autofocus, the Hi-Matic F is a super little camera. Very nice lens that has quick rangefinder focusing. Very good auto exposure. Super quiet electronic shutter. The first time I used it, I thought that there was something wrong because of how quiet it is.

Good luck.
 
Does anyone know if there is a point and shoot with a prime 50? Seems like everything is 28 35 38 or 40. I also hear I should avoid the leica minilux and CM because they have problems with ribbon cables breaking and are loud with poor finders.
 
Avotius said:
And I know my camera is loud besides it being by my face because just today I was out and got 3 comments within about 5 photos. Its really a very loud camera.
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I don't know if it is just Ricoh cameras, but I have a AF-2 that sounds like a coffee grinder when it winds. I thought something might be broken inside, but it works okay.
 
Since I started this post I have been looking at a lot of different compact cameras, and I have narrowed them down to 4 choices. The Contax T2 and T3, and the Leica Minilux and CM.

I like the Contax T2 because I hear it has the best viewfinder and is the cheapest but am a little hesitant about the vignetting I hear about and how it has a f2.8 lens but you dont get to select it manually, which is stupid.

I like the Contax T3 for seeming being the most complete of all the sets but I hear the lens lacks a little character, and also its really expensive.

I like the Leica Minilux for that f2.4 lens and Leica optics which are always a plus, but I am terrified of the breaking ribbon cable problem even though I found this which has many extras available. The price is similar to the Contax T2 so that is nice but its bigger and the finder is smaller.

I like the Leica CM because its a better smaller version of the Minilux still...the ribbon cable problem and the price which is about the same as the Contax T3.


Sigh....so whats a guy to do? T2? Save for the T3? Minilux? dang....a little help here?
 
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For street, you may have lots of choices.
For available light, the Hexar AF has a very silent operation, an f/2 lens which will allow to shoot without flassh, and a very precise AF...
It's really a one of a kind camera.
 
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