$300 to spend on a film Point and Shoot - which one to get?

T

Tzelet

Guest
I bought a Canon S90 a while back, and it's been with me 24/7 ever since, it's a joy to know that I can pull it out and shoot whenever I feel like it. So, that started me thinking: Can I find a film camera that does the same?

I know there are plenty of good/decent fixed lens rangefinders out there, but it is not what I'm looking for at the moment.

I have tried a Leica CM that is held hostage in a local camera store, but the viewfinder is truely not the best feature of the camera: It is small. And the price is $800, and way beyond what I'm willing to spend.

So, options. If the world was perfect, I'd be looking for:
- 28mm - 50mm fixed focal length
- fast lens (f/2.8)
- auto focus
- good optics

Seeing how everything up until this last one points to the Hexar AF, here is a deal breaker:
- Compact

The cool thing about the S90 is that it's small enough to justify the space in pretty much every situation, so size is an issue here.

Oh, and if I'm looking for a camera that doesn't exist (not unlikely), feel free to let me know. I could never live with a viewfinder like the one found on the Leica CM.
 
Ricoh GR1s/v

28mm, f/2.8, AF, good lens, reasonable viewfinder with lots of info.

GR1s_GRD3.jpg

GR1_VF.jpg
 
I have a Fujifilm Klasse S, you might be able to pick one up second hand at your price point. It's nice camera to use, although I have no experience of other film compacts such as Contax or Ricoh.

There are a few things I like about the Klasse:

1) The aperture control is a lovely little dial on top of the camera, like a Leica X1.
2) The exposure compensation is very easy, a little dial on the front.
3) The viewfinder is actually pretty decent.
4) Lens quality is great, I can't really tell the difference between shots from this and shots from my ZI with Leica/CV lenses.
5) It's a metal build which gets a "woo!" from those who handle it.

It's a nice camera which I don't really use enough of, but am making a point to do so from now on.

Also check out the Natura series, never used one, but they look very attractive.

Depending on what results you're after, maybe Lomo might be a bit of fun too.

Garry
 
Thank you! The Ricoh GR1s looks interesting, I've seen pictures of it before, but never thought that it was "small".
 
Casio

Casio

Just bought a Casio. Nice screen, great color reproduction, 10x optical zoom, and it fits in my pocket. Had a G10 Canon but in the end I felt it was simply too large for my needs.
 
You might consider the Leica Minilux (non-zoom version w/ 40mm Summarit 2.5)...my first Leica, my first love. Veiwfinder is just OK, but the lens is really excellent. Should fit your budget.
 
GR1 or T3. Small, well built, fast lenses, excellent optics, minimal shutter lag.

Neither has a viewfinder to get excited about, but they're both better than most other compacts. Also, both of these cameras will focus the lens with a half press of the shutter button and then immediately fire the shutter with a full press. Many compacts will determine the focus distance on the half press, but won't actually move the lens into position until the full press. This results in some serious shutter lag.
 
Full auto: Pentax UC-1

At the other end of the scale: If you can afford it the Fuji Klasse W in silver looks über-cool. Clever design lets it look like an RF, amongst other things the flash being where the VF would be on a Leica M et al. It oooooozes class (the name say´s it all really)

Google search: Fuji Klasse W images
 
Olympus Stylus Epic (MJU in europe). Get the fixed lens version. Stunningly sharp 35 f/2.8 lens, very compact, even has a spot meter built in (a bit akward to use - but it is there!)

Oh, don't let the price put you off, these are great cameras and readily available lightly used for under $100.00! More money for film!
 
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