A little 28mm to burn a little 35mm

[stillshunter]

Really enjoying the little Ricoh GR, mixture of the feel and function of the camera, as well as the challenge of the 28mm FOV.

Be keen to experience the same with 35mm film. I know the obvious choice is a Ricoh GR1(s/v) but not keen on spending what they're asking nowadays - the GR1s I bought a few years back was less than half today's prices.

Wondering if anyone might suggest any decent alternatives. So far found:
from Fujifilm:
- Tiara II / DL Super Mini
- Cardia Super 28WP
- Klasse W
Nikon:
- AF-600
- 28Ti
....and then from Minolta
- TC-1 (though these are even pricier than the Ricoh GR1)

Any other 28mm cameras worth considering?

 

[michaelwj]

No idea Mark, but good to see you back. Hope all's well with you.

 

[stillshunter]

No idea Mark, but good to see you back. Hope all's well with you.

Hey Michael. Mate it is great to see you and see you still here.

I've been a little distracted from photography - or to be more precise, too focused on other mundane parts of life...like work 🙄 - but otherwise I'm OK. Be keen to catch up and hear more on how things are going....check your PMs mate.

 

[02Pilot]

I had an Olympus XA4 for a little while. It was fun, the lens was good, and the overall package is compact and easy to carry around. I sold mine (for under $100US) simply because I prefer more direct control over the exposure. You should be able to find similarly-priced examples without too much difficulty.

 

[zuiko85]

Either price or size.
Obtain one of those on your list. Small size but large dent in wallet.
Or.
Obtain small (relatively speaking) SLR and appropriate 28mm. Larger size but easier on the budget.

For a SLR you could go with;
Olympus OM-1 w/28mm f2.8 Zuiko, about $200 to $250
Nikon FM-2n w/28mm f2.8 Nikkor, $ditto.
Pentax MX w/28mm f2.8 Takumar, $ditto.(if you shop carefully, not as common as first two)

Just mounted a 28mm f11 on my M4-2. Lens (plastic two element w/fixed center stop) obtained from toy camera and mounted into body cap and focused at 12 feet, DOF from 5 ft to infinity. First roll now being exposed, will let folks know how that turns out.
Toy camera $2
Chinese M body cap $2
Labor, about 1.5 hr.

 

[zuiko85]

Now that I've had my first cup of coffee (up at 4:30AM here) my fading brain seems to recall a little, cheap Nikon AF something point and shoot that had a 28 f3.5, but I just cannot recall it designation.

 

[02Pilot]

Just mounted a 28mm f11 on my M4-2. Lens (plastic two element w/fixed center stop) obtained from toy camera and mounted into body cap and focused at 12 feet, DOF from 5 ft to infinity. First roll now being exposed, will let folks know how that turns out.
Toy camera $2
Chinese M body cap $2
Labor, about 1.5 hr.

I did something similar a while back with a 26mm f/5.6 lens from a Fuji P&S in an LTM body cap. It actually works pretty well - soft in the corners, naturally, but acceptable and of course extraordinarily compact.

 

[benlees]

I was in a similar position. Had a GR1 but hated the auto focus, so I sold it. Later, I looked at prints I did from it and decided to get another, but decided I couldn't spend the cash. Discovered the GR10; a stripped down version that is a point and shoot. No controls, no textured grip. Still has a flash, of course. Same lens, however, but no manual controls. The lens is so good I didn't care it was a p&s. The best part is the price: $100-120 will get a fine example. One of my favourites now, despite the auto focus...

 

[Calzone]

For a SLR you could go with;

Nikon FM-2n w/28mm f2.8 Nikkor, $ditto.

If you go Nikon make sure the 28/2.8 is the AIS version.

BTW my tiny 28 is a black Canon 28/3.5 in LTM.

Cal

 

[B-9]

The Nikon Lite*Touch AF has a 28/3.5 lens.

Takes the pesky 3v batteries I can never seem to find locally.

Has a Panorama option, 2 baffles that fold down to crop the image a little top and bottom.

Super small and compact.

Not sure about price, sub-50$ in box I'm sure.

 

[stillshunter]

you guys 😱

....some great advice here.

I've looked around for the Nikon Lite-Touch but can only seem to find them hovering around the $200 mark here in Australia...such a small pond with some big sharks in it down here sometimes. The Tiara can be had for around that money from Japan, so I admit to being tempting as the body and lens on the sardine can looks a little better. Must say I am blown away by today's prices. I remember almost pulling the trigger on a Fuji Klasse W a few years back as they were cheaper than the S - that I ended up buying - and so we were at the $300 mark, now you'd be lucky sourcing one for under $700!!! So let's speak of the TC-1 or the GR1 prices. Again I'd prefer to keep it cheap as I'm not sure how much I'll get into it yet....

Having said that @zuiko85's advice on the small SLR might just work too. Mate you listed a few I'd certainly consider.

Hmmmm....off to lose myself in the "small and capable SLR" research vortex, then to spur off in to the "best 28mm lens" eddy 😱

 

[kaiwasoyokaze]

Really enjoying the little Ricoh GR, mixture of the feel and function of the camera, as well as the challenge of the 28mm FOV.

Be keen to experience the same with 35mm film. I know the obvious choice is a Ricoh GR1(s/v) but not keen on spending what they're asking nowadays - the GR1s I bought a few years back was less than half today's prices.

Wondering if anyone might suggest any decent alternatives. So far found:
from Fujifilm:
- Tiara II / DL Super Mini
- Cardia Super 28WP
- Klasse W
Nikon:
- AF-600
- 28Ti
....and then from Minolta
- TC-1 (though these are even pricier than the Ricoh GR1)

Any other 28mm cameras worth considering?

the super mini/tiara won the TIPA awards i believe one year after the GR1.

However, it's quality of construction is severely mediocre. i carried that small camera everywhere (and the GR1) and a problem that happened with the super mini/tiara is the rear bezel surrounding the eyepiece falling off. It was held on by glue and two sided adhesive!!! the sliding door on the front that turns the camera on also fell off! the attaching points were made from plastic.

in the end i converted the lens into M mount via JCH. even all i said slagging it off i still miss having that small brick in my hands for street shooting.

I have used a Klasse before (the 38mm version) and it is made to better standards. Im still holding onto my GR1s but i know its time is ticking since Ricoh dont do repairs anymore.

 

[Waus]

There is also the Contax TVS...(28-56 zoom)-but I'm afraid it's the same story as with the Ricoh's- Contax doesn't repair them anymore, so when they break you have a very (nice and)expensive paperweight...