Advice Requested: Choosing a Film SLR System

I agree. Nikon is definitely the easiest route. And from a compatibility standpoint, with what I currently have, it is the only option that makes sense.

I really do like my 105/2.5 and the 24/2 lens. I am just so disappointed in the 50/1.8 though, particularly after using my 50/1.5 cv nokton. The nokton outclasses it in every way.

I'll look into the CV lenses. I think they might be outside of my budget for now though.

Very cool - I like how you use the OM2n. That's neat!

KEH seems to have spotmatic F bodies. And they turn up once in a while on the pentax forums too. The open aperture capable lenses sell for significantly more than the stop down lenses. That said, they're still pretty darn cheap compared to OM and Nikon lenses.

Quite the pickle. So many options.

amateriat said:
To quote a Mary Hopkin song, the horizon is open.

- Nikon: The easiest route, since you have a D70 body and a few lenses. Problem is, you don't sound all that enthused about the glass you have. You could buy some F-mount CV lenses, as well as that F3HP body (and, yes, you do want the HP: way back when, I had two F3 bodies, only one of which had the HP finder; the other finder drove me nuts after a while, so I eventually changed the finder on that one to HP as well). Means spending a few bucks on glass, but I'd bet you would love the results.

Of course, if you're willing to ignore the extra bells/whistles, F100s are pretty cheap, too.

- Olympus: My sole remaining SLR is an OM-2n. The bad news is that the VF doesn't have much in the way of eye relief for the bespectacled among us. The good news is that, to me, just about everything else is fine. Love the compact size, control layout, and general robustness of the body. I basically use mine (in conjunction with a Sigma 21-35mm zoom and VariMagni finder) as an ersatz miniature view camera, so it spends most of its time on a tripod.

- Pentax: If you want full-aperture metering, there's also the Spotmatic F. But, (1) you're still dealing with a system that relies on a mercury cell, meaning you either find a way to get hold of said batteries, or (more likely) have the camera modified and adjusted to use silver-oxide cells; (2) in order to take full advantage of the F's metering system, you'll need to stick to late-model Super Takumars, which were made with the F/ES/ESII in mind; earlier models will still require stop-down metering.

And, Spotmatic Fs aren't the easiest bodies to find, either.


Good luck!


Barrett
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Dave Wilkinson said:
A very unusual choice! - but the best thing I've bought for years! ( no kidding! ) is a Konica FT1 and some AR Hexanon lenses. Available at very reasonable prices ( tho not too many about ) it handles beautifully and the lenses are second to none!....currently my favourite film camera!
Dave.
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I havent heard about those at all! Another option to look into. Thanks.
 
dmr said:
The only one of these I'm familiar with is the Pentax screw system. The Spotmatic was my main camera for several years. I had the normal, 135, and 28 lenses. I loved it except for two things. First, changing lenses was a pain in the toosh! That's the main reason I went for the K1000. Second, metering was clumsy. Stop-down metering with a manual switch. You really couldn't meter and focus all at once.

Performance wise, you can't beat the Spotmatic! Excellent lenses!
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Hmm. What was difficult about changing lenses? Are they just difficult to mount?
 
nickdando said:
What about Contax? You will have access to two manufacturers ranges of lenses, ranging from the excellent Carl Zeiss optics, to the good Yashica models. And there are other third-party lenses available as well.

The cameras are strong and well designed (Porsche Design) - models to have a look at are the 139, RTS II, RTS III and the S2 (which can be pricey).

The RTS II offers interchangeable focussing screens, mirror lock-up, 1/50th second mechanical back-up, a motor-drive as an option, plus a wide range of other accessories.

Nick
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I remember briefly looking at keh and adorama and they didnt seem to have much to offer for contax slrs. I'll check it out some more.
 
batterytypehah! said:
Given that you stressed your budget, I second the Konica odd-ball recommendation, and I'll throw in a mention of Sears/Ricoh for a cheap K mount body.

Let me back up and say that my SLR experience is very limited. I was given a Pentax ME Super outfit (alas, with a stuck mirror) and a little later picked up a Konica FP-1 with 50/1.8 from the free pile at a yard sale (!).

Now, the FP-1 is a dreadful program-only POS but it makes a decent rear cap -- the lens is a keeper. There's a lot of people who swear by Hexanons and I'm beginning to see why. They are very cheap on the used market for the quality.

I was trying to find a better Konica body for a while but for the moment I settled on a Sears KS-2 (Ricoh XR-7) to keep using the K mount lenses I have. Cost all of $10 plus shipping on ebay (seller thought it was dead but it only needed fresh batteries...)

Not much film through either of these, but the viewfinders are fine for me with glasses. Hoping for more experienced Konica and K mount users to flesh this info out for you.
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Very cool. Sounds like you got some nice finds there!

Made me laugh out loud about the body making a nice rear lens cap. Pretty funny stuff.
 
The Spotmatic F meters at full aperture with SMC and Super-Multi-Coated Takumar lenses.

The Spotmatic F *DOES NOT* require an expensive, short-lived Wein cell.
It will meter accurately using modern 1.5V 625 cells, alkaline or silver.

Chris
 
Thanks for the comparisons / evaluations.

It seems like the OM lenses go up in price by the day.

AI lenses are typically a bit cheaper at the various dealers, and if there is I would just buy the ai version.

The 105 is great. I really do like the f/2. I need the speed so I went for it over the f/2.8 and I have yet to be disappointed by it.

I have bought bargain rating from KEH three times now. Had to return 1 lens because the rabbit ears were all dented like mad, and there was significant haze on some of the elements. And had to return a canon rangefinder lens due to fungus. The third one was my 105/2.5 and its a keeper! Thankfully they have a good return policy. 🙂

Steve Bellayr said:
Pentax screw mount: stop down metering a big drawback. Lenses have a nice signature.
Olympus: lenses getting hard to find and expensive. 24mm, 35mm, 85mm becoming very pricey. OM-2 takes common batteries. OM-1 needs a converter or have the camera meter converted. Very light weight.
Nikon has many lenses at lower prices. Ai & Ais lenses supposedly the same accross the board but not exactly.

Your 105mm f2.5 ais is one of the sharpest lenses ever produced by Nikon and has become a classic. The 24mm f2.8 ais supposedly out perfoms the f2.0. The 50mm f1.4 ais came in 6 versions with the last being the best. The 50mm f1.8d is not preferable to the aforementioned 6th 50mm f1.4.

Bargain lenses often from the listed dealers are just as good as excellent or better at auctions. If you are not planning to use the lens much or are just experimenting go bargain.
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cmdrzed said:
I, too, prefer the manual focus route and purchased a Nikon FE for telephoto use when I need it. It is sturdy enough to handle most of the abuse it encounters while I'm out. I got mine from KEH as bargain grade for ~$70 but I don't know why it was bargain grade because it looks and works like new.

Another bonus with the FE is that it will accept non-AI lenses and KEH has a 50/1.4 for $140. I don't know how that particular lens performs. This lens along with an FE would end up costing ~$215. 🙂
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I hadnt looked into the FE or FM lines. I'll have to check them out a bit.
 
Merkin said:
I would also recommend sticking with Nikon, since you already have a number of lenses. Also, even though you stated that you aren't interested in autofocus, consider the F4. You can interchange the focusing screens in the finder to whatever you like, including a number of screens that are very good for manual focus, and you certainly don't ever have to use the autofocus if you don't want to, but you do gain the killer matrix metering, as well as a pretty snappy motor drive. Also, if you do ever find yourself in a situation where autofocus is called for, it is there waiting. Also, if you stick with nikon, you will have the added bonus of any future lenses you pick up working on both your digital and your film body.
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I believe there are a bunch of interchangeable screens for the F3 too.

If I had a motor drive I would go overboard and blow through all my film reserves. 🙂 I like to manually wind anyway.
 
mcgrattan said:
The advice to stick with Nikon since you have the lenses is good.

However, I'd stick up for the K-mount Pentaxes, too, just as good user SLRs. They have really nice bright viewfinders, and are compact and well made. Everyone recommends the K1000. This seems to be the product of some mild group-hysteria (kidding!). There are better bodies with more features for less money. Many of the M, P and A series bodies, for example.
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Yeah. It seems like K1000 prices are up because lots of schools use them.
 
om 1👎, 2👎, even the om4t(i) are quite smaller and lighter than nikon SLRs. I can't hold the f3hp or f2A(S) for too long but had no problem carrying my om1n and 2n around for a whole day out. The om lenses are AMAZING. I miss my 35-80/2.8 so badly...haven't seen one for sale for a long time.
The f3hp does provide quite nice eye relief though
 
mabelsound said:
I'm not sure why you'd be choosing a Pentax Spotmatic when you can have an ME Super with Pentax-M 50/1.4 for about $150 in great shape.

That said, I just bought a Spotmatic F with SMC Tak 50/1.4 on eBay for 90 dollars shipped. I had just been looking for the lens, but they keep selling for over 100, and then I saw the camera. Hell! This'll be my second F; I think I ought to keep this one, this time.

Incredibly, i just gave away my last two Wein cells last week, because I no longer had a camera that used them 😱
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Was going with the spotmatic F because I could open aperture meter with those lovely takumar lenses. Cant do that on a k-mount body. 🙁

Are the K mount lenses built to similar standards as the taks? I think, if I remember right, that the 50/1.4 in k-mounts have different optical formulas than the SMC version.

Congrats on your purchase! Sounds like a great buy.
 
Well, I don't know how much I can add to what's been posted already, but I'll go ahead and toss in what I know and suggest.

Since you already own a camera that accepts the Nikon F mount, I would most strongly suggest that you continue to invest in Nikon F. I am not conversant enough on the various flavors of lenses that will work with various DSLR bodies. It all seems very confusing to me. So this is what I suggest:

If there is a current Nikon DSLR model that will work with ALL previous flavors of Nikon glass, both manual and autofocus, think MOST STRONGLY about buying this DSLR. If your D70 does this, then -- well, never mind.

Then you have much freedom to choose exactly which 35mm Nikon system you would like to go with. Me, I own a Nikon F2 that is some 27 years old, and it is still my favorite camera. But Nikon has made many great SLRs over the past several decades, and it's up to your preferences, really, as to which way you want to go. Do you prefer a camera that is mechanical or battery dependent? What sort of metering system do you prefer? What sort of meter readout do you prefer? What are your requirements regarding shutter speed range, flash sync, focusing screen interchangeability, motor drive capability, finder interchangeability, etc.? As you work through these questions, your options will narrow. But if I were in your position, I'd go for an FE2 with MD12, and I would find myself to be very happy for the most part.

That covered Nikon only. There's really no reason why you can't have more than one camera system. I do. I have a Canon EOS 35mm, and EOS DSLR, plus I have the aformentioned F2 with a decent lens assortment, and I even own an Olympus -- an OM-10 (with manual adapter) with 50/1.8. And that's just the SLRs.

Over the years, I've owned many more. I have great respect for Pentax cameras and glass, and that includes the screwmout lenses, especially the later Super Takumars, which allow for full aperture metering with appropriate cameras. Pentax glass is so sharp it's almost scary. And their cameras, especially the mechanical ones, define the term "workhorse."

I've owned several Olympus cameras over the years. OM-1s, OM-2s, and even an OM-3. Oly cameras have an avid, and almost religious following, and for good reason, I've found out. For example, the all-time best long-metering camera that I know of is the original OM-2. NOT the OM-2n, but the original OM-2. Long exposures of over 30 minutes have been documented with this camera. And they were auto-exposures. This was possible, not just because of Oly's off-the-film-plane metering technology, but because of the particular chip that the OM-2 has, which allows this kind of tweak to happen.

So, all the systems you specify have their strong points. And hey, you didn't even mention Canon (a favorite of mine for many years, so don't get me started) or Minolta or Leica or . . .

Best,
Michael
 
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Harry Lime said:
I use Leica M and Nikon bodies. I mostly gave up on the Leica R system, regardless of the superior glass. No one beats Nikon, when it comes to SLR bodies.

My suggestions:

F
F2
F3
FM
FM2 / FM2n
FM3a

F4 and F100 if you want AF.

The Nikkor-H.C 2/50mm is a real sleeper. Very cheap, but an excellent piece of glass. I also recommend the Zeiss ZF Planar 1.4/50

One big advantage of the Nikons system is that you can still get them serviced. Aside from Leica, there is no more fanatical user / collector base out there.
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I'll look into the 50/2 nikon. Does it have smoother OOF areas than the 1.4? If so, I could live with the drop in speed.

Do olympus and pentax no longer service their older slr bodies?
 
ChrisPlatt said:
The Spotmatic F meters at full aperture with SMC and Super-Multi-Coated Takumar lenses.

The Spotmatic F *DOES NOT* require an expensive, short-lived Wein cell.
It will meter accurately using modern 1.5V 625 cells, alkaline or silver.

Chris
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Are you sure about that? I thought that the older spotmatics have a bridge circuit that compensates / adjusts/ etc for different voltage batteries, whereas the spotmatic F does not and thus requires mercury batteries or their modern equivalent?

At least that is what I read over at the pentax forums.
 
fbf said:
om 1👎, 2👎, even the om4t(i) are quite smaller and lighter than nikon SLRs. I can't hold the f3hp or f2A(S) for too long but had no problem carrying my om1n and 2n around for a whole day out. The om lenses are AMAZING. I miss my 35-80/2.8 so badly...haven't seen one for sale for a long time.
The f3hp does provide quite nice eye relief though
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I guess if I go with the nikon bodies, I'll just have to bulk up. RAR!
 
david.elliott said:
I'll look into the 50/2 nikon. Does it have smoother OOF areas than the 1.4? If so, I could live with the drop in speed.

Do olympus and pentax no longer service their older slr bodies?
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Olympus only services the OM-4T, but no one sends them to Olympus anyway. John Hermanson, an RFF member, is the Olympus repairman of choice in the USA. He's a former Olympus service manager and he services all OM gear, though a few of the older ones he cannot fix electronics problems with due to parts no longer being available. his website is

http://www.zuiko.com
 
david.elliott said:
I guess if I go with the nikon bodies, I'll just have to bulk up. RAR!
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I think it depends, to a degree, on what you bolt onto it (lens and/or MD4 motor). On its own, it's about as light as Nikon could have made it and still maintain that "bulletproof" F quality. If you don't insist on the fastest glass in the West, you might manage the heft of an F3 better than you think. As always, the proof is in the trying-out for yourself.

One other good thing about the F3 is service support: Nikon, among others, is likely to be able to service the F3 for a number of years still (and has a decent parts supply). Not that you're all that likely to need it, if my experience with the F3 is any indication.


- Barrett
 
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