Best (Overall) Compact RF for longevity

[ChrisPlatt]

Though I'm not certain it's the best, chances are good you'll still be able to find someone
who can service a Leica CL in twenty years. I'm not so sure about some other brands.

You might not be satisfied with anything less than a Leica anyway...

Chris

 

[navilluspm]

Funnily enough, I was NOT thinking of the LTMs at all, but rather of the Canonets, XAs, Rollei 35s, etc. I should have mentioned "metered", and some "Auto" features. The kind you can just "point & shoot" sometimes, but have known quality glass, and are sometimes worth repairing, depending on what's wrong with them.

If you don't mind it being too automatic, how about a Contax T2. If I could just have one fixed lens, film, P&S / "Rangefinder" camera, this would be it. A close second would be a Leica CM, and a cheaper alternative would be a Yashica T4 OR T5. (Note: I do not own any of these camera's, but I here good things about them. I have a Contax SLR, so I am sold on Zeiss glass.)

 

[maggieo]

I used my Canonet QL17 GIII with nary a problem from 1979 until 2002, along with an Olympus XA which I bought new and also used until 2002, when I moved from California and my film cameras went into storage.

 

[januaryman]

Another vote for the Canonet QL17 GIII - I have one silver, one black and they are the picks of the litter - reliable, sharp, work without batteries in a pinch, small but not too small, well made and classic. I have plenty of cameras. If I had to keep only one, it'd be one of the Canonets.