Cheap but excellent P&S camera?

[erickim228]

Hi All,

I recently started shooting daily pictures with my Ricoh FF-3 super. It is a great camera but I want a camera that produces sharper and more contrasty images. I don't want to spend too much for a P&S as they have too many electronic components in it. I was thinking of Nikon L35AF2 but is it worth it if I already have Ricoh FF-3 Super?

Thanks in advance!

 

[Ranchu]

No. they're pretty much the same camera. L35af2 has one less element in the lens. The ricoh is a sharp camera, there may be something wrong with yours? A persons photos, for example.

https://www.flickr.com/photos/bnzaij/sets/72157644622731095

The ricoh does seem to run to underexposure, a bit. You might try shooting with a lower asa on the camera than the film speed, or putting a little electrical tape over the top little bit of the meter lens, to block some of the sky that gets to it..The nikon may have a lens you like the look of better, but it's not going to be sharper.

 

[Ranchu]

The craze for the Konica C35 EF3 seems to have died down a bit, I've never used one, but you might look into that. This is a scale focus camera with a 35mm five element lens. There is also the Minolta AF-C.

 

[02Pilot]

The lens on the L35AF (not L35AF2) is an excellent Sonnar-type. I like it enough that I adapted one to LTM.

 

[Ko.Fe.]

Smena-8M. Sharp, contrasty, no electronics and cheap!

Oops, sorry, it isn't P&S, it is for those who have iPhone and free lightmeter app. 🙂

 

[kermaier]

Yashica T4 Super (called T5 in some markets). Excellent Carl Zeiss 35mm f/3.5 Tessar lens, and a second magnified viewfinder on the top deck that enables waist-level and overhead shooting. I think some models were weatherproof as well. I probably still have one lurking in a drawer somewhere....

 

[Ranchu]

Not cheap. People are paying a lot because they want to take pics of naked chicks like whats his face, who uses the thing most likely because for a ps, the flash metering is very good.

 

[kermaier]

Sorry, last I bought one was in Hong Kong around the turn of the century - wasn't expensive then.

 

[Ranchu]

It's a good time to sell!

🙂

 

[Archlich]

It's expensive now. The vanilla T4 and the older T3 seems to be better deal as both have the same (or at least similar, for the T3) Tessar lens, sans the waist level finder and weatherproofing. Both are much cheaper.

For the real cheap good cameras I vouch for the Konica Big Minis (the somewhat pricey F not included).

 

[Ranchu]

The lens on the L35AF (not L35AF2) is an excellent Sonnar-type. I like it enough that I adapted one to LTM.

Details please! What did you use for the body, is it RF coupled? Sounds great!

 

[kermaier]

I also really liked my Olympus Stylus Epic 35/2.8 - are those expensive now too?

 

[Ranchu]

https://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_fr...=olympus+stylus+epic+-zoom&rt=nc&LH_Auction=1

😛:dance::dance:

 

[Swift1]

The "cheap but excellent" P&S is the camera that everyone wants these days, it would seem. Prices of any of the known good P&S have skyrocketed in the past 6 months.
Yashica T4, Olympus Stylus Epic, Nikon L35AF, etc. have all doubled or more in prices.

 

[Spavinaw]

Compare the specs for the Olympus Infinity Stylus (mju I) and the Yashica T4. They are very similar, but the Yashica is expensive and the Olympus is not.

 

[Juan Valdenebro]

If you "had" to skip one of those, "cheap" or "excellent", which one would you skip in order to go forward and be happy and look no further?
The Konica Hexar AF is strictly a P&S, but it seems having been designed like this:
"We the Hexar designers have for long loved Leicas with a high quality 35mm lens, 'cause we can act discreetly and quickly, prefocusing and stopping down... Whatever comes close, we're ready to get it... But when light starts getting low, we must use a much bigger aperture, and focusing is then difficult, so we can't be fast... Let's design a camera with the best autofocus ever, so we can keep shooting quickly in low light too, and let's make it capable of considering the aperture we prefer, but also capable of changing it, and changing shutter speed accordingly, instantly if light is too high or too low for our preferred aperture... Oh, and let's make it capable of AutoExposure with compensation, but with manual mode too for setting shutter speed and aperture the classic way..."
There's nothing like that camera.

 

[p.giannakis]

Consider the Konica's: A4 or Big mini series or the olympus stylus. Another option is the pentax espio mini. Nikon-wise the L35AF is on the top of my list but consider also the AF600. The Minolta Riva Mini is excellent too. Last on coming to my mind is the canon sure shot.

 

[Tsai]

Something to consider as mentioned above, Canon SureShot is a pretty good series, I have a SureShot Wp-1 it's waterproof and easy to handle!

 

[David Hughes]

Hi,

I don't see how the price can be fixed as cheap or dear; I've had almost every one of the cameras mentioned and I usually find them in charity shops and pay a pound or two for them. On ebay I might have to pay a hundred or more, and then even more for postage...

So buy in charity shops and sell them later on ebay.

Regards, David

 

[02Pilot]

Details please! What did you use for the body, is it RF coupled? Sounds great!

Here you go: http://www.rangefinderforum.com/forums/showthread.php?t=148987 . There's a link to the blog post with all the details in there as well.