"Cheaper" Post Olympus XA P&S?

[btgc]

Now when my Mju/Epic is broken, I realize how good it is in fact. Flash button isn't problem to disable flash, in fact only compacts better I know in this aspect are those oldies from 80ies with detachable flash units (e.g. XA series, Canon MC, Minolta AF-C) - no flash, no worries; or where flash has to be activated manually (e.g. Pentax PC35AF, Ricoh FF3). This cameras are too cheap to be thought seriously 🙂 But I'm cheap, and don't go for 300$ P&S's.

My sample of Minolta Freedom Zoom came working intermittenly, exactly as they are referred on Net, so can't add anything except viewfinder is smallest I have seen ever. Lens has nice coating.

 

[szekiat]

u do realize there's a GR1V for sale in the sponsor classifieds going for about $280

 

[mfunnell]

I find that both the T and T2 tend to focus on the background details too much, not sure if it's something in the lens design or the focus or what but I find that both the samples I had brought out the backgrounds more than I would like, I've seen it other's photos too. Maybe it's a sonar thing?

As it happens, I just got a film from my T2 developed today and (once again) noticed too many frames with that syndrome. The good frames are good, but...

I've thought about this a bit... and my working theory is that the AF point isn't always where the viewfinder says it is - and if you miss your target you get the background. I'll have to do some testing.

...Mike

 

[gelmir]

I was spoiled by the Konica Big Mini which I had before, and which died in the usual way eventually 🙁

You had a Big Mini BM301 or a Big Mini F ? Those are nearly impossible to find...
About the overall impression (usability, image quality), how was yours ?

 

[MartinP]

Hi Gelmir, I still have the body of the thing and it is marked BM-201, having no data-back. It was bought in the UK so different designations may have been used in different countries. I am hanging on to it in case I can ever find (or make, if I work for a suitable electronics company again) the ribbon cable for the back door, as that is the achilles heel of these cameras apparently. The cables age, go brittle and eventually a couple of tracks crack. The main functionality of the camera still seems to work, but all the adjustable controls are on the dead back-panel . . . 🙁

The lens is 35mm f3,5 and the push button menu had options for exposure compensation, flash control etc etc. Also, it would focus down to 1 1/2 feet - at which point it was impossible to see anything sensible through the viewfinder, but still handy for pictures of textures etc. The lens quality is very good indeed (much better than my Mju) and the simple focus-lock and exposure-lock meant that you could actually use it without odd a/f issues.

If anyone knows a source for ribbon cables then I'd like to know . . . !

 

[gelmir]

Martin,

The Big Mini F was the successor of the BM 301. They are cute but very capable P&S following what I've read from various sources. I hesitated between the mju II and the Big Mini F but could never found one in store (Internet was just at its beginning at the time) so I ended up buying the mju. They seem to be very rare, I've never seen one to sell on *Bay... I don't know where you can find parts to repair yours.

 

[btgc]

I once saw BMF...Big Mini F...going off on ebay.co.uk for 47 pounds, if I recall correctly. Some weeks ago I got practically unused BM-302 with slower lens, just because years ago I had predecessor of BM series, model A4, BM-100 ?. I think lens without dust barrier on 3xx series is design flaw...because if goal were fast camera then lens shouldn't protrude too if time consuming dust barrier is missing. That ribbon too. Anyway, nice camera.

 

[pompadork]

Well, i just bought a T2. Here's hoping to my enjoyment!