Compact film camera for bicycle touring

[Bingley]

Everyone interested in cycle touring should read Nick and Dick Crane. And for walking my favorite remains Colin Fletcher's wonderful books "The Complete Walker," and "The Man Who Walked Through Time." "The Man Who Walked Through Time" got me out the door, and across the Grand Canyon in the '70s, and it still great today. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Colin_Fletcher Sadly he passed away in 2007, I admired him more than anyone I have read, he always felt like a friend.

They are about enjoying the ride or hike.

I'm a Colin Fletcher fan, having discovered the Thousand Mile Summer in the 1960s and having read each of his books since. Fletcher used an Olympus XA in the 1980s, and thought its lens was sharper than the one on his Pentax. I learned about the XA from Fletcher and bought one new in the early 80s at the old 47th Street Photo. I still have that camera and it's still going strong. The lens may not be as sharp as a Rollei 35, but it's more than sharp enough. That little camera keeps amazing me with what it can do. And it's pretty robust. If I were going on bike trips, it's the first camera I would take with.

 

[ZeissFan]

I'd probably take a Ricoh FF-1 or something like that. Nothing too expensive, so when it gets beat to hell and back, it won't be a major financial loss.

 

[Mark T]

Mark,

Just read your post about your bike trip through Asia, great! Can you post a couple of your fav snaps.

Sam

I have never posted pictures before. It's a pretty convoluted process!
This is a bit of a test of some shots from Mongolia...

 

[David Hughes]

Hi,

Here's my short list, I've owned and used all of them over the years.

These are all AF compacts with prime lenses about 35mm and mostly f/3.5 and they all punch above their weight, in my experience. And they are often cheaper than the test film to buy and so you could take two with you (one B&W and one colour film) and have a back up. The exception might be the Leica mini but you can get lucky...

Konica A4 exposure is CW; Olympus mju-I dirt cheap and overshadowed by mju-II which has a faster lens(f/2.8) and spot metering, Olympus AF-1 the original and still good if large and ASPH element in lens; Olympus AF-1, Yshica T3 which is not the cult one but has a fast lens (f/2.8); Yashica Minitec Super.

And there's the Leica mini, mini II and mini III. I'd go for the III as it is more versatile with a manual infinity setting, + or - 2 EV's and CW'd metering; or the slightly more basic alternatives the mini and mini II and Minolta Riva Mini and Panasonic C-625. The last four seem to have come off of the same production line.

There are also a few AF compacts with zoom lenses I can also recommend; Konica Z-up 110 Super; Minolta Riva Zoom 90;
Nikon One Touch Zoom 90S; Olympus Infinity Stylus Zoom 80 Wide DLX; Pentax ESPIO 928M and Rollei Prego 90 AF. Do a bit of research into these as the apertures at widest are so-so, especially at the far end. They do work and work well but you need to be aware of the limitations and advantages.

A zone focuser or two, Minox 35's, Olympus Trip 35, XA2 & XA3 and Yashica 35-ME. Again nice cameras to use and many of us swear by the XA2 and XA3 which is a crafty design.

A few range-finders the superb Olympus-35 SP and the XA. There's other RF's in the Olympus-35 range but batteries might be a problem. The SP takes, I am told, Wein cells.

My favourite, small and cheap RF that, again, delivers the goods is the Konica C35. It can be adjusted to take modern (not mercury) batteries but my problem with it was finding a lens cap.

I hope this is some help. None of them are Leica M's but so what. It's the print that counts, not the impression you make on the locals.

Regards, David

 

[Sam Kanga]

Mark

Thanks for posting snaps from your long ride through Asia. Mongolia must have been a unique experience by bike. It looks like the landscape that has a headwind no matter which direction you are going.

Sam

 

[Landberg]

olumpus mju II

 

[PMCC]

I use a Bessa T with the 28mm f3.5 Skopar and 28 finder attached. Perfect set-up for me on a bike or as a back-up to my MP or M6 when travelling.

I used a Bessa T with the 35mm/f2.5 Skopar while bike touring in rural China -- but sketchy roads and vibration took their toll and the Bessa began to rattle with every bump. Got it put back together once we got to Shanghai.

 

[semilog]

Hard to beat a weatherproof Mju-ii for that sort of application.

That or Yaschica T5 (=T4Super). Both of them are splashproof and have very good lenses. I have two of each and for cycling I prefer the mju II. Less shutter lag. Smaller and more rugged when stored. Fits perfectly in a jersey pocket.

The T5 does have a slightly better lens but not better enough that it usually matters. I carry a smartphone in a ziploc bag as well.

 

[noisycheese]

I'm a great fan of the Rollei 35 for all sorts of reasons - but more and more I find myself selecting the Olympus 35RC. I really do think it's a very special camera, and it's very compact.

My first thought was the Rollei 35 - then I did some reading on the Olympus 35RC. It would be a great choice, too. Hard to go wrong with either one, I would think.

 

[Tony Whitney]

Nobody seems to have mentioned the Minox 35 models. I own, or have owned, just about all the cameras mentioned in this thread, but as a recent acquirer of a Minox 35 GT, I'd choose it over everything else I've had. I did a European bicycle touring trip many years ago with a TLR and still have the negs. If I had to do that over again, the Minox would win out - light, compact, quite rugged and boasting a fine lens. Scale focusing isn't a problem with this camera. The only challenge is the batteries. I make my own by stacking button batteries and everything works fine. Good luck anyway, whatever you end up taking...TW

 

[ColSebastianMoran]

Oh, this needs to be a poll.

For me: Olympus. Depending on your preference, the MJU-II, plain old Stylus, or Stylus Zoom. I took an Olympus Super Zoom, probably the 35-105, on a long bicycle trip.

 

[venchka]

Hasselblad. Pentax 6x7. Zone VI or Linhof 4x5 field cameras. Leica M5. Rolex 20. Nikon and Pentax P&S. My choices are endless.
4 day bicycle trip? That's just a grocery run. 4 months. Now that would be a proper bicycle trip.
Keeping photographic equipment dry and functional on a bicycle isn't difficult.

Wayne

 

[Paul Jenkin]

For me, it would be a Rollei 35 or a Nikon 35Ti. If I couldn't afford either of those, I used to love my Ricoh GR1s.

 

[TheFlyingCamera]

Contax G or G2 with 45 and 28mm lenses. If you want to keep it very compact, a Contax G with 28mm makes an outstanding choice, or the 35mm, while not a great favorite of the Contax G series fanboys, is still a very good lens, and it's a nice and fast f2. You'll have nice fast shutter speeds, precise autofocus (certainly more precise than you get in an Oly Stylus or other point-n-shoot), and the best glass available for 35mm.