Crunch time: GIII or SP35?

[stillshunter]

I've narrowed my search down to the Canonet GIII, Oly SP35 and Minolta 7sII. Well I've willed two of these available at the same time 🙄 and wondered if you all could help me choose between them. So it's down to the GIII or SP35. Both in good working order (or so the sellers say) and around the same $$$.

So which way do I go?....and please as easier as it might seem I cannot afford BOTH at this point! 😉

Thanks for your help...

 

[Solinar]

If you primarily shoot in the manual mode - then the 35SP is the better choice, because its meter remains active no matter what - which is anytime the camera is out its case.

The Canonet and Minolta offer a more to my like shutter priority auto mode - unlike the full auto program mode of the 35SP, which leaves you guessing to what shutter/aperture combo was used.

 

[blackwave]

So it was crunch time yesterday.. curious minds want to know what you went with! 🙂

 

[Windscale]

I have used all 3 recently. I ended up keeping the 7SII. I did not find the G Zuiko superior at all. The Canon and the Rokkor beat it fair and square. It was a more difficult choice with the GIII and the 7SII. But I liked the less contrasty and better shadow details of the Rokkor. So the GIII went as well. I have tested many little rangefinders some 4-5 months ago in order to find one which is light. I only shoot fully manual. At the end of all the trying, 3 stayed. They are the 7SII, Zeiss Contessa (with Tessar) and the Agfa Memar/Silette (with Apotar). Those which have been tested and subsequently sold were Olympus RD, SP, Werra, Rollei 35T and S, and Canon QL19. Some of the results were very close. But I was looking for something light. The little Rolleis did not appeal to me much as they have no rangefinders and I am not very good at guessing distances, especially shorter distances. The Tessar on the Werra was very good. Its closest focusing distance was amazing. But it was too heavy. The RD has the best (quietest) shutter, but the lens was not quite up to it.

It is all a matter of personal taste. Back to the original question, I would either stick with the 7SII or the GIII but not the SP.

 

[shadowfox]

I've narrowed my search down to the Canonet GIII, Oly SP35 and Minolta 7sII. Well I've willed two of these available at the same time 🙄 and wondered if you all could help me choose between them. So it's down to the GIII or SP35. Both in good working order (or so the sellers say) and around the same $$$.

So which way do I go?....and please as easier as it might seem I cannot afford BOTH at this point! 😉

Thanks for your help...

If you're paying for a GIII around the same $$$ as an Olympus 35 SP, you're paying too much 😉

... unless it's black.

 

[sevo]

Don't expect the manual metering mode on the SP to be particularily useful - it acts more like a external meter of the clumsy kind, giving nothing more than a EV readout for manual transfer to the barrel. At least for me, it is much slower and more error prone than auto/manual switching on the RC with its superior in finder time/aperture display.

Sevo