Definative must have classic 35mm compact

[lxmike]

Ok you can only have three classic 35mm comacts to take on a desert island, two must be RF compacts, what would you choose

1) Olympus 35RC
2) Olympus XA (night shots)
3) Rollei 35S

Why I ask is that I asked this question many years back on my Yahoo classic 35mm compact group and found the answers very interesting. It would be interesting if peoples opinions have cahnged or differ. Thanks in advance for any input

 

[Matus]

First of all - why 3? One would be enough.

According to what I read I would pick the 35RC from your list. I had the XA and found it too soft/fuzzy below f/5.6. Now I have Konica S3 - much better (also bigger though). Still - as the only camera to take to desert island I would choose something independent of batteries and after CLA and some film that can be developed with salty water 🙂

 

[Roger Hicks]

Leica IIIG or Olympus Pen W. I really don't like the RC and XA and the only Rollei 35 I ever had was not my egonomic favourite.

Cheers,

R.

 

[Sonnar Brian]

WWGD? What Would Gilligan Do?


No film, no flash, no 1-hour processing lab,
Not a single luxury,
Like Robinson Crusoe,
As primative as can be.

I'd go with the Leica CL, Canonet Ql17l, and Rollei 35S

 

[jsrockit]

Rollei 35 Classic
Olympus XA
Minolta CLE

 

[Mablo]

Whenever I find myself on a desert island I like to snap away in low light. XA excels in low light so XA would be my first choice. My 2nd choice would be an allrounder with a good lens for daylight photos. I cannot think anything better for that than a Rollei 35.

On a desert island with a XA in my hand:

 

[jbh]

Rollei 35. It doesn't really care if you have a live battery in it. The XA certainly does; no idea about the 35RC.
Better to guess an exposure than have no exposure at all. <g>

 

[gavinlg]

I'd have a good functioning XA over an RC anyday. The RC ergos are a bit gross (tiny little rings on lens that can't be changed separately unless you're a tree-man) and the lens has heaps of yucky pincushion distortion.

 

[GaryLH]

Contax T
Rollei 35
Leica/Minolta CL

Both the Contax and Rollei will easily fit in your pocket

Gary

 

[Peter_S]

Contax T3
Contax T
Zeiss Ikon 50mm (or Leica CL if ZI is too large)

 

[Brian Legge]

Do any satellite phones have built in cameras? 😉

Retina IIIc (compact, no batteries, meter, folds up nice and small)
Leica IIIc w/wide angle lens ()

...I don't know what else. Given an infinite supply of batteries, I'd probably add an Olympus 35RD/Olympus 35SP/Canonet 17 GIII/Minolta 7sII/etc. I couldn't pick between these as i like each for different reasons. if I ever had a totally working 7sII, I'd probably go for it. If we play that came though, I'd probably be all about the CLE though i don't expect I'll ever be shooting one of them.

 

[btgc]

Yashica 72-E - because it doesn't depend on batteries and you can squeeze twice as many shots from your limited film stock.

 

[ddutchison]

I can't really see the point of having a compact 35mm on a desert island. You're either going to be shooting the wildlife or landscapes/seascapes - neither of which are really best suited to an RF.

I'd want an 8X10 Deardorf, with a ton of printing-out paper, A hundred 8X10 glass sheets, and all the chemicals needed to brew my own emulsion. I could stay pretty well happily occupied with that setup. After all, if there's one thing you have a lot of on a desert island, its time.

 

[ChrisPlatt]

None of the above. Something more electronic would be preferable.
Then under hypnosis The Professor might be able to turn it into a transmitter
and get us off this godforsaken island...

Chris

 

[wlewisiii]

A Zeiss Contessa

William

 

[raytoei@gmail.com]

Definitely the RC and Rollei 35 S. While I think the XA has the best lens, it requires batteries to operate. Frankly, nothing is more frustrating than a XA with a depleted battery, on an island.

And the Rollei 35S, of course, if I am going to be stranded on an island, I want to take beautiful portrait pictures of my girlfriend at the beach, and what better lens than the Sonnar on the 35S, shot wide-open.

(of course, not having enough film on a stranded island is bad, but at least there are some film rolls that could be developed with vitamin C and fixed with sea water...)

 

[whitecat]

Contax T3.

 

[camera.bear]

Hi-Matic 7sII - Works on manual settings if the battery goes flat.
Vitomatic IIa - No battery to worry about.
PEN EES-2 - No battery to worry about and half frame for when the film starts to run low. 😀