If it was good enough to photograph Kate Moss...

[Brit In New York]

Ok - so based on the amount of web surfing I've done today reading reviews I may no longer have a job - full stop. But with that tax rebate check nearly in hand I'm torn between these 3 beauties and hoping to avoid a case of buyer's remorse. I'm already set that all 3 have wonderful lens - for me its all about the user experience. I am fine with a 28mm or 35mm lens too...

Ricoh GR-1
+ Amazing interface, very pocketable
- Doesn't feel as special in my hands as the Contax

Contax T2
+ Good interface, great viewfinder, feels right - great price
- Being honest - its impractically big and I may end up left at home

Contax T3
+ Looks amazing from photo's I have seen on line and might be the one "I really want"
- $800 price is ok but when the circuit board could fry anyday.... it just feels wrong

Gents - what should I do:
1) Be sensible and buy the GR-1
2) Go for something exotic like the T2 (hey it photographed Kate Moss and kicked off the heroin chic fashion revolution)
3) Accept I'm lusting for a T3 and will end up trading until I buy it anyway

Your guidance is appreciated - in the Google age we lose our ability for indepdent decision making.

PS I currently own a M6 and Rollei 35S

 

[Phantomas]

(Heh, I was about to suggest Rollei 35, but you got one already)

I don't have an experience with all three camera, only T2, but I'd give it another + for good lens (and it has that little signature vignetting). Between T2 and T3 I'd go for T2. Now you gotta figure out between that and GR-1 (not an expert on that one).

(By the way, Yashica T4 and T5 are supposed to be very good compact AFs too).

 

[sirius]

I had the contax T2. It's a lovely camera, jewel-like. The T3 was the same size as I remember. It's pocketable, but large if you put the case around it. Hey, why did they make it titanium if you're just going to keep it in a case? The front flap on the T3 was always awkward for me. It seemed much less elegant than the T2 solution.

Ricoh has a great reputation. Are you sold on film? Why not get the Ricoh GRD2? I have the GRD and it's truly a beautifully thought-out camera---the GRD2 solved all of the issues I have the GRD but they were never such that I needed to upgrade. It's a pleasure to use a GRD.

If you don't mind manual focus, why not look at the wonderful Olympus XA? Hey, more options for you to think about...

 

[craygc]

If you're fine with a 28mm lens, the Fujifilm Klasse W is a fantastic camera ...well built with a metal body

 

[maddoc]

The Fujifilm Klasse W !! ... or the Ricoh ... I am in the same boat, have seen some example photos from the T2 recently, amazing ! But the camera is a bit to large (... and the motordrive a little bit to noisy ...) 😕

 

[zeissgeist]

I have the T3 and would never part with it. Better lens than the Yashica T4 or T3, both of which I also have, and far more flexible.

 

[amateriat]

Well, I suppose this isn't easy for some, but I say it's the GR-1 in a walk.

It's not just the matter of image quality: I think all three cameras mentioned are good enough in that regard not to require splitting hairs. Where the GR-1 pulls away from the other two in in logical control design. The exposure-compensation dial on the GR-1 (any version) is possibly the best design of any 35mm camera: you get to the point that you know just what you've dialed in by feel alone, and I know of no other camera that offers that sort of tactile feedback. Couple this with a great metering system, a truly compact body (the T2 is huge by comparison, although the T3 improved on this somewhat), and that 28mm lens (which was so good that Ricoh made a LTM version with the same formula), that I can't imagine not having something like this among my other shootin' iron. The fact that Ricoh used the same form factor for a digital counterpart should prove they were onto something.

Trio, Summer, 2001

(Technical: Ricoh GR-1, Ilford XP2 Super)

- Barrett

 

[sepiareverb]

T2 has a stunning lens, ad simple controls.

I've not handled the GR, but shoot a lot with the T2.

 

[raid]

Save your money and get either an Olympus XA or a Minox GT.

 

[morback]

Did you check our previous discussion about T3 and some T2?

I'm affraid Sirius is mistaken. The T3 is smaller than the T2 and fits in my jeans front pocket...with case...A bit uncomfortable, but it works.

I can vouch for the T3 as well, and again, I would not part of mine. You can't beat the Sonnar look in that tiny package...

 

[35mmdelux]

Stylus Epic.

 

[amateriat]

Save your money and get either an Olympus XA or a Minox GT.

About those two...

- Loved the XA. Bought it on account of it being the smallest coupled-rangefinder camera made (it was then, and still is). Great lens, quiet shutter, overall brilliant design. But it was a tad fragile. I managed to kill two without really trying. Drove me up the wall. Do not drop one if you have one even on a carpeted floor, unless it's a shag), and you'll be a happy camper.

- The Minox GL and GT I had, oddly enough, were even more sensitive in this regard; you might think, with all the extra stuff going on inside the XA with its coupled rangefinder and all, that it would be the more-fragile creature. But no: Both Minox models were a bit too easy to screw up from seemingly-harmless drops (no, I don;t make a habit of dropping cameras). It's sort of like Pete Sampras throwing his back out while moving a box of trophies to the basement of his house; seems improbable at first, but when it happens...?

About the only negative thing I can mention about the GR-1 is the somewhat-noisy motorized film advance (varies with model; I have the original GR-1, as opposed to the GR-1s or GR-1v). That, however, never got in the way of picture-taking.


- Barrett

 

[craygc]

The exposure-compensation dial on the GR-1 (any version) is possibly the best design of any 35mm camera: you get to the point that you know just what you've dialed in by feel alone, and I know of no other camera that offers that sort of tactile feedback

Fujifilm Klasse W 😀

 

[RayPA]

You'll get buyer's remorse no matter what p&s you buy. 😛 They are all about limitations and compromise, which will only disappoint you, especially if you shoot with M cameras. IMO, the best p&s is a CLE with a CV 28/3.5 or a 40/2. 😀

I have a small collection of film p&s cameras:
Leica Minilux
Ricoh GR
Nikon 35Ti
Hexar AF
Contax T
Contax T2
Fuji Natura S

I lust for the T3, but for the price, you can get a Hexar AF and its fantastic lens. While the HAF is a tight fit in the p&s category, it and the Minilux are the two in the above list that have yet to give me buyer's remorse and have yet to disappoint me for IQ and use.

If you don't have a Hexar AF and have the money, don't mess around with these, get the Hexar.

If you have a HAF and you're hell bent on a truly pocket-able p&s, then (from my list) I would recommend the Ricoh. It's fairly priced, light, has excellent ergos, a good lens, and is a really fun camera to use. NOTE: I've not been able to put the T2 to strong usage (I think it has an AF problem). I'm still testing it, but ergonomiclally, it's a little on the chunky side.

partial family photo:

(L-R) Minilux, Natura, Hexar AF, Ricoh



/

 

[amateriat]

Ray: I owned both the Hexar AF and Ricoh GR-1. I loved the Hex to death, but when I decided to ditch my SLRs (a pair of Minolta 9xi bodies) and related lenses for a Hexar RF system, i traded away the Hex AF over the Ricoh. Why? Because I was taking the GR-1 with me a lot more than the Hex AF. Push came to shove.

The Ricoh was much smaller, much easier to take along, and it, too, had a killer (albeit slower, bue wider) lens, and since I was already moving to a smaller system as my Main Axe, the "compact" camera in my arsenal had to become smaller still. And that wasn not an easy choice, since I loved that Hex AF. I just loved the Ricoh that little bit more. To heavily paraphrase Ferry Porsche, sometimes it's about the "perfect" camera for now, not just in the absolute sense. But this particular "now" has lasted quite a long time. 🙂


- Barrett

 

[furcafe]

Consider the Nikon 35Ti & 28Ti & the Minolta TC-1.

 

[steamer]

Like my gold T2 just fine, looks like something the sultan of Brunei would shoot with. It doesn't fit in the front pocket of my jeans, but I wouldn't want to carry a camera there anyway. I usually wind up carrying my T though, probably because of the manual focus.

 

[mcgrattan]

I have a Rollei AFM35 [aka the Fuji Klasse S]. I can't imagine a better compact.

It just does what it says on the tin, so to speak. Program mode, aperture priority, autofocus or manual focus. Good metering.

The lens scores very highly -- it's a modified Tessar design with one aspherical element.

The only problem I have with it -- it'd be nice if it indicated the shutter speed in the finder, rather than just having a red light for when it things the exposures are too long.

 

[Brit In New York]

Thanks for all your responses. A couple of quick points:

I am sold on film - for me it feels more definitive when shooting and its not going to be replaced by a newer model camera.

I wanted something a bit more automated than my Rollei 35 S.

The Hexar is a great camera but a little too big.

I like the Nikon 28 but for some reason that $1,000 is a price barrier.

Looks like I am mulling between a Contax T3 and a Ricoc GR-1.... now if on the Contax came with a warranty I'd plump my cash down.

Have a great day all!

 

[kshapero]

I went with the Ricoh GX200 for my tiny box. Amazing at low ISO.