Looking for a P+S like the Contax T3, but cheaper

[xia_ke]

I'm going to take a different route and recommend a Contax TVSII. Same great build quality, manual adjustments available, and even threaded for filters. No 2.8 lens but how often do you plan to shoot wide open?

 

[Bill Clark]

I had one of these:

https://vintagecameralab.com/yashica-t4-super-d/

As I recall, because of the Zeiss lens, it was known as a poor mans Contax. That fit me to a T back then.

I gave it to my daughter and she has it now.

 

[David Hughes]

Wow, this is crazy stuff.

I picked up my little Olympus Mju 35-70 zoom at a yard sale several years ago for 50 cents. Still works, stills takes pretty good photographs which seem to hold up well even when enlarged to 5x7. It is certainly not fine art nor is it exactly stylish jewelry, but that isn't what I use it for. I use it to record memories.

What it is is very cheap (inexpensive) photography and reliable. Not to mention that if it disappears off the xray belt at security I most certainly won't be too heartbroken.

If I want fine art I certainly will not be spending $500 or more on a point and shoot when a good Yashica-Mat 124g goes for less than half that amount.

Just saying... 😀

Agreed, the little zoom mju's are very nice cameras. My favourite and in the best three compact zooms is the mju-V but it always makes me wonder what happened to the mju-IV...

Regards, David

 

[TimPrebble]

I recently bought a Fuji Natura S - fast wide lens 21mm f1.9, AF only
but amazing results in low light with Natura 1600

dont be put off by Japanese only menu,
it is very easy to use...

 

[stedge]

Nikon s2 with 35 or 50 lens of your choice.
Leica cL w 40mm
MF rolleiflex or rolleicord flavor of your choice (or equiv)

And digital:
Fuji x100. Cheap used and a great camera. 35mm equiv.

 

[kiss-o-matic]

How does the Contax T2 stack up price wise? I have not checked but I did own one and can confirm it was a super camera with a superb Zeiss lens. That little 38mm Sonnar performed better and rendered better than ANY Leica glass I owned. I would have thought the bog standard "champagne" titanium one would not be overly exxy.

EDIT: Holy crud I see what you mean about the T3s - I just checked eBay and the prices all started at around $1200 and went up steeply from there. Well the T2 prices are all at least half that. This following article gives it a good wrap but on the whole he professes to prefer the smaller T3. (However I must say I recall contemplating getting the T3 back in the day by trading my T2 in and I did not because there were lots of reviews criticizing it because the controls were too small and fiddly. Hence I stuck with the T2 till I went digital.

https://www.35mmc.com/22/11/2013/the-contax-t2-its-chunky-but-its-good/

and another

http://www.japancamerahunter.com/2012/05/the-contax-t2-the-killer-compact/

Having recently tried out the T2 & T3 (as I feel I deserve something better than the Slim-T... my only P&S until these guys), I have to say that the T2's controls are bar none the best out there for a P&S (at least as far as I've researched). It behaves as close to a manual ranger finder as your'e going to get. The size doesn't bother me as much, but the 3mm in focal length I'm losing (or gainin?) kills me.

I've got them both, and they're both up for sale as I'm trying to love (and stick to) the GR1v as my goto PnS for the width, but if I got "stuck" with one of them I wouldn't mind. It's really hard to choose though.

Ditto on the lens -- it's amazing.