Most compact 50mm camera.

Retina IIa xenon 50mm f2, just great, sturdy well built, little heavy but has all you need. It has a modern advance lever, not a knob.

The vitessa ultron wich is large and heavy but has a terrific f2 lens.

The one i love the most is the Contessa 35....superluxurious Zeiss with a 2.8 45mm lens, it even has a lightmeter!!! I should use it much more!!!

There is the leica minilux o cm, with 40mm lens

Perhpas a TVS with a zoom lens that reaches an slow 56-60mm depending on version.
 
You asked about "the most compact 50mm lens + camera combo". I believe the Eljy Lumiere camera with Lypar lens is the smallest camera that meets the stated requirements. It also makes 24x36mm negatives, although you didn't specify that.
 
WOw, thanks for all the replies!

I was in hope that anybody would knew a similar camera to the Leica CL and Rollei 35.
What I realy like about these two is the black body and nice controls.
The viewfinder on both are just 0.6, but thats OK for a compact camera.
 
Werra III has a standard 50 2.8 Tessar, RF, and if you're lucky as I was a reliable meter. The body is quite small; the lens housing controls speed, aperture, advance--everything but shutter release, so it protrudes, i.e. not as slim as a Retina or Barnack/collapsible in the pocket. But fun!
 
I forgot to mention the Argus A and AF.
Those and the Adox Adrette are quite compact. All scale focusing though.

Phil Forrest
 
rjbuzzclick said:
A Welta Weltix folder with a 50/2.9 lens, or a Werra with a 50/2.8. Both are scale focus though.
Click to expand...

Since I haven't owned any of the many others mentioned in the thread, I can't say for sure, but the Welta Welti is also a small folder with a 50mm lens and shutter speeds to 1/500. Its big brother, the Weltini is a rangefinder. For compactness, the Welti is hard to beat. I used one for many years from about 1959 to 1969. It gave me a lot of good photos.
 
Spavinaw said:
You asked about "the most compact 50mm lens + camera combo". I believe the Eljy Lumiere camera with Lypar lens is the smallest camera that meets the stated requirements. It also makes 24x36mm negatives, although you didn't specify that.
Click to expand...

Now I just googled that camera and it has to be up there with the most ugly cameras I have ever seen :D
So bad it's good!!
 
Here's another off the wall suggestion: Zenith 3M with the industar f3.5/50. The viewfinder is very good and the combination fits into a jacket pocket (I carried mine that way for a few years).

OK, it's a SLR. Nobody's perfect.

:D
 
I would also choose a Barnack Leica/Japanese clone/FSU camera with a 50/3.5 lens. If you get a Leica, it'll be a smooth operator that can take great photos, the Japanese cameras (Nicca, Leotax, Yashica) will be just as nice. If you get a serviced FSU from someone like Oleg, it will also be a great performer. Some of the Japanese copies have lever winders instead of knobs, if that is important. I also like the Retina IIIc. Any of these will fit in your back pocket with the lens collapsed.
 
Voigtlander Vitessa? Seem pretty compact, have an RF, some models have a meter, plus everyone raves about their build quality.

A few people have mentioned screw mount leicas and leica clones with collapsible lenses, which are great choices too.
 
Another vote for the Voigtlander Vito B (small viewfinder). I have a Voigtlander rangefinder slipped into the accessory shoe. It's scale matches the scale on the lens so setting the focus is quite intuitive (of course for scenes and the like the rangefinder is not needed). This combination is handy: I would not want it to be any smaller. The viewfinder (0.7 magnification), because it does not include the rangefinder optics, is extremely bright, the brightest of viewfinder of any camera I own. It's my 'small' camera and I use it whenever I just want to carry a 50mm lens. I have two Vito B's, one with the f3.5 lens and the other with the f2.8 lens. Both are Tessar variants. The f3.5 is one of the sharpest lenses I own. The f2.8 renders the out-of-focus background a bit better, particularly at the corners...but they are both very fine lenses.
 
All of the mentioned cameras are not realy compact.
I know the Voigtlaenders, I own a Vito B(old VF), Vitoret B and Vitoret LR,
they are nice, but not handy.

I mean, the Leica CL weights 365gramm, with Jupiter 8 + Film,
I count ~520gramm
Thats a fine weight, but still a bit heavy.

I realy love the ergonomics of the CL and Rollei 35,
is there a similiar camera?

Regards

PS: I know most of the mentioned cameras, all are nice, but not the thing I am looking for
 
In all serious, the only way I can see you getting what you are looking for is something like an Olympus Mju Zoom. The "105" is 120x64x44mm (according to Camerapedia.

Come to think of it, a hunt around that site may find you the right camera.
 
Is RF a must (which will always require space for the RF mechanism and adequate base lengths)?
If not - Contax TVS III. A good camera, and best at the 50mm setting anyways.
 
Im not a big fan of automatic cameras,
I own an Oly XA and XA4, I prefer the XA because I know what the camera is setting, the XA4 is just a pain because it always chose me wierd shutter speeds/aperture settings.

I will remember the TVS, I have used it onced but was a bit disappointed with the small and dim viewfinder.

Is there a way to attach an accesoiry shoe to it?

Regards
Tobi
 
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