Nikon AF600 vs Minolta Riva Mini ?

[nfone]

Hey all! First things first, thanks for being an awesome community - I've found an enormous amount of useful info on these boards and just wanted to show my appreciation.

Anyway I'm fortunate to have a friend who is willing to give me either a Nikon AF600 or Riva Mini / Freedom Escort for $30 bucks. I understand you can find these for a buck, but I live in a major city where thrift shops get picked over instantly and compared to eBay prices I'm happy to pay that.

So does anyone have experience with both of these? The form factor of the AF600 is super appealing, but I've heard the lens on the Leica clones might have less vignetting / be a little sharper at the center?

Thanks!

 

[Austintatious]

I think the larger consideration is that the Nikon has a 28mm lens. Otherwise I'm not sure you will see all that much difference in image quality between the two cameras.

 

[Perks]

Welcome!

I had an AF600 but not the other.
I googled it and discovered the lens is 34mm as compared to 28mm for the Nikon so you should take that into consideration.

I like the results and size of AF600, it was contrasty. But it died very soon after my (2nd hand) purchase so I cannot give a very informed opinion.

It did have a very small viewfinder that didn't come easily to my eye. But I would purchase one again for the price you mention, I like compact 28mm's, but I am in Aus where we pay a lot more for all cameras

 

[nfone]

Great points, it totally slipped my mind that the Nikon was wide angle. I shot a Ricoh GR (the digital version) for a short while and the 28 length was a ton of fun for capturing tight streets.

Out of curiosity, how did yours die? Is there a known issue like the weak cable on the Konica Big Minis or the LCD on some Ricohs? Would hate to have mine succumb to the same fate if I go for that.