OT: vintage SLR advice

[dostacos]

Great point about lens mount compatibility with digiSLRs...

Nikon DSLRs will mount any of the AI or AIS lenses; only the pro bodies will actually meter with them. I use my Nikon manual focus lenses on a D1x I bought used - works a treat.

Pentax's DSLR has adapters available to mount dang near any lens mount Pentax ever used - a friend uses his Pentax DSLR to shoot a 1952 Schneider 85mm that's M42 mount.

Canon's DSLRs are not compatible with their manual focus lenses; 3rd party adapters are available that allow used of Leica R glass, Nikon lenses, and some other stuff.

Olympus' DSLRs are like Pentax in that they offer adapters - this option is so popular that it's driving up the prices of certain Zuiko manual focus lenses.

I was shooting this week with a 1959-vintage Nikon F and 5.8cm/f1.4 lens - the negs are drying right now but boy they look great. The basic mechanical goodness of that camera is still impressive...

hey they even have mounts to use those M42s on Nikons and Canons 😱

 

[Sonnar Brian]

The Nikon non-AI lenses are going cheap and are first rate. I picked up a Micro-Nikkor 55mm F3.5 for $25 on Ebay.

The Nikkormat EL or ELw will use all of these older lenses, and the Ai and AIS lenses. It offers aperture preferred automatic. It is heavier made than the FE, especially in the film transport area. The Nikkormat FTn and FT2 are also worth looking at.

The Canon lenses are also 1st rate and going pretty cheap.

I have had Minolta SRT meters just stop working and Pentax K1000 meters do the same. The Nikon/Nikkormat meters can get jumpy, but can usually be corrected with a cleaning.

The Pentax and other M42 mount cameras go cheap, and get you lenses even cheaper. I picked up a 135/2.8 Vivitar for ~$5 at a show. Perfect glass. Stop down metering. RF's can spoil you.

So many out there.

 

[wlewisiii]

You pretty much can't go wrong with anything mentioned in this thread. I'm a Canon person and the only SLR I've kept is an AE-1. Because the FD glass isn't directly compatable with Canon's DSLR's they have stayed quite cheap, very nearly at giveaway prices.

Check out your local thrift stores. My local St Vinnies often has Spotmatics and other M42 cameras for ~$30 to $40, including a 50mm lens.

Good luck with what ever you get.

William

 

[oftheherd]

Lots of good thoughts and advice so far. Not the least of which is a camera that has lenses that can be used on newer bodies. Surely something to think about.

Some of my personal thoughts and experience: Olympus, Nikon, Canon Pentax and Minolta were in the 70's, the pro cameras. Part of that was quality and part was marketing. There were some other brands that would have been just as good for pro work, that never got marketed or were never recognized and touted in the press like those that got accepted as pro level.

Minolta and Pentax never got the acceptance of the other three, and Olympus lagged behind the other two. Nikon and Canon were certainly good cameras but marketed better and were more expensive. Minolta was slow to keep up with new trends until the 80's with their autofocus and then targeted the amature market more. Pentax pretty much did the same, but lagged on autofocus. Strange considering they owned some of the autofocus patents used by Minolta.

The Pentax M42 cameras were quite good, and still are. The SV1 is the same as the H mentioned above. The H was sold in the US. Two other sleepers in M42 mount were the Fujica and Yashica SLRs. Bayonet lenses were heavily marketed and touted in the magazines as better. Simply not true. They are just another type of mount. Some do prefer it. Others like me prefer screw mount. I don't need to look at a screw mount camera to change lenses. Try matching a button or red dot in the dark!

As to Fujica and Yashica, some of the best lenses out there are in their Fujinon and Yashinon lines. (For that matter, the Konica's were loved by some pros for their optics as well). The Fujica ST series tend to be superior to the bayonet cameras. The Yashica TL Electro X cameras are still inexpensive and in good working condition are good. They are stop down metering, which the Fujicas are not.

Just my long winded two cents. Good luck in your quest. You will not go wrong with any of the systems mentioned so far.

 

[Kat]

Wow, so much great advice! Thanks guys, I'll check out the prices on the evil place, see which ones I can afford, and go from there.🙂

I'm located in SE Asia, so if possible, it will be more convenient for me to have any work/CLA done locally.

 

[VinceC]

You might want to find a photo show or used camera shop where you can handle a few of them. Weight can become a big issue over time. In SLRs, I always used Nikon Fs and F2s and Nikkormats, but my wife just loved her FMs and FM2s because they were so small and light. Smaller size and less weight was one of the main reasons I switched to RFs.

 

[dmr]

I would get the old standard, the Pentax K 1000. Actually any of the "K" series would be fine. They last forever and the Pentax lenses are probably IMHO the best made.

I would add a recommendation for the Pentax K1000. I've had it for over 20 years now and it's still my main camera for serious work, although I do use RFs for my primary low-light cameras.

I had the Spotmatic before and traded up, mainly because it was clumsy changing lenses. I also like setting esposure at full aperature. The Spotmatic stopped down for that.

 

[Kat]

That sounds good, Vince, I'll do that. You're right, size, weight and the plain feel of a camera in my hands are bigger issues for me than I initially thought. I would not be using much a camera that is just too big/heavy for me to lug around (which was why I never got into SLRS to begin with).

PS. Do all these suggested cameras/lenses have good macro and telephoto lenses?

 

[Uncle Bill]

Vintage SLR's tough one, the other side of my camera collection is SLRs that mattered from the 1960's and 70's, I have Nikon F's and F2's, screwmount Pentax's and an OM-1. If you are looking for just one vintage SLR and a couple of lenses. I would look at the Olympus OM-1 MD a 35, 50 and 135 lens and that would not bust your bank account. They have a copal shutter that does not get sluggish in cold weather if you have that issue where you live, its small and the optics are really good. I love my Nikons and Pentax's and would not hesitate to recommend them but in your case I would suggest the Olympus.

Bill

 

[AsahiPentax]

I use a Pentax ME Super. The great thing about that SLR is it feels right in your hands. It's a tough little camera, too

 

[Trius]

Support for OM added... and a long email sent!

 

[Honu-Hugger]

Another vote for the OM -- good gear and low prices on the used market. Hard to go wrong with anything that's been suggested, but if I were starting today with your criteria I'd be looking hard at Olympus. Good luck!!!

 

[Bill58]

Get a Nikkormat FTN--handmade and bulit like a tank w/ super old lenses.

IMHO
Bill

 

[ClaremontPhoto]

There are still brand new Pentax K1000's about. I've seen one for about €200 within the past few weeks. Also Nikon FM10 for a little more.

 

[Trius]

If I needed to get into a vintage SLR now and couldn't go with the OMs, I'd probably go with the Nikkormat. Not only built well with lots of good, inexpensive glass available, but it should be fairly easy to get good servicing.

Older Mamiyas would be an option, too. Didn't the 1000DTL have spot metering of a sort. And Mamiya glass is not too shabby!

 

[2Manycameras]

I'm someone who has never owned an SLR or any interchangeable lens camera in my life. I'm been toying with the idea of getting an old SLR for a while now, nothing concrete yet as budget is really tight (need to find a job first!), but I've been looking around and researching so I can have an idea what to set my eyes on. I've been looking at the older Nikon F series, Olympus OM series and Minolta SRT series.

While I've heard great things about Nikon, I must admit I'm leaning away from it now because I think it's the most expensive. I think Minolta is the cheapest, but I'm not very familiar with the quality of their camera/lenses, my only experience with the brand is a digicam. My only experience of an Oly is the RC, but it gave me a very good impression.🙂

Does anyone have any input on these cameras--size & weight ("the feel"), features, common problems that I might encounter in "unknown condition" auctions, and quality/ease of finding compatible lenses?

If TTL metering would be useful, then as others mentioned look for a Pentax KX that will use any of the numerous very good K mount lenses made over 3 decades. Shutter and aperture setting are easily read in the finder, the match needle meter is quite good and the camera comes with DOF preview if you have a need for that feature.

Even less expensive would be Pentax SV (H3V) that uses screwmount lenses. No built in meter, but Pentax offered an extensive range of screwmount lenses for that camera. Look for lenses with SMC designation.

 

[pshinkaw]

If TTL metering is something you want, be aware of battery availability. The old SRT's, Konicas, and perhaps oythers use the PX-13 mercury battery which is close to impossible to get in the US. The Spotmatics were made for the mercury battery, but designed with a Wheatstone bridge circuit that allows batteries of other voltages to be used. The battery compartments can be easily modified to use available batteries.

Life can be a little less frustrating if you pick a camera that uses an S-76 size battery.

-Paul

 

[VinceC]

You might also bear in mind whether the lenses will be compatible with a current digital SLR line, either directly or via an adapter. Digital SLRs will only be getting cheaper and more capable, and mounting classic top-notch prime-focus lenses removes one of their weak points ... heavy, less than top-quality kit zooms.

 

[Andy K]

Olympus OM-1👎MD. Small (barely larger than my Canonet QL17 GIII), quiet, superb lenses, fully manual (battery only required for the meter), and has mirror lock-up. A truly affordable, professional camera.

 

[ZorkiKat]

I'm located in SE Asia, so if possible, it will be more convenient for me to have any work/CLA done locally.

Kat

Where are you based? If you're in THE capital, you could visit my place and see some of the cameras firsthand. I've got the Nikon F, a couple of spotmatics and plenty of M42 slrs whose name begins with a "Z" and rhymes with 'enit'... 😀

I'd agree with the rest of the guys who've posted so far. M42s are the way to go, and you could easily draft them to digital use when needed.

Jay