Quietest film point and shoot?

Avotius said:
I like the Contax T3 for seeming being the most complete of all the sets but I hear the lens lacks a little character, and also its really expensive.
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Let me stop you right there. If a camera system has character, it's the T3 for sure. That's the only reason I'm using it.

The only real downside in the price. The rest comes with use, as with any other new tool.

It's an awesome little beast.
 
I haven't owned any of the other cameras on you list but, I'm quite happy with the T2. I like the image quality, both color and black and white. The only problem vignetting I've had was when shooting landscapes into the sun at f16. Guess it's pretty quiet for a point and shoot. It feels pretty solid and looks good too (mine is gold so some may disagree on the good looks part)
 
I think the consensus might be the Hexar AF. I had one and it was really, really quiet and fast to use. Sharp lens too. I prefer a little longer lens so I sold it but if you want ease of use and stealth it's your camera.

To tell you the truth though, I nearly always run around w/ an old 120 folder these days, and once you get used to it it's really fast to use. Can't beat the leaf shutters for quiet either.
 
morback said:
Let me stop you right there. If a camera system has character, it's the T3 for sure. That's the only reason I'm using it.

The only real downside in the price. The rest comes with use, as with any other new tool.

It's an awesome little beast.
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Well there you have it, those are some very impressive shots, probably the best I have seen from the T3.


steamer said:
I haven't owned any of the other cameras on you list but, I'm quite happy with the T2. I like the image quality, both color and black and white. The only problem vignetting I've had was when shooting landscapes into the sun at f16. Guess it's pretty quiet for a point and shoot. It feels pretty solid and looks good too (mine is gold so some may disagree on the good looks part)
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Gold? That sounds awesome, I saw a couple of those, a little more then I am willing to spend haha...gold is cool though, as my girlfriend would say...bling!

At this point I am leaning towards the T2 because of price, but really I think I want the T3. I am pondering hawking off my Zeiss 28mm lens for this camera since I never seem to use it now that I got the Zeiss 21, seems like it would end up being a straight trade though. Thinking...thinking....if I got the T2 I wouldnt have to sell off a lens I never use....
 
As already said the original Hexar with silent mode is probably the quietest camera out there, I also use silent mode only in places like churches or theaters because in every other situation it is too quiet and I am not sure I even got the picture! And, yep, the lens is at the same level or better than almost everything else money can buy...

GLF
 
Yeah I have decided the Hexar is too big for what I want which is something small I can stick in my pocket which means a lens that disappears into the body.
 
A lot of interesting choices here... i've been checking out flea-bay based on the suggestions and some of these cameras are not really all that cheap. I might settle for stylus epic or xa2 when it comes to price alone.
 
If price is a major concern there is always the plastic Yashica/kyocera T, T2, 3, with a sweet Zeiss Tessar. My Yashica/Kyocera T3 is not really loud. They cost about 20-30 bucks because they look kind of dorky and Terry Richardson used the T4 which is now famous and kind of silly expensive for a plastic camera.

If money was no object though I'd go for the Contax T3 in a heartbeat.
 
btgc said:
I have FF-70 (90 in U.S.) which is very similar to FF-3 so I understand your excitement with this model.

Some people here (Chubasco, Nesster) also have discovered this models. In Ricoh I trust!
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I am fellow Ricoh fans as well. Two TLR's and one FF-90. GR-1 is a dream of mine, but expensive.

daveisbest said:
Minolta AF-C, the only manual thing is film winding, which I prefer over auto-winding. It's auto-focus and auto-exposure, has a great lens and is roughly the same size as the XA. Shutter is really quiet, but film winding is a little noisy. Nothing too serious though, and a great little camera.
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Bingo!

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This tiny one (the size of XA) is a darling to use because it autofocus (good enough for what it is useful for). You decide when to advance the film, not the camera.
 
Has anyone here actually encountered this breaking ribbon cable problem of the Leica Minilux? Is this a real issue or something that's been sort of blown out of proportion?
 
Just discovered the joys the of the Kyocera Yashica T-Zoom with Carl Zeiss lens. It is very quiet - even quieter than my old minilux and T3. They sound like snoring old men in comparison.
 
.ken said:
A lot of interesting choices here... i've been checking out flea-bay based on the suggestions and some of these cameras are not really all that cheap. I might settle for stylus epic or xa2 when it comes to price alone.
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I'm waiting for the mailman to bring my stylus epic. I'll tell you how that goes.
 
Since this thread has come back to life, I'll add a couple of random comments. For stealth shooting the Yashica T4 Super (T5) has a reflex finder that lets you shoot at waist level. Also the Leica original Mini (not the Mini II or Mini 3) does not wind on until the shutter button is released. Put the camera behind you before you release the button. You do have a zzzt-zzzt focus noise, but the shutter is inaudible.
 
Contax T2 is quiet enough for most if not all applications, it suffers from immense shutter lag due to the fact that it focus after full press though. But sound wise it is pretty perfect, the sound is not too loud, but best of all it is over with quickly, the film wind is really fast. But really, I haven't come across any compact camera (as yet) that is too loud to use under normal street shooting conditions.

My recommendations based on experience: Klasse W and Contax T2, you can get a new Klasse W or S for the same price as a Contax T2 in nice condition.
 
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