Simple/Cheap Scale Focus for Everyday Carry

[retro]

The Minoltina-P is a nice little scale focus camera with a sorta-wide
38/2.8 lens and a meter and more exposure control than the Trip:
http://www.camerapedia.org/wiki/Minolta_Minoltina-P

It also has a nifty focusing scale right on top of the camera with
easy-to-see symbols.

 

[ChrisPlatt]

Like most of these threads many of the cameras suggested aren't truly pocketable.
Unless you wear cargo pants every day you should look for something small and light.
I too vote for the Olympus XA2/XA3 capsule cameras.

Chris

 

[Hibbs]

Mine is an Oly Pen EED, regular 35 mm (not Rapid).

Photo | Kind Permission - Camerapedia

~ Hibbs

 

[btgc]

I've been carrying a Yashica Elektro 35 MC (that's about half the size of a regular Yashica Elektro) as a point and shoot lately and I really like it. It is light and easy to operate. Nice sharp lens. No variety in shutterspeeds unfortunately but you can't have everything 🙂

Great camera, and 4-1/500 is still broader range than most of old cameras offer!

 

[pixelatedscraps]

Ultra cheap: Holga 135BC

Better: Konica POP (love this little camera: though just checked and its fixed-range only)

Awesome: Olympus XA2

 

[Kolame]

What you’re looking for is the XA, I think...

 

[raytoei@gmail.com]

I used a XA for many of my travels and I recently switched to a XA4, here are some observation between the XA and XA4:

* the XA4 is a fantastic camera with a 28mm lens. it supports iso of up to 1600 which is better than the 800 for the XA. It also uses the LR44 as compared to the XA which runs better on SR44. It supports Macro from 1feet to 1.7 feet.

For outdoor, I would prefer the XA4. BUT for available light shooting, I would choose the XA mainly because I can choose my aperture and the DOF. I found in several situations where the XA4 would cause motion blur where the XA would not have any issue.

The XA has shorter throw to Infinity, 2.8feet - 4 - 8 and infinity. For the XA4, 1 - 1.7 - 2.3 - 3.3 - 5 - 10 - Infinity.

Anyone with the similar observation ?

raytoei

 

[Frontman]

The Konica C-35 E&L camera is a little jewel. It has the classic style of the earlier C 35 cameras, with the same rugged aluminum construction, but does away with the rangefinder. It's scale focus system is very nice, and has detents for pre-measured distances. It is very easy to use, and usually costs about $50 or so for a working model. I find the C-35 be more reliable than most of the other compact rangefinders, and it's rare that I come across one which doesn't work after simply popping in a fresh battery.

 

[Brian Levy]

For my, the ultimate is one of the Minox 35s such as the MDC but, stay away from the earlier MLs due to very unreliable shutters. Close the front cover and they easily fit in your shirt pocket with room to spare. The lens quality is awesome, far better than the XA series and I liked it better than the Rollei 35. I had an ML, Olympus and Rollei all at the same time and the Olympus I gave away and the olnly time I used the Rollei was when the ML shutter broke and I had to get it repaired. There can be had new GTs (I think that was the last of the Minox 35 models) for cheap. Only minus is they are not manual exposure like the ML and MDC.

For something larger, I vote for a Cortina II with a Novar lens. This front collapser similar to the Minox does away with the bellows and is very comfortable to use. Folded, it fits nicely into a jacet pocket. It has a non-coupled rangefinder; mine works well. Bulkier but if you should transparency or color negative a Vito B with the Color-Skopar is amazing. The lens seems to make love to color in ways no other lens does. I have both cameras and while l love the folding ability of the Contina, the lens on the Vito is so good I ended up totally torn betwen them.

 

[bigeye]

There's a line between the (very) old pocket cameras (Retinette, Agfa, etc.) and the (just) old pocket cameras. In the transition, you didn't pick up much image quality (the very old have a great 'look'), but you did get metering and "programmed" auto (C35, XA, etc) which don't appear to be exclusive.

I'd get a neat old Retinette, etc, except now you'll need a meter with it. Get an XA or C35 and you're spinning the ASA dial to change exposure.

Aside from the late oldies with dodgey grafted Cds meters, I can't think of a 'manual', metered pocket camera, which is what you're looking for...

- Charlie

EDIT: Looks like the Rollei 35 had metering and match-needle exposure control - also about the tiniest thing you could carry.

 

[amhildreth]

For a great, pocketable scale-focus, shop around for a Ricoh FF-1. You can go auto or aperture priority. I found mine on eBay a few years ago for about $15. The exposure has always been dead-on.

 

[John Robertson]

Have a good TRIP!!
We used to get them as tradeins, but they always sold very quickly, mainly to impoverished shoolboys and students touring the world.
I wonder what the total number of shots worldwide have been taken on one. a truely astronomical figure I should think!!

 

[polaski]

Vito B

Vito B

As long as you can use Sunny 16, it'll do a good job and handle banging around in your messenger bag. Or large coat pocket. It's small, but a bit deep due to the fixed lens.

 

[hipsterdufus]

If an update to this thread helps at all, I am now using a Retina IIF as my everyday carry camera. However, this is a rangefinder, not a scale focus. Great camera with a great Xenon lens. However, by all means keep the suggestions coming for posterity's sake.

 

[eddie1960]

for posterity sake i just grabbed a fed 4 (a little bulky) with industar 61 for $24.50 plus $25 shipping. still haven't finished roll 1 but so far everything seems good (light leaks are my worry my Fed 5 has a nasty one, but it's repairable with electricians tape lol
it sits in my messenger bag and bashes about a bit but it's solid to say the least

 

[unixrevolution]

None of my Scale-focus 35s slip into my pocket as easily as my Retina I. It is absolutely the tiniest 35mm camera I own. It's nearly smaller than my pocket digital.

 

[BillBingham2]

The Retina Ib would get my vote for a low cost classic. For a modern film I would look to a Bessa L and a 25/4, though it's more than just a nights drinking to fund. If you want to go digital (a way that this thread has not gone) the GRD family (I, II, III) are fine options for small, kick but lens and great IQ.

B2 (;->

 

[Mablo]

I recently bought an Olympus XA. I had forgotten how nicely pocketable it really is. So far I've mostly used scale focusing and got back some lovely photos. Another thing where XA beats my Rollei 35 with a clear margin is low light photography where XA really shines.