GarageBoy
Well-known
What P&S would you recommend? I'm a cheap **** too, when it comes this category of cameras
I got spoiled by the speed of digital point and shoots
Yes, this reminds me that I too am not fond of waist-level viewing, flipped left-right, or of holding the camera out away from bodily support. Sure, tripod, but I'm not fond of those either! A prism viewfinder can be added to the medium-format SLR or TLR to solve the flip-flop but ergonomics suffer because the cameras were not made for eye-level operation. Solution: Pentax 67, lovely camera!
All in all, I prefer to accentuate the positive.
Bille
Well-known
There seems to be universal agreement on this one
Dont know what you mean. Example: To format a card in camera simply click "menu", click "suitcase", then press cursor right four times (you want to get to tab "5"), then just scroll down a bit. I cant think of anything more intuitive.
Snapper_uk
Well-known
Lomo Belair - seemed a good idea at the time, but was impossible to hand-hold and keep steady whilst pressing the shutter release.
ChrisPlatt
Thread Killer
Future Shock
Future Shock
Canon A-1. I bought one new when it was introduced as an "upgrade" to my AE-1.
This "electronic marvel" gave the impression my camera had swallowed a pocket calculator.
"Hexaphotocybernetics" (Canon's marketing neologism) made me trade in the Canons for a Nikon FM.
The experience stayed with me. Though I have tried all sorts of cameras since including digitals
almost invariably I wind up keeping and using mainly mechanical cameras with analog displays.
Chris
Future Shock
Canon A-1. I bought one new when it was introduced as an "upgrade" to my AE-1.
This "electronic marvel" gave the impression my camera had swallowed a pocket calculator.
"Hexaphotocybernetics" (Canon's marketing neologism) made me trade in the Canons for a Nikon FM.
The experience stayed with me. Though I have tried all sorts of cameras since including digitals
almost invariably I wind up keeping and using mainly mechanical cameras with analog displays.
Chris
L. M. Tu
Established
Hate any of those manufacturers who for decades now have not been able to figure out how to make their focusing and aperture rings, and lens mounts, turn the same way as on Contaxes and Nikons
Timmyjoe
Veteran
I love my Nikon F Apollo with its FTN finder and was thrilled when I received it and the finder still worked and was accurate. But whoever designed the battery compartment on that finder, and in particular the screw on battery door, deserves their own room in Hell. I bet 90 percent of the FTN finders that are no longer operational are strictly because of that side spring in the battery compartment, and that damn screw on door. My finder suddenly quit this afternoon after I had removed it and re-installed it, and I've spent the last four hours trying to get the contacts to make good connections in the battery compartment and getting that stupid door back on. What were they thinking?
cpc
Established
All of the P&S's I've used in the last few years prefocus on shutter half-press and display shutter speed in the viewfinder. (Incidentally, T3 and Klasse S are amongst them.) Dunno about flash though, never bothered using flash on a P&S.
Mudman
Well-known
I loved my 7ne when I shot Canon!! If they made a camera with ECF I'd consider jumping back from Nikon.
I never got along with my 6x9 Crown Graphic. Too bulky for everyday use, though the negatives were nice.
GarageBoy
Well-known
The 7/7N are great - full featured, nice finder, quiet (esp. compared to the EOS1/3)
Incidentally, I picked up a Rebel T2 (last Rebel) and a 40 STM when I got sick of dealing with Point and Shoots
The problem is that on the Stylus/Stylus Epic- I have to turn off the flash everytime... maybe Klasse S/T3 IS the answer and I just gotta pay to play
Incidentally, I picked up a Rebel T2 (last Rebel) and a 40 STM when I got sick of dealing with Point and Shoots
The problem is that on the Stylus/Stylus Epic- I have to turn off the flash everytime... maybe Klasse S/T3 IS the answer and I just gotta pay to play
nightfly
Well-known
Short answer, every camera I bought while trying to avoid buying a Leica.
Long Answer:
1) Olympus XA- the lens flare is atrocious, otherwise loved the size and operation
2) Rollei 35- so fiddly, heavy and annoying
3) Contax t1- the stupid barn door lens cover
4) The Ricoh GRD series- while I love the GR1, the GR digitals (I owned the I, III and currently the GRD) don't have the magic. Wish they were exactly digital versions of the GR1, simple aperture priority on the top dial and no more. Yes you can program any button for anything but they are still fiddly computer though the best of the lot.
5) Collapsible old lenses. Seem like a good idea, but shaky and slow in real use.
6) Infinity Locks- arrg!
Contrary to many I loved my Yashica t4. They seemed to realize that putting controls on such a small body was silly and was simply a point and shoot with an amazing lens. Much preferred to the similar Contax t2. Like the Tessar's rendition way better than the Sonnar. Wish the film rewind and lens motors didn't keep breaking.
Wouldn't mind the digital equivalent of this but perhaps this is the iPhone 6s.
Long Answer:
1) Olympus XA- the lens flare is atrocious, otherwise loved the size and operation
2) Rollei 35- so fiddly, heavy and annoying
3) Contax t1- the stupid barn door lens cover
4) The Ricoh GRD series- while I love the GR1, the GR digitals (I owned the I, III and currently the GRD) don't have the magic. Wish they were exactly digital versions of the GR1, simple aperture priority on the top dial and no more. Yes you can program any button for anything but they are still fiddly computer though the best of the lot.
5) Collapsible old lenses. Seem like a good idea, but shaky and slow in real use.
6) Infinity Locks- arrg!
Contrary to many I loved my Yashica t4. They seemed to realize that putting controls on such a small body was silly and was simply a point and shoot with an amazing lens. Much preferred to the similar Contax t2. Like the Tessar's rendition way better than the Sonnar. Wish the film rewind and lens motors didn't keep breaking.
Wouldn't mind the digital equivalent of this but perhaps this is the iPhone 6s.
SolaresLarrave
My M5s need red dots!
I have a high tolerance level when it comes to gear quirks... but there are two cameras that I absolutely came to abhor: the Yashica GSN (here failed when compared to the Canonet G-III QL17) was too big, unwieldy and hard to handle to me. Then a Kiev-Contax clone (purchased while waiting for my M3 to return from DAG): weird VF, strange shutterspeed and aperture dial, impossible to focus... and it smelled like humid cardboard.
Neither camera got much use, and both were promptly sold. That's the end of the story.
Neither camera got much use, and both were promptly sold. That's the end of the story.
cpc
Established
Ah, I see. On the high end P&S cameras you can disable flash altogether and it stays that way after power off.
David Hughes
David Hughes
Hi,
Well, I love anything dirt cheap and have had dozens for about the price of a cup of coffee or less. The 49p and 99p ones especially.
As for your list of hates, how about the Olympus XA, XA2 and XA3?
The XA's a range-finder so quick to focus and the design of the others is clever despite them being zone focusing. I control the flash by leaving it at home but I vaguely think you can switch it about from "Full" to "400" and then "100" - ISO that is. But the shutter speed is a dodgy one to answer except for the XA which is "A" priority and shows the shutter speed in the view-finder. So I guess it's the XA that gets the prize but wouldn't a lens hood improve it?
There is a superb P&S with a lens hood and that's the APS Contax Tix with its brilliant lens etc, etc. It's a great pity APS film is no longer made; even so, the Tix is still expensive. But one day one will turn up in a charity shop with a pound price sticker on it and I'll pounce.
Regards, David
harpofreely
Well-known
The ones I truly hated, rather than merely found uninteresting:
Yashica GSN - the metering indicators on mine required a lot of moving the shutter button up and down, general chintziness.
Olympus MJU II - turning off flash _every single time_.
Canon AE-1 Program - non-specific plastic-y late 70's horribleness.
Moskva 5 - strictly speaking, was no more trouble to use than an Barnack, but just always felt like a massive hassle.
Olympus EPL1 - miserably slow kit zoom, most "digital-looking" OOC jpegs ever.
Pentax MX - loathed the LED metering setup.
Yashica GSN - the metering indicators on mine required a lot of moving the shutter button up and down, general chintziness.
Olympus MJU II - turning off flash _every single time_.
Canon AE-1 Program - non-specific plastic-y late 70's horribleness.
Moskva 5 - strictly speaking, was no more trouble to use than an Barnack, but just always felt like a massive hassle.
Olympus EPL1 - miserably slow kit zoom, most "digital-looking" OOC jpegs ever.
Pentax MX - loathed the LED metering setup.
BlackXList
Well-known
The 7s are great! I love mine.
Spanik
Well-known
The Bronica RF645: great handling, the best ergonomics I found in a medium format, reasonably silent and gorgeous results. But a rangefinder that gets out of alignment just by looking through it, hard to focus with a not so great patch, there are only 3 focal lenghts that are so close to each other they just didn't have to bother and even then you need an auxilary finder for the "wide" (which isn't wide at all) and a lightmeter that gets it wrong if your frame is anything but even lighted.
Sigma DPxm: you sacrifice a chicken when the moon if full and the tide is low on a sunday the 13-th, paint a pentagle with its blood, put a candle on each point and then sing the right incantation while standing on your left leg and dancing a hornpipe. When you do get this right...awesome and jawdropping. Otherwise, just don't bother, your batteries will be flat anyway.
Mamiya Press, always get the impression that the results should have been much better for the pain of lugging that boatanchor around.
Sigma DPxm: you sacrifice a chicken when the moon if full and the tide is low on a sunday the 13-th, paint a pentagle with its blood, put a candle on each point and then sing the right incantation while standing on your left leg and dancing a hornpipe. When you do get this right...awesome and jawdropping. Otherwise, just don't bother, your batteries will be flat anyway.
Mamiya Press, always get the impression that the results should have been much better for the pain of lugging that boatanchor around.
Michael I.
Well-known
Yashica lynx 14 - perfect fast lens, horrible vf.rf (on my example). Koni omega - loved everything but hated the backs with a veangence
harpofreely
Well-known
I love my Koni Omega but I've got the early model with the fixed back. From what I've read, I save a lot of trouble that way.
Huss
Veteran
Not a hater usually, but man did I hate this camera:
Olympus Infinity Stylus. Bought one brand new from B&H in the early 1990's for an "always have it with me camera" when I was living in NYC. Loved the idea that it fit nicely into my pocket and the little sliding door protected the lens, and I didn't have a lens cap to lose. Whenever I would see something happening on the streets of Manhattan (which was pretty much always), I would pull the camera out of my pocket, slide open the door, and . . . NOTHING! The camera refused to turn on. That happened at least 50% of the time when I was trying to use it. So I returned it and B&H gave me another one. Same issue. I missed so many shots, sliding that stupid little door back and forth, back and forth, back and forth; trying to get the darn thing to turn on. Man I hated that camera.
End of rant.
Hah! I just pulled one out of my sock drawer (seriously) that I hadn't used in maybe 20 years. I was going to Oktoberfest that night and didn't want to use a valuable camera. I thought this auto p&S with flash would be perfect.
It always worked, but half the time it would not take a pic unless I recomposed, tried again, tried again, tried again. Guess the focus wasn't locking.
So that's why I hadn't used it in 20 years!
(still looking forward to seeing what the pics look like though).