"Throw in the Bag" Film Camera Suggestions?

You’re talking about parties so you’ll need to factor in flash also.
To that end a compact SLR with pop up flash - Nikon F75, Canon EOS 300x, Minolta Dynax 5, Pentax MZ5 etc
 
Looks like you've got what you asked for; almost all the small format cameras made on the planet. ;) So let me just throw in one more: Buy a dirt cheap Olympus OM-10 with the kit lens, a Zuiko Auto-W 50mm f1.8 (I bought the same kit from a street market last summer for 15 dollars). You get a very light camera and a sharp, fast lens. Use a lens cap on a string or even better a hood to protect the lens. If the camera fails it will not cost a lot to replace, you could even have a spare body lying around.
 
Another vote for the Olympus XA: lightweight, tiny, pretty rugged and has a very capable f2.8 lens. It has a decent and accurate rangefinder, too. Also, the optional flash is useful. Downside is that it’s getting old and many examples have a dodgy electronic shutter release.
 
If you must have the red dot :), Leica AF-C1 (Minolta Tele-Freedom) w/40mm 2.8 and 80mm 5.6

Leica_AF_C1.jpg

These are getting pricey on the auction sites though.

Flickr

And some nice shots from this photographer...
 
For SLR, a Contax 139 or 159 with 35/2.8 (or not as wide 45/2.8 pancake); Nikon FM/FE and derivatives with 35/2.8; for AF with flash, Nikon F80/N80 with 35/2 or one of many available small wide Nikkor zooms
 
My choice of late has been the temperamental but capable Minox 35. I prefer the arrangement and the lens to the XA line (I've got an XA2 and had an XA4). It's so light and unobtrusive that it can live almost anywhere. If you can find an ML you'll get a decent Program mode and half-press exposure lock.



The Rollei 35 or Barnack Leica are also excellent options; the main difference is in the weight, not size. Great if you have a bag, not so much if you want something to stick in a pocket.
 
Rob-F said:
Rollei 35 with Tessar or Sonnar lens.
Minox 35mm.
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Yes. Currently have taken my Minox 35GT-E out of storage and carrying it in my bicycle bag. i could put it in my saddle bag too, it's so small and light. makes excellent quality photos!

The Rollei 35S is my other choice for this use ... it's about the same size overall, a little thicker, and a little heavier: The Minox is easier to carry all the time, and its folding lens with a cover door makes it easier to slip in and out of a pocket.

G
 
Just because medium format has its benefits, 6x4.5 folders can be nice "large" pocket cameras. Zeiss Super Ikonta (rangefinder) or Voigtlander baby Bessa 46 (scale). Both are larger than many of the 35mm cameras mentioned, heavier mainly because of the older metal construction. But- medium format! 3-4 times the film area makes a difference.

My issue with any daily carry camera is if I will want to use the final negatives. So for a while a Canon Dial 35 half frame, tri-X and Rodinal, was my pocket camera because, well, why pretend otherwise, why not go with the grain?

Or you can just process smart phone images to look as you want.
 
giganova said:
....
I have a bunch of M4 and don't mind carrying them around or getting damaged, I can live with that. But my bag is not always with me, so I'm more worried about someone grabbing my bag in a hotel meeting room, even though the potential thief wouldn't even know that there's a Leica in it.
....
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I have been in hotels meeting rooms for almost thirty years.
I can't recall even single item disappearance.
Now my wild imagination draws something :cool:

I have read how some bozos were loosing cameras, phones in eating, drinking places, but it is matter of choice.
It didn't happened to me, because of it. We were drinking a lot after work, but always been thinking where and who is on premises.

What is the point to add Leica R which is nowhere near economical comparing to non prestige status SLRs, if you already have bunch of M4?

If you could afford bunch of M4 and R are "economical" why not to pay something like 20$ per month for camera, lens insurance and put another 20$ aside per month for periodical CLA of daily M4?
 
How it started:- " I often walk to/from work, through a park, at parties, and wish I had a compact film camera with me"... That suggests small as in pocketable.



All the cult cameras have baby brothers that people overlook or ignore, unless they are trying to sell it. So you can buy and try cheaply.

So look at the µ-I instead of the µ-II and the XA1 or XA2 instead of the RF XA. And there's a few small ones with zoom lenses like the Olympus µ-V and Pentax 928M. And the Nikon One Touch Zoom 90AF is probably the youngest of them all.

Even dearer than any mentioned with a prime lens are the Leica mini and friends (Minolta and Panasonic).

One last point, metal gears in the XA's, I think, and that's a good thing, like the batteries they use (SR44's).


Regards, David


PS Very challenging; the Cosmic Symbol with its 40mm triplet and it can be fitted with a lens hood, which some think essential on any camera...
 
Favorite film camera for Me is a leica M

For your question, how about Contax T2 .... Compact, love those silvery greys it renders, beautifully sharp sonnar lens

A camera I have never tried but would love to
Leica Minilux /fixed lens


Miss Contax T2 in action:




carousel Fun by Helen Hill, on Flickr
 
Cameras I've used as my daily commute, throw in the bag and don't care if it gets ruined that I would recommend:

Olympus Stylus Infinity / Stylus Epic

Olympus XA2 (better lens than the XA which I always found soft despite trying numerous copies)

Ricoh R1s (most pocketable p&s there is)

Canon Demi EE17 (half-frame and thus, twice as many images, super fast and sharp 1.7 lens)

Canon Sure Shot Max (most affordable option here by a long shot and the image quality is great)

Pentax Espio Mini (Stylus Epic alternative)

Canon T70 (SLR option with various Program modes you can buy for <$20USD easily and pairs very well with a <$100 Canon FD 35mm 2.8)
 
I'll second the Kodak Retina IIa. Yesterday was my first day throwing it in my briefcase. Very compact, doesn't need a case, this is my first roll of film through it but looking forward to see what the Schneider Xenon can do.

I sold my Contax T2 some years back. Of course before they tripled is price. Very compact when folded up. The lens was superb. I worked around fooling the auto exposure and focus, but prefer the all manual I have now.
 
chipgreenberg said:
I'll second the Kodak Retina IIa. Yesterday was my first day throwing it in my briefcase. Very compact, doesn't need a case, this is my first roll of film through it but looking forward to see what the Schneider Xenon can do.
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You won’t be disappointed. If you have the opportunity, post in the “Images from your Retina” thread.
 
chipgreenberg said:
I'll second the Kodak Retina IIa. Yesterday was my first day throwing it in my briefcase. Very compact, doesn't need a case, this is my first roll of film through it but looking forward to see what the Schneider Xenon can do.

I sold my Contax T2 some years back. Of course before they tripled is price. Very compact when folded up. The lens was superb. I worked around fooling the auto exposure and focus, but prefer the all manual I have now.
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The IIa are nice cameras, just be careful around the frame counter. I have three of them and I don't think the counter is working on any of them. They have a small metal actuator that breaks over time.

The earlier scale focus Retina's are good too. A Retina 1 with the Ektar lens is a fun shooter. Little bit smaller than the IIa and no worries about a RF gettting knocked off in a bag. Slower to shoot though being scale focused and having to cock the shutter directly.

Vito III is a really nice folder too. Little longer than the Retina IIa but feels a bit more solid. Shutter has to be cocked manually though. On the plus side it can be folded up pre-focused and doesn't have to be at infinity like all the Retinas. Wonderful Ultron lens.

None of these are 35mm lenses though.

Shawn
 
I had a very good experiences with Nikon FM2. It doesn't weigh much and is sturdy. As for the lens I suggest something 28, or 35mm, as they have a perfect perspective for most situations. Another one, I like, and it's my favorie, is Contax G1. It's compact enough, and it uses incredibly sharp lenses. I often take it with me when backpacking...
 
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