Tiny pocketable rangefinder for 3200/6400 film

[tammons]

Looking for a very small rangefinder p+s camera that has at least an iso 3200.

Not interested in the speed so much as B+W golf ball size grain from Delta 3200.

Want a sharp zoom lens and preferably 28mm-something.

Something i can stuff in my pants pocket so a tiny clamshell would be nice.

Want an all auto mode

Auto focus

Auto exposure, but with a manual aperture mode override.

Would like a fast shutter speed so I dont have to use an nd filter, but I think I will have to use one anyway.

Want LCD readout inside the viewfinder, focus confirm, Aperture and shutter readout etc.

Is there such a camera that is even close ??

I have used the Contax T before and liked it although I would like something smaller. Also thought about the minilux but it only goes to 1/400.

Also used a Yashica T4 but i could never tell where I was shooting.

Any suggestion would be appreciated.

 

[pbjbike]

The Ricoh GR1 fits the bill given the above criteria. However, SSpeeds only go to 1/300 I believe.

 

[Rob]

Sounds more like you need the digital Fuji F30, it does up to 3200 but not a rangefinder but you wanted autofocus anyway.

 

[tammons]

Not interested in the speed so much as B+W golf ball size grain from Delta 3200.

Should have mentioned that earlier.

 

[wyk_penguin]

Looks like you are not describing a rangefinder. Except maybe the Contax.

 

[amateriat]

The Ricoh GR-1's top shutter speed is 1/500. And I think it'll handle ISO 3200 (have to check my manual back home); if it can't go any higher, you can always fudge it via the camera's Very Excellent exposure compensation dial.

(I'm presuming here that you want an AF camera, as opposed to one with coupled RF. At this size, especially, you can't have both.)

I've been going over scans from shots I took with mine before breaking it (my bad, not camera's), and can't wait to get it going again.

 

[tammons]

I have been looking at the GR-1 for quite a while.

 

[nightfly]

There's no reason you have to shoot 3200 speed film at 3200 to get the grain. It is inherently grainy and actually if you have a camera that won't meter for 3200, you will over expose and it will get more grainy. I would recommend an Olympus XA 4 if you set on the 28m or an XA if you can live with 35mm (the XA 4's are hard to find). It isn't auto everything but they are aperture priority. The lens is sharp. It's tiny, virtually silent and you can either zone focus with the XA 4 or hyperfocus with an XA and you are probably good to go. Shooting something like Neopan 1600 and developing in Rodinal will get you good grain.

If you are going for grain you might look into the half frame cameras like the the Olympus Pen's or various others. Blowing up the smaller negative area will get you more grain and the camera is really small as well.

 

[tammons]

If you are going for grain you might look into the half frame cameras like the the Olympus Pen's or various others. Blowing up the smaller negative area will get you more grain and the camera is really small as well.

Thanks I had considered a half frame camera

 

[carvinganish]

i was looking for a similar camera, and settled on the olympus stylus epic.

pros: really pocketable. 35 f/2.8. can handle 3200. cheap ($80ish new). clamshell. top shutter of 1/1000.

cons: no manual overrides. or lcd readouts. not your desired 28mm. not a rangefinder.

you can find the exposure program online, so you can usually guess what the camera is doing. the nightmode (with flash) is supposed to be good though i havent tried it yet. i also checked out the XA, but the rangefinder patch was impossibly hard to see, so settled on the epic instead.

 

[amateriat]

Another camera with a 28mm lens, which I'm actually getting as a "stand-in" pocket 35 until my GR-1 gets fixed, is Konica's Lexio 70 with 28-70 zoom. The downside, as is usually the case with zoom-lens p/s cameras, concerns speed and distortion; the good news is that, since Konica chose not to give this camera a crazy-big zoom range, it has more of the former (f/3.4 at 28mm, f/7.9 at 70mm) and less of the latter (just a bit of pincushion at 28mm) than most cameras in this category. It's less versatile than the GR-1 in some ways (less-flexible exposure modes, rudimentary exposure compensation, no adjustable fixed-focus option), but still above-average. Not so easy to find used right now.


- Barrett

 

[ywenz]

The Ricoh GR-D is what you're looking for, that is, if you don't mind it being a digital camera.

28mm lens @ f/2.4
full readout of shutter and aperature
Smaller than the GR-1

 

[sychan]

I stumbled across the Fuji Natura Classica - thought it might be what you're looking for: http://www.unicircuits.com/shop/product_info.php?products_id=100

 

[Jacob]

Besides the Fuji Natura series there is the Silvi f2.8, with a 24-50mm zoom and max iso 3200. Not as good looking as the Natura Classic, but probably cheaper and available at least in Sweden. Not manual override but some kind of exp. compensation. I have found that some Fuji p&s have lenses a notch above average, if not in the Contax T... league.

http://fujifilm.jp/personal/filmcamera/35mm/silvif28/specs.html

I had a Fuji Super Mini DL, with a great 28/2.8. It was nice until the exposure meter went crazy and severely overexposed every third shot.

 

[fgianni]

Minolta TC-1, either Aperture priority or fully manual, autofocus or manual focus, spot metering available, most likely the smallest 35mm full frame camera ever, really sharp 28mm rokkor lens, max speed 500, auto iso 25-3200 with manual override from 6 up to 6400

Read a review at

http://classic.mountainzone.com/gear/tc-1/index.html

I sold my Contax T3 after taking one of this babies out for shooting, nothong really comes even close to a TC-1

 

[fgianni]

Read a review at

http://classic.mountainzone.com/gear/tc-1/index.html

Please note that for some reason the reviewer states that he misses full manual operation, I don't know why since the camera can be used both in AV and full manual mode.

 

[fgianni]

The Ricoh GR-D is what you're looking for, that is, if you don't mind it being a digital camera.

28mm lens @ f/2.4
full readout of shutter and aperature
Smaller than the GR-1

Yes well of course, if you are ok with digital the GR-D looks like a good choice, even if I went for the Lumix LX-1 (identical t the Leica D-Lux 2 but cheaper)

 

[tammons]

The Ricoh GR-D is what you're looking for, that is, if you don't mind it being a digital camera.

28mm lens @ f/2.4
full readout of shutter and aperature
Smaller than the GR-1

You missed the point. I want a small, pocketable P+S just for iso 3200 B+W film. I have too many digital cameras already.

 

[tammons]

Still looking,

Gees this is difficult.

To redefine what I am looking for.........

This is for shooting iso 3200 film, so I am not interested in digital.

Very small, like a clamshell camera.

iso 3200

1/1000 shutter speed min, 1/2000 would be better.

Autofocus

all auto mode.

aperture priority mode override.

Info inside the viewfinder.

Sharp 28-something zoom lens

If I cant find a decent 28-something zoom lens, i might consider something like a GR1 with a 28mm fixed lens and a 2nd camera with a 35-something zoom.

I guess it might be something similar to a Contax G2 only much smaller.

 

[ywenz]

You missed the point. I want a small, pocketable P+S just for iso 3200 B+W film. I have too many digital cameras already.

None of your pocket digi cams are like the GRD.