Ultimate fast, fixed lens film P&S

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kutting

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Presumably film point and shoots reached their zenith sometime in the past decade?

I was getting fired-up over getting a Leica Minilux before I read about the E02 error, before deciding to skip it for something else. The question is what?

I like to shoot wide and fast lenses, I can do without a zoom and would like manual control and a good build quality.

What would you P&S aficionados recommend?
 
Well, I do not know how does it compare to Fuji Natura 24/1.9, but I have Fuji Silvi f2.8 with 25-50 f/2.8-f/5.6 which does very nice job. I will be getting a loadof scans today and may post a few samples. But on the light table the images lookes really good. But there is no manual controls. And it is quite plastic, but has very clever flash system.

But you certainly want to look at Contax T3, Ricoh Gr1 (s) (v), Minolta TC-1, Nikon 35Ti & 28Ti. Most of these should be smaller than the Minilux too.

There is also the Ricoh GR21 with 21/3.5 lens, but it is a pricey toy. Not far from Contax G2 with 21/2.8 lens (price wise). I would love to get my hands on one though.
 
Someone will say it, so it may as well be me. Hexar AF. You shoot fast with AF.
 
Fujifilm Klasse - Metal build, you can shoot in aperture priority, and it's got a nice exposure compensation dial. Autofocus is good, but scale focus is fiddly menu thing, and I would never bother. Results are very good, I can't tell the difference between shots from it and my Nokton/ZI combo.
 
Honestly, I don't know, a friend of mine used to have it a while ago, and he was happy with the results. You should hunt for it on Ebay :)

kutting said:
That sounds like a strong contender, are they as rare as hens teeth? What do they go for used?
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I like the look of the Klasse W, although it's a 'little' slow at 2.8, nothing that up-rating my film wouldn't cure. Mmmm... I can just picture me holding one now.
 
As far as I know, the Fujifilm Natura (f1.9) is the fastest point-and-shoot out there, followed closely by the Hexar AF (f2.0, but not technically a point-and-shoot) and then the Minilux (f2.4). Every other camera has an aperture of f2.8 or above.
 
Be sure to check out / read up on the Olympus Stylus Epic ('mjuII' here in EU) 35 / 2.8

Very good for the price! Imo comparable IQ wise to yashica & contax, but a way better price! (I paid €15,- for mine)

Autofocus is good, also has the option to use spotmetering! And it is the smallest 35mm camera I've ever used!

Is the Klasse series smaller?
 
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I'll second the µ[mju]-II and add that a couple of people complaining about any camera on the www doesn't mean they are NBG. Especially on a forum because few people will post a reply saying that they had one and it worked OK. Sometimes I wonder if they are trying to push the ebay price down...

Regards, David
 
How wide is wide enough? If 28mm is considered as entry point, there are no many options for P&S and compacts.
 
I wasn't about to recommend GR1 series because I think of f/2.8 as fast but not "darkness-capable fast," but if you're okay with it, that little Ricoh is a strong contender.
 
The Fuji Naturas go for about 250 - 400 on ebay for one the silver models (aqua, rose, lavender?) and the black one goes for about 500 - 700. I've been trying to find a good price on them, but they're rare as hell.
 
Contax T2. Never took to the T3. Found the T2 to be much more user friendly. The Minolta TC-1 is amazing but ridiculously expensive. The Ricoh GR1v is fantastic and probably the most pocketable P&S ever made. I like the Chinon Bellami as well. Smaller than the Olympus XA. No manual settings. It chooses the shutter speed for you but you get F2.8 and a max shutter speed of 1/1000 sec. Another is the Pentax Espio Mini. 32mm with a f3.5 lens. Not particularly fast but the af is very accurate and sensitive and I've managed to shoot well in lower light than many f2.8 camera's. They are quite desirable though and can go for good money.
 
shyoon said:
As far as I know, the Fujifilm Natura (f1.9) is the fastest point-and-shoot out there, followed closely by the Hexar AF (f2.0, but not technically a point-and-shoot) and then the Minilux (f2.4). Every other camera has an aperture of f2.8 or above.
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The Canon AF35ML (Super Sure Shot) also has a fast 1.9 lens. At 40mm, however, is not very wide.
 
kutting said:
I was getting fired-up over getting a Leica Minilux before I read about the E02 error, before deciding to skip it for something else.
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crawfish_traps.jpg


The Minilux makes some really nice images, this is my son working at a crawfish farm. The chances of getting one that might go belly up with an E02 now is probably pretty low. It is kind of a dense camera, not really suited for a shirt pocket, but I really liked mine. I don't remember why I sold it, but I imagine it was because I had the fever for something else at the time.
 
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