Vacation camera

[ikophot]

In about five weeks my vacation starts, I will traveling with my moped circa 1000 miles (1600 kms ) around Sweden ( yes I have a car but what is the sport driving that? 😀 ) I have decided to take my messikonta with me and a 35 mm camera.

The question is what do you recommend? I want something lightweight, RF , not to bulky ( limited space) and not to crappy. Any suggestions?

 

[Fred]

Track down a use Canon QL17 or an old Olympus Trip 35 (original) fixed lens beast.

The former allows you to think, the latter takes great photos'

Have fun with the vacation 🙂

 

[Doug]

Ikophot, among the gear you already have, what are the choices? (besides the Ikonta) Do you have a 35mm RF now? I'd think it best to take on vacation proven equipment with which you're already familiar. You just won't want the stress of camera problems while out far away from home supposedly having fun! 🙂

 

[Sonnar Brian]

How about : Kodak Retina IIIc. Folder, very compact, fast/sharp 50mm F2 lens. Selenium meter on mine is good; but not necessary.

About the same price as a Canonet QL17 GIII, ~$100.

 

[Roman]

Is price important, too?
If not, then I'd go for a Leica CL and 40/2 lens, or possibly a Bessa R with either a 35 or 50mm lens.

If price does matter, there are still a lot of options: Minolta HiMatic 7SII, Olympus 35RC or RD, a Russian like the FED 2 or Zorki 6, with a 50mm Jupiter-8, or Industar-61 L/D or Industar-22 or -50, and maybe a 35mm Jupiter-12 plus finder, Olympus XA, and many more...

Roman

 

[wlewisiii]

I'd be temped to only take the Mess-Ikonta, depending on which version it is. A "C" with Tessar would be a screamer of a travel camera, though any of them would do the job very nicely. That way you could used the extra space for more rolls of film.

Just a thought.

Otherwise the Canonet QL-17 GIII, an Agfa Karat 36 or a Fed with a collapsable lens would be high on my lists.


William

 

[GeneW]

Not quite RF (but close): Olympus Stylus Epic. Great travel cam. Very sharp 35mm 2.8 lens, weather resistant, and about as small as a 35mm cam can be. Fits easily into a pants pocket.

Gene

 

[RObert Budding]

Maybe a Zeiss Ikon S312 /Voigtlander VF101. Small, inexpensive, and nice lens. Otherwise, an Olympus SP aor a Contax T2.

Robert

 

[DougK]

I like Fred's idea of taking along a Trip 35 if you have one, it's perfect for daytime travel photography - reliable, quiet, great lens, and fast to operate. Same goes for the XA, although the XA will give you more flexibility in a smaller package. Neither one attracts much attention while you're shooting and both will bring back great photos.

Which reminds me, I should run some film through mine soon, I think I hear them calling my name...

 

[FrankS]

I would second Roman's suggestions.

 

[ikophot]

Thanks for your answers, the messikonta is a opton tessar, I have placed bid on a Voigtländer VF 135 with 2,3 Color Scoparex. I have at home a Kiev 4a and a Retina IIIs but I think they are a little to big when you have limited space, the Xa sounds like a great idea.
How about Ricoh 500? I will be using Provia 100F and BW

 

[Pherdinand]

I'd go with something featuring a wider lens, like 35mm or even wider. The ikonta will be great for normal angle shots, and you can crop prints if uou want "tele" but you'd (or, i would, at least) need something wider than normal too.
There are some options for 28 to 35mm fixed-lens cameras as well as bessa-type camera systems. Indeed FSU stuff is heavy, or at least the Kiev is.

 

[Gabriel M.A.]

I'd also second Roman's suggestion, but Pherdinand's also makes sense. You'll be driving through a lot of scenery, so you should consider a 35mm lens (35mm format), at least, 28mm or 21mm. I guess your options are now too many! Have fun cruising! I'm a bit jealous...

 

[Pherdinand]

Do you absolutely want a RF as second body too?
A good manual SLR with a 24 or 28mm lens can be bought for fifty bucks and it can deliver great quality
and it does not have to be bigger than a rf, think Minolta X-series, Olympus OM's, Pentax ME Super etc...