What the best of the smallest RF's for my pocket?

oscroft said:
Sorry to go off at a bit of a tangent, but can I ask a question of those who have recommended the XA? Is its lens significantly better than the lens on the XA2? (I ask because I have an XA2, but I don't really like the results).
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The XA lens is indeed somewhat better (and faster as well). I have an XA2 and and XA and I almost never use the XA2.

As a pocket camera, my vote is definitely for the XA. The clever design makes it very robust in spite of its weight. And at <$50 it is precisely the sort of thing you might actually put in your pocket or keep in your car.

I recently posted two pics from my XA.
 
The XA for sure.

Isn't the Rollei very heavy and bulky? They seem like very dense cameras for their size which is pretty boxy. They also look overly complicated to me. Seems like I'd rather just grab my Leica.

The XA is small and light enought to actually throw in your pocket and not really notice much. Lens is good and as everyone has mentioned, they are cheap and plentiful. Great for taking out at night with the aperture priority.
 
richard_l said:
Check with www.thecamerahunter.com for a lens cap. He has good prices on Rollei 35 accessories and is very dependable. The stock lens cap is a slip-on type and falls off very easily, especially when the camera is in a pocket, so I use a UV filter to protect the lens on one of my Rollei 35s. If I'm concerned about flare, I just remove the filter. So far the UV filter hasn't gotten scratched, and even if it does, I doubt that it would cause any significant deterioration of the image.

Richard
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Thanks Richard, I'll check them out.

rover said:
I see you waving to us there. Did you think you would get away with that?;)
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Who, me?:angel:

The ergonomics may be a bit funky on the rollei, but I never use a flash with it (the hot shoe is on the bottom), and the controls on the front are easy to get used to. What does it for me is that it has a really great lens on a small body. Scale focusing slows me down a bit, so I mainly use it outdoors during the day.
 
Oly XA here as well.

Otherwise, if you want full manual control, several of the Kodak Retina's fold down to the same size, are RFs, but I don't think any have a meter built-in. Unfortunately, many seem to be a bit fragile at their age.
 
"The Rollei 35 has terrible ergonomics
that somehow appeal to some."

I disagree, It can be a slow shooter, mostly because of the zone focus and lack of an auto mode. But the meter, shutter speed, and f-stop settings are positioned so that they can be adjusted from the waist. So in a milisecond you can lift the camera to the eye and shoot the subject. So if the subject is moving rapidly, no pick another camera. But if the subject is just hanging about, this camera is great because you can shoot before they react to the camera. Also the lens is supurb, way sharper than the Petri. However, in general, Id agree that XA may be the better choice..
 
Screwmount Leica or Canon RF cameras with a collapsible 50 or small 35 is also an excellent choice.
 
I got the chance to hold the Oly XA and I would have to say that I was very impressed by that little package. The XA is the best. I wish I could find one that was mint to play with.
 
I've had bad luck with an Oly XA (malfunctioning exposure system and RF system), so I guess that clouds my opinion of it.
 
No one seems to have mentioned Stephen G's page on compact 35's... Here's a link (click).

I'll put in another vote for the Rollei 35S (mine's a SE)... It's a great little camera that you
(or anyone else for that matter) would hardly notice carrying around. I agree with Rey that the issues with ergonomics are overstated.

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Peter
 
I have an XA, a Rollei 35 (tessar), and just got a Retina IIa.

I love all three, but without manual controls, the XA gets on my nerves and sits at home. The Retina has the best lens, but a somewhat fiddly film crank (needs a CLA) and has no meter - so it's less useful to me. So the Rollei is what lives in my coat pockets and ensures I always have a camera or two on me.
 
A Minox 35GL meets my pocket needs. Not a rangefinder, but who needs a rangefinder with a 2.8/35mm lens? Camera is almost indestructible, I've dropped mine several times from my pocket. Minox was a division of Leitz when the GL was manufactured, lens rumored to be an Elmar derivative.:)
 
One of my Rollei 35's is always with me. Yes, they lack rangefinders. Nothing is perfect. They do have exquisite workmanship, incredible reliability and one (either the Tessar and the Sonnar qualify) of the very best lenses you can get anywhere. Also, they are made mostly of metal, which seems good to me. They also have what is probably the best pressure plate ever. Results can be simply incredible.
Regarding ergonomics, I have got to a point that all other cameras seem built backwards. I.e., you can get used to it. I must admit that I almost never use a flash with any camera, so I don`t care about the bottom mounted hotshoe, which was "corrected" in the later Classic series.
 
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