Pocket sized 35mm SLR?

leelovesbikestoo

leelovesbikestoo

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Lee
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I'm looking for a bit of advice on small 35mm cameras. I have a Pentax S3 SLR which is my favourite analogue camera, but it's a bit bulky to carry round all the time.

So, I'm looking around for a compact/pocket-sized 35mm camera with a bit more control than your normal P&S; manual focus, aperture and shutter speed is all I'm after. And it has to be cheap (<£30).

Doing a bit of research I've come across these as recommendations:
Pentax ME Super - doesn't look that small
Olympus Pen F - pricey
Ricoh KR-5 - looks good, but not that small
Olympus OM-1 - pricey
Contax Aria - very pricey

Can anyone recommend anything else that is small and cheap?
 
the favourite small camera of mountaineers was the Olympus XA
I still have one.
 
Rangefinder?
 
Olypmus XA is in the right direction, if only it had focus control!

Maybe a rangefinder - what sort of thing would I be looking for? I'm just a hobbyist that loves analogue but still learning about kit.
 
joxang - budget is ideally less than £30, but just been looking at XAs on ebay and looks like I could pick one up for about a tenner. Not after world class optics, just something to shoot my ever-growing stash of 35mm...
 
Bad timing. Just gave away an XA1 and XA2 to a charity shop last week - you could have had either one for a fiver and I would've been happy.
 
How about an Olympus Trip?

They're fixed lens but small and simple and pretty much a joy to use. You should be able to find one for... well, next to nothing really.
 
Only the Pen F is pocket sized and an SLR, the rest are all much of a muchness, the Pentax is the smallest proper one though. (Pen F is half frame)

My collection to illustrate this:

L to R:

Olympus OM2SP, Zuiko 50mm f1.4, Olympus OM4Ti, Zuiko 24mm f2.8 and hood, Pentax ME and SMC-M 50mm f1.4, Minolta XD11 and MC Rokkor 58mm f1.4

P1010172.jpg


P1010171.jpg
 
Al1944 said:
Be aware that there are different versions of thre XA - it's the straight XA you want... Lots of user control. But I don't think you'll get one for a tenner :(

Al
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Yes, just been looking them up; The XA2 & 3 don't have the aperture control I'm after. I have seen a few XA(1)s currently on at a low price with no bids (and in usable condition) - maybe there will be a frenzy in the last few minutes?
 
leelovesbikestoo said:
I have seen a few XA(1)s currently on at a low price with no bids (and in usable condition) - maybe there will be a frenzy in the last few minutes?
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Avoid avoid avoid! The XA1 and the XA are not the same camera. The XA1 is a crippled, zone focused, selenium metered camera (selenium meters can often be unreliable and can die) which many people mistakenly think is the XA. The XA is a rangefinder camera with a much better meter, with a legendary reputation for quality.

You won't get an XA in your budget unless you are very lucky, and certainly not through eBay. And it isn't a 35mm SLR at all.

The ME Super and the M-series from Pentax are small. If you want to go any smaller then that, you have to drop the SLR requirement, because the chassis and mechanism required to house a prism and mirror simply cannot be miniaturised any further than what they achieved at the time.
 
freecom2 said:
Avoid avoid avoid! The XA1 and the XA are not the same camera. The XA1 is a crippled, zone focused, selenium metered camera (selenium meters can often be unreliable and can die) which many people mistakenly think is the XA. The XA is a rangefinder camera with a much better meter, with a legendary reputation for quality.

You won't get an XA in your budget unless you are very lucky, and certainly not through eBay. And it isn't a 35mm SLR at all.

The ME Super and the M-series from Pentax are small. If you want to go any smaller then that, you have to drop the SLR requirement, because the chassis and mechanism required to house a prism and mirror simply cannot be miniaturised any further than what they achieved at the time.
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Ah thanks for the heads-up! So if I do find a real XA in my budget I should snap it up?

It doesn't have to be an SLR, just something with more control than a point & shoot. Maybe that was a bit misleading!
 
leelovesbikestoo said:
Ah thanks for the heads-up! So if I do find a real XA in my budget I should snap it up?

It doesn't have to be an SLR, just something with more control than a point & shoot. Maybe that was a bit misleading!
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Yes, that would be a good price for one. They can be prone to electrical circuits failing and little niggling problems though, so try and test in person if at all possible. Also, IMO, the rangefinder is a little difficult to work with.

In general, rangefinders aren't for everyone, so make sure you fully take that into consideration. Do you want more control in terms of focusing, in terms of selecting aperture/shutter speed?
 
Might be hard to find something in a £30/under budget. I think a fully working XA would be at least £80-90 second hand.

The problem with small 35mm film cameras that have manual control is that they all tend to have good glass, and they're all considered to be 'classics' in their own way.
 
freecom2 said:
Do you want more control in terms of focusing, in terms of selecting aperture/shutter speed?
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I've only ever used a P&S and an SLR (never a rangefinder), so not sure. I like being in control and experimenting, so would probably give one a go anyway. I like the idea of being able to carry it around easily on holiday or up mountains!
 
leelovesbikestoo said:
Ah thanks for the heads-up! So if I do find a real XA in my budget I should snap it up?

It doesn't have to be an SLR, just something with more control than a point & shoot. Maybe that was a bit misleading!
Click to expand...
If you find a real XA for under £30, you'll be fighting people for it. They're still regarded quite highly and as such sell for proper money on eBay.

XA1s go for peanuts, because they're crap, basically.

How about an Olympus rangefinder like the 35RC? It's similar to a Trip35, but has manual focus, shutter speed, aperture, and a filter ring. It's also about as small as a 35mm camera can possibly go.
 
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