only slightly OT: jersey-pocketable film camera?

[ceolwulf]

I'm getting more and more into shooting film and I'd like to get a film camera to take along on rides. I could use a handlebar bag but I'd prefer something that just tucked into a jersey pocket. Seems lately any compact 35mm with a fixed lens of f/2.8 or better is worth its weight in gold (have you seen the prices of Olympus Stylus Epics lately?!). Any out there that kind of fly under the radar a bit but still have good image quality and preferably won't break immediately? The Minox 35 cameras (I've had a couple of them before) could be ideal, but they are supposedly not at all reliable, shutters are iffy. Olympus XA might be my best bet. There's a Canon MC that seems interesting, very rare though, don't really want to ruin a collectors' item.

Thoughts?

[jtakeda]

how much are you trying to spend?

I currently have

yashica t4
ricoh gr1
and rollei 35

the rollei is fun but the ricoh is my go to if im bringing a camera on a ride.

Ricoh would be what id recommend but a T4 is wayyy easier to find. Ive found 3 in the last 2 years--I paid no more than $3 for each of them. Just go to garage sales and fleas and they pop up

[R3awak3n]

Xa is your best bet but its expensive. I have 3, cant believe prices of them. Great cameras.

I also have a couple of epic infinities (aka the mju i) not as nice as the epic. I could sell ya one if you would like

[daker13]

The Yashica T4 takes nice pics and I still like it after about 20 years.

[jamesdak]

I used to carry around a little 35mm rangefinder that was really, really good. A Minolta Hi-matic 7sII. If you can find one it will take amazing shots for such a little package.





This little Olympus 35 RC's are great too. My son used mine to shoot a picture that ultimately took 1st place in the Utah State Fair.

[speedevil]

I have a couple of the Rollei 35s, and they have their quirks. But they also have superb Zeiss optics and a unique design that holds the film completely flat so the image is sharp all the way to the edge.

Very well made cameras, but the biggest nuisance is the exposure meter battery. The original was a mercury sell, which isn't available. You can get a carrier for hearing aid batteries, but then you need to have the exposure meter recalibrated because of the voltage difference. Once it's done, you're good for a long time.

[pbarry]

Ricoh gr1 hands down, if you can find one. They are getting long in the tooth now, but a good working example is worth.. They should do a run of 20k units @ $899 USD. I'd buy one.

[ceolwulf]

Great suggestions guys and we clearly need better garage sales in this area most of what’s been mentioned sells for three to five hundred on eBay now ... was hoping to keep it under a hundred. I’ll have to pay a bit more attention to local sales I guess.

[jtakeda]

Yow. Didn’t realize the gr1 went up in price so much. I think I paid $150 years ago :0

[pbarry]

I was talking a new run from Ricoh $$.
They look better than any point and shoot but most folks don't know the difference. The last one I bought, 12 years ago, was $30 at an old school camera store.

[oldpotatoe]

I had one of these, really spectacular with a spectacular price..but you get what ya pay for.

[avalonracing]

As a guy who has a degree in photography, spent 20 years making a living as a commercial photographer and has shot, processed and printed more film than anyone under 40 or outside the profession could ever dream of, I have to ask...
Why film? Is it because tubes of paint, brushes and an easel too cumbersome?

[speedevil]

Originally Posted by avalonracing

As a guy who has a degree in photography, spent 20 years making a living as a commercial photographer and has shot, processed and printed more film than anyone under 40 or outside the profession could ever dream of, I have to ask...
Why film? Is it because tubes of paint, brushes and an easel too cumbersome?

Maybe the OP rides C&V bikes, and so naturally likes C&V cameras too? If so, that seems a reasonable match.

[avalonracing]

Originally Posted by speedevil

Maybe the OP rides C&V bikes, and so naturally likes C&V cameras too? If so, that seems a reasonable match.

I get classic and vintage things but film cameras are penny farthing bikes. They look good on display but they are actually damn impractical. Hey, I sometimes miss using the darkroom but in reality, I'd rather shoot than dunk things in chemicals.

But in trying to be helpful to the OP: I've owned a Stylus Epic and an XA (which is sitting on a shelf right in front of me) and those were the best cameras to take on rides. I'd actually find an XA if you can as it is more fun to set your focus and aperture yourself and you can control your ISO for exposure compensation if you need to. Also, the 35mm lens is sharp and fast for a small film camera.

[wallymann]

safe to assume you'll be carrying your choice in a ziplock? i cant think of any option that'd be sweat- or moisture-tolerant.