only slightly OT: jersey-pocketable film camera?

[Mark McM]

Range finder cameras (like most of the ones mentioned) can be thinner than SLRs, but if you want the full range of functions of an SLR, the Pentax MX with the 40mm pancake lens is nearly as thin (and the body is smaller than many range finders):




I have in fact ridden with one of these in a jersey pocket.

[jamesdak]

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?

LOL, I was wondering the same thing but held my tongue. I've been shooting for over 30 years myself and don't shot film anymore. Digital is just so far advanced over film now. And I too still have a ton of film camera's lying around. I also have a couple dozen manual focus, prime Leica R, Contax Zeiss, Olympus, and Pentax lenses I've converted for use on my DSLRs. But I just can't seem to see shooting film. I've still got about a dozen rolls of Velvia in the freezer that aren't being used. On my rides I have an old Galaxy 4 cellphone with me and just use that camera.



But to each their own.

[colker]

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?

LOL... i agree.

[colker]

Originally Posted by jamesdak

LOL, I was wondering the same thing but held my tongue. I've been shooting for over 30 years myself and don't shot film anymore. Digital is just so far advanced over film now. And I too still have a ton of film camera's lying around. I also have a couple dozen manual focus, prime Leica R, Contax Zeiss, Olympus, and Pentax lenses I've converted for use on my DSLRs. But I just can't seem to see shooting film. I've still got about a dozen rolls of Velvia in the freezer that aren't being used. On my rides I have an old Galaxy 4 cellphone with me and just use that camera.



But to each their own.

Only reason i see to shoot film is printing something 10 x10 meters at least.

[ceolwulf]

Thanks all, my initial thought that the XA seems ideal appears to be justified.

The film "versus" digital debate died years ago. They're two different things and it's possible to enjoy one or the other or both or neither. LP vs. CD (or FLAC), paper vs. Kindle, bicycles vs. motorcycles. The "vs." doesn't belong. I too have been shooting for 30 years and I really tried to "go digital", was a fairly early adopter, but for me personally I mostly stopped caring about photography at around the same time. Now I'm shooting again and having fun.

[ceolwulf]

Originally Posted by Mark McM

I have in fact ridden with one of these in a jersey pocket.

That's commitment!

[false_Aest]

Folks,

Get a Nikon 35TI. The lens is superb. The look is awesome. It's small and works so well

[mhespenheide]

Yashica T4 would be my choice for your description.

Personally, I like a little wider, so I have a relatively anonymous Nikon "LiteTouch" with a fixed 28mm lens. It's the size of a deck of cards or so. (Not that I use it anymore at all, having made the switch to digital.)

[Calnago]

I have one of these... and haven't used it except for one trip when I got it many years ago... Just dug it out upon seeing this thread...

[NHAero]

Definitions of what fits in a jersey pocket vary
The best camera I ever owned was the Ricoh GR1v and that was pocketable. I bought it in 2002 to take on a trip to Tibet where I knew I'd be away from power and batteries for weeks. When I sold it I got more than I paid, and a quick look at eBay shows upwards of $650 is common today.
25 years before that I carried an Olympus 35RC on an 8 month overseas ramble. I still have that camera - probably not worth all that much with the dent it acquired in Africa - but IIRC it weighs twice what the Ricoh weighs and it's less sleek regarding sliding in and out of pockets.

[R3awak3n]

you guys that are recommending some of these cameras need to see what an olympus XA looks like, it is really small, the true definition of pocketable. the nikon 35ti is sweet but way bigger compared to the XA, also $$$$

[jamesdak]

Originally Posted by colker

Only reason i see to shoot film is printing something 10 x10 meters at least.

That's one heck of a huge image!!

[warren128]

I've been an avid photographer since I was a kid (since the late 1960s), but I have moved on from film even though I still have a bunch of my favorite film cameras around.

From my own experience with compact, fixed lens film cameras, I have traveled extensively with a Yashica T4 and later, a T4 Super. The lens is superb, and has a lot of "character".

I also played around with an Olympus XA2, the zone focus version of the XA. The XA2 is also very compact, with a nice performing lens.

So far, I have been satisfied with using my cell phone's camera while on my rides.

[cadence90]

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[IFRider]

Earliers '80s, the bums I hung around with climbed a lot and we swore by those Olympus XA/XA2. Still have mine with the flash, although a shelf camera these days. Very durable and easy to use with a nice lens. Not a lot in the way of exposure control though. Took the below with it in the '83 (Mount Robson) on slide film scanned via a Nikon scanner.

These days for small, semi-pocketable I carry a Fujifilm X100f. Feels like the Leica IIIf I learned on and maybe not pocketable, Independent Fabrications/Baileyworks makes a small handlebar bag that holds it perfectly. Tons more creative control than the XA.

That Nikon 35TI was what we dreamed about, also a similar Contax. I would be nervous about dropping them while riding though. We used to keep XA hanging off our rock climbing rack.