Reply With QuoteI've just bought a Sony rx100 mk3.
You can stick one of those in a leather case for the retro feel.
Highly regarded, great for point and shoot idiots like myself and teensy weensy enough to actually fit in a pocket.
Afternoon all.
Ive done a forum search but cant quite get the gist of things so without wishing to seem too much like a confused old duffer thought that I would ask for a bit of advice.
Some context:
In the olden days I was quite a keen photographer. I did a night school course in the 70's and learnt how to operate manual 35mm cameras. Starting off with relatively inexpensive rangefinders I worked my way up to better quality SLR's. I preferred manual ones. For quite some time I used an Olympus OM1 which was my favourite but also had a lovely (albeit heavy and bulky) Nikon FM. I craved a Leica rangefinder but couldn't afford one.
By the mid 80's, I had sold all of my equipment due to other commitments and interests. Since then, apart from using a cheap Sony digital for a while I have mainly used the camera on my android phone.
Lately I have been thinking about getting back into it all, in a less serious way perhaps but with some good quality equipment.
Obviously, being as 35mm is something if a minority interest these days I would be looking at digital. This to be honest I find it all pretty confusing.
Also - I love the look of older cameras, especially rangefinders.
Searching the net I am heartened to see a number of models that have a vintage look about them.
Leica remain out of reach of course but I could stretch to something like a used Fuji X100. Would anyone care to venture an opinion on this? I love the retro look including the traditional style leather case etc.
As regards usage, I am not looking to anything highly technical - just family and general interest snaps at first. Perhaps something more ambitious later on depending on how I feel.
Comments, advice and pointers would be much appreciated.
I've just bought a Sony rx100 mk3.
You can stick one of those in a leather case for the retro feel.
Highly regarded, great for point and shoot idiots like myself and teensy weensy enough to actually fit in a pocket.
Good luck everybody. Have a good one.
Thanks - will look into that
Olympus Pen F or EM-10mk2 (if you like the Om-1 look)
My thoughts on the X100 here http://porlm.com/photo/fuji-x100/
I wrote that years ago, as an owner. I'd be less harsh now, but the overall verdict wouldn't change. It looks like a rangefinder but it is very far from operating like one. I too grew up on Olympus film SLRs, Rollei 35s and Minolta rangefinders. The X100 was a disappontment. The later models may be a little better.
Of all the digital cameras I've owned (and its a shameful number) I'd say that probably the Leica X1 or Epson RD1 were about as close to a simple manual film camera as possible. Both also have their issues. I'd consider any used bottom of the range Nikon or Pentax SLR first. Lightweight, simple, super fast to operate, huge battery life, cheap. Use a cheap old manual focus lens if you want. A Nikon D50 or Pentax K7 is still a great camera, both superior to the X100 in my experience.
If a used X100 is within your budget then you could do a lot worse. I think you'll be right at home with the retro dials and operation for aperture/shutter speed and EV compensation. It's a really nice camera and there are quite a few Fuji owners who believe it throws out better jpgs with its Bayer sensor than the subsequent Fuji cameras with the X-Trans sensors that replaced it. You can manually focus although it's no where near as good as the split prism focusing of something like an OM1 (I have the OM1n and Om2n) or a traditional rangefinder. However, its autofocus was improved through various firmware updates and isn't too shabby. It would be a very good option and if you tracked a used model at the right price/condition, you could use it for a while and then sell for pretty much the same price.
Try a FUJI X30 - retro look/feel, plus has zoom and can be used manual or full auto and gives great pics - Quality won't quite be up to an X100 but more useful all round I'd suggest.
I loved my X100, and would have another in a flash - coming from a DSLR focus was very slightly slow for shots of the kids, but otherwise a joy to use and quality was as good as it gets. The focus speed was improved with a few firmware updates too - not sure if there was 1 or 2 post me changing to an X30
Thanks gents (great link TT)
The Olympus EM looks too bulky for my taste (oh how I miss my OM1, quick and easy to use and little bigger than a RF) but the Pen f looks OK.
Will do some Googling!
I now carry my X100S, and carried my previous X100, more often than my full-frame Nikon gear.
The image quality is excellent, the newer versions are reasonably responsive in low light (though still nothing like a proper SLR), and they're a pleasure to shoot; it's obvious that they're designed by actual photographers instead of gadget nerds.
If you can live with the fixed lens and non-sports-grade AF, then I don't see any reason not to go for one. For less than the cost of a single decent SLR lens, it's a great and fun camera to shoot, and though it gives you as much manual control as you like, it's brilliant in full-auto as well.
Another vote from me, high end (to me) camera that looks very plain but gives incredible results, one on SC at the moment although nothing to do with me.Originally Posted by seikopath
It's smaller on some measurements than the x100- you can look at comparisons here
http://camerasize.com/compare/#633,133
That's the mark iv on sc, quite a bit more expensive than the mkiii and I think the main difference is in the video capability
Good luck everybody. Have a good one.
Thanks
The PenF looks lovely but is beyond my budget - in any event I don't really need lens interchangeability
There seem to be plenty of X100's on eBay.................
Whilst I was searching eBay I had a quick look at OM1's. Some lovely examples there for peanuts. Tempting but I know that they wouldn't get much use due to the faff needed with film these days. Made me feel all nostalgic looking them. My last one was used most with a Zuiko F1.4 50mm lens that cost more than the camera body. You can pick them up for less than £100 now.
Last edited by Velorum; 28th July 2017 at 13:41.
The snag with the RX100 series is that the sensor covers less than a third of the area of the X100 cameras.
The Sony's is big by compact-camera standards, but the X100 has a DSLR-class sensor.
I don't know why you have discarded the idea of 35mm if you love the act of taking pictures.
Good luck everybody. Have a good one.
Sorry, I haven't been very clear! I am looking for the convenience and immediacy of digital with some of the operating feel and appearance of traditional film models.
Friends of mine has got a leica which I was very interested in for all those reasons, until I found out how much they were.
Good luck everybody. Have a good one.
Having had SLRs for years both film and digital, I tried the EM1 last year with a Pro lens and I have to say, it's a fantastic littler camera. I think perhaps the EM5 MK2 is a better and smaller option overall but the quality is still there. It has it's limitations for sure but it's hard to beat!
Sounds like the X100 is perfect, then. The aperture ring plus exposure compensation and shutter speed dials give direct and intuitive control, and the look is definitely there. The metering and image processing are brilliant, and it has some film simulation modes to play around with too, although I don't use them.
Add a thumb rest (much improved one-handed grip), a hood and a leather half case, and you're set.
(Though personally, I'd skip the goofy shutter extension that's pictured above.)
Thank all, you're also helping me with my next digital camera upgrade.
Having been diverted into looking at OM1'a on eBay I have now been Googling current 35mm film use - I am surprised to see that not only is film still widely available but so are processing and printing services.
Imagine opening a pack of newly printed B&W pictures again.
Makes you think.
I could buy an immaculate OM1 with an F1.4 50mm lens for well under half the price of a used Fuji.
I hope Matron brings me my medication before I log onto eBay again.
Even a one time fabulously expensive Zuiko 55mm F1.2 would now be within reach too.
The thought of cranking up my old Pentax MX and processing film all over again,,,,,, no thanks
My old Nikon FM2 with (even older) 55mm/1.2...
A great setup...even indoors, Tri-X, and no flash...
Seriously, no digital camera has the feel of those old classics. Even "manual" aperture and shutter speed dials are usually fly-by-wire, and no EVF is as fast as an optical viewfinder.
An iPhone for digital and an OM or FM for film is not a bad setup. (I still use an Olympus XA... rangefinder and pocketable)
I have dozens of cameras and for the best quality pictures I use an old Sony DSC-F717. It is only 7 mega pixels but uses a Carl Zeiss lens with which I can even print wristwatch dials complete with all the fine markings using Xerox gloss paper.
They were originally 1k to buy but you can get one on ebay for £200 or less.
www.webwatchmaker.com
I recently decided to have a hark back to some 35mm film shooting and got my Pentax ME Super out. I regard my Canon G12 as a "compact" camera, but that's because I usually use a DSLR, sometimes a 1D MkIII with a 70-200L 2.8 attached. Compared to the Pentax the G12 isn't that different in size and is actually more like an old fashioned camera due to having more physical controls, which are very well engineered, sturdy and precise. If you want something with the feel, perhaps not quite the looks, of a film camera then you might take a look at a G series Canon, fully manual or auto with lots of scene modes, decent macro and around 28-140 focal range. Not too expensive used. I've stayed with my G12 even though it's long superceded because I value the articulated rear screen which is extremely useful.
F.T.F.A.
Wow, I cut my teeth on a Pentax ME Super. It's interesting to see how small it is compared to todays SLRs.
I keep thinking of getting a Fuji x70 but I'm not sure I'm good enough of a photographer to warrant having one
I had an me super too. Loved it.
Good luck everybody. Have a good one.
Well, this thread has been really helpful - but not in the way I was expecting.
I will carry on using my 'phone for digital photos and indulge myself with a 35mm film camera
Just bought a newly serviced OM1 with a 50mm F1.4 lens
Thanks all
Last edited by Velorum; 28th July 2017 at 20:19.
Just out of interest, who does film processing these days? Is it expensive?
Traded my ME Super for a 35mm Minox in '84 which I loved and started my obsession with subminiature and fixed lens, but I wish I'd had the cash at the time to keep it.
Had an X100 for a few years now and love it, it's a joy to use with great jpegs out of the camera rather than the need for RAW processing
I think you can pick up an original X100 used for a few hundred so worth a try :)
Myself I'm hankering after an upgrade to the new X100F - waiting for Fuji to get stock of their refurbs
Sent from my Lenovo TAB 2 A10-70F using Tapatalk
I use a X100 in addition to my usual Nikon D7100. I have to say that although I really want to love the Fuji I just can't......it seldom seems to do what I want. Although it looks straightforward it just isn't as intuitive as the Nikon. Over the last few years it has produced some great images but I just haven't bonded with it.
I'm seriously considering a Nikon FM / FE and getting back to basics. But I'd like to find a lab who'd process the film and provide scanned images.
FM's are lovely things. Compared to the OM1 mine felt as though it had superior build quality. It was heavier and bigger though.
As regards operation I preferred the OM1 every time.
From what I can glean from Google Boots and Snappy Snaps do - though I think that they send B&W away for processing.
A few photography forums mention this place that specialises in B&W - you can deal with them direct
£12 for 36 4x6 prints
https://www.ilfordlab.com/page/57/Bl...-from-Film.htm
Jessops & Max Spielman stores still do film processing on the high street too. thephotoshoponline.co.uk and filmdev.co.uk come recommended for online processing 'stores' by film shooters I know.
I feel a bit guilty that I have asked for advice on digital cameras only to go and buy a 35mm film one!
I hope that the thread has been useful to less mercurial members though
Thanks for those - have bookmarked!
If nothing else it's made me want to stick a roll of Ilford in my X-700 and get her out onto the street again!
I wouldn't disagree - I've some experience with the OM1/2 - the RN used them for periscope photography back in the day.FM's are lovely things. Compared to the OM1 mine felt as though it had superior build quality. It was heavier and bigger though.
As regards operation I preferred the OM1 every time.
Nikon option really stems from the fact that I have lenses, flashes etc already.
When I got back into film photography, I enjoyed the Lomography shop in Shoreditch, who also developed some 120 film for me. This site is fun as well. A bit like a Hodinkee for film cameras, but with real world prices.
https://www.lomography.com
That's a great site - thanks for the link
You might not thank me later - not if you end up wanting one of these
The Russians were always great at producing low price cameras, like Zorki rangefinders, Zenit SLRs and of course the Lubitel TLRs.
I had a Zorki 4K until a few years ago. Some called it a poor mans Leica but I was a poor student and could never afford a Leica, so it did the job at a fraction of the price.
I learned my photography on a Zenit E, long before I could afford a Canon. Ilford film, printing in the school darkroom, jumpers for goalposts - marvellous.
Back in the late 70s I worked in a camera shop during holidays/christmas. Used to hate selling Zenith E's as they felt so clunky (although a bit of a bargain) Loved the Pentax MEs and Olympus OM1/2s. Remember selling a Canon A1 the same day the shop got it in stock. I had an AE-1 (one of the first in the country as my Dad bought it in Japan whilst on business) and it still is in full working order with a 50mm macro lens and 135 telephoto.
Some nice memories for you to have. I agree the Zenit was pretty heavy and clunky but it never let me down. I've still got my A1 as well. I have used it in the last couple of years, but realised I've lost that feel of knowing the right exposure settings by instinct. I'd have to practice a lot more to get that back.
Just thought I would post a polar view
I'm a photographer by trade and the first half of my career was spent using 10x8, 5x4 and 6x6 (never 35m as it's shit quality) transparency and polaroids shooting for clients, we would have to test batches of film and often add .5 or so of cyan/magent/green to get the colour just right, on big car shoots we would hedge our bets and decide if the set could be changed or do we wait the hour and a half for the film back from the lab? Hours and hours were wasted waiting or having to reshoot because something wasn't quite right.
I laugh at how the hipster kids romanticise film now, if they had to use it day in - day out to produce work for clients they might have a different opinion.
I don't miss film at all apart from perhaps a large format black and white neg processed in hc-110 and printed on a cold cathode head enlarger on Agfa record rapid (I remember when they discontinued that paper) but now inker papers can mimic that print experience almost perfectly but without the faff.
I sold all my linhof, Schneider, rodenstock, hassleblad gear and spent it on watches, fine wine and holidays.
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