My Ricoh GR1S is finally giving up on me, so now I’m in the market for a replacement. 28 or 35mm focal length. I’d love a Nikon 28 or 35Ti, but they are too expensive for me at this point in time and so is the Contax T series.
While the Ricoh has been a good companion I do feel that they are also a bit on the costly side considering their tendency to malfunction and the fact that they can no longer be repaired.
I’m thinking maybe the Nikon L35. Albeit a bit bigger than many others it seems to have good optics and quite a loyal following.
You may find it useful to contact Bellamy Hunt at Japan Camera Hunter with your budget and preferences. I have dealt with him on numerous occasions. He is exceedingly knowledgeable and completely trustworthy.
I picked up a L35AF2 at a car boot sale for £8 about a year ago. It was really nice, great image quality and can still be found for quite cheap if you look around (definitely cheaper and in my opinion better than the usual P&S cameras people are buying these days for crazy prices). Ultimately I ended up selling it though and buying an XA3. The L35’s are awesome and produce great images but are really loud and clunky. They’re great but definitely have that retry feel and sound to it. The XA3 is my ‘pub camera’, for when I want to throw something in my pocket. Great for when I can’t be bothered thinking and just want some happy snaps.
I primarily shoot SLRs though, so compacts aren’t really a huge focus for me.
Edit: all that is to say that I think the compact market is way overpriced and I refuse to pay more than £60 for anything and it definitely has to be mint at that price
I didn’t know that. I looked at his website and noticed he has the deal of the century on CONTAX G2 BLACK FULL SET (https://www.japancamerahunter.com/product/contax-g2-black-set/). I know it’s not what you are looking for but my goodness what a deal.
The Contax T (not 2 or 3) is an fantastic camera with good metering and a wonderfull lens. It´s manual focusing though but can easily be shot with a fixed focus scale at f8.
The Contax G1 although a rangefinder it easily fits into my shoulder bag and is one of the best things I spent 450€ on.
Puh… and then there is a Contax TVS, a Olympus XA, Olympus MJU, Rollei 35, etc … so much to choose from!
Why not going for an new GR1S? Remember: spending time thinking which camera to buy, is time lost for taking pictures.
Thanks for the suggestions!
I guess my main issue with buying either the Contax or the Ricoh (again) is their tendency to fail. Couple that with the fairly steep prices and zero options for repair makes me very hesitant.
totally agree with regards to the gr1s. I wasn’t aware that this thing is having a price tag of around 600€. maybe the ricoh r1 is more on your budget?
Unfortunately (or luckily?) good compacts are high on demand right now, so this is the worst moment for you to buy one, especially online. Maybe you are more lucky if you look for some compacts on flee markets or in thrift shops? Olympus MJUs are regularly to find in germany and are all fun to use.
Then again: a contax g1 plus a stellar 45mm lens ist around 450€. If the body breaks you just get a new one for around 150€ because the lenses are so good and on par with the best that Leica has to offer for thousands of Euro.
In the ends it boils down to your momentarily financial possibilities.
While I love the thought of a Contax G-series camera, I’m looking for something pocketable. I’m about to finnish off a roll from the GR1s to see if it exposes and focuses correctly. I have the common problem of a malfunctioning LCD coupled with a crack in the viewfinder. But maybe it will be the best option for now.
I totally agree with your suggestion of thrift stores. I will look around.
Today I picked up a Nikon 28Ti, which really goes against what I said earlier about not wanting to spend too much money on something that could not be serviced or repaired. But the price was right and the condition of the camera really good. So I just put a roll of Portra 160 in it and hope that it is not just an expensive paperweight
Next step will be to figure out the best way to DSLR-scan 35mm film. (I’ve got a fairly good 120 setup).
