Film A Serious Film Compact

Lili

Hall of Famer
Location
Dallas, TX
Name
Lili
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[/url]20141105_204215 by colette_noir, on Flickr[/IMG]
Shot with my Nokia 808. Old meets new.
I am scanning some old prints from it, will post soon.
 
Definitely. Looks like a GT or GT-E. Hard to tell in mono - is the shutter release orange? A bit more elegant than the ML series and eminently pocketable. Capable of high quality results in the right hands and not as heavy or as quirky as a Rollei 35. Make sure you use the right batteries, or a voltage stepper so as not to have the meter read incorrectly.
 
Luke and Bill, thanks!
It is a 35GL I have had for years, got it from DAG.
I do have the correct batteries and a roll of Superia in it now!
 
While the little Minox 35s were cute, I still have one of the original ones, I always thought the Rollei 35 was more solid and the Olympus XA better for actually shooing images, from the 35 minis group of cameras. And with a step up in size I loved the Contax TVS cameras
 
While the little Minox 35s were cute, I still have one of the original ones, I always thought the Rollei 35 was more solid and the Olympus XA better for actually shooing images, from the 35 minis group of cameras. And with a step up in size I loved the Contax TVS cameras

I have shot with the little Rollei's (it was a beautiful camera 35T) and still have a sadly now dead XA. I really like how compact the Minox is folded up, as well as the incredible lightness, no excuse to leave it at home. And the lens is really very very good indeed.
 
The size/quality ration of those little Minoxes was and in fact still is great. I agree that having to estimate the shooting distance is a bit of a downside, but if you know how to do hyperfocal, you should be fine most of the time. The lens renders gorgeously with better colour and contrast - I actually prefer its IQ over the also quite impressive XA, even though that one has the rangefinder focussing, which - in theory - should make for sharper images. The XA needs such a standout feature more than the Minox, though, because adjusting the aperture with that little switch on the side is decidedly fiddly; the Minox's aperture ring is much more satisfying in use, as is the metering (I could confidently shoot slide film with it). Still, the XA is the ultimate in compact 35mm because it keeps its size in use - the Minox is bigger and more cumbersome when deployed. But owning both, I always come back to my Minox GT-E (II), and as soon as you're used to the "gate", it's actually quite handy (for instance, it stabilises the camera very well if you need to set it down somewhere to take a shot).

I've handled a couple of Rolleis, but not shot with one, so I can't compare IQ. I preferred the handling of the Minox over the 35 SE, but that may just be out of habit.

M.
 
It's like my Ricoh FF-1 (the lens on this seems to produce a bit soft pics). Personally I preferred a compact and cheap Rollei XF35. Now I own two Rollei 35 (with and witout LED) and they are build very well but the focus and lens of the XF35 is a good combination.

Would like to see some pics from your camera.
 
In the world of "premium" (film) compacts I've enjoyed my time with Minox 35s (GT-E and ML) XAs (XA and XA2), Rollei 35, Contax T2, Yashica T4, Ricoh GR1 (the original one), Leica CM, Olympus Mju-II and others I can't even remember. If I was in the market today, I would buy another GT-E. I loved the XAs but found them fiddly to use and focus (a small square of black insulating tape in the centre of the front viewfinder window helps rangefinder contrast btw)The Rollei 35 was too heavy and spoiled the cut of my suit. The T2 and T4 had electronics issues, as did the CM. I still have a Mju-II somewhere - and a Minox B ;)
 
I had an XA4 for a while, and it was lovely little thing. Unfortunately the catch for the film door at the rear was unreliable and it would very occasionally spring open in transit, ruining the film inside. I think my dad managed to fix it just by bending the metal door catch slightly and he used it for a few more years after I'd moved on to something else. It's probably the camera I most regret parting company with.

I always fancied a little Minox too.

-R
 
Richard: If you still care, there's no reason not to get a Minox GT or GT-E used - just see to it that you can check the iris/shutter before buying. Functioning ones can be had for considerably less than $50 around here - and cheaper in other part of the world, I bet. The latest GT-Es (with DX encoding - a minor advantage in my book) are a little harder to find.

The GT-E has got a slightly more desirable lens than the GT, the Minoxar, but then, the GT's lens is a Tessar derivative - very sharp and clear, beautiful colors on the Minotar. In terms of specs, they're both 35mm f/2.8, but different designs, and the Minoxar focusses closer (down to 0.7m/~2ft.).

M
 
I'm not tempted by film cameras these days, except perhaps as attractive objects to admire on the shelf.

I saw a teenaged girl carrying an old OM1 around a supermarket last week and I stopped her to talk about it. It looked great and I admired her for using it, but I'm very sure that film is not for me now.

-R
 
I'm not tempted by film cameras these days, except perhaps as attractive objects to admire on the shelf.

I saw a teenaged girl carrying an old OM1 around a supermarket last week and I stopped her to talk about it. It looked great and I admired her for using it, but I'm very sure that film is not for me now.

-R

Sadly I feel the same way. I'd end up with grainy B&W shots of the same flowers.:redface:
 
I am drawn to film, at least in the look it gives.
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Both with Olympus stylus Epic, expired Portra 160
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Both with Konica Hear AF, expired Portra 160

Plus I have many cameras, here are some.
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[/url]IMG_20141210_200449338 by colette_noir, on Flickr[/IMG]
My digitals are far more capable however, less expensive to run as well...
But some cry out to be used
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[/url]IMG_20141109_204328 by colette_noir, on Flickr[/IMG]
 
Here's a warrior. It belonged to a friend who passed away a year ago. I closed the estate of his cameras. There were 216 items ranging from a 50mm Noctilux to a 35-350 Canon EF lens. He used every single piece and this one was the one he used the most. It's got lots of tape, dents, scratches, missing screws and the viewfinder glass slides from side to side. The shutter fires and the film advances and it's number 216 of the lot and it's retired to my showcase.

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Here's a warrior. It belonged to a friend who passed away a year ago. I closed the estate of his cameras. There were 216 items ranging from a 50mm Noctilux to a 35-350 Canon EF lens. He used every single piece and this one was the one he used the most. It's got lots of tape, dents, scratches, missing screws and the viewfinder glass slides from side to side. The shutter fires and the film advances and it's number 216 of the lot and it's retired to my showcase.

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I always admired that one!
I can see why he used it most.
Small size, high quality.
 
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