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04-15-2009, 02:38 PM   #16
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My "film" setup is a Minolta X700... manual focus of course. If the K1000 was a tank, the X700 is definetly an armored personnel carrier

It's been sitting in my storage closet for a while but I've been considering getting a few rolls of Tri-X for it lately...

Pat

04-15-2009, 03:51 PM   #17
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QuoteOriginally posted by edl Quote
I know this is a Pentax forum and we should restrict our CBA and LBA to Pentax-related stuff, but I've recently been thinking about running two systems and started doing some research on the other brands.

What other great film bodies (besides the known Pentax ones) are worth consideration?
Nikon F100. A GREAT camera. Plenty of inexpensive, very high quality glass for this one. Consider Nikon 28-80mm f/3.3-5.6 G or 28-85mm f/3.5-4.5. Consider also the 70-210mm f/4 or 70-210mm f/4-5.6. The grip really improves the camera.

Nikon F100 Review by Thom Hogan
http://www.kenrockwell.com/nikon/f100.htm

For a budget version of this kit, consider an F80/N80 body. I recently purchased an F80 for situations where I do not want to risk the F100. 95% of the functionality in a lighter somewhat less rugged body. Quite nice really. The F80 with grip and Nikon 28-80mm f/3.3-5.6 and 70-210mm f/4-5.6 cost me a grand total of about $150.00.

http://www.kenrockwell.com/nikon/n80.htm

woof!
04-15-2009, 11:02 PM   #18
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One of my favorite 35mm film cameras is a black-body GAF L-ES (aka Chinon CE Memotron). M42 screw mount, 1/2000 Copal shutter, Av mode, super-bright finder. It came out 2 years before the K1000. The Chinon 55/1.4 that came with it is the sharpest/contrastiest lens I own!
04-15-2009, 11:40 PM   #19
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Olympus OM-1. The build quality is amazing. For me, it is the ultimate manual focus camera* -- everything is just right. There is one thing that kind of sucks -- the meter needle in the finder is black and difficult to see in dark conditions.

Undoubtedly others will disagree, but I really love how the shutter speeds are a ring around the lens mount. It just makes sense. You set shutter speed and aperture with the same finger -- you keep your left hand around the lens and your right hand on the shutter release at all times, and don't need to move ever. The traditional "shutter speed dial on the top" thing seems awkward to me.



* Haven't tried a Pentax MX yet, but it looks promising


Last edited by Erik; 04-15-2009 at 11:46 PM.
04-16-2009, 02:17 AM   #20
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Olympus OM2 or 2n. Great lenses, very light and compact, quieter shutter than an LX, viewfinder better than most but not quite as good as an LX, winder readily available and cheaper than one for an LX (can you see the theme here?), better ergonomics with respect to exposure compensation in auto-exposure mode, readily available and can still be serviced/CLA'd at a reasonable cost.
04-16-2009, 11:00 AM   #21
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I, too, have heard excellent things about the F4 and if I wanted a Nikon AF film system, that's the one I'd buy. Even over the F100. There are several variants, and I really haven't done enough research into them to say which I think I'd prefer (I think there's a F4s that looked the most promising, IIRC).

But I like manual focus film cameras, usually semi-auto metering types, and never got into the AF film bandwagon. Maybe I'm missing out, but I don't think so. It just feels more authentic to me. So I figure if I'm going to mess with film, I'll go old school (I know, I could go really old school, and I think about it every so often).

Anyway, I think the Ricoh XR cameras (I have an XR-10) are outstanding performers and a great choice for a manual focus K-mount system. My M42 is a Yashica TL-Electro X which I love how it feels in my hands. It's in dire need of resealing, which I just haven't bothered to do. I also inherited a Nikon FE (and F Photomic, but I haven't played around with that yet) that I have really taken to. I'd go for the FE2, though. Plus I like using many of the Nikon mount MF lenses on my K10D.
04-16-2009, 11:54 AM   #22
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QuoteOriginally posted by ve2vfd Quote
My "film" setup is a Minolta X700... manual focus of course. If the K1000 was a tank, the X700 is definetly an armored personnel carrier

It's been sitting in my storage closet for a while but I've been considering getting a few rolls of Tri-X for it lately...

Pat
The X700 is a good camera.

04-16-2009, 01:52 PM   #23
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QuoteOriginally posted by edl Quote
I know this is a Pentax forum and we should restrict our CBA and LBA to Pentax-related stuff, but I've recently been thinking about running two systems and started doing some research on the other brands.

What other great film bodies (besides the known Pentax ones) are worth consideration? I haven't had the opportunity to use one yet, but the Nikon F4 seems excellent. It looks to be very worthy with awesome specifications, great lens compatability, many viewfinders, and stout battery packs/vertical grips.

Any thoughts?

(on a side note - i don't understand why my PZ1-P focuses faster than my K20D. It's so fast my friend with the 1dsmk3 said "WOW" when he tried it.)
Nikon Fm, F2 and F3 are all nice bodies, used them during my military service.
What I heared of Olympus OM sounds also appealing to me.
But if you have a film Pentax in the shape of the Pz-1p, why not try some older Pentax film body? Pentax KM, KX or K2 are nice competent cameras. Pentax MX, ME super and Super-A/Program-A are more compact alternatives. And then there is the LX of course

If you want to be able to buy a large system of good to excellent lenses for little money, consider the dead Konica system. Because the Konica mount has a shorter registration distance than most other there is almost no digital cameras that can use them, and therefore the prices are very low. Recently a few 4/3rd users has begun to modify Konica lenses, but they are still few. And if you read old tests, you will learn that Konica Hexanon (their lens brand) was right behind the Pentax/Takumar lenses, or sometimes up to compete with them, usually ahead of Nikon, Canon and others. Then in the 80's despite that Konica had a test model at about the same time as Pentax, they never introduced any autofocus solution, they lost market, bodies got cheaper and plastic etc, and then Minolta baught Konica and killed them (after letting them build the Hexar rangefinders for a while). A sad story. But the lenses are as well built and hard to destroy as the old Takumars or Pentax K/M/A lenses. Focus is a little bit stiffer than Pentax lenses, but in a consistent way so you get used to it. Konica had a mechanical solution for exposure time priority and an auto position on the lens apperture long befor Pentax introduced the KA mount. The best body is the Konica T3N, but T2 and T3 are quite fine as well. Built like tanks, fully manual and exposure time priority, full viewfinder info with exposure time and apperture AND min and max apperture of the specific lens (all solved mechanically! it's a miracle! don't understand how it works, but it does). Mirror lock up, timer, built in cover for the viewfinder. Because Konica have about 40mm registration distance instead of the typically ~45mm of for example Pentax and Nikon, there are adapters that let you mount m42, Pentax K, Nikon, Topcon and other lenses. You can run these cameras on zink-air-batteries (1.4V) as the simplest solution to replace the original mercury batteries, or modify them with a resistor bridge so that you can use silverdioxide 1.5V batteries (there are some workshops that does this). The T3/T3N was the peak of Konica SLR and the system included most accessoires that was associated with a pro camera at the time. The closest Pentax camera would be the K2. You can buy two T3/T3N bodies and a 24mm/f2.8, 28mm/f3.5, 40mm/f1.8 (the sharpest pancake lens, at least before the Pentax ltd's, much better than the old M40/2.8 Pentax pancake), 50mm/f1.7 or f1.4, 85mm/f1.8, 135mm/f2.5 or 3.5, 200mm/f3.5 or 4.0 and a 55mm/f3.5 macro that goes to 1:1 with an included extension tube for about 350-450 US$. There are some lenses that are so rare that collectors drive up the price even despite the small remaining number of people that actually use these cameras, such as a 21mm lens and a 35mm/f2,0 that may cost 200-300 US$ each, and some even more rare that I've never seen in real life, but this is still cheap for this sort of lenses. Have fun!

Someone here on the forum claimed he managed to mount a Konica lens directly on a Pentax camera, but for my life I have not managed to repeat this (without the adapter I have, but that does not allow infinity focus).

Someone else reported to have adapted Konica lenses to K mount by removing ~5mm of the lens. While it makes my stomach turn a bit, you can of course try this. Certainly some of the lenses are worth it. But it will of course only work on lenses were the last lens element is at least that much sunk into the lens.

Finally, there are some lenses called Konica Hexar (unlike Hexanon). These were their low budget option (a 28, 50 and 135mm lens I believe) that was not even built by Konica. A bit like the bayonette takumars. Not worth the trouble.
04-16-2009, 04:10 PM   #24
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QuoteOriginally posted by woof Quote
Nikon F100. A GREAT camera. Plenty of inexpensive, very high quality glass for this one. Consider Nikon 28-80mm f/3.3-5.6 G or 28-85mm f/3.5-4.5. Consider also the 70-210mm f/4 or 70-210mm f/4-5.6. The grip really improves the camera.

Nikon F100 Review by Thom Hogan
http://www.kenrockwell.com/nikon/f100.htm

For a budget version of this kit, consider an F80/N80 body. I recently purchased an F80 for situations where I do not want to risk the F100. 95% of the functionality in a lighter somewhat less rugged body. Quite nice really. The F80 with grip and Nikon 28-80mm f/3.3-5.6 and 70-210mm f/4-5.6 cost me a grand total of about $150.00.

http://www.kenrockwell.com/nikon/n80.htm

woof!
I've been reading Thom Hogan's site for a long time...he has a very nice review of the F100. It looks like a wonderful body, and fairly easy to obtain. The plastic rewind fork seems cheesy, but then again so does the battery door on the PZ1's.

I must admit I always had Nikon envy growing up, they were so nice (and unfortunately too expensive at the time). It's amazing how much buying power we have nowadays in film-land.

I've got a bid on a F100 on ebay - hopefully it'll go through!

Last edited by edl; 04-16-2009 at 04:30 PM.
04-16-2009, 04:15 PM   #25
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QuoteOriginally posted by Douglas_of_Sweden Quote
Nikon Fm, F2 and F3 are all nice bodies, used them during my military service.
What I heared of Olympus OM sounds also appealing to me.
But if you have a film Pentax in the shape of the Pz-1p, why not try some older Pentax film body? Pentax KM, KX or K2 are nice competent cameras. Pentax MX, ME super and Super-A/Program-A are more compact alternatives. And then there is the LX of course
You haven't clicked on my profile, have you? I have a few Spotties, a KX, MX, K2, and 2 ME Supers at the moment.

I have serious CBA. But I try to take them all out and keep film running through them (I'm using my Yashica-Mat TLR this weekend).

I'll check out the Konica system. I'm a bit wary of dead systems though - I have a few Minolta bodies, and ideally would like something that can be compatible with a digital system. That's why Nikon looks so nice right now...

But I think it's good to pickup any great camera, and keep them running. They're so beautifully constructed, cheap, and work beautifully.
04-16-2009, 04:28 PM   #26
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QuoteOriginally posted by ve2vfd Quote
My "film" setup is a Minolta X700... manual focus of course. If the K1000 was a tank, the X700 is definetly an armored personnel carrier

It's been sitting in my storage closet for a while but I've been considering getting a few rolls of Tri-X for it lately...

Pat
I have a XG-M, purchased new by my father over 20 years ago with 50/1.4 and 28/2.8 primes. It's like a ME Super with better manual controls and higher build quality.

I really enjoy using that camera (and imagine the X700 is much better). You should use yours!
04-17-2009, 09:01 AM   #27
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QuoteOriginally posted by edl Quote
I have a XG-M, purchased new by my father over 20 years ago with 50/1.4 and 28/2.8 primes. It's like a ME Super with better manual controls and higher build quality.

I really enjoy using that camera (and imagine the X700 is much better). You should use yours!
I always liked the X700 as a member of its genre, nicely-laid out and a pleasure to use. Kind of analogous to a Canon A-1 or a Super Program. If you've got the glass, that'd be a good one to pick up, if not one of the older metal ones, (I'm always forgetting the model name it's kind of like an old KX, with the full-service finder,) Check out The Rokkor Files if that's of interest. (Also a site I love for the amusing name.)

Last edited by Ratmagiclady; 04-17-2009 at 09:03 AM. Reason: I meant to say 'KX.' :)
04-17-2009, 09:43 AM   #28
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Great film bodies other than Pentax Hmmmmnn. I've got a few:
  • Leica Rangefinder..especially the M series bayonet mount. I've always wanted an M3..don't have but do have one of the last of the screw mount Leica Rangefinders the 11F..have had for almost 30 years...a gem and a tank of a camera.
  • Mamiya classic twin lens reflex 6 X 6 medium format. The mainstay of studios for years. I have a Mamiya 220 Pro F with the following Mamiya-Sekor lens...the 65mm wide angle, the 80 mm normal and the 180 mm telephoto
  • Pentax 6 X 7 ...don't have, but rented...a great camera with unparalleled pictures quality...and yes I'm comparing to the Hasselblad 6 X 6
  • Nikon F Photomic...almost bought one in '74...but instead got a Pentax ES 11. Found the Nikon's finder a bit dim...but other than that...rugged and quite probably one of the toughest cameras...ever. Also a real beauty with the Photomic head.
  • Canon F1 system...the camera that made Canon a serious player in the pro SLR world...don't have...always admired from afar...although their Rangefinder from the '50's was a tremendous little camera
04-17-2009, 10:00 AM   #29
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QuoteOriginally posted by lesmore49 Quote
[*]Canon F1 system...the camera that made Canon a serious player in the pro SLR world...don't have...always admired from afar...although their Rangefinder from the '50's was a tremendous little camera[/LIST]
Yep, though. F-1's are good. I wish I'd grabbed up one of a number of Canon rangefinders I ran across back when no one seemed interested. Heck, I could have been stockpiling *Canonets* for twenty years if I'd known the Ebay buzz was coming.
04-17-2009, 10:28 AM   #30
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QuoteOriginally posted by lesmore49 Quote
Great film bodies other than Pentax Hmmmmnn. I've got a few:
  • Leica Rangefinder..especially the M series bayonet mount. I've always wanted an M3..don't have but do have one of the last of the screw mount Leica Rangefinders the 11F..have had for almost 30 years...a gem and a tank of a camera.
  • Mamiya classic twin lens reflex 6 X 6 medium format. The mainstay of studios for years. I have a Mamiya 220 Pro F with the following Mamiya-Sekor lens...the 65mm wide angle, the 80 mm normal and the 180 mm telephoto
  • Pentax 6 X 7 ...don't have, but rented...a great camera with unparalleled pictures quality...and yes I'm comparing to the Hasselblad 6 X 6
  • Nikon F Photomic...almost bought one in '74...but instead got a Pentax ES 11. Found the Nikon's finder a bit dim...but other than that...rugged and quite probably one of the toughest cameras...ever. Also a real beauty with the Photomic head.
  • Canon F1 system...the camera that made Canon a serious player in the pro SLR world...don't have...always admired from afar...although their Rangefinder from the '50's was a tremendous little camera
Great list, all excellent cameras. I almost bought a Mamiya TLR with all lenses last year, but it ended up going over $350. I ended up with a YashicaMat with Yashinon lens for $22. I carry my LX3 to meter when Sunny 16 doesn't work for me

I have thought a lot about buying the 67. Is the mirror slap really an issue? The photos I've seen from them are amazing.

I'll keep space for a Leica, when I've exhausted all my other CBA. Wonderful cameras but a bit price-prohibitive for me at the moment
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