Originally posted by ismaelg Hello,
Pentax MX vs Olympus OM-1
The battle for the ultimate viewfinder
The battle for the smallest but still full featured
The battle for reliability despite abuse
The battle of the earrings?
I'm biased but at the end of the day, they are both winners and good friends
Thanks,
You're right it's hard to pick a winner. They are both amongst the nicest mechanical SLR's around...
For me I tend towards the MX for a few subtle but significant (in use) details. It has a film reminder sleeve in the back. It has an advance indicator. It has a shutter lock. You can see the aperture in the VF, and the VF is less cluttered when shooting meterless.
And the big one, I can't accidentally leave the meter on and drain the battery
It would be nice if it had a (proper) MLU, but I so rarely stick it on a tripod it doesn't really matter...
---------- Post added 01-09-21 at 04:10 PM ----------
Originally posted by tonyzoc I'm looking for a mechanical 35mm camera in the compact/mini size. I have a Rollei 35 and a Pentax MX. I'm wondering what else is out there in a small package more like the Rollei 35... Something mechanical with manual aperture and shutter control. I know the SLRs...OM-1, Nikon FM, Pentax MX...but I'm looking for something smaller like the Rollei...could be a rangefinder or 1/2 frame. The Pen F maybe...Voightlander Vitessa...most others are auto exposure and I'm not looking for $700 ones like the Contax T or Leica IIIf...also no Minox 35. Any ideas?
The Olympus 35RD is excellent, mechanical and tiny, but I'd struggle to recommend it due to the persistent and hard to fix shutter issue (oil migrating to the leaf blades).
The Pen F/FT/FV bodies are lovely, and the lenses are fantastic, but I'd find it hard to pay current prices for such a small negative. Especially when an MX/50/f1.7 isn't much bigger...