fjablo wrote:
The screw drive is not what made that camera big. There are plenty of tiny film bodies that have it e.g the F65.
It’s mostly the LCD that adds a lot of thickness to the back. And of course you have to squeeze the battery, processor, etc in somewhere and that may take more space than a roll of film and a CR2 battery.
Somewhere between D5600 and D7200 is likely the smallest Nikon could have made this.
Today they could probably make it smaller than back then (processor draws less power, generates less heat, thinner LCD packages). I think Ricoh could make one not much bigger than the Pentax KP, if they wanted to. ...Show more →
Yes, I think you are totally right there. I actually found my Df really comfortable when I had one so the size didnt bother me until I put it next to an actual Nikon F. I eventually got a D610 for 1/4 the price and have just sort of stuck to it. I keep glancing at Pentax DSLR bodies and even considered the KP. I like a an OVF and a reflex mirror so it would be great if Ricoh could just make a simpler, retro and smaller K-1. The R&D might be too much for them, though honestly I don't how they keep the rest of the K line going at this point.
I have a Zeiss Ikon ZM which I’ve widely and regularly hailed as the best M-Mount camera due to its combination of light weight, aperture priority, 1/2000s shutter, and superb viewfinder.
That said, my *favorite* camera is my Leica MP. It’s inferior in many respects to the Ikon ZM - it’s heavier, it doesn’t have aperture priority, it has a cloth shutter which maxes out at 1/1000s (if that), and the viewfinder while excellent is still not as good as the Zeiss.
I don’t care about any of those things when I’m holding it and using it. It’s a beautiful piece of craftsmanship that gives me joy to use, and the more I’ve been using it the more I’ve gotten familiar with it, and the better my photos have become.
icarus_ wrote:
I have a Zeiss Ikon ZM which I’ve widely and regularly hailed as the best M-Mount camera due to its combination of light weight, aperture priority, 1/2000s shutter, and superb viewfinder.
That said, my *favorite* camera is my Leica MP. It’s inferior in many respects to the Ikon ZM - it’s heavier, it doesn’t have aperture priority, it has a cloth shutter which maxes out at 1/1000s (if that), and the viewfinder while excellent is still not as good as the Zeiss.
I don’t care about any of those things when I’m holding it and using it. It’s a beautiful piece of craftsmanship that gives me joy to use, and the more I’ve been using it the more I’ve gotten familiar with it, and the better my photos have become....Show more →
I owned a ZM and the only thing it had going for it was the vf was bigger. The rf patch would easily flare out if you did not have your eye perfectly centered, exposure leds could not be read in bright light , but for me the most glaring thing was the rf patch was not synchronized with the parallax adjusting frame lines.
So as you focused and the frame lines moved, the rf spot did not thus becoming off center. Leica RFs do not do that, they perfectly sync w the parallax adjustments.
Happily sold the ZM, kept all the Ms. I did like the ZM's 1/2000 shutter though. But preferred the silky sound of the Ms. And man do Ms feel better in hand and to operate than the ZM!
Desmolicious wrote:
I owned a ZM and the only thing it had going for it was the vf was bigger. The rf patch would easily flare out if you did not have your eye perfectly centered, exposure leds could not be read in bright light , but for me the most glaring thing was the rf patch was not synchronized with the parallax adjusting frame lines.
So as you focused and the frame lines moved, the rf spot did not thus becoming off center. Leica RFs do not do that, they perfectly sync w the parallax adjustments.
Happily sold the ZM, kept all the Ms. I did like the ZM's 1/2000 shutter though. But preferred the silky sound of the Ms. And man do Ms feel better in hand and to operate than the ZM!...Show more →
I never noticed the RF patch stayed in place! Goes to show how much I'm paying attention. The bigger VF and unpaired 35 and 50mm framelines are really nice on the ZM in my opinion. I've also had the same problem with not being perfectly centered and losing the RF patch.
What you said about the feel of holding/using an M is 100% true, whether it's cope or not. The entire experience of using the MP is noticeably better than the ZM (apart from above items), and at the risk of upsetting some people the user experience is for me wildly more enjoyable than any SLR. I've used the Nikon FM2, F2, and F3 along with AF models like the N75, F100, and Canon EOS 850. The mirror slap feels so jarring compared to the smooth sound of the M shutter. You're giving up quite a bit for the "feel" of the Leicas, but if you can live with those tradeoffs it's a wonderful experience. The photos come out quite good too!
icarus_ wrote:
I never noticed the RF patch stayed in place! Goes to show how much I'm paying attention. The bigger VF and unpaired 35 and 50mm framelines are really nice on the ZM in my opinion. I've also had the same problem with not being perfectly centered and losing the RF patch.
What you said about the feel of holding/using an M is 100% true, whether it's cope or not. The entire experience of using the MP is noticeably better than the ZM (apart from above items), and at the risk of upsetting some people the user experience is for me wildly more enjoyable than any SLR. I've used the Nikon FM2, F2, and F3 along with AF models like the N75, F100, and Canon EOS 850. The mirror slap feels so jarring compared to the smooth sound of the M shutter. You're giving up quite a bit for the "feel" of the Leicas, but if you can live with those tradeoffs it's a wonderful experience. The photos come out quite good too!...Show more →
My $20 Nikon N80 effortlessly gives me technically amazing photos. But I find the Ms so much more enjoyable and satisfying to use. The way they feel they just make me want to pick them up and go take pics.
None of my other cameras have that inspiration - and I have stuff from Rolleiflex to Blads to Veriwides to Xpans to p&s cameras.
The one that actually comes closest is the Nikon F3. It also feels great in hand, doesn’t have unnecessary junk but the main let down is the overly light floppy feeling film advance lever. Due to Nikon using ball bearings in the mechanism to allow for super fast wind action.
The haptics of my F2 are just awkward and old fashioned in comparison, the F6 just feels like a digital camera.
If the F3 was made today as a regular production camera it would feel contemporary.
The IIIf is my favorite 35mm, because it is so small, simple and works so well with super wide lenses. The SWC, for the same reasons, plus 6x6 scans so much better than 35mm. I'm not shooting film, but I can't bring myself to sell these 2.
Right now it’s my Nikon SP. I just acquired a Nikon S3 though which may give it a run for its money. But I adore this camera with a 50mm lens and big 1:1 viewfinder. It’s incredible!
I always wanted a black OM2n because, dang, just look at it! A year or two ago I had bought what seemed to be a good one off ebay, but it was a fungusy mess. And then after a period of looking for another gave up as they all seemed to be thrashed w defects.
This morning I sauntered into Pauls Photo in Torrance to pick up developed film (awesome shop),amd they had this in their film camera case. Just came in yesterday. Once I contrrolled my hyperventilation I checked it out, ready to be disappointed yet again.
This thing is perfect (but will of course need new seals) . No desilvering issues in the VF/prism, no dents, no scratches. I have too many cameras and did not need this but my sweating gums told me I wanted this oh so bad.
When am I ever going to run into an opportunity like this again where I stumble across a legit mint black Om2n?
And to top it off I ask, are you flexible on the price? They were - but to be fair they knew this would keep me coming back with more film to develop with them!
I always wanted a black OM2n because, dang, just look at it! A year or two ago I had bought what seemed to be a good one off ebay, but it was a fungusy mess. And then after a period of looking for another gave up as they all seemed to be thrashed w defects.
This morning I sauntered into Pauls Photo in Torrance to pick up developed film (awesome shop),amd they had this in their film camera case. Just came in yesterday. Once I contrrolled my hyperventilation I checked it out, ready to be disappointed yet again.
This thing is perfect (but will of course need new seals) . No desilvering issues in the VF/prism, no dents, no scratches. I have too many cameras and did not need this but my sweating gums told me I wanted this oh so bad.
When am I ever going to run into an opportunity like this again where I stumble across a legit mint black Om2n?
And to top it off I ask, are you flexible on the price? They were - but to be fair they knew this would keep me coming back with more film to develop with them!
