PaulatUKcamera
Drake-o Malfoy
Reged: 24/05/2005
Posts: 2259
Loc: West Wales
|
|
I collect German rangefinder cameras, so when I suddenly decide to buy SLRs, something is going seriously wrong!
Couldn't help it see ..............
First this XD7 for £21
Its now arrived and is a delight to use. Ran my first film through it today at the Botanical gardens. I can't talk about the quality, but the screen is very bright and the micro prisms are the clearest I have ever used. The focus sort of "snaps" in & out.
So when I saw this XG9: for £10 tonight and this X700 for £22
how could I resist? These were cameras that were at the "top of my affordability tree in the 1980s and now they cost peanuts! How could the market so undervalue them?
If prices keep on plummeting, my "addiction" will certainly become worse and it may even prove terminal, if the wife finds any more cameras about the house! What happens when Leica R4s come to $50!
Paul
--------------------
Paul Winter (CRIPN)
Not all those who wander are lost.
Tolkien
UKCamera.com
|
Benchista
Which Tyler
Reged: 11/08/2000
Posts: 42185
Loc: Everywhere and nowhere, baby
|
|
Bought an SRT 100X for £9.99 the other day....
--------------------
Nick
www.nbrphoto.com
Light and Shade II - the new blog
|
RonM
Alpha Romeo
Reged: 26/04/2001
Posts: 4307
Loc: Scotland
|
|
That's a heck of a lot less than you paid for your XE-1  and who needs a Leica R SLR when you can get the basis of the R3 as in the XE-1 
And me with only 8 Minolta cameras (so far)
--------------------
Ron BSRIPN
Life is a Learning Opportunity
My Flickr
|
Benchista
Which Tyler
Reged: 11/08/2000
Posts: 42185
Loc: Everywhere and nowhere, baby
|
|
A true bargain. But the XE-1 was a bargain, too - I like it very much.
--------------------
Nick
www.nbrphoto.com
Light and Shade II - the new blog
|
Benchista
Which Tyler
Reged: 11/08/2000
Posts: 42185
Loc: Everywhere and nowhere, baby
|
|
Got my hands on it now - it's very nice. I love the bright screen on these old Minoltas, and the match needle metering is - well, more graceful than most. The shutter sounds a bit tinny, but that's my only criticism. Nice camera.
--------------------
Nick
www.nbrphoto.com
Light and Shade II - the new blog
|
TimF
Taking it strictly
Reged: 30/07/2001
Posts: 18936
Loc: Herts/Beds border
|
|
Quote:
That's a heck of a lot less than you paid for your XE-1 and who needs a Leica R SLR when you can get the basis of the R3 as in the XE-1
Hmm. Let's start with the spotmeter you get with the R3, and then there's those Leica lenses which is the reason for choosing Solms over Tokyo (or anywhere else in 35mm).
--------------------
Tim BSRIPN
If I had all the money I've spent on drink, I'd spend it on drink
|
Benchista
Which Tyler
Reged: 11/08/2000
Posts: 42185
Loc: Everywhere and nowhere, baby
|
|
I have to say that the XE-1 makes me want an R3 more!
--------------------
Nick
www.nbrphoto.com
Light and Shade II - the new blog
|
RonM
Alpha Romeo
Reged: 26/04/2001
Posts: 4307
Loc: Scotland
|
|
Hey, I thought you were talking about getting rid of some of your 'extensive' collection  including some rather tasty German engineering to fund buying some bit of 'crapon' Japanese kit
--------------------
Ron BSRIPN
Life is a Learning Opportunity
My Flickr
|
Mat
enthusiast
Reged: 16/05/2005
Posts: 291
Loc: Sheffield, England
|
|
Quote:
Hmm. Let's start with the spotmeter you get with the R3, and then there's those Leica lenses which is the reason for choosing Solms over Tokyo (or anywhere else in 35mm).
Just out interest didn't Leica nick a few of the Minolta lens designs and rebadge them for their own use?
I believe they did this with the 24mm (2.8) and with the 80-200 mm Rokkor MD, probably with some others as well after 'co designing' the XD7/ R4.
|
numanoid
I'm 'Special'...
Reged: 27/01/2002
Posts: 10643
Loc: Co.Durham
|
|
These would be ideal cameras to answer the question 'What camera should I buy' posed by beginners on here.
Superb machines, and so bloody cheap its unreal!
--------------------
~Larry~
BSRIPN
http://www.members.lycos.co.uk/numanoid27/
|
PaulatUKcamera
Drake-o Malfoy
Reged: 24/05/2005
Posts: 2259
Loc: West Wales
|
|
My best friend has now bought the XD7 - preferred it to the X700. Also wanted the £4.20 Sigma 35-70 Zoom lens.
Made my first profit on a camera - ever. As my son said to me the other day "Now you have learnt to buy on eBay, do you think you could learn to sell?"
However temptation is still laying in wait:
A Minolta 35-70 zoom lens for £21
a power winder for £8
A hard case for £4.20
and a Minolta 35mm Wide Angle for £8
Nearly got a complete X700 outfit now for £60!
The hunt continues ..........
Paul
|
RonM
Alpha Romeo
Reged: 26/04/2001
Posts: 4307
Loc: Scotland
|
|
Well I'm still hunting for a 70 - 210 f/4 MD Rokkor and either 85mm f/1.7 MD Rokkor or 85mm f/2 MD Rokkor-X or 85mm f/2.8 MD Varisoft for sensible money but as all these so rarely come up for sale anywhere and tend to go for silly money e.g. a recent 70 - 210 f/4 MD Rokkor went for well over £200 and a 85mm f/1.7 MD Rokkor went for just under £300. so I'll keep hoping that something turns up 'cheap' or just hope that the lotto comes up
--------------------
Ron BSRIPN
Life is a Learning Opportunity
My Flickr
|
numanoid
I'm 'Special'...
Reged: 27/01/2002
Posts: 10643
Loc: Co.Durham
|
|
Quote:
My best friend has now bought the XD7 - preferred it to the X700.
I think I would too if it had TTL flash.
--------------------
~Larry~
BSRIPN
http://www.members.lycos.co.uk/numanoid27/
|
Malcolm_Stewart
Carpal \'Tunnel
Reged: 11/07/2005
Posts: 4430
Loc: Milton Keynes, UK
|
|
Quote:
Well I'm still hunting for a ... ... 85mm f/2 MD Rokkor-X
Bought an 85 f2 MD Rokkor years ago, and it's one of the few lenses which has caused non-photographers to remark on the sharpness of the print. It was several years before I found one, and I'm not selling mine.
(I know where there were a few beaten up 85 f2 AIs Nikkors, but that's another story!)
--------------------
Malcolm Stewart
|
PaulatUKcamera
Drake-o Malfoy
Reged: 24/05/2005
Posts: 2259
Loc: West Wales
|
|
Those lenses are still fetching good money - more than the Nikon equivalent. Watching another one, but I think it will end up beyond my pocket!
Now for those interested in the quest for the cheapest quality reflex for least money - my latest purchase: Minolta XGM £6.76
I think if there are to be any rules for this competition may I propose:
EBay only - that stops people who have local access to the Wapping swap meets getting an unfair advantage.
Small repairs allowed (e.g. leather, light trapping), non working meters shutters - camera disqualified - must be a working camera)
Ignore postage, so that allows overseas purchases.
Condition - obviously some real dogs out there. A badly scratched black finish always looks aweful, but might work well. Not certain how to deal with this point. Any ideas?
Auto only SLRS - handicap of +£5 on purchase price (inferior spec)
Multi mode - handicap of £-5 (better spec)
Leica Contax - Handicap of -£15 (Prestige make?)
No APS
Under this ruling my purchases would rate
1. XG9 = £10 (includes lens)
2. XGM = £6.75 (no lens)
3. XD7 = £21.75 - £5 = £16.75 But non operational Shutter Priority (not disqualified? Works on all other settings)
4. X700 = £22 - £5 = £17
What are your thoughts?
Any entrants? We could make this a proper thread if there is any interest with a Prize!
Paul
--------------------
Paul Winter (CRIPN)
Not all those who wander are lost.
Tolkien
UKCamera.com
|
Benchista
Which Tyler
Reged: 11/08/2000
Posts: 42185
Loc: Everywhere and nowhere, baby
|
|
Can't quite touch that - my best Minolta purchase was my SR-T 100X at £9.99 - although my Zenit EM at £2.99 with TWO standard lenses is close, just falls down a bit on the quality aspect.
Both of these are manual, of course - how would you score that?
--------------------
Nick
www.nbrphoto.com
Light and Shade II - the new blog
|
El Sid
Going potty
Reged: 14/04/2003
Posts: 10737
Loc: Sussex-by-the-Sea
|
|
Best I can manage are
Canon AE1-Program and Canon FD 50mm f1.8 for £10
Yashica Electro 35 GSN for a fiver.
Both bought on the same day at two different charity shops.........
--------------------
Nigel
Completely BSRIPN 
ElSid Gallery
Terrorist?............or potential photographer?.......
There are no people more opressed than those who willingly opress themselves
|
Benchista
Which Tyler
Reged: 11/08/2000
Posts: 42185
Loc: Everywhere and nowhere, baby
|
|
I was wrong - the Zenit was £2.19.
I've also got a Praktica PLC3 for £9.99.
--------------------
Nick
www.nbrphoto.com
Light and Shade II - the new blog
|
Lounge Lizard
Old Wrinkly
Reged: 17/01/2004
Posts: 17885
Loc: Cambridge, Cambridgeshire
|
|
...say next year, we could have a digital compact challenge for under a tenner and the year after a dSLR challenge (under £50?).
--------------------
Lounge Lizard
Success is the ability to go from one failure to another with no loss of enthusiasm.
Winston Churchill
|
Benchista
Which Tyler
Reged: 11/08/2000
Posts: 42185
Loc: Everywhere and nowhere, baby
|
|
And a Praktica BMS for £9.91.
--------------------
Nick
www.nbrphoto.com
Light and Shade II - the new blog
|
Previous
Index
Next
Threaded
Edit
Reply
Quote
