Various people write:
=================
my choice/suggestion is to find an Olympus 35RC or RD. Both good glass,
both auto expousure with full manual override, both with coupled RF and both
not too large.
> Random meandering thoughts follow-- What if I get a small "pocket" type of
> camera.
> Would I/Could I be happy with an XA camera? Which model and which lens?
=================
The XA is nice and compact, but the lens vignettes wide open. I consider
it usable by f/5.6, but at f/2.8 and f/4 it is more of a snapshot camera,
more or less ok for color negatives, but not acceptable for critical work
with slides. the lens is good at f/8 and f/11. But the lens in the
little Minox cameras is superior, although these cameras are not very
rugged.
Of the XA models, only the XA has a coupled rangefinder, although the
rangefinder base is so narrow that it isn't very accurate anyway, and
a scale focus camera will not be alot less accurate to focus.
My experience with the 35RC and 35RD is that the 35RC has the sharper
lens of the two.
Canonet G-III QL17 is a good option, but note that these cameras
are prone to the rangefinders going out of calibration from a not
so fierce knock. On the other hand, the camera doesn't have to
be disassembled to calibrate it, so having it done is only about
$40 usually. Still, that about doubles the price of getting a used
one (but you also get a camera with a calibrated rangefinder, which
is worth more).
The sharpest non-interchangeable rangefinders I've used all were
Konica models, such as Auto S or Auto S2.models. Great cameras
they are, but in terms of size and weight, they are only very slightly
smaller than an OM-1 with 50/1.8m and about the same weight as an
OM-4T and 50/1.8. The sharpness may not be gained by a better lens,
but perhaps just a larger camera permits a wider rangefinder base,
which in turn will focus more accurately.
The new Voightlander Bessa, made by Cosina, is another option, and
you get two lenses, 25mm and 15mm. would be a nice camera to carry
on a trip to europe for interiors of cathedrals.
Cheers,
Joseph
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