Small Budget Friendly 35mm Camera

guangong · Oct 24, 2023

Any thrift store will have a box full of such cameras.

KerrKid · Oct 24, 2023

Helge said:
View attachment 350973

Still relatively undiscovered, despite KR advertising it.
Effing boss looking, good lens and more durable than the 3001.
But there are many out there. Take your pick from any of the major brands, that you happen to find cheap and it’s probably going to be good.

Edit: Kodak also had Chinon make two Kodak branded versions of this camera.

Chinon Auto 2001 & Kodak VR35 K14 Review - Vision of the Future From the Past - By Thang Nguyen

This is a review of the Chinon Auto 2001 & Kodak VR35 K14 - the Kodak VR35 K14 is a rebranded and slightly tweaked Chinon 2001.

www.35mmc.com

Thanks for the tip, Helge. Sorry for poaching, but I just bought a Kodak VR35 K12 on the big auction site. Fingers crossed that it works.

I have a Pentax 928M and Ricoh FF-7 (same as FF-9) that would fit the OP's criteria. I'd say the Yashica T2 or T3 would be good, too.

KerrKid · Oct 31, 2023

The Kodak VR35 K12 arrived in pristine condition. Looks unused. Slipped in a new 9 volt battery and everything seems to work fine.

I was strangely excited to get this camera. Maybe it was the great reviews it had, because it isn't anything great in particular to look at. The flip-up lens cover is cool, though. I don't find it big at all. Maybe compared to some P&S's, but you ought to see my Pentax Zoom 90WR's if you think the V35 is big.

The Chinon 2001 that I was considering buying instead of this got snapped up maybe by someone on this thread. It was only $20 if memory serves.

Hope these stay sleepers.

Besk · Oct 31, 2023

The Nikon L35Af has gotten good reviews on this or other forums. The 35/2.8 ens is supposed to be excellent.

xkaes · Oct 31, 2023

KerrKid said:
The Kodak VR35 K12 arrived in pristine condition

Maybe the best news is that when you wear it out, you can find a replacement for even less!

Don_ih · Oct 31, 2023

Besk said:
The Nikon L35Af has gotten good reviews on this or other forums. The 35/2.8 ens is supposed to be excellent.

It is, but my experience is it's not aging well. I think I've had 5 of them over the past 5 or 6 years and only one worked properly.

Sirius Glass · Oct 31, 2023

Call KEH and ask what they recommend and have in stock.

Sirius Glass · Oct 31, 2023

Trilianleo said:
I miss my olympus infinity. Pocketable. Well under 200. Many nice cameras coming over from Japan on ebay.

Welcome to Photrio

KerrKid · Oct 31, 2023

xkaes said:
Maybe the best news is that when you where it out, you can find a replacement for even less!

At the rate I’m shooting film it will last indefinitely. But knowing me, that won’t stop me from getting two more I don’t need.

FriedLouisStudio · Nov 1, 2023

It was mentioned above, and I'd like to put in a good word for a first-generation p&s, the Nikon OneTouch (so labeled in some markets, it's model LF35AF2). An upgrade to the earlier, much praised LF35AF, its main difference is a built-in lens shield that turns the camera on and off, vs. a separate (and easy to misplace) lens cap.

I had one from the mid-80s through the 90s, and it remains the best p&s camera I've ever used. (And yeah, that includes the Olympus Stylus Epic, I've got one of those.) Outstanding 35/2.8 Nikon lens, dead-on autofocus and autoexposure, self-timer, pop-up flash, streamlined elegant design, runs on AA batteries.

Yeah, that's a long time ago and there probably aren't a lot left in working condition now. But if you happen across one, these are gems.

Trilianleo · Nov 1, 2023

Sirius Glass said:
Welcome to Photrio

thank you. Just found the site. Probably will be bad for my pocketbook. Do not know how Many Cameras I have right now. But Many More to come. It has to be pretty Bad To Ever Leave unless broken. I Lost The Infinty in the 90s (pre-digital) at a bar after a Christmas party.

chriscrawfordphoto · Nov 1, 2023

I have an Olympus Stylus 120 for sale in the classifieds. It is tiny!

Trilianleo · Nov 1, 2023

chriscrawfordphoto said:
I have an Olympus Stylus 120 for sale in the classifieds. It is tiny!

Nice. Having a working flash is rare on those.

KerrKid · Nov 28, 2023

I just bought a second Kodak VR35 K12 for the very reasonable price of $8 on the big auction site. I also was extremely fortunate to buy the snap-on wide angle and telephoto lenses from another seller for just $6! No one else even bid on them. I can't wait to try those out.

I cannot seem to find a Chinon Auto 2001 for a reasonable price, though, and should have bought the one I saw for $20 while I had the chance.

alanrockwood · Nov 30, 2023

How big are your pockets?

The reason I ask is because the following suggestion might (literally) be a bit of a stretch, but it might work.

How about a Canon Rebel T2 (also known as the 300X or the KISS 7) with a Canon 40mm f/2.8 pancake lens.

OK, it isn't a rangefinder, and as an SLR it is a bit bulky compared to some rangefinders, but it it is small for an SLR, it is auto-focusing, it has a flash, it has an array of automatic and manual exposure options, and fits into the pocket of the trousers I am wearing now.

The lens typically sells for around $100 on ebay, and you can usually find a body for well under $100.

Feel free to reject or criticize my suggestion, but I thought I would make a suggestion for lateral thinkers.

DTC · Nov 30, 2023

The best deal that meets your requirements -- except it is an SLR -- is the Nikon N8008. It is an AF SLR that is listed on KEH right now at less than $50 for one in excellent condition or less than $25 for one in ugly condition. Getting it from KEH means it likely works and you can return it easily under KEH's generous return terms. This is a camera that originally sold for over $500 in the late 1980's - early1990's, if I recall properly. It's AF is slow compared to modern cameras, but it is pretty reliable and is of much better quality than most anything else you can get for under $50.

AnselMortensen · Nov 30, 2023

Trilianleo said:
I Lost The Infinty in the 90s (pre-digital) at a bar after a Christmas party.

Don't leave us hanging...there's got to be a good story here...

Tomwlkr · Dec 6, 2023

Chan Tran said:
I do not know of a rangefinder that autofocus. Many autofocus compact cameras look like rangefinder but they are not. However, I think a small (if small is what you want) SLR is a much better choice. Good working compact P&S cameras are not cheap any more. Also you would think P&S cameras are simple they are not. If you don't need AF then something like the Nikon FM, FE or EM would be good. If you need AF then something like the Nikon N80 is cheap and good.

I just bought a Nikon N50 for my 9 yr old granddaughter because she wanted a film camera, AF, Auto or Manual, iterchangeable lenses. Paid less than 8 dollars for it with a 35-80 Nikkor AF zoom, all in ex++ condition on ebay

Axelwik · Dec 6, 2023

Donald Qualls said:
You're misunderstanding how early auto focus worked. Send the beam, move either sensor or beam until the beam spot is in the sensor, that's your focus. Done automatically in 1/4 second or so. Triangulation without operator intervention is still a type of rangefinder. In fact, that's how almost all auto focus (other than SX-70 family) worked until digital autofocus from the sensor by one means or another became available.

Yep, even an SLR can be used to find range to an object simply by focusing and then reading the distance scale. All autofocus systems use some kind of technology to determine range, and then adjust the lens to the proper distance.

Anyway, there were millions of little plastic and some metal autofocus point and shoots made, and most can be picked up for a song or maybe even free.

Small Budget Friendly 35mm Camera

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