BetterPhoto Q&A
Category: To Be Categorized

BetterPhoto Member		Which point and shoot has an excellent lens? I recently saw pictures taken with a Pentax UC1, a camera no longer in production. Which other point and shoot camera will have similar excellent results in terms of sharpness and exposure control? To love this question, log in above August 07, 2000

John A. Lind		This will depend some on your budget! A few cameras come to mind that have absolutely superb optics, and are often found tucked into the corner of a professional's camera bag (yes they occasionlly use P&S cameras, too): If money is no object: (1) Contax T2 with 38mm f/2.8 Carl Zeiss Sonnar (one of the finest lenses ever designed). Offers both Program and Aperture Priority modes with exposure compensation providing indirect exposure control. (2) Konica Hexar with a 35mm f/2 lens. Has manual and auto focusing, and for exposure it has Program, Aperture Priority and full manual. Also has spot metering. (3) Rollei QZ 35W with a 28-60mm f/2.8~5.6 zoom. Auto or manual focus; Program, Aperture or Shutter Priority, and manual exposure. (very expensive) Now that you've had sticker shock, here are a couple in the lower price ranges: (4) Yashica T4 Super, the much less expensive cousin to the Contax T2 (Yashica makes the Contax bodies now). This one is a sleeper with its 35mm f/3.5 Carl Zeiss Tessar, also one of their finest lens designs. Unfortunately it is AF and Program mode only. (5) Olympus Stylus Epic with the 35mm f/2.8 Zuiko, a superb lens. Center weighted or spot metering, like the Yashica it is AF and Program mode only. The bad news is that if you want to have manual control of focus and exposure, it will be expensive! The good news is there are a few inexpensive fixed focal length P&S with superb lenses if you are willing to accept auto focus and program mode exposure without manual override. Lastly, priced midway between these two groups is a manual focus, manual exposure sub-compact with a built-in match-needle meter. No built in flash but has a hot shoe. They went out of production in 1982 and you must find one used, but they are superb: (6) Rollei 35S or 35T. The 35S has a 40mm f/2.8 Sonnar and the 35T has a 40mm f/3.5 Tessar. These have a near cult following of users because they have withstood the test of time. Carl Zeiss formulated the lenses and licensed Rollei to make them for these cameras with some very strict controls. Two things to look for in one: accurate slow shutter speeds and working meter. They are solid glass, brass and steel making them twice as heavy as current P&S, but very, very sturdy. To love this comment, log in above August 13, 2000

This old forum is now archived. Use improved Forum here Report this Thread