Digital BW, The Print

Thinking of getting a P&S for family snapshots. Just wondering what people
use. After researching on the web few names pop up frequently:

Yashica T4/T4 super
Contax T2
Olympus epic stylus (mju II)

Thinking of getting the olympus because it is a lot cheaper than the other
two, however I do wonder if the optical quality is good enough for someone
who shoots MF.


Thanks.

Kevin.

Here are two cameras you should also consider.
Olympus XA
http://www.diaxa.com/xa/xastart.htm

Ricoh GR1
http://homepage.ntlworld.com/the.leighs/

As far as image quality is concerned, I would recommend the 
GR1 before the XA, but the XA is much cheaper and it is a good 
camera.

Good Luck,
Justin

<imaginaryapple@i...> wrote:
> Thinking of getting a P&S for family snapshots. Just wondering 
what people
> use. After researching on the web few names pop up 
frequently:
> 
> Yashica T4/T4 super
> Contax T2
> Olympus epic stylus (mju II)
> 
> Thinking of getting the olympus because it is a lot cheaper 
than the other
> two, however I do wonder if the optical quality is good enough 
for someone

> who shoots MF.
> 
> 
> Thanks.
> 
> Kevin.

I've got this urge several times and I always end up deciding I don't want 
to spend upwards of $500 on a P&S when that money could be better used in 
SLR 35mm, MF gear, etc. Like you, I shoot MF. I rarely use 35mm except for 
when camera size is a serious issue. But last year I wanted to get a decent 
35mm P&S and found two I liked. One, the Rollei Prego 90, is no longer 
available. The other, the Minolta Explorer Freedom Zoom EX (catchy name, 
eh?), is available.

The shots I get with these cameras are good and don't bug me like other P&S 
camera's I've seen or used. You can probably find sharper glass than is on 
the Minolta but you are probably going to pay more. The Minolta is nice and 
small, uses an aspherical lens design, has a wide range of 28mm, comes with 
an infrared remote, and can be had for well under $200.

I'm going on an overseas trip next month and I'm taking the Minolta and my 
Fuji GA645i (to satisfy my MF urges). This is as light as I can go without 
regretting I didn't bring something better.

Jeff Greer

At 11:09 AM 09/15/2002 +1000, you wrote:

>Thinking of getting a P&S for family snapshots. Just wondering what people
>use. After researching on the web few names pop up frequently:
>
>Yashica T4/T4 super
>Contax T2
>Olympus epic stylus (mju II)
>
>Thinking of getting the olympus because it is a lot cheaper than the other
>two, however I do wonder if the optical quality is good enough for someone
>who shoots MF.
>
>
>Thanks.
>
>Kevin.
>
>
>
>
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The Yashica T4 is a great camera.  Good choice of functions, and a glass
Zeiss lens.  I've been carrying one with me for years, and love it, and I've
given it to non-photographer friends for it's quality and ease of use.  I
have a Contax G4 which I also love, so I think the T2 is probably very good
as well.  But for the money, I'd go with the Yashica.

  S T E P H E N   J E N N I N G S
            P h o t o g r a p h e r
    Cambridge, MA 02138-3960
        sgjennin@...
http://www.stephenjennings.com

> 
> Thinking of getting a P&S for family snapshots. Just wondering what people
> use. After researching on the web few names pop up frequently:
> 
> Yashica T4/T4 super
> Contax T2
> Olympus epic stylus (mju II)
> 
> Thinking of getting the olympus because it is a lot cheaper than the other
> two, however I do wonder if the optical quality is good enough for someone
> who shoots MF.
> 
> 
> Thanks.
> 
> Kevin.

So it is but no longer easily available. Supposedly because Zeiss 
decided to stop manufacturing the lens.

Stephen Jennings wrote:

>The Yashica T4 is a great camera.  Good choice of functions, and a glass
>Zeiss lens.  I've been carrying one with me for years, and love it, and I've
>given it to non-photographer friends for it's quality and ease of use.  I
>have a Contax G4 which I also love, so I think the T2 is probably very good
>as well.  But for the money, I'd go with the Yashica.
>
>  S T E P H E N   J E N N I N G S
>            P h o t o g r a p h e r
>    Cambridge, MA 02138-3960
>        sgjennin@...
>http://www.stephenjennings.com
>
>  
>

For family snapsots, it doesn't matter -- take the cheapest.  For a 
real camera, the Yashica T4 super is excellent but N/A (TriState had 
them for a while after Yashica pulled the plug, but even they're now 
out of stock--I've been looking, 'cause my daugthers keep "borrowing" 
the two I have/had).  I also have a Contax TVS (the zoom version), 
and I've never been happy with it (just not not that sharp).

If you want a really great walk around P&S for traveling, etc., 
invest in a Minolta TC-1.  It has a sensational lens; it's truly 
shirtpocket compact; it has professional controls.  But it's a lot of 
bucks, it won't take filters, and it's fixed focal length.  So it 
only makes sense if you have an old-fashioned taste for (1) having a 
camera in your pocket at all times, and (2) really care about the 
sharpest prints you can get from 35mm.

There are some other fixed focal length P&S that are almost as 
expensive, but over the years every lens test I've seen has shown 
them blown away by the now abandoned Yashica T4.  As with so many 
things, shoddy zooms have shown that Gresham's Law applies to cameras.

Bill Iverson


--- In DigitalBlackandWhiteThePrint@y..., "Kevin" 
<imaginaryapple@i...> wrote:
> Thinking of getting a P&S for family snapshots. Just wondering what 
people
> use. After researching on the web few names pop up frequently:
> 
> Yashica T4/T4 super
> Contax T2
> Olympus epic stylus (mju II)
> 
> Thinking of getting the olympus because it is a lot cheaper than 
the other
> two, however I do wonder if the optical quality is good enough for 
someone

> who shoots MF.
> 
> 
> Thanks.
> 
> Kevin.

Kevin,if you shoot MF,there's no 35mm lens that can rival it,because the
format makes the difference,not the lens. That said,I use a Contax T3,and
couldn\ufffdt be more satisfied,but satisfaction doe not come cheap...



Message: 8
   Date: Sun, 15 Sep 2002 11:09:37 +1000

   From: "Kevin" <imaginaryapple@...>
Subject: P&S camera recommendations needed

Thinking of getting a P&S for family snapshots. Just wondering what people
use. After researching on the web few names pop up frequently:

Yashica T4/T4 super
Contax T2
Olympus epic stylus (mju II)

Thinking of getting the olympus because it is a lot cheaper than the other
two, however I do wonder if the optical quality is good enough for someone
who shoots MF.


Thanks.

Kevin.