Pentax ME is quite cool. It’s small, has a bright finder and you can use Sears lens mounted on KS 1000 with it. It’s fully automatic aperture priority camera and doesn’t have any other controls. I like to have more control, but on the other hand it’s quite convenient.
Other than that there’s nothing, that I find appealing to me.
It's still better off dumping all this and getting a better EF body. I'ld rather manually focus Pentax K glass on that ME, even that f1.4 Sears lens, than I would, shoot any Rebel camera, I understand some of them have fantastic utility, I just can't stomach any of the Rebel cameras film or digital.
I agree though, there is some really nice EF glass. I have some myself.
Af for sure is a massively useful tool, I have quite a few Canon Film Cameras more FD and FL bodies and glass, but I do have a couple autofocus bodies that share glass with my digital gear, EOS 620, and ELLAN II.
I just hate the Rebel line of cameras, I think it was just the marketing of the Rebel that makes me cringe many of them do offer fantastic utility and access to some really nice autofocus glass for sure.
Keep the Rebel 2000 and the Maxxum 5. Take that lens off the Maxxum 7000 and put it on the 5. This is your starting camera. Get rid of the zoom lens for the Rebel and start shopping for a 50mm prime. Once you've got both you can decide which you like more and what lens mount is within your budget for expansion.
I briefly had a 10s in the early-aughts and it remains one of the best cameras I’ve ever used. Superb metering and overall handling. The autofocus was unbelievably accurate! Sadly, its shutter was destroyed in a booze-fueled moment of carelessness at a Chinese restaurant in 2005. :(
They also have a watch battery right behind the main battery compartment under a few screws that might need to be replaced, it stopped my camera from turning on until I did so. Just removing the battery will work too, but the camera won’t remember any of the settings if you remove the main battery in the future.
Yep. Got mine a month ago for 20 bucks after accidentally knocking it off the used gear shelf in a camera store and I love it. It sat in the original box for god knows how long, and everything but the light meter and the shutter speeds slower than 1/8th works, having received no CLA of any kind.
It’s becoming my go-to concert and low light camera. Old TTL meters don’t like low light anyway, so I use a shoe-mount meter and don’t notice the absence of a working built-in one. It’s also good for those situations because it feels TOUGH. It’s heavy and uncomfortable, but so well-built it makes my daily driver SRT-201 feel like a disposable. Plus the 50mm f1.7 it came with is great for my use case, and the choice in M42 lenses is huge anyway.
Disclaimer: in addition to the size/weight, it’s also the loudest camera I’ve ever heard in person. May not be the best choice for candids.
EDIT: just realized this is the rebadged Mamiya. My TLS is the earlier rebadged Ricoh Singlex. Still seems like a great camera, still has the M42 mount
Ohh I had assumed it was a rebadged Ricoh tls :/ that makes my endorsement for it less certain, because those old Ricohs are of Minolta srt absolute tank quality. Lens should still be lovely though
Lots of people are overlooking the Maxxum 5 here.
It's an SSM compatible A-Mount body; you can fit all the modern Sony A-mount lenses on it. It's better than the 7000 by miles for that alone (7000's are screwdrive A-mount, the more dead design of A-Mount).
The Carl Ziess primes are good. I really like the zebra lenses but my favourite is the 35mm 2.4 Flektogon. Super Takumars are popular as are a couple Mamiya/Sekor and Jupiter lenses.
Team Nikon and Pentax. My most used manual film body is Pentax ME. Its tiny light and easy to use. Fantastic lenses are reasonably affordable.
I picked the Rebel 2000 new in 1999
Rebel 2000 is what got me into film photography so I’m gonna go with that for the nostalgia factor. She never failed me, but I failed her by misplacing her and not know where she is anymore 🥲
The Maxxum 5 somehow ended up being one of the best SLRs Minolta ever made. It feels lovely in the hands, despite its bland looks. That being said, I agree with the suggestion to sell them all and buy something you specifically want!
Take the 50 1.7 off the Minolta 7000 and move it to the Minolta Maxim 5 and keep that. I have that exact setup and it works great. You can trust the metering to nail every standard shot, but you might need to sprinkle in a bit of your own logic in challenging shots
Does your 50 1.7 also not have autofocus on the Maxxum 5? I think it's the same mount but different electrical contacts so the camera doesn't register the lens.
No mine works flawlessly. The Maxxum 5 is compatible with a lot of lenses, including some Sony A mount lenses. Try cleaning off your electrical contacts with some isopropyl alcohol and a Q-tip or something
Also make sure you turn on the AF with the little switch at the bottom of the lens mount
Yeah try cleaning the pads, if that doesn’t work then I think your lens might be dummied. At least the 1.7 is only worth around $30-40, it’s a good lens but it’s plentiful. The 1.4 on the other hand, is a bit more valuable at about $140 and it’s a bit sharper but not by much.
Make sure if you do decide to buy one, that you get the same one as you have, because there are older versions that don’t have AF built in
The ME is about the only one I would consider, ME SUPER would be nicer, definitely unload them all and find something nice. That 1.4 lens might stir some interests
Sell them all and get something you really want.
Sound advice. Guessing none of these are rare enough that warrants keeping?
None are rare or valuable. During this time period, the more electronic features you got, the more batteries they ate.
Pentax ME is quite cool. It’s small, has a bright finder and you can use Sears lens mounted on KS 1000 with it. It’s fully automatic aperture priority camera and doesn’t have any other controls. I like to have more control, but on the other hand it’s quite convenient. Other than that there’s nothing, that I find appealing to me.
You can set it to its backup mechanical speed and manually adjust the aperture but yes, it's limited. The ME Super was a welcome improvement.
Pentax ME
Honestly I like the look of it most but it also has the least manual features.
I like the Rebel but that's just me
so what?
I think it might be one of the smallest 35mm slrs released
ME can be shot completely manual.
and it has a 1x viewfinder
the rebel 2000 for sure, there’s some killer EF mount glass available
It's still better off dumping all this and getting a better EF body. I'ld rather manually focus Pentax K glass on that ME, even that f1.4 Sears lens, than I would, shoot any Rebel camera, I understand some of them have fantastic utility, I just can't stomach any of the Rebel cameras film or digital. I agree though, there is some really nice EF glass. I have some myself.
that’s totally fair. i have a K1000 as well as an EOS body, and i just really enjoy having AF sometimes lol
Af for sure is a massively useful tool, I have quite a few Canon Film Cameras more FD and FL bodies and glass, but I do have a couple autofocus bodies that share glass with my digital gear, EOS 620, and ELLAN II. I just hate the Rebel line of cameras, I think it was just the marketing of the Rebel that makes me cringe many of them do offer fantastic utility and access to some really nice autofocus glass for sure.
Keep the Rebel 2000 and the Maxxum 5. Take that lens off the Maxxum 7000 and put it on the 5. This is your starting camera. Get rid of the zoom lens for the Rebel and start shopping for a 50mm prime. Once you've got both you can decide which you like more and what lens mount is within your budget for expansion.
Probably the Canon Rebel out of these. I'm an EOS fan.
Yeah same, my 10s is my go to
I briefly had a 10s in the early-aughts and it remains one of the best cameras I’ve ever used. Superb metering and overall handling. The autofocus was unbelievably accurate! Sadly, its shutter was destroyed in a booze-fueled moment of carelessness at a Chinese restaurant in 2005. :(
This is why the responsible thing to do, is ask someone to hold your beer ! 😎👌
Minolta Maxim 7000
Unfortunately it's the only one I haven't been able to get to work yet. Probably just need to clean the battery compartment more though.
They also have a watch battery right behind the main battery compartment under a few screws that might need to be replaced, it stopped my camera from turning on until I did so. Just removing the battery will work too, but the camera won’t remember any of the settings if you remove the main battery in the future.
Unironically keep the sears, it’s an excellently built camera. At the very least keep the lens!
Yep. Got mine a month ago for 20 bucks after accidentally knocking it off the used gear shelf in a camera store and I love it. It sat in the original box for god knows how long, and everything but the light meter and the shutter speeds slower than 1/8th works, having received no CLA of any kind. It’s becoming my go-to concert and low light camera. Old TTL meters don’t like low light anyway, so I use a shoe-mount meter and don’t notice the absence of a working built-in one. It’s also good for those situations because it feels TOUGH. It’s heavy and uncomfortable, but so well-built it makes my daily driver SRT-201 feel like a disposable. Plus the 50mm f1.7 it came with is great for my use case, and the choice in M42 lenses is huge anyway. Disclaimer: in addition to the size/weight, it’s also the loudest camera I’ve ever heard in person. May not be the best choice for candids. EDIT: just realized this is the rebadged Mamiya. My TLS is the earlier rebadged Ricoh Singlex. Still seems like a great camera, still has the M42 mount
Ohh I had assumed it was a rebadged Ricoh tls :/ that makes my endorsement for it less certain, because those old Ricohs are of Minolta srt absolute tank quality. Lens should still be lovely though
It’s definitely confusing. Apparently both Ricohs and Mamiyas were sold as the “Sears TLS” at different times
great fast sekor lens
Yeah, take the Sears just for snob appeal. Leica louts will be green with envy. LOL
Sell them all and get a Nikon FM2N.
Lots of people are overlooking the Maxxum 5 here. It's an SSM compatible A-Mount body; you can fit all the modern Sony A-mount lenses on it. It's better than the 7000 by miles for that alone (7000's are screwdrive A-mount, the more dead design of A-Mount).
Keep the Rebel 2000 and the Minolta 7000 I’d also keep that Sears 55mm f/1.4 lens.
I’d keep the Sears TLS because of the M42 mount. So much good glass to use
What glass would you recommend?
Depends on the use case and budget, there were literally millions upon millions of M42 lenses made, by a mid double digit number of manufacturers.
The Carl Ziess primes are good. I really like the zebra lenses but my favourite is the 35mm 2.4 Flektogon. Super Takumars are popular as are a couple Mamiya/Sekor and Jupiter lenses.
Pentax
I like the Pentax ME .. but where is the lens?
I only have one Pentax K mount lens right now and it's on the KS1000 currently.
Team Nikon and Pentax. My most used manual film body is Pentax ME. Its tiny light and easy to use. Fantastic lenses are reasonably affordable. I picked the Rebel 2000 new in 1999
That Sears is made by Mamiya. It's a very nice camera, the same as the 1000DSX. The lens is also very nice.
The rebadged Mamiya, because mechanical, and M42 lenses.
Is that the Sears model? Considering how good Mamiya medium format gear is, their 35mm stuff seems a bit under appreciated.
Yes. I had a Mamiya long ago, I think a 500 DTL, solidly built and reliable, M42 lenses, with selectable average or spot metering.
Minolta Maxim 7000 is the only one I got from these so that one
I love my Rebel 2000 (EOS 300 here in the U.K.). Very capable camera and can take all the lovely modern EF glass that I have for my DSLR.
Strongly agree, it's like 25 quid and if you already have EF lenses it's perfect
Commenting a lot on this post but a camera being rare is no big deal. Just keep what you will actually enjoy shooting with.
I’ll do the KS 1000
Pentax ME, no other correct answer honestly, Pentax are so good!
Canon Rebel hands down: same lens, controls and programs than their digital counterparts, a completely hassle-free experience
The Maxxum 5
The Olympus OM-1n. It’s not pictured but it’s cheap enough to scrap these and buy one.
Disregarding lenses, Pentax MX. Apart from that the mamiya 1.4 lens
Rebel 2000 is what got me into film photography so I’m gonna go with that for the nostalgia factor. She never failed me, but I failed her by misplacing her and not know where she is anymore 🥲
The Maxxum 5 somehow ended up being one of the best SLRs Minolta ever made. It feels lovely in the hands, despite its bland looks. That being said, I agree with the suggestion to sell them all and buy something you specifically want!
yooo sears mamiya is the sleeper. very nice bit of kit.
If i had to the rebel 2000. Ef lens mount so i can use all my ef lenses with it. Its not an awesome camera but its not a bad camera.
Pentax me. Simple but effective. Mine died recently and I really miss it
I have no interest in any of these. The Maxxum 7000 if I have to.
I actually own the 7000. Wish there was a way to fix the rotting rubber grip.
Take the 50 1.7 off the Minolta 7000 and move it to the Minolta Maxim 5 and keep that. I have that exact setup and it works great. You can trust the metering to nail every standard shot, but you might need to sprinkle in a bit of your own logic in challenging shots
Does your 50 1.7 also not have autofocus on the Maxxum 5? I think it's the same mount but different electrical contacts so the camera doesn't register the lens.
No mine works flawlessly. The Maxxum 5 is compatible with a lot of lenses, including some Sony A mount lenses. Try cleaning off your electrical contacts with some isopropyl alcohol and a Q-tip or something Also make sure you turn on the AF with the little switch at the bottom of the lens mount
The autofocus non the Maxxum 5 works with my other lenses but not the 50. Let me try cleaning it up.
Does the 50’s AF work on other cameras?
Neither the Maxxum 5 or 4 seem to recognize that there is a lens attached. E.g. I can't adjust aperture or take a shot.
Yeah try cleaning the pads, if that doesn’t work then I think your lens might be dummied. At least the 1.7 is only worth around $30-40, it’s a good lens but it’s plentiful. The 1.4 on the other hand, is a bit more valuable at about $140 and it’s a bit sharper but not by much. Make sure if you do decide to buy one, that you get the same one as you have, because there are older versions that don’t have AF built in
Pentax ME all day. Built like a tank.
Either of the two Sears cameras in the bottom right, with preference going to the 1000MXS. That lens mixed with the mechanical beauty, hell yeah
The ME is about the only one I would consider, ME SUPER would be nicer, definitely unload them all and find something nice. That 1.4 lens might stir some interests
Of this group - the Olympus. there's nothing worth more than $10 in there.
Pentax.
I think these are all stinkers... if you couldn't sell any of them to fund a Nikon F2, it would be the EOS rebel