I have recently bought several point-an’-shoot cameras from the 80′s. I was surprised at how good some were – equal to an SLR if you don’t enlarge too much (even then sometimes still as good).

I’m currently using a Ricoh FF-3AF for informal street shots. Bought at a charity-shop for 40sek (I live in Sweden) in pristine condition, no need to clean it at all, not a mark on it, barely used I’m sure, it came in a soft suede-case that took the brunt of any rough-stuff. All it needed was 2 AA batteries and a film, to rock me, baby! Auto-focus, auto-wind, a very efficient Rikenon 35mm 1:3.2 coated-lens. 400 Tmax b/w film gives a good result, mood, etc. Not tried colour yet.

I usually have it in a pocket, and when in the mood slip-on the wriststrap, snap-open the lens (which starts the camera’s bells-an’-whistles) and just stroll down the street with in in my right hand, by my side, waist-height, check it’s more-or-less parallel to the ground and in the right direction, and just ‘click’. Shame you can’t fit a neckstrap.

Nobody reacts. Nobody knows you have a camera let alone see you are snapping piccies. Except dogs. Who react to the clicks and whirrs! And sniff, interestedly. Best to avoid Rottweilers and Mastiffs, mmm? Hungry ones.

Now a pensioner, and poor, I intend to eventually develop my own b/w film, but for now I just get the film developed in the shop and scan the pics in.

I always sneered at cameras like this when they were new, but that was wrong. As said, some were actually very good indeed.