Nikon 35 Ti
Nikon 35Ti was the 1993 entry into the premium compact market for Nikon. The 35Ti was late to the party but was a strong showing by Nikon.
The 35Ti joins a crowed group in the premium compact point and shoot category. There were many excellent contenders in the group. The Contax T Series (T, T2, T3), the Minolta TC-1, Ricoh GR series, and the Leica Minilux to name a few. If you want to play with this gang, you better have game.
Does the 35Ti have what it takes?
Build quality: Yes. The 35Ti is a quality camera. It feels great in the hand and has great fit and finish.
Image quality: Yes. The image quality is there. The autofocus is good and the metering is top quality. The lens may not equal the Contax Carl Zeiss lens, but is not a major problem. The metering is praised for the exposure accuracy, especially important with slide film.
Functionality: Yes, with some quirks. The basic operations are equal to the task and simple to use with full-automatic, aperture priority, manual focus (zone), and even exposure compensation. The quirks come in the overly complicated mode setting that will have you doing a deep dive in the manual. I used it at the default setting, and it was fine.
Aesthetics: Yes or No. Styling is not a rational way to quantify a tool for taking pictures but still shooting film is an aesthetic choice so the way a camera looks can matter. The unique styling and use of gages on the top of the 35Ti is charming and desirable or out of place and a negative. I like it but would not buy the 35Ti just because of the styling.
My Take:
The 35Ti was great to shoot. The styling reminded me of the Leica Minilux. I did not bond with the Minilux and it has been sold on. I bonded much more quickly with the 35Ti. I found the 35Ti to be intuitive to use, well balanced and pleasant. I like the dial and find them easy to read.
Not everything was perfect for the 35Ti. I wish the flash control were simpler. The Panorama mode is not for me and the slid on the back detracts from the styling. The mode settings are a pain and require you to remember the code of refer to the manual. The one mode I may change is the flash. The default is for an auto flash that you can override by two buttons on the front. One button cancels the flash and the other one forces the flash on. That is fine but to use them you must depress and hold during the shot. Because they are so small and flush with the body, I had trouble using them quickly. I could go to the custom mode setting and enter “01 1 01” and that would cancel the flash. The buttons to get there are on the back and even harder use. But once you make the change it stays until the battery dies.
Lens: Nikkor 35 mm f/2.8
Film: Kodacolor 200