Question for the collective...Best Point and shoot Rangefinder

[sniper x]

I have a Minolta Hi Matic F, and love it and am getting a cherry Hi Matic E in the next few days. What do all you say the best point and shoot rangefinder is? I mean one that has a manual focus only, and is vintage. Like the Hi Matic F and E.

 

[jcdeboever]

I have a Minolta Hi Matic F, and love it and am getting a cherry Hi Matic E in the next few days. What do all you say the best point and shoot rangefinder is? I mean one that has a manual focus only, and is vintage. Like the Hi Matic F and E.

I don't consider a range finder a point and shoot. Probably the Leica M2 or M3 or M4 with a sumicron lens.

 

[dxqcanada]

Hmm, I assume you are referring to fixed lens cameras ... otherwise I would have added to JC's list with a Minolta CLE ...
Canon Canonet QL17 G-III or Olympus 35 sp

 

[Derrel]

I have owned two Canon Canonet QL17 G-III samples over the decades. Used both, enjoyed both, and gave them away to people who loved them even more. This camera design is pretty good as a "point and shoot rangefinder", and as far as I know there are plenty of spare repair parts for these should that be necessary. The QL part stands for Quick Load...it has a sort of non-standard loading mechanism.

The Minolta HiMatics were also pretty decent point and shoot type rangefinders...very popular.

 

[webestang64]

I like the Kodak Retina.

 

[Dave Colangelo]

My favorite fixed lens, full frame, 35mm, small, non SLR type camera is the Rollei 35 there are a few variants that greatly affect the price but they are all pretty good. The camera is technically a "rangefinder" but it does not have a coupled range finder mechanism you actually need to guess the "range" to the subject to set the focus. Its an acquired art but not all to difficult. The german made variants are perhaps the most expensive but the build quality reflects the price. It also happens to be one of the smallest ever made and has a neat little fold up lens.

There are lots of mass production cameras like the Minolta, there is the Olympus Trip the Canonet. Then you move more into the modern pocket cameras like the Minolta TC-1 the Nikon 28 and 35 TI as well as lots of others made by Leica, Nikon, Canon etc. A lot of these are all very similar in build quality, were intended as pocket cameras that are easy to use and take around. Lots of info out there on them and in a lot of cases I have always felt that quality took a back seat to portability on these kinds of cameras.

 

[star camera company]

Tough to beat a Leica E with a 35mm summaron. Fast film, incredible depth of field and massive field of view.

 

[dxqcanada]

Eh, I don't think you know what "point and shoot rangefinder" means.

 

[compur]

I prefer automatic manual cameras myself.

 

[The Barbarian]

I have owned two Canon Canonet QL17 G-III samples over the decades. Used both, enjoyed both, and gave them away to people who loved them even more. This camera design is pretty good as a "point and shoot rangefinder", and as far as I know there are plenty of spare repair parts for these should that be necessary. The QL part stands for Quick Load...it has a sort of non-standard loading mechanism.

The Minolta HiMatics were also pretty decent point and shoot type rangefinders...very popular.

The Canonets were my personal favorite, although a friend had a cute little Yashica half-frame rangefinder that he really liked.

 

[limr]

My favorite fixed lens, full frame, 35mm, small, non SLR type camera is the Rollei 35 there are a few variants that greatly affect the price but they are all pretty good. The camera is technically a "rangefinder" but it does not have a coupled range finder mechanism you actually need to guess the "range" to the subject to set the focus. Its an acquired art but not all to difficult. The german made variants are perhaps the most expensive but the build quality reflects the price. It also happens to be one of the smallest ever made and has a neat little fold up lens.

There are lots of mass production cameras like the Minolta, there is the Olympus Trip the Canonet. Then you move more into the modern pocket cameras like the Minolta TC-1 the Nikon 28 and 35 TI as well as lots of others made by Leica, Nikon, Canon etc. A lot of these are all very similar in build quality, were intended as pocket cameras that are easy to use and take around. Lots of info out there on them and in a lot of cases I have always felt that quality took a back seat to portability on these kinds of cameras.

+1 for the Rollei 35.