RangeFinder???

laudrup · Aug 4, 2005

Hi Guy's,

does anyone have any experience with rangefinders? I'm thinking of treating myself to one. I'm planning on doing some street photography and would love a camera less conspicuous than my canon t90...it's shutter sounds like two small continents colliding!!! Its a brute of cam and stands out a mile!

Any advice would be appreciated..i'm not sure what to plump for i've heard the inexpensive Canon & Yashica fixed lens models can produce some impressive results.

However I'm not sure whether it would be better to buy a decent quality model like the voigtlander bessa r3a, a second hand contax g2 (which can be picked up for a bargain nowadays) or perhaps even go for an old beat up leica...something like an M2 maybe.

Any advice or recommendations etc are much appreciated. I'd like to know what models people like so I can get out and handle some and see what suits me best.

All the best

Laudrup

Don Simon · Aug 4, 2005

I have very little experience, but the little I've had has mostly been good. I'd suggest you pick up an old rangefinder like a Voigtlander Vito (you can pick them up on Ebay for silly money - I recently got one for £7) to see if you like the results, before you go looking for the more expensive types. Then again like I said, I've had very little experience, so my opinion is mostly useless

usayit · Aug 4, 2005

You could pick up a good reliable Canon GIII rangefinder real cheap. Compact, nice sharp lens, simple, and I personally like the way they look. Most will only need minor light seal replacement ( real easy to do yourself ).

Mitica100 · Aug 4, 2005

laudrup said:
Hi Guy's,

does anyone have any experience with rangefinders? I'm thinking of treating myself to one. I'm planning on doing some street photography and would love a camera less conspicuous than my canon t90...it's shutter sounds like two small continents colliding!!! Its a brute of cam and stands out a mile!

Any advice would be appreciated..i'm not sure what to plump for i've heard the inexpensive Canon & Yashica fixed lens models can produce some impressive results.

However I'm not sure whether it would be better to buy a decent quality model like the voigtlander bessa r3a, a second hand contax g2 (which can be picked up for a bargain nowadays) or perhaps even go for an old beat up leica...something like an M2 maybe.

Any advice or recommendations etc are much appreciated. I'd like to know what models people like so I can get out and handle some and see what suits me best.

All the best

Laudrup

It really depends on how small, or how flexible you want it to be.

For small RFs I would suggest Rollei (only the ones made in Germany, not the ones made in Singapore), Minox or any of the Olympus XA series..

For more flexible ones, aka with interchangeable lenses I wouldn't shy away from Leica screw mount. I know that the M series are fantastic and I would encourage you to look into getting one but, optics are quite the same as the screw mount ones, plus the SM system is less expensive. I shoot a IIIf-RD and it's extremely quiet. Also, the old Canon RFs are great and cheap. A good SBIV with a few lenses will be hard to beat. I have two Canons which I love, a SBIV and a SII (or is it a IIS ??). Their shutters are very reliable, rangefinder is very bright, operating one is somewhat easier than a Leica, plus the loading of it is easier than Leica. BTW, they load from the base, unless you find a Canon 7.

The Contax is absolutely marvelous but it's also expensive.

Ohio · Aug 5, 2005

Konica C35 rangefinder is a superb camera

FuddyDuddy · Aug 5, 2005

Hello

Have you tried visiting http://www.rangefinderforum.com/ ?
Loads of rangefinder buffs over there and they seem a pretty friendly bunch!

Personally, if you're not sure about getting into RFs in a big way, I would go for either something like a Canonet or Yashical GSN etc, or maybe even an old soviet Fed or Zorki, which can be picked up on *bay pretty cheaply.

Another useful resource is http://www.cameraquest.com.
Good luck

F.Duddy