rangefinder questions

melekalikimaka

investing in a rangefinder for xmas, cheap and secondhand is the port of call, any views? also looking into some retro toy cams, lo fi and that jazz...again cheap - looking your way al

charybdis

There are quite a few options in second hand fixed-lens rangefinders that can be had for less than a little over 100 Euro.

Ones you'll probably want to have a look at include:

• Canonet QL17 GIII
• Yashica Electro GSN
• Olympus XA

There are plenty more than these, but they're probably a good place to start your investigation.

melekalikimaka

looking at the Bilora Bella, anyone used one?

Chorcai

You could go all out and spend 30k on this kit...

http://www.rangefinderforum.com/photopost-classifieds/showproduct.php/product/19072/cat/3

http://www.rangefinderforum.com

I think this site might help you out.

Fajitas!

melekalikimaka wrote: »

looking at the Bilora Bella, anyone used one?

Cheap, gaudy, not a rangefinder, retro, it's a perfect match for you.

There's a beauty of an Olympus on Adverts at the moment, fantastic fixed lens RF with an asking price of 160 - and tbh, it's in perfect nick, so worth not far off that.

Charybdis posted a few more suggestions at the start of the thread, although I'm not sure if they're cool/retro/Urban Outfitters enough for you

Have a look for Zorki's and Fed's too. They'll take a photograph, have cheap lenses, and are based on the Leica models, with added communism Russian.

DaireQuinlan

Damnit, I was going to smugly point out that while the Feds were based on Leicas, the Zorkis were based on contax's. complete memory fail, it's of course the Kievs that are. They are, incidentally, another FSU rangefinder to consider. I keep on meaning to buy a Zorki 6 but things like turret viewfinders, and gigantic LF shutters or 300mm process lenses keep on arriving instead. I really must take all those russian and ukrainian sellers off my ebay faved seller listings ...

Anyhow, I think the japanese basics are covered above, Yashica, Olympus, and Canon, and Fajitas has introduced the FSU rangefinders. For a little more of an outlay you could look at the various Bessa (cosina) LTM and M mount rangefinders. Some of them are quite nice and the prices are reasonable enough. There are even a few oddities in there, like the R, which only has a long base rangefinder (no viewfinder) and the L, which has neither a rangefinder nor a viewfinder !

I myself have an olympus XA. Its good stopped down a bit, but the rangefinder is a bit of an afterthought. It's given me some nice shots though, and it's a wee little thing so I normally end up carrying it around the place quite a bit.

Fajitas!

I think they're all a bit too cheap/unhipster for what Mele's after :pac:

Simplicius

outside of Leica's

Konica Auto S3 or Minolta Himatic s7 ii -- I have both and both have amzing lens (as in legends) and are so easy to use ...

If you want something different Voitlander Vito's are deadly ...I am biased I think these are the best old cameras I own .. I now am not far off the full range .. I hate colour photography but something about that color skopar voitlander lens renders colours so beautifully ... if I shoot in colour i pick up a vito... and the viewfinder is huge and bright... a real pleasure ( as well as being sexy looking cameras)

the konica though is the veritable dogs B!! ..one of few that has ability to take a meter reading where you want , hold it by keeping shutter button half depressed whilst you reframe .... and it has auto fill in flash settings !! only one I believe that does. (still to test this mind as flash and I are not friends)

konica Auto S3




Voitlander Vitos

VITO B





VITOMATIC II



ALL Color Skopar lens ....

DaireQuinlan

Actually, for that priceless hipster bling, leica IIIc's aren't actually that expensive. Stick on some FSU LTM lenses and the entire thing wouldn't cost more than a couple hundred euros. Actually I'm surprised the LSI hasn't cottoned onto them yet, they're exactly the sort of thing they could completely strip EBay of and then sell on at twice the price. OTOH a 50% markup is probably about 10 times less than what they're used to charging

Fajitas!

Don't talk about it Daire!

Their evil fixie riding, ironic t-shirt wearing minions are out searching for new ways of raping hipsters' pockets EVERY day, and screwing the rest of us in the process!

Simplicius

I have a leica III F with an elmar lens yet to take it for a test run but looking forward to seeing the outcome .....

DaireQuinlan

Fajitas! wrote: »

Don't talk about it Daire!

Their evil fixie riding, ironic t-shirt wearing minions are out searching for new ways of raping hipsters' pockets EVERY day, and screwing the rest of us in the process!

Those BASTARDS !
Speaking of fixie riding actually, I'm just waiting for the fix step to finish up on an experimental diy reversal dev. Shot some provia, 1st dev in diafine, then reeled it out and exposed it to the sun, then re-tanked it and I'm currently giving it a normal C-41 process. Anyone ever done this ? What were the results like ? I'm curious. I'm expecting something slide like but probably wacked colours ...

melekalikimaka

Fajitas! wrote: »

Cheap, gaudy, not a rangefinder, retro, it's a perfect match for you.

hehe im just after something cheap and crappy that will give unusual results. rangefinder, small and take some wacks, the oly is an option and the fed and zorkis are on my short list, was expecting circa 50 bills of a rangefinder...seems they are not so cheap...

Ghost Train

One lo-fi camera I found recently is the vivitar ultra wide and slim, one shutter speed, lovely wide lens, feather weight

duffarama

melekalikimaka wrote: »

hehe im just after something cheap and crappy that will give unusual results. rangefinder, small and take some wacks, the oly is an option and the fed and zorkis are on my short list, was expecting circa 50 bills of a rangefinder...seems they are not so cheap...

Hipster eh? Cheap eh? Take some knocks eh?

Refurbished Olympus trip in a range of colours http://www.tripman.co.uk

DaireQuinlan

duffarama wrote: »

Hipster eh? Cheap eh? Take some knocks eh?

Refurbished Olympus trip in a range of colours http://www.tripman.co.uk

I'm just going to quote fajitas again here ...

fajitas wrote:

Cheap, gaudy, not a rangefinder, retro, it's a perfect match for you.

melekalikimaka

DaireQuinlan wrote: »

I'm just going to quote fajitas again here ...

hummm, they are only 30 online tho...

do the feds take the bayonet mount?

Fajitas!

melekalikimaka wrote: »

hummm, they are only 30 online tho..

There we go, problem solved.

Out of pure and utter morbid curiosity... Why do you want a rangefinder? (Nevermind one without a rangefineder :pac: )

melekalikimaka

Fajitas! wrote: »

There we go, problem solved.

Out of pure and utter morbid curiosity... Why do you want a rangefinder? (Nevermind one without a rangefineder :pac: )

a small film camera thats decent quality to keep in my bag when out and about basically, a g10 is a bit outta my range

Fajitas!

Well, if you want 'decent quality', why don't you save up a bit further than 30 quid?

You'll stray out of the 'Lomo fanboy' range, and into the good fixed lens rangefinder range.

melekalikimaka

ya dont rate those trips then no?

i suppose a zorki isnt too expensive... is there really a huge quality jump?

Fajitas!

Plenty of others do. I'd rather be able to focus.

Zorki's are grand cameras. Very finicky, and don't like being used the wrong way, but they'll take knocks and bumps. They'll usually come with a 50 f/1.8 or an 80 f/2 - Both are grand lenses. Quality jump is huge. They're made from far better materials (Which is saying something, considering they're a mass produced Commy-cam) than the Trip (IMO of course.)

They're not quiet, but grand little workers.

humberklog

Now I've said it before and it came down to perspection and size of pockets in the end...but range finders aren't small. No matter how far away you stand.

Fajitas!

Well, I'd call 'small' being able to fit into my pocket - namely because none of my SLR's, TLR's or 4x5's will fit into my pocket...

humberklog

Your a bit like a rangefinder yourself Al. Deceptively huge (and I've measured your pockets too...huge, bigger than any normal person).

Fajitas!

Hah. Yes, I do believe you got a shock the last time I was standing beside you...

DaireQuinlan

humberklog wrote: »

Now I've said it before and it came down to perspection and size of pockets in the end...but range finders aren't small. No matter how far away you stand.

My Olympus XA is tiny. Smallest full frame 35mm camera with a functioning rangefinder IIRC, there are one or two smaller 35mm compacts but they're scale focus (the rollei 35 and some 35mm minox). Just slide open the clamshell and it's ready to shoot immediately.

humberklog wrote: »

Your a bit like a rangefinder yourself Al. Deceptively huge (and I've measured your pockets too...huge, bigger than any normal person).

:eek::eek::eek:


-ahem-

This is an exhaustive list of small fixed lens rangefinders with the pros and cons of each one ...
http://www.cameraquest.com/com35s.htm

If you're happy with scale focusing, look at the Rollei 35 SE. Gorgeous looking cam. And tiiiiiiny.

humberklog

Fajitas! wrote: »

Hah. Yes, I do believe you got a shock the last time I was standing beside you...

Frottage does that to me:pac:.

DaireQuinlan

Fajitas! wrote: »

Hah. Yes, I do believe you got a shock the last time I was standing beside you...

good god this just gets worse !

Get a room you two !

Although ...

humberklog wrote: »

Frottage does that to me:pac:.

lol @ HK for use of Frottage. Now there's a word that doesn't get out often enough.

humberklog

But is the XA a rangefinder? Beautiful camera, nicest I've ever seen and that was only recently. Katie maloe on here has one and it is stunning. Cracking pics too. Didn't know it was a rangefinder.

Fajitas!

humberklog wrote: »

Frottage does that to me:pac:.

Christ. Do NOT Google.

DaireQuinlan wrote: »

good god this just gets worse !

Get a room you two !

:pac:

(the rollei 35 and some 35mm minox).

The Minox, that's the one LSI based their LCA on, right? Or is that a Minolta?

Either way, they're TINY. Like 'klogs.

njburke

What about a Yashica Electro ?
I had one once but all I'm left with now is the shoebox full of photos. I've been thinking of getting another, just to have with me in a back pack or whatever, they're pretty big though, definitely not shirt pocket.
I used to focus it from the scale on the lense, either the rangefinder was bust or I wasn't knowledgeable in its use (jeez, that was some camera club I was a member of;)).

NJ

Fajitas!

humberklog wrote: »

But is the XA a rangefinder? Beautiful camera, nicest I've ever seen and that was only recently. Katie maloe on here has one and it is stunning. Cracking pics too. Didn't know it was a rangefinder.

You were rather drunk trying to use it... Yep, it's a rangefinder!

humberklog

Fajitas! wrote: »

Either way, they're TINY. Like 'klogs' Olympus Trip.

FYP;)

humberklog

Fajitas! wrote: »

You were rather drunk trying to use it... Yep, it's a rangefinder!

Then that's the camera Meleetc. It's the camera of kings.

DaireQuinlan

humberklog wrote: »

But is the XA a rangefinder? Beautiful camera, nicest I've ever seen and that was only recently. Katie maloe on here has one and it is stunning. Cracking pics too. Didn't know it was a rangefinder.

Yeah the rangefinder patch is quite dim and hard to see. It's semi useful as long as you're not in a hurry. Alternatively you can stop it down to f/5.6 and just scale or hyperfocus.

Fajitas! wrote: »

Christ. Do NOT Google.

There are pictures ?? Wouldn't they just show two fully clothed people standing quite close to one another looking faintly uncomfortable ???

Fajitas! wrote:

The Minox, that's the one LSI based their LCA on, right? Or is that a Minolta?

Either way, they're TINY. Like 'klogs.

Neither one, The LCA is based on this cosina: http://www.camerapedia.org/wiki/Cosina_CX-2

The minox I was thinking of is the minox 35 http://www.camerapedia.org/wiki/Minox_35 which is apparently (at least according to camerapedia) the worlds smallest full frame 35mm camera.

Fajitas!

Wouldn't they just show two fully clothed people standing quite close to one another looking faintly uncomfortable ???

I don't particularly fancy anyone looking o'er my shoulder while Googling it - And apparently, it's with lack of clothing. :-/

What about a Yashica Electro ?

My problem with the Electro is its reliance on batteries, the rest should work without - You won't have a meter, but manual mode will work no problem.

Burnt

I really like my Zorki K4, it isn't exactly small, and as Fajita's
points out it's a bit fussy about the method of operation, but
they are quite robust and you can pick them up pretty cheap
at markets etc... What really sells this camera for me is the
Jupiter 8 lense. here are two image I took with the 4K:

My brother has run an Oly trip for quite awhile now and he is quite satisfied with it.

humberklog

Careful now.

Fajitas!

I think your name has to be bigger. And in a more obscure font.

It needs a black border too. It'll really compliment the tones.








:pac:

humberklog

Fajitas! wrote: »

I think your name has to be bigger. And in a more obscure font.

It needs a black border too. It'll really compliment the tones.










:pac:

1st time doin' it and I had all those thingies in mind!!! Squiggly writing, boarder all the garb...but alas...

I really wanted to get the squiggles to your left in a thought bubble but don't have the nous.

Morrisseeee

Here's a top class camera for ya ! Its kinda 'nippy' ! oh and............very light :eek: Its not a rangefinder though, I'm not sure if it would 'find' anything actually (even tho its 'focus-free')
/remember buying it at an auction for £8 !!