Recommend me a rangefinder

T

Tpaul

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Hi, newbie here, so please bear with me.

I want to buy my first rangefinder. Looking at the usual budget brands (Olympus RC or SP, Minolta 7 series or hi-matic, Yashica, Konica, or Canon if I could find one I could afford). I'm leaning towards the Olympus SP at this point.

Priorities are image quality, of course, but also reliability - I don't want to spend a lot of time and money fixing things. Also, it would be nice to be able to switch between auto and manual.

So, I'm open to suggestions.

BTW, are there any budget RFs with changeable lenses? I'm not seeing any but maybe there's a stealth choice out there?

Thanks for any input!
 
For the sake of simplicity and image quality, the Yashica Electro rangefinders are a great choice. The aperture priority automatic operation is fool proof, simply set the aperture for the amount of light or desired effect, focus, compose, and shoot.

Some people prefer more manual control, which you can find on the Olympus RC, SP, or RD. Of these three, the SP is my favorite because of it's wonderful lens and spot meter.

The Canonet QL17 is very popular with many shooters. It is small, has a great lens, and is easy to use once you get the hang of it. The drawbacks are that the meter works only when the camera is in auto mode, and the auto mode is shutter priority.

For interchangeable lens rangefinder cameras, the least expensive option is the FSU camera, a Kiev, Zorki, or FED. These can be excellent performers if you can find one in good mechanical condition and a clean lens. Unfortunately, these are few and far between.

The Canon 7 and Canon P rangefinders offer suberb quality at a reasonable price, but will cost significantly more than something like a Yashica GTN or Olympus SP. I don't necessarily think that an interchangeable lens camera is a better choice, it is better to be fully familiar with one lens than partially familiar with 2 or more.
 
I 2nd the Yashicas, some do have problems so ask lots of questions if buying on line. For pure simple no electronics the Argus C-3 is hard to beat, the standard lens is a 50mm, also a 35mm and a 100mm can be found. Use a hand held meter or "Sunny 16'' and they are very easy to work on.
 
And staying in the Argus vein, the C-44. A bit more conventional looking than the C-3, with built-in Series V filter holders on the lenses. Or, if you want higher quality, the C-4 Geiss Modified, with Lithagon lenses. If you can find them.

PF
 
Ricoh also made a nice series of fixed lens rangefinders before they came out with the compact 500G. 300, 500, and Five-One-Nine (yep, they spelled it out instead of using numbers) were the best models. The 500 also had a later version with a larger viewfinder on it. Still trying to get my hands on one of those. The 500 and 519 had bottom trigger winds that neccessitate taking the camera back off to load film. The 300 had the conventional top mounted lever, but as it's model number says, the shutter topped out at 1/300. The 500 and 519 have a top speed of 1/500, with the 519 having an f1.9 lens. The 2.8/45 lens on the 300 is excellent, so I'm eagerly hoping the 519 will be too, once I get the shutter working again (someone oiled the heck out of it).

PF
 
Hmmm, well they may be budget brands but I think a lot of them could out perform a lot of dearer ones. The Olympus in particular were very advanced and had very nice glass on the front of them. Try matching the G Zuiko 42mm lens on the 35 SP for a start.

I'll offer a word of warning, if chasing after an Olympus-35 SP; go to a dealer who will give you a guarantee and time to put a couple of films through it. You won't regret it. Auction site ones can be extremely good and extremely bad; there's no way of knowing beforehand and - as I have found out - no way of getting your money back a month or so later on when just what is wrong has been discovered and wept over.

Regards, David
 
you can snag a russian set up for around $100. i see a fed2 with industar 26 for $99 on fedka. i have also personally owned a ricoh 500g which i snagged for $10. great little camera.

from your list though i would go for the olympus sp although as someone said, buy from someone that will allow returns.
 
Tpaul said:
...
BTW, are there any budget RFs with changeable lenses? I'm not seeing any but maybe there's a stealth choice out there?
...!
Click to expand...

Depends what you mean by budget. My Leica CL body was $320 in near mint shape, works perfectly, and an M-Rokkor 40mm f2 gen II lens was another $400. Lovely kit, but not super cheap.

G
 
Tpaul said:
BTW, are there any budget RFs with changeable lenses? I'm not seeing any but maybe there's a stealth choice out there?
Click to expand...

have a look at the FSU-section. a zorki 4k or a zorki 6 may be an interesting choice then...


do you need a camera with integrated lightmeter?
 
Peter_wrote: said:
have a look at the FSU-section. a zorki 4k or a zorki 6 may be an interesting choice then...


do you need a camera with integrated lightmeter?
Click to expand...

I think I'd prefer to have an integrated light meter.

There seem to be a lot of fans of the Yashicas, Olys and Canons. No love for the Minoltas?
 
GWT said:
A Yashica Lynx 14 might also be of interest.

http://www.cameraquest.com/yaslyn14.htm
Click to expand...

Wow, the Lynx 14 is a monster! I might have to check that one out a little further. Do you have one?

It would be great if some of you folks recommending less common cameras would post a pic or two showing what they're capable of. Not that my skill is on par with yours, but it would be interesting to see what these RFs are capable of in the right hands.

Thanks for all the suggestions! Keep 'em coming, and also, if there's anything specific to watch out for with a specific model camera, please let me know!
 
If you would like to have interchangeable lenses you can´t go wrong with the Kodak Retina III S.
You can find a complet set in good working condition for around 200,-$


Retina IIIs von BW400CN auf Flickr
 
So I've become more interested in the Lynx 14. But after doing some research, I have come across some comments from people saying it tends to require a lot of maintenance (i.e. breaks down a lot). Anyone have any experience with this?

If that is the case I would probably be less interested... since I want to spend my time taking pictures, not waiting for the camera to be repaired.

As a follow-on question, of the many RF options discussed above, which are likely to be most reliable and need the least in the way of repairs?
 
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