Is there a Rangefinder explosion or is it Cross-GAS between us?

[kshapero]

Is there a Rangefinder explosion going on or is it Cross-GAS between us? Seems that there is getting to be a wonderful selction of old and new (especially new) Rangefinder equipment on the market nowadays. Lenses, bodies, etc. Is there a real renaniasonce, ie. new users, or are we just selling, trading and accumulating amongst ourselves?

 

[varjag]

There are new people getting in; I alone made at least 2 folks buy their first ever rangefinders. Leicas no less 🙂

 

[kshapero]

There are new people getting in; I alone made at least 2 folks buy their first ever rangefinders. Leicas no less 🙂

new blood is what will ultimately keep our obsession, ur...hobby alive.

 

[crawdiddy]

Expert opinion to the contrary (I'm well-known as an anti-expert and anti-intellectual), I agree with you, kshapero. While some here say the market has been steady for 20 years, I tend to think there has been an uptick in rangefinder interest and prices.

Dang! Just when I should be selling, I'm buying!

 

[shadowfox]

I just wondered about this on the way to work this morning.

Where and who are the people buying these cameras? Most of them are obviously traders, and/or collectors, but after changing hands two or three times, even the most lucrative items will be exhausted of their profitability. Someone will end up keeping the camera.

As for young blood, they are indeed the future, and they are getting smarter everyday, lots of them have good "common sense radar" and start questioning their peers (and parents) about their digital mentality.

 

[jgran]

I suspect there is a large group of us who got into film when the prices on professional equipment became very affordable. Now that we've had time to play with the gear, my guess is lots of us (newbies) have acquired the skills that make rangefinders more attractive. I can't say I'm bored my SLR gear, just that rangefinders seem like the logical next step in learning photography.
Being relatively new here off lurk mode, I can't say the buying traffic is up. But it sure seems like lots of people are disillusion with the auction site and would prefer to get gear from a community.
Just my random theories.
Jorge

 

[Ron (Netherlands)]

Lots of stuff comes from the east at relatively low prices ....... and more people, also from the east (Russia - Asia) get entrance to the market: makes that the market is still expanding

 

[zuikologist]

Kshapero - I like the idea of a RFF GAS-explosion!

Seriously - I picked up my first rangefinder 3 years ago when I was looking for a pocketable camera with no shutter lag (hence no digital p&s).

Jgran - welcome to the forum. I think you are right - the price of equipment is ok, film is available and many digital users feel something missing in their photography, hence the need to try RFs.

 

[noimmunity]

I bought two fixed lens jobs as presents for friends!
Seems to be catching on!

 

[JeffGreene]

... our obsession, ur...hobby alive.

Akiva:

How true, how true! After all, why do we need that third 50 mm 1.5? :bang:

 

[BigSteveG]

Used Leica prices appear to be ever rising. I just looked at the Popflash site and was pretty surpised at what I saw.

 

[ferider]

Think it's both.

Most of us GAS infected are not only trading but upgrading in the long run.

I remember very well when I had only a IIIf, then a Bessa, etc. Now I have 5 Leicas.
I remember when Joe and Dave were after Canon stuff, only, now it's more expensive
Zeiss and Leica gear in parts ...

Roland.

 

[ruben]

A fiend at my workplace, highly knowledgeable about high tech and digital instruments, is very frustrated by the digital photo gear he has been buying till now, up to $500 in Israel for his latest camera, (a budget somewhat equivalent to $700 in the USA B&H) He owns a fixed zoom lens digital Nikon, 900 something.

I told him today he is still better off with his Minolta SLR gear, and he agreed with a lot of anger.

Digital gear although becomming cheaper is still expensive for the one with a film gear kit, specially if quality is to be matched at least.

I think there are lots of people that although not being highly knowledgeable of photographic gear, may be of the same opinion. And this includes me as well.

I think too that when we have been speaking about THE consumers, we may have mixed a lot of stereotypes. So Gabriel has given us some day the smasing statistics about latest film camera sales against digital camera sales. But are all these digital buyers happy with their digis ?

Cheers,
Ruben

 

[Thardy]

Are we just selling, trading and accumulating amongst ourselves?

The answer is yes.

 

[Faintandfuzzy]

Newbie here as well.....

Newbie here as well.....

I’m one of the RF newbies. I picked up a Bessa R2A a few months back and have absolutely fallen in love with its simplistic operation in comparison to all my Canon DSLR bodes.

I’ve grown tired of all the computer controls on the DSLRs. While I still shoot some medium format and a fair bit of large format, I’ve returned to using Ilford HP5 in HC110 as I did more than a decade ago with an old Konica T3 autoreflex…..which is still on my shelf.

 

[Sonnar Brian]

More people use film cameras than you might guess; and I'm pleased to say many of them are in their teens and twenties. I've given away several cameras to the sales personnel at the local Ritz camera store. Nice "kids" that are really interested. I love to see them get excited over a Polaroid 250 or a "beater" TLR. And of course, the occasional vintage RF.

I tell them its part of my great scheme, a plot to keep the younger generation using film.

 

[Peter_Jones]

I tell them its part of my great scheme, a plot to keep the younger generation using film.

As great schemes go - it's a good one 😀

 

[warren1960]

I sure see a lot of buying and selling on RFF and the internet in general. But among those photogs I know personally, there seems to be a lot more selling of film gear than buying. I'm not sure what that says.

The stuff with collector appeal in the film era, still has collector appeal in the digital era. Leicas are still hot, so are the retro RF's. But the workhorses of the film era are piling up with no bidders . . . all those Nikons, Minoltas, OM's. Medium Format stuff will be nearly worthless if the trend continues.

When might we see an actual uptick in the sale of film? Not likely IMO.

 

[kshapero]

Well it sure makes being an RFer more fun. Thank you Leica, thank you Zeiss and mostly thank you Mr K. for rekickstarting our most favorite pastime. (And thanks Stephen and the other resellers) But really thnks to the true believers.

 

[pizzahut88]

I might perhaps consider myself young among RF users.
Started using RF about four years ago.

The bad thing was, Leica, Zeiss Ikon, Voigtlander does not put out ads in newspapers or TV commercials.

I came to know Rf from the hard way.
After spending nunerous years using Nikon/Canon,
then Contax G2 . . . .


Time wasted . . . . trying out various stuff,
then finally learning about Leica and Zeiss.