Rec for 35mm film RF as gift

[leanned]

I am a bit of a novice in the camera world but my bf really enjoys taking photos with film. For gift ideas, I was curious what folks recommend for someone who enjoys photography as a hobby. He has a 1960's kodak/sears 35 mm currently but it can be a pain w/ the focus mechanism.
I have heard good things about the Yashica Lynx 14E and the Canon Canonet QL 17 GIII. Any other suggestions? Also wondering what a reasonable price is for these types of cameras? Something under the $200 range.

Many thanks.

 

[Steve Bellayr]

The two that I would recommend are the Canonet QL 17 GIII. It is small and price is rising but still under $200. The Yashica GSN. It is larger and has a sharper lens and it will go for under $100. Unless you buy from a reputable seller who has upgraded the cameras and replaced the seals be very cautious. The Lynx 14e has a small focus patch which is difficult to see. Also, the Canonet & GSN can be fitted with Hama hoods while the Lynx unless it comes with a hood you will have difficulty finding one. What is a bf?

 

[shadowfox]

If he's serious about film photography, you might want to get him a real system that can grow with his skills and experience.

I recommend an Olympus OM-2n, or OM-1n if he would like the notion of total mechanical camera (don't have to use batteries). These usually come with a 50/1.8 lens and the other lenses for this camera is both high quality and cheaper these days. Definitely below $200 to start with.

 

[GoneSavage]

bf = boyfriend

 

[snausages]

I second the idea of the OM2 + 50 1.8 (or 50 1.4). If he likes it, he can expand the system from there and it's an amazing, affordable line-up of lenses and bodies.

 

[batterytypehah!]

Hi leanned,

CameraQuest (that's Stephen Gandy, who sponsors this forum) would be an excellent place to start, particularly the "70s compact RF" pages. http://www.cameraquest.com/classics.htm

Stephen has probably forgotten more about cameras than most of us will ever know. His writing can be a little overwhelming, but it's worth sticking with it even if at first you don't get it all (I speak from experience).

Also worth checking (and a more accessible read) are the websites by Matt Denton, Erik Fiss, Mike Elek and Karen Nakamura.

Your $200 limit opens up just about anything this side of Leica and Nikon for you. My own favorite RF is a Contax IIa. User-grade bodies can be found way below $200 and you can get Soviet lenses for that starting at about $20. You may want to factor in a CLA (clean, lube, adjust) service, however, which would put you over your limit.

The Japanese RFs of the 70s like the Yashica, Canonet, etc. are great machines but they were built to a price point and it shows. Usually the first thing to go is the black light-sealing foam around the film door. Just turns into goo with age. Easy (but messy) to replace. Also watch out for the battery type. Mercury cells were very common back then but have been banned for a while now.

I would recommend a mid-level German camera to avoid those issues. Voigtländer (Vito series), Agfa, Kodak Retina, Zeiss Contina are plentiful and very affordable. Don't forget to get a light meter, too, if the camera doesn't have one.

As to the Olympus OM recommendations above, those are SLRs. Valid recommendations, I'm sure, but I suppose you did mean RF.

Have fun!

 

[chris00nj]

...
Your $200 limit opens up just about anything this side of Leica and Nikon for you. My own favorite RF is a Contax IIa. User-grade bodies can be found way below $200 and you can get Soviet lenses for that starting at about $20. You may want to factor in a CLA (clean, lube, adjust) service, however, which would put you over your limit.

The Japanese RFs of the 70s like the Yashica, Canonet, etc. are great machines but they were built to a price point and it shows. Usually the first thing to go is the black light-sealing foam around the film door. Just turns into goo with age. Easy (but messy) to replace. Also watch out for the battery type. Mercury cells were very common back then but have been banned for a while now....

As to the Olympus OM recommendations above, those are SLRs. Valid recommendations, I'm sure, but I suppose you did mean RF.

I second the above, but wanted to add/modify a few things. The mercury batteries can be replaced with zinc-air batteries, but they are expensive and have limited life. Overall, I wouldn't bother with anything that needs to be fixed.

Interchangable lens Japanese cameras from the 50s and 60s are also high quality and are better than the fixed lens ones from the 70s. They don't have the light seal problem and since there is no light meter, there is no battery problem.

There is good value in older Canon cameras. I'm refering to the Leica screw models, like the Canon III or IV or the Canon P. These have interchangeable lenses that fit the Leica screw specifications. So there are a lot of lenses that can be used, such as Leica, Canon, Minolta, Nikon, or ones from Russia. So over time, he can build off that.

Russian lenses can produce good results for low cost, but there's a lot of poor quality ones out there so if you buy off eBay you may be playing roulette. So buy from someone who can vouch for its accuracy.