Anyone gone 100% Fixed Lens?

[Chinasaur]

Anyone who haz fixed lens cameras, who had other interchangeable lens cameras/lenses when they did it, gone to 100% Fixed Lens cameras?

If you did, were you able to stay righteous? Or did you backslide into GAS? :angel:

Why do I ask???

Cause I haz this itch to go completely Yashica and get out of the lens ratrace...and most of my best shots are coming from my fixed lens Yashinon's...for whatever reason....

 

[f16sunshine]

I'm shooting fixed lens about 80% of the time. Always MF though. Rolleiflex, fuji gw690iii, Yashicamat, holga... Etc..
The biggest obstacle becomes need for shutter speed. Lens of 40mm is my FL in 35mm cameras. The equivalent on these fixed MF cameras is always close to 40.

 

[ZeissFan]

Life's too short to limit yourself to one type of camera. Who wants to shoot with only a Yashica, a Leica, a Nikon, a Rolleiflex, a Canon, a dSLR for the rest of your life.

I want to experience as much as I can before I check out, and that includes cameras.

 

[cjbecker]

I am mostly a fixed lens user. I use a rolleicord III, I have been trying to see if i can use it for everything. I have been working on my shooting and developing to get the pictures to pop. I really like to idea of only using 1 lens so I can really learn the camera and use it to its full potential. Also the other reason is so the camera will be nothing inbetween me and the final outcome. You can also call my 500cm a fixed lens as i only use an 80 on it.

 

[ErnestoJL]

I use mostly any fixed lens camera. I have too some other interchangeable lens cameras, both RF and SLR, but most of my shooting is with fixed lens.
Also most of the time those last, have a normal lens fitted.
To be honest and in my particular case, the need for tele or a wide or super wide seldom arises so a fixed lens camera is a good choice.
Cheers
Ernesto

 

[ChrisPlatt]

Ask any Rolleiflex shooter...

Chris

 

[farlymac]

I'm with Mike. My Yashicas are nice, but they have their limitations, and I find myself wishing I had another camera or lens with me when I'm shooting one.

I have gone out and said "Okay, this is todays (self)asignment, and this is the camera I will use." But by the end of the shoot, there is always something that I could have taken a shot of if I only had another piece of equipment with me. But that's not going to keep me from getting a 35 Electro GX, or a Yashicamat. Because sometimes you do need to limit yourself to one camera-one lens. Just to resist the urge for a little while, and to practice the art of photography.

And remember, variety is the spice of life.

PF

 

[bwcolor]

I cheat... I have a number of rangefinder lenses and each one stays on a set body selected for that lens. I pretty much do the same with SLR when I go out. I keep the same lens on body 'x', but I may go out next time using that lens on a different body. Technically fixed lenses, just the Contax T2 and X100 coming Tuesday.

 

[Contarama]

I've been really enjoying my Anscoset FL lately...

100% FL??? No but it is pretty darn versatile really...

 

[Roberto V.]

For some time, I only used my Contaflex I with a fixed 45mm f/2.8 Tessar, but since I got my M4 I haven't used it much.

 

[Ronald M]

People who like to torture themselves are called masochists. My father used to say don`t hit yourself in the head with a hammer because it feels good when you stop.

If you like, put a lens on your leica and put the rest of them in a drawer. You make or may not like working that way, but the option is open to put them on the camera.

Personally I have no idea how to do a proper head shot with a standard lens without cropping or take in a wide landscape without making a panoramic. I went thru college with a Waltz Envoy + 50 2.0 Nikkor . It drove me nuts at times.

 

[Frontman]

There are people who are called "a Jack of all trades, but a master of none...". Some people change gear so quickly that they never have a change to master it. They shoot many cameras, and usually get good results, but not as good as they would if they spent enough to intimate themselves with a single type of particular equipment.

I use to shoot mainly with the 35mm focal length, and I had 3 cameras which used this type of lens; a Yashica CCN 35/1.8, a Canon F1 with a 35/2 concave, and a Leica M6 with the 35/2.8 Summaron. All three cameras used the same size lens, but each camera requires a different technique to use properly. It can take a lot of practice to become familiar with one of these cameras, but the technique is not completely interchangeable to the other two.

Now I am a fixed-lens shooter, using my M4 and Summilux. The M4 is not a fixed-lens camera, but as I never remove the lens, it might as well be. I found that 50mm is my favorite focal length, and I have made the M4 my main go-to camera.

I don't think the M4 is markedly better than a Yashica GS or other decent fixed-lens RF, but I do think that there are some photographers who are markedly better than other photographers. Limitations are usually not found in the equipment, but in the user. Some cameras are more useful in certain situations, but if you learn to use them well, you can use a single camera for nearly all types of work.

 

[Naumoski]

Yes, I use 1 SLR (35mm + 58mm), 1 RF (40mm 1.7 fixed) and 1 TLR (75mm 3.5 fixed). I haven't felt need for zoom.

 

[ColSebastianMoran]

Well... In the past year, I've shifted 95% to available light. For people, I'm shooting with fast primes both film and digital. That's not exactly what you asked, but close.

Zooms are handy, but f/2 or faster is nice.

 

[Keith]

I'd be more worried about the lack of creative exposure control associated with that style of camera than concern over a fixed focal length. I realise not all fixed lens cameras are AE but most of them seem to be ... I love the lens on my Electro GT but the rest leaves me cold!

 

[Darshan]

I loved my Yashica GSN, but hated it's AE and lack of full manual control. If not for that (and oh..the terrible POD), I would still be using it. Now I have a M4 with 35 & 50.

 

[bensyverson]

Pretty happy with the current heavy rotation of Hexar AF + Nikon AF600.

But variety is the spice of life. Warning: too much spice may cause GAS.

 

[bgb]

I tried to do it with my GSN but it didn't work, I blame my OM-2 and its amazing viewfinder. I mostly use a 35mm f 2.8 lens but I like the option of being able to use other lenses if the situation requires it.

 

[oftheherd]

When I started using an SLR, it only had a 50mm lens. I learned how to use that, to include moving to different places for a better looking photo. Even after I got other focal lengths, I only put one on if I saw a specific need. Otherwise, a 50mm stayed on, and was used.

I got into zooms, but just could never like them much. Even when I got 3 lenses so I could go from 18mm to 150mm, and even though I like that, I just never cottoned to them like I thought I would. I still keep that as a kit that I take sometimes with my Contax or a Yashica camera.

Recently, I realized I just liked 50mm unless I had a specific reason to use a wide or long. I retain my preference for wide at that. I am finding I still like primes, it's just zooms I am not in love with.

But I would never be happy with no interchangable lenses either. Prefer it unless I can identify a need for another focal length. I do have some 50mm only cameras, or those with 35mm or 40mm FFL lenses. I hardly use them.

Not what you are looking for, that is a resounding love of FFL cameras. I am getting back to 50mm more and more, but keep other FL around for when the are needed. To me, it just doesn't make any sense to do it any other way. Obviously, YMMV, and that's OK.

 

[sper]

80% fixed lens. Fuji X100/Pentax K-5