Compact rangefinder recommendations?

[TobiasL]

I'm looking for a compact rangefinder that is fully manual and is well built and has a high-quality lens. I have heard good things about Canonet G-III QL17/19 but it appears to require batteries.

I would prefer one with a fixed lens, already got a interchangeable one and don't need another 🙂

Any recommendations?

 

[Matus]

There are many that are worth a look. I made experience with Konica Auto S3 (few photos of mine on flickr). Nice little camera (unfortunately I dropped mine hard and had to sell it for parts/repair 🙁 )

Should you get one (or similar) - be sure to get a small 'soft release' it helps a lot ti minimize shake of these lightweight cameras while pressing the shutter.

 

[btgc]

AFAIK Canonet should work without battery in manual mode, shouldn't it? If you want fully manual FL RF without battery your choice is limited and they all are a bit larger than semi-automated RF's.

 

[Brian Legge]

Compact in what way? In your hands while shooting, while transporting it?

Don't overlook the Retina line of rangefinders. Ergonomically a bit different but a nice small profile when folded. And the lens is excellent.

 

[kzphoto]

I was gifted my father's Olympus RC -- it's a dandy little camera. 42mm f/2.8 E-Zuiko lens, it's contrasty and sharp. It has that late 70's charm. Needs some work, but it has an auto mode (shutter priority) and fully manual modes. Real easy to use, and it has a nice GN flash system built in.

And they're cheap.

 

[.AB]

Zorki 1 with Industar 22 is small. Fit in my jeans pocket.

 

[p.giannakis]

I regret having sold my Ricoh 500G. It was full auto or manual, it was tiny and the lens was fantastic, as good as (if not better than) my Industar-61 I have for my Fed. Good news is that those cameras go very cheap on *bay.
I have a short review of it here: http://pansfilmcameras.blogspot.com/2010/04/ricoh-500g.html

 

[TobiasL]

There are many that are worth a look. I made experience with Konica Auto S3 (few photos of mine on flickr). Nice little camera (unfortunately I dropped mine hard and had to sell it for parts/repair 🙁 )

Your Konica Auto S3 looks really nice, similar to my Konica C35 but unfortunately it's in bad shape but I like the size.

Compact in what way? In your hands while shooting, while transporting it?

I meant compact in hands. I have a Zeiss Ikon ZM and that one feels a little big at times and I intend to use the camera as backup to my Zeiss.

Thanks for all the suggestions, will check them out 🙂

 

[Pentudlian]

I regret having sold my Ricoh 500G. It was full auto or manual, it was tiny and the lens was fantastic, as good as (if not better than) my Industar-61 I have for my Fed. Good news is that those cameras go very cheap on *bay.
I have a short review of it here: http://pansfilmcameras.blogspot.com/2010/04/ricoh-500g.html

+1 for the Ricoh 500G

 

[FrankS]

Start reading here: http://www.cameraquest.com/classics.htm

And especially here: http://www.cameraquest.com/com35s.htm

 

[wallace]

you can get a fully refurbished 35RC from tripman.uk
It's a brilliant design as is the Trip35.

Thomas

 

[Vics]

Rollei 35. Doesn't get much more compact, with a great Sonnar or Tessar lens. Zone focus. Here's a broad sample of what it's capable of.
http://www.flickr.com/search/?w=all&q=rollei+35+travel&m=text

 

[Brian Legge]

Compact in hand is tricky as its all about ergonomics and that tends to be really personal.

For example, of the small cameras I like the Minolta 7sII quite a bit because of the little level at the bottom of the lens to control the aperture. Some of the other cameras in this class made it a very narrow lens near the lens mount which I have a hard time gripping.

All of the recommendations here are good but try to get your hands on a camera to see how they feel before making a decision if possible.

 

[Bingley]

The battery in the Canonet Q17 GIII powers the meter and the semi-auto mode, but you can shoot it in fully manual mode too. The Olympus RC is distinctly smaller than the Canonet. Both have great lenses and can take fine photos if you get a good sample. They're also quite inexpensive. The Rollei 35 is another great little camera, but it's not a rangefinder - you scale focus with it. Some people find that annoying. The tessar or sonnar versions are fine, but either version will be more expensive than the Olympus or Canonet.

 

[TobiasL]

Start reading here: http://www.cameraquest.com/classics.htm

And especially here: http://www.cameraquest.com/com35s.htm

Thanks for the links! Great read, had completely forgot about that site. At the moment everything points to either Olympus 35 RC or Canonet GIII QL17 but I might end up with both. They look like beauties 🙂

 

[TobiasL]

Compact in hand is tricky as its all about ergonomics and that tends to be really personal.

I completely agree with this, it's not easy at all but once you find the camera that fits you then you fall in love 🙂

 

[kdemas]

Depending on your budget I'd go for the Contax T or the Olympus XA. The lens on the T is absurdly good though it's a bit of a trick to load.

 

[Bingley]

Depending on your budget I'd go for the Contax T or the Olympus XA. The lens on the T is absurdly good though it's a bit of a trick to load.

That would be my advice, too, except that the OP said he wanted a manual camera.🙂

 

[batterytypehah!]

Third to recommend the Ricoh 500G but realistically, I think it's hard to find a good one. Those compacts as a whole weren't well made and I'm afraid Ricoh wasn't near the top in quality.

All will have a gooey mess where the foam light seals used to be. At least on the 500G that's an easy fix.

 

[Frontman]

For manually operated compact rangefinder cameras, these are my main choices. The Canonet is a bit smaller, but the SP has a better lens, amd a superior meter.