recommend me a system, rff?

T

torn

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cutting straight to the chase....
i would like to shoot color film, have a 50mm equivalent fast lens, and aperture-priority mode.
having shot 35-40mm equivalent for so long im quite sick of it. i currently have an X100 and hexar af (both 35/2 fixed) and an epson v500 scanner, the dev is done for 2.5$ a roll and the film averages about 6.5$ a roll. also shot for a while with a leica m6 classic and a 40/2 lens.

was considering getting another m6 and a c-sonnar 50/1.5, but it has no a-mode....even if i got the ttl with the larger and less stiff dial, i think taking a shot would still take too long. essentially an m7 would be good, but dropping 3 grand on a camera and lens? .... 😱

MF also caught my interest but its about 1.5$ per shot (120 dev + scanned) compared to 0.25$ per shot for 35mm, this is too high for me. (honestly i feel better about having assets than incurring expenses)

contax g system has no aperture larger than f2, otherwise id be on that. what is there for me?

thanks in advance for any suggestion
 
Cameras (from "low" to high budget): Bessa R[23]A, Hexar RF, ZI, M7

Lenses (from "low" to high budget): Canon 50/1.4, Nikkor 50/1.4, CV 50/1.5, 50/1.1, C-Sonnar, Summilux pre-asph, and more expensive lenses.

Easy to spend from US 700 to over US 5k, for not much difference in the output really.

For the cameras, the best is to actually try one.

Roland.
 
Leica M7, Konica Hexar RF, Zeiss Ikon ZM. Your choices, as far as I know. With color film, my opinion is that the sharper the lens the better, as opposed to B/W film, better save up for that 50 Lux ASPH mate 🙂
 
Moriturii said:
Leica M7, Konica Hexar RF, Zeiss Ikon ZM. Your choices, as far as I know. With color film, my opinion is that the sharper the lens the better, as opposed to B/W film, better save up for that 50 Lux ASPH mate 🙂
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hexar rf... how could i forget
i wonder if this is actually an issue though:

"it's a safe bet these high speed lenses will be questionably accurate on the Hexar RF. Even the 50/1.4 will be questionable on the Hexar."

i already thought the m6 patch was quite small and apparantly RFs smaller :S
 
Zeiss Ikon is a fine camera, but the Bessa R3A (optimal for 50 lens) will do the job without hesitation too. There are great lenses for decent money like Skopar 50/2.5 or Nokton 50/1.5 or you can invest more like the Sonnar you have mentioned or Planar 50/2.0. There are many really good 50mm lenses.

With regard to Bessa R3A vs Zi - the Zi feels better in hand the the viewfinder is GREAT and the rangefinder has more precision, but the Bessa is quite good too. So if the Ikon is too much $$$ just get a used Bessa - no hesitation necessary.

Try to concentrate on a lens that you would like to have and that get as good camera as how much money you have left 🙂
 
torn said:
hexar rf... how could i forget
i wonder if this is actually an issue though:

"it's a safe bet these high speed lenses will be questionably accurate on the Hexar RF. Even the 50/1.4 will be questionable on the Hexar."

i already thought the m6 patch was quite small and apparantly RFs smaller :S
Click to expand...

Sounds exactly like a internet drone, never used a Hexar RF.

I've used my Hexar RF in rain or shine (literally speaking) for nearly two years, always use 50mm F2 or 50mm F1.4 lenses, I always get perfect focus, what more do I need to say? And here is a USER talking, not someone reading review by Ren Kockwell and then going on RFF and chirping on the old info. Good news is, Hexar RF bodies are to be found for less than $600 in EXC to Mint condition. Just sayin...
 
ferider said:
Cameras (from "low" to high budget): Bessa R[23]A, Hexar RF, ZI, M7

Lenses (from "low" to high budget): Canon 50/1.4, Nikkor 50/1.4, CV 50/1.5, 50/1.1, C-Sonnar, Summilux pre-asph, and more expensive lenses.

Easy to spend from US 700 to over US 5k, for not much difference in the output really.
Click to expand...
if going M mount, imliking the c-sonnar, the oof seems the nicest to me, while almost all VC look harsh. never seen good examples of the LTM 50s and never shot an adapted lens, dunno if that adapters gonna be annoying...
i thought my m-rokkor 40/2 was plenty sharp and nice (400$). agree with you and wouldnt likely go over 1k for a lens

Moriturii said:
Just sayin...
Click to expand...
yeah i pulled that off cameraquest, first one that came off google lol
will check out if any stores have one here, looks promising
 
The F3 has many features! Reliability, lightest film advance of any camera(keeps one watching the rewind knob) and a good sized weight!
My F3 has a good meter but not "matrix".
Personally i prefer SLR to RF. i use Leica M because they "feel" smaller.
 
Olympus OM-2n if you like classic simplicity.
OM-4 if you like sophisticated spot metering.

Plenty of good lenses, affordable ones too.
 
With an Epson 500 scanner, your best bet for decent quality is to shoot medium format. I believe, you can get some cheapish 4.5x6 cameras, be it Fuji or Bronica RF or Pentax/Mamiya SLR. You have to google which of these have AE- However I have seen some great shots coming from a Mamiya 645 and a 80/1.9 lens. With this format you would get 16 shots on a roll. Here's a link to see some random shots from this lens:http://www.flickriver.com/search/mamiya+80%2F1.9/
If you want to stick to 35mm, in my opinion the best cost effective set up would be Bessa R3A+Planar50/2, while a Zeiss Ikon body would certainly feel nicer, for strictly 50mm shooting, the R3A has a better VF ( it is a 1.0 magnification - you can shoot with both eyes open). Planar is an absolutely killer lens for colour, have a look here:
http://www.flickriver.com/search/Planar+50%2F2/
However, in my opinion, a flatbed with 35mm is a pure waste of time, you should look for a dedicated scanner.
 
hey thanks for all the suggestions i am slowly looking at each one
mfogiel said:
However, in my opinion, a flatbed with 35mm is a pure waste of time, you should look for a dedicated scanner.
Click to expand...
i am posting pics to web only, dont have any pictures i think are worthy of making prints out of. seemed decent enough for B&W :/
would consider epson v700 or a plustek 7600i but havent found any comparison to my v500
 
bought the c-sonnar 50/1.5 😀
now deciding between an RF and R3A
seems like lots of people dont like the RF since you're SOL if it breaks
the R3A because it is apparantly bad build quality?
ZI is a bit pricey and god awful ugly i think thats what is really preventing me from taking it seriously
 
M7 can be had for 2K or a bit less if you are diligent enough plus a 40 M Rokkor at $500 will be a good start . There's 1 or 2 M7 in the RFF classified Ads now. Whatever you buy if you're into rangfinder, there will come a day where you would want to have a Leica. Save the long trip go straight to a Leica just my 2 cents.
 
If you're set on getting a range finder, and want aperture priority, my personal favourite is the Zeiss Ikon. Find one used at a good price is not too hard, you just need to be patient.

If you're not set on a range finder, you can save a fortune and get perhaps a Pentax LX, Nikon FM3A, Olympus OM4Ti etc.

Never used a Contax G2, but they look very nice. I used to be bothered about getting fast lenses too, and f/2 would have seemed slow to me. Now I feel f/2 is plenty.
 
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