What would be the most nice fixed lens RF?

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Robert Vote

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hi!

Do you have any recommendations for buying a nice fixed lens rangefinder?
I had a look on the GSN/GTNs very nice... I like one with a fast lens or a good wideangle. What would be the best for a few bucks?

Thanks for your ideas!
Robert
 
Robert Vote said:
hi!

Do you have any recommendations for buying a nice fixed lens rangefinder?
I had a look on the GSN/GTNs very nice... I like one with a fast lens or a good wideangle. What would be the best for a few bucks?

Thanks for your ideas!
Robert
Click to expand...

I rather like the Yashica Lynx 14e, nice 1.4 lens, manual controls, built in meter.

Cheers

Matt
 
Robert Vote said:
hi!

Do you have any recommendations for buying a nice fixed lens rangefinder?
I had a look on the GSN/GTNs very nice... I like one with a fast lens or a good wideangle. What would be the best for a few bucks?

Thanks for your ideas!
Robert
Click to expand...
The Olympus XA4's reputed to be pretty good. It also has a 28mm lens on it.
 
hi Robert,
I'm surprised more people haven't jumped on this question yet. I think you'll get a wide variety of suggestions, but it really comes down to defining your specific needs. There are an endless number of choices but the research is pleasant enough. First place to look would be the camera profiles at Cameraquest. Sorry, I don't have a link, but shouldn't be too hard to look up.
 
The best rf is the one you actually use.

Try out a bunch (maybe during an rf meeting) and see which one works for you. The XA is nice but I found it too small for my hands. I got a Canonet 28 for very cheap (3 euro) and it's cute. I don't use it because I'm stuck to my R-D1 but the Canonet would be right for me.
 
One very good camera and pretty easy to find in Germany is Revue 400 SE
with a 40mm/1.7 lens. should cost anything between 25 to 50 euros on ebay.
 
Canonet GIII QL17. It's easy to load, compact, has a bright finder, almost silent shutter, and you can set manual shutter and aperture settings.

Clarence
 
Cameraquest discusses this issue. The Canonets come out very high. I have one. However, these are old cameras. The Caonets normally need a full CLA with the seals replaced and the battery upgraded from the 625 which is no longer available in USA. Runs about $100.
 
Clarence has a QL17 for sale in the classifieds. He's from uk. You won't find a better fixed lens rangefinder period! It don't have the reputation of being "the poor mans Leica for nothing". ;) :D
 
My suggestion is the often overlooked Konica AutoS-2. Its lens is scalpel-sharp and yields beautifully contrasty color. The old Konica slogan used to be "The lens alone is worth the price".

The RF seems to be on the money in every one I've used. It's about the same heft and size of an M and handles just about as well as one. When available, they usually are around USA$50

Good value for money.

dc3
 
No specific recommendation but I suggest you look for one with (a) a good fast lens and (b) full control of aperture and, at least, proper indication of shutter speed if not direct control.

I love my Yashica GTN which I have been using for manyy years but I do still dislike the lake of direct shutter speed information. It's worth not being stuck on the rangefinder feature if the fixed lens is 40mm or less, zone focussing can be fine as in Rollei 35, Olympus XA2 etc

Minolta, Canon, Ricoh etc all produced excellent semi-automatic cameras and you would be hard pressed to tell the results of one from another on thebetter models.
 
45mm isn't particularly wide-angle, but if it's good enough for you and you'd like to pay $5 or $10 instead of $50 and up for a lot of these other options, I'd recommend the Minolta Hi-matic 7s or 9. Both are 45mm, the 7s is f1.8 and the 9 is 1.7 and adds an "easyflash" system which is actually pretty nice if you ever use flash.

Edit to add: both of these have full metered manual, full auto, aperture-priority, and shutter-priority, which is one of the reasons I love them.

The 7sII has a wider lens and is a lot more expensive, but also good.

I find them to be a lot nicer in the hands than the Canonets and Yashicas, and have a cooler, more pleasing picture quality. To my eyes, Yashicas tend too much towards oversaturating on yellows and greens like a lot of lenses of that time. Canonets seem to blow out highlights pretty easily (for example, skies being pretty much all white).

Of course, it depends on the sample and these are just general impressions.
 
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I'll second the recommendation on the Konica Auto S2. Not only is the f1.8 45mm lens very sharp, the viewfinder is bright and the framelines adjust for paralax. The meter on mine is pretty reliable too. Also, the build quality of the camera is very solid. What is amazing is that these cameras can be had in near-mint condition for so little $$$. I got mine on the 'bay for under $30, including case and strap, and my impression is that they generally go for less than a Canonet in similar condition. Note that Stephen Gandy's otherwise excellent write-up on fixed-lens rangefinders on Cameraquest.com does not mention the S2 (there is a write-up on the S3). The only negative I see on this camera is its relatively large size (physical dimensions are a bit larger than a Canon 7), but that could be a plus for some folks. Overall, I think this camera is undervalued, and would make an excellent choice for a fixed-lens rangefinder.

My two cents.
 
Is this question limited to 35mm choices, or would you consider 6x4.5cm? There is of course the compact folding Fuji GS645 with 75mm f/3.4, and the also light and compact non-folding Fuji GS645S with 60mm f/4 and the wide version with 45mm. Then there's the next more automated generation GA series which are not as small and light but the lenses do collapse for easier packing, choice of 60mm or wide 45mm f/4. Any of these can produce stunning results, and prices are moderate (though certainly not in the $100 range).
 
Konica Hexar, the AF one.. I know it's not a rangefinder, and it's expensive compared to thirty year old things, but oh it's so goooood..
 
I really like the Vivitar 35ES I have. It shares much of the Minolta 7s and other school. It is easy to use and is quite inexpensive. I carry it in a bag in my car most of the time. Photograpically it is quite nice.:)
 
Thanks for so many replies!

My needs are simple: good lens quality - working reliable meter - I want a good shooter - not too expensive max 60Eu. And it should be 35mm film format. I have already a medium format RF my heavy koni omega aka "The Rock"

Thanks!

Robert
 
Robert,

You may or may not be aware of this site, but www.cameraquest.com has a lot of articles on the recommendations you've gotten so far. Might help with the technical comparisons. Look under the classic camera profiles.
 
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