Cheap film rangefinder for street photography

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tobyprice

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I shoot gigs at present and being raised in the Digital age I use a canon 350D.

www.photosinthedark.fotopic.net

However I fancy getting outon the gritty streets of Nottingham (England) and having a go with some fast film and wide lenses. I don't want anything pricey (partly because I'm a poor student) but also because mugging is always possible.

Would you advice any of the cheap Russian import cameras/lenses?

Really be usefull to have a really basic run down of what I need and how to go about this.

Thanks for your time reading.

Toby
 
patashnik said:
How wide do you need to go? Have a look at the Yashica GSN and the Canonets, they all offer a lot of fun for a reasonable price - and fast/sharp lenses. I wouldn't bother with those Russian Leica clones - to much hassle for me.

All depends on the budget...
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Have to agree. Russian cameras are fun to collect and use occasionaly but not too user friendly for serious shooting.
My choice would be the GSN or if you want manual control the Yashica 5000e or 14e. For film TriX can't be beat. If you want cheap stuff try Lucky film.
 
Yeah, the Russians are great for collecting, but not so great for street for use. For one thing, a lot of them are loud and sometimes temperamental. If you're intent on going that route, look into a Kiev. They've got the best viewfinder of the lot and the quietest shutter.

If it were me, I'd go for a Canonet or an Olympus XA. Both are whisper quiet, lightweight, and have tack sharp lenses (40mm & 35mm, respectively).
 
[FONT=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif][SIZE=+5]The GSN looks like a viable option, don't want to spend more than £50 quid or so. If I went for something like this would I be able to get straight out on the street and have a go?

Thanks

Toby

And thanks for all your swift and really helpfull replies.
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yikes!

Turn off that bold please! 🙂

I just checked some negs, and I would also recommend a folding medium format camera, like the Zeiss Nettar (very cheap, scale focus). I'm developing a few rolls from mine, and you can use it easily as a snapshot camera. The price and vintage means you aren't likely to have it stolen, it fits in your pocket, and you can quite easily find a replacement.
 
tobyprice said:
I shoot gigs at present and being raised in the Digital age I use a canon 350D.

www.photosinthedark.fotopic.net

However I fancy getting outon the gritty streets of Nottingham (England) and having a go with some fast film and wide lenses. I don't want anything pricey (partly because I'm a poor student) but also because mugging is always possible.

Would you advice any of the cheap Russian import cameras/lenses?

Really be usefull to have a really basic run down of what I need and how to go about this.

Thanks for your time reading.

Toby
Click to expand...

A good starter is teh Canonet GIII-QL. It was my first RF for street shooting.

I also bought a bunch of russian stuff and its fun, but the canonet got all the service. Its cheap, works well and takes decent pictures.

I'll sell you mine (or a Olmpus 35RC) if you contact me offline.
 
There are some great vintage cameras that might suit your needs. I really like my Canonnet QL17 Giii (that was the last version and most deluxe). It's a great camera.

possitives:

• a very small compact camera
• has a light meter
• manual aperture and shutter speed
• nice sharp lens that goes to f1.7
• it has aperture priority exposure
• you can find a decent one for around $60

negatives:

• it's an old camera, you may need to replace the light seals
• uses mercury batteries no longer available, but there are other options

I've heard great things about the Yashika GSN. They are large cameras but have an excellent lens and metering system. I would like to try the Olympus XA because they are incredibly small and portable. Do a Google search for Karen Nakamura and you'll find a site with lots of great detail about these cameras and others.

Hope that helps.
 
tobyprice said:
[FONT=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif][SIZE=+5]The GSN looks like a viable option, don't want to spend more than £50 quid or so. If I went for something like this would I be able to get straight out on the street and have a go?

Thanks

Toby

And thanks for all your swift and really helpfull replies.
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Click to expand...

Yes, with the GSN you'd be all set to go. Fish around here on rff for one before you try ebay. You'll have better luck as far as getting a good one.
Remember the GSN is not fully manual. Check out this site for info on the GSN and other Yashica models.
http://www.yashica-guy.com/
 
So would I have to rely on the light meter ie. Apature priority?

That would be a shame... is that the same for the Canonnet models?

I really want a bright lens of reasonable quality (clearly price dictates this) and a sturdy not ostentatious camera body (prefer black and battered).

Manual and below F 2.0 would be ideal.

I'm looking into the Canonnet series as well as GSN.

Thanks again for everyones input.

Toby
 
Something like a Canonet Ql17 GIII is a great way to get into it, you can manually override if you want to, but the Auto Aperture exposure works very well.

I also like the Yashica Lynx 5000 for full manual.

Both have fast sharp normal-ish lenses (40-50mm).

If you want interchangable lenses and don't want to spend much, your options are much more limited.
 
Agree about the Yashica Lynx 5000e. A great lens and it is fully manual.
I just bought one for about $30. Found a good one on ebay believe it or not.
 
canonet all the way
This is probably the best inexpensive rf you can buy with a fast lens. At night you don't need a meter necessarily. Just open the lens all the way up, and set the shutter as low as you can hand hold.
 
So it looks like the Canonet is the most popular followed by the GSN/GTN

QL19
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Canon-Canonet...ryZ15234QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

GTN
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Yashica-Elect...ryZ48550QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

People seem to suggest there is a variability in quality, I assume because these cameras have been around for a while their care is going to effect their opperation. Would you advice asking around here or hitting ebay?

The above links are some examples of ones I've seen today (I'd shop around when I decide obviously)

Toby
 
Asking around here - you'll get a more honest response about quality of a given sample. Whether it has had work done or needs it, and may be able to see sample pictures. Ie. whether it's a proven user, or a paperweight.

You might pay a touch more, but you sometimes get deals too - especially when you factor in the cost of repairs.

edit: fwiw - I much prefer the QL17 GIII over the QL19, and certainly over the non GIII models. I have one for sale in the classifieds, but given international shipping costs, it may not end up being viable for you.
 
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For sure look here first. Put up a want ad, it works.
The Canonet is a great camera, but for me it is too
small. So I like the Yashicas. They seem sturdier and
are larger. Just my opinion.
If that isnt a concern than go for it.
 
I do street photography 96% of the time with Zorki and FED. I would say that they are user friendly and can be considered for serious work. It's the adjustment part which may turn off some people, but once these machines are
set, they can do work as good as any other camera.

The functions may not be as easy, but then again, any camera requires some form of learning curve.

In as far as cheap goes, the Russian and Ukrainian rangefinders are hard to beat. Just yesterday, our group went on a street shoot. Three of us shot with
Russian rangefinders. One dropped his FED-2 on the pavement. Nothing happened to it. Nothing happened to the owner as well. Just imagine if this FED-2's owner had dropped a Leica, a Bessa, or an R-D1 instead. He may have suffered more trauma than his camera did. 😀

I also had an R-D1 in tow. In as far as responsiveness goes, the Zorki fired and shot when it was commanded to. Film cameras still win in this category. 🙂

Jay
 
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