A beginner on a budget - What camera to get?

I

irreality

Newbie
Local time
2:00 AM
Joined
Aug 4, 2012
Messages
3
Hello all,

I have been shooting with Nikon and Olympus dSLR cameras since 2004 and know my way around them well enough. However, during the last year or so I have become more and more fascinated by the prospect of shooting film. I got into photography at a time when 35mm film was already in decline and sort of missed that whole thing.

At first I was thinking of getting something like the Olympus OM2 or OM4, but then realized that a rangefinder camera would be more interesting - I would not only get familiar with shooting film, but also experience the "magic" of using a rangefinder :)

So my question to you is, which rangefinder camera would you recommend to someone who wants to get started? This would understandably be a second camera to me so I am not inclined to spend a lot of money on it. Which camera would currently have superb quality for the price?

Something with a good and affordable 35 or 50mm lens would be preferred as those are the focal lengths that I enjoy shooting with.


Thank you! :)
 
I have a Canonet QL17 GIII, that I love, it takes great photo's. And you can usually find them pretty cheap. It has a 40mm f/1.7 lens, so it's pretty fast and has a nice focal length (imo). Here's an example of a photo I took indoors with mine, no flash was allowed in the gallery.

shot with Ilford XP2 Super 400

clearly_stated_by_randomav1-d4p83sj.jpg
 
A Nikon S2 with a 5cm f/1.4 lens would be a fantastic way to get into rangefinders and film. That combination goes these days for between $500-700 in very good to excellent condition.

Phil Forrest
 
The Nikon S2 looks gorgeous but unfortunately is out of my price range. Does the Canonet have full manual controls? I read it has shutter priority. Personally I prefer shooting with manual, or at the least aperture priority.

I am comparing these to e.g. the Olympus OM2 which goes for ~150 € with a 50mm f1.8 lens. This is quite a difference to the Nikon S2 which starts from 890 € in the German eBay.
 
The Canonette is a great place to start out, as good as any fixed lens rangefinder. The are a lot of good options - finding something in good condition is really the most important part.
 
irreality said:
The Nikon S2 looks gorgeous but unfortunately is out of my price range. Does the Canonet have full manual controls? I read it has shutter priority. Personally I prefer shooting with manual, or at the least aperture priority.

I am comparing these to e.g. the Olympus OM2 which goes for ~150 € with a 50mm f1.8 lens. This is quite a difference to the Nikon S2 which starts from 890 € in the German eBay.
Click to expand...

As you already have digital SLR's, it seems as if switching to a film SLR would be a rather small step. (As good as the OM2 may be.) I'd say go for a fixed lens rangefinder with full manual controls!

You can find a good overview here (it includes a list of the main compact rangefinders with manual controls):

http://www.cameraquest.com/com35s.htm
 
Nice to see another rangefinder soul here :)

It would be easier to help if we knew your budget and whether you look for a 'compact' rangefinder with fixed lens (like a Canonet) or a 'normal' one.

If the later is the case than in the rangefinder world it is hard to beat Bessa R2A (optimal for 35mm lenses) or R3A (great for 50mm and longer). I had the R3A at a time it worked nicely. But it will still cost you more than an OM2 or Nikon FE2 or similar.

For a lens that is good and does not cost a fortune - what about- Skopar 35/2.5, Skopar 50/2.5, Nokton 40/1.4, Rokkor 40/2.0, Ultron 40/1.7, Nokton 50/1.5 - just to name a few. All of these are 'modern' lenses so to speak. But will still cost more than a manual focus 35 or 50 lens for an SLR.

EDIT: Most of the fixed lens rangefinder cameras are older ones - be careful about the condition of you decide to get one. Also very few have aperture priority (mostly only shutter priority). I had a Konica S3 and while it was a nice little camera, the Bessa R3A was easier to use (though louder).
 
It was a pretty big camera, which might defy some of the logic for getting a fixed-lens rangefinder, but my Minolta Hi-Matic 7s had full manual controls as well as aperture and shutter priority.
 
I don't have any experience with other cameras mentioned above, so purely based on my own personal experience, I recommend a Leica CL with Summicron-C 40/2. It's a great little Leica - actually the smallest M mount Leica body. It is actually not that budget camera, but the ones with dead meter can be grabbed below $500.

I can also recommend Yashica Electro 35 GSN, which was my first rangefinder camera. Even if I now use the CL more often, I still love GSN!
 
http://www.cameraquest.com/classics.htm

Worth a read.. The head bartender did a great job with all the info...

My personal favorite in the under 200 to 300 range is a Kodak Retina. Any of the Retina II's should work for u. They are Made in Germany and they are folders :). U can fit it in your pocket. Retina III's are bigger due to built in light meter. Given the age of these light meters not sure how accurate they still are.
http://www.cameraquest.com/retIIa.htm
http://www.cameraquest.com/ret3c.htm

If u want more modern design, look at the canon and Olympus rf offerings of the 70's..

http://www.cameraquest.com/com35s.htm

Good luck
Gary
 
Last edited:
At $150 there's quite a choice of fixed-lens RFs. Having owned several different marques in the past, I'd back Konicas -- see http://www.rogerandfrances.com/subscription/konica sIII.html -- but not Yashicas (too big) and NOTHING which relied on full auto only (all too many Canons). EDIT: and indeed the Retina - how could I forget that? Possibly because my Retina II is in need of repair... But I bought it in Luxembourg maybe a decade ago for 25€ and it woorked ine for six or seven years.

For the same sort of money you could get a proper interchangeable-lens camera, a good, working Zorki 4K (not all of them fall into this category). Eccentric and agricultural, yes, but not without charm.

Or you could cut out a pointless step and go straight in with a Bessa. Either you find it useful or you don't, and if you don't, you can sell it on for a minimal loss.

Or again, do you want an RF or would scale-focus be OK?

Cheers,

R.
 
If you will pardon the shameless commercialism, I've got a nice Canonet for sale here: http://www.rangefinderforum.com/pho...tle/fs-2-customized-canon-canonet-ql17s/cat/3.


irreality said:
Hello all,

I have been shooting with Nikon and Olympus dSLR cameras since 2004 and know my way around them well enough. However, during the last year or so I have become more and more fascinated by the prospect of shooting film. I got into photography at a time when 35mm film was already in decline and sort of missed that whole thing.

At first I was thinking of getting something like the Olympus OM2 or OM4, but then realized that a rangefinder camera would be more interesting - I would not only get familiar with shooting film, but also experience the "magic" of using a rangefinder :)

So my question to you is, which rangefinder camera would you recommend to someone who wants to get started? This would understandably be a second camera to me so I am not inclined to spend a lot of money on it. Which camera would currently have superb quality for the price?

Something with a good and affordable 35 or 50mm lens would be preferred as those are the focal lengths that I enjoy shooting with.


Thank you! :)
Click to expand...
 
For a total manual experience and easy on pocketbook look at the Argus C-3's. You will have lots of money left over for film.
 
I was in pretty much the same boat (but already had a film SLR, I just wanted to try the 'magic' of a rangefinder). I also wanted full manual control, which posed a problem since most the cheap fixed lens RFs I found had some form of automation (Electro 35, Canonet, etc).

I would have liked an Olympus 35, but couldn't find one in my price range (sub $100). I did find a Yashica Minister 700 (45mm F1.7) for $50. The Minister D is similar, but with a F2.8 lens. So far I'm pleased with mine (I get my first roll of film back tomorrow, so I may need to update this). They also made the Lynx 1000 and Lynx 5000 which used F1.8 lenses. Those can also be found pretty cheap on ebay.

I also played with a Voightlander Vito CLR (50mm F2.8). The particular one I played with had a stuck shutter, and I didn't wanted to mess about with trying to CLA a camera, so I passed on it. But, I will admit it was pretty cool to handle.

The one piece of advice I'll give - don't fret over an integrated/working light meter. I really didn't want to buy / carry around a seperate light meter, so I focused on models that had them. Afterwards I found a light meter app for my cell phone that seems to work just fine (matches my SLR's TTL readings close enough). Since I always carry my phone on me, using it as light meter works well enough.
 
If you like SLRs, then I'd just get an SLR, the bang for the buck is just vastly better than range finders. Don't get me wrong, I love range finders, but unless you specifically want one, SLRs are so much better value. 150 Euros will give you a great selection of reliable and usable cameras such as OM, Pentax, Nikon, Canon. You'll also be able to get extra lenses far cheaper.
 
Why do you think that RF is "magic"? Have you tried an RF yet?
You may find that you will miss SLR features such a through the lens viewing and close focusing. The most versatile 35mm camera is the SLR design. The OM you mentioned is excellent and there are many other fine choices.

I'm not saying you should not get a 35mm RF, just that you should a least also consider, and try out a 35mm SLR also.
 
one90guy said:
For a total manual experience and easy on pocketbook look at the Argus C-3's. You will have lots of money left over for film.
Click to expand...

Not in Germany. The first time I encountered the Brick, after a European upbringing, I was astonished that a camera this ugly, crude and primitive had been produced outside the Soviet Union. Indeed, the Lomo and Droog are arguably better cameras. Unsurprisingly, Arguses (Argi?) were never widely exported, except through the PX (which, in Bermuda, is where I first encountered one).

I realize that for many Americans, Arguses are up there with apple pie, but I have to say that my Cornish grandmother's apple pie beat any American (or French) contender hollow, too. The only reason to love an Argus is nostalgia or misplaced patriotism.

Cheers,

R.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom