ludoo
Established
I got recently interested in photography again after more than 20 years (I am 43 now), after reading something about 70s rangefinder cameras. I got a few of those, then broadened my interests and got a couple of folders and a few zone focus cameras, then started thinking about LTM cameras and got a FED-2 and a few lenses.
Along the way I also picked up a Fujica ST605n, it was my first camera when I was 13 or 14, I loved it and even bought a second one used (which I promptly lost when moving) after I left the first one with an ex girlfriend. I received it last Friday, and on Saturday I loaded a roll of film and suddenly felt right at home again. No more fiddling with hard to see rf patches and a separate meter: a bright viewfinder where you can actually see what's going on without squinting, shutter speeds displayed on the side of the vf, a precise meter that goes up to 3200ASA with a simple to use analog needle, all in a smallish, cheap, solidly built camera with interchangeable lenses.
The only things I'm missing from some of my other cameras is their small size, that allows me to carry them in my cargo pants pockets, and their quiet shutters. I am starting to think SLRs are better for me than rangefinders, with the exception of the Mamiya 135 I carry around as my everyday ps.
But maybe I just spent my money in all the wrong places, and even though I find some of my cameras exceptionally beautiful objects (the Super Silette, Vito B, etc) if I had bought a Bessa R or a Canon 7s instead of squandering my money on a dozen different cameras, I might feel differently.
What do you think?
Along the way I also picked up a Fujica ST605n, it was my first camera when I was 13 or 14, I loved it and even bought a second one used (which I promptly lost when moving) after I left the first one with an ex girlfriend. I received it last Friday, and on Saturday I loaded a roll of film and suddenly felt right at home again. No more fiddling with hard to see rf patches and a separate meter: a bright viewfinder where you can actually see what's going on without squinting, shutter speeds displayed on the side of the vf, a precise meter that goes up to 3200ASA with a simple to use analog needle, all in a smallish, cheap, solidly built camera with interchangeable lenses.
The only things I'm missing from some of my other cameras is their small size, that allows me to carry them in my cargo pants pockets, and their quiet shutters. I am starting to think SLRs are better for me than rangefinders, with the exception of the Mamiya 135 I carry around as my everyday ps.
But maybe I just spent my money in all the wrong places, and even though I find some of my cameras exceptionally beautiful objects (the Super Silette, Vito B, etc) if I had bought a Bessa R or a Canon 7s instead of squandering my money on a dozen different cameras, I might feel differently.
What do you think?
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hans voralberg
Veteran
I think you're right 
If you're more SLR-happy then try out the OM system, or better yet, Pen-F, as tiny as you could get.
If you're more SLR-happy then try out the OM system, or better yet, Pen-F, as tiny as you could get.Benjamin Marks
Veteran
Well, I wouldn't say that you are spoiled. Rather, as you approach a more seasoned perspective, you have refined your taste.
Sincerely,
Ben Marks (also in his 40's)
Sincerely,
Ben Marks (also in his 40's)
squirrel$$$bandit
Veteran
If you've got some disposable income, and like cameras, I think it's perfectly reasonable to buy and sell a bunch of different ones until you find a few that you really love and want to keep. I find this process to be a lot of fun, and using different things inspires new ways of working.
petronius
Veteran
In the choice of your camera you have "absolute" freedom; enjoy that freedom!
FrankS
Registered User
There are no camera police and no laws about what camera type you have to use, so do what feels right for you. However, before you dismiss RF type cameras, you need to realize that the ones you have been using do not represent the best of that type. Before dismissing RF cameras, you owe it to yourself to try a Leica M, or modern Bessa or Zeiss RF camera.
Roger Hicks
Veteran
You're still wearing cargo pants at 43?
CALL THE FASHION POLICE!
Tashi delek,
R.
CALL THE FASHION POLICE!
Tashi delek,
R.
Robin P
Well-known
I'm "still wearing" them at 57!
But I've only been wearing them for a couple of years and that just because they were free issue part of the uniform in my previous nasty job. I cut the corporate label off and now wear them to my new job simply because it involves getting dirty or wet from time to time.
Back to the original thread subject, a Fujica STX-1 was my first ever SLR purchase C.1980 and I'd use one now if the viewfinder was more friendly to spectacle wearers. Nice simple mechanical SLR with the attractive option of a useable adapter for M42 lenses.
I've tried many rangefinders and am familiar with the frustration of misty viewfinders and elusive focusing patches. In many cases the problem is just the age and condition of the camera, my second copy of a 1967 Rank Aldis (AKA Mamiya Ranger) has a tolerably bright & clear viewfinder and is a pleasure to focus - pleased to have found it as there are occasions when a small camera is what one wants to take out for the day.
Cheers, Robin
Attachments
ruby.monkey
Veteran
A Pentax MX with 40mm f/2.8 SMC-M fits nicely in a cargo pocket, or even in a back pocket (as long as you remember not to sit down).
ZeissFan
Veteran
One of the great things today about being a film photographer is that there are thousands of cameras on the used market, and most are available for a reasonable amount.
My first camera was an SLR, and it's nice to get back to them. Rangefinders are great cameras, but an SLR often feels like going home.
Definitely enjoy the experience!
My first camera was an SLR, and it's nice to get back to them. Rangefinders are great cameras, but an SLR often feels like going home.
Definitely enjoy the experience!
Leighgion
Bovine Overseer
SLR's are terrific.
I'm primarily an SLR man. My rangefinder use is built around the occasions when I want silence or just the smallest possible package for a given film size.
Everybody in this forum should also shoot SLRs.
I'm primarily an SLR man. My rangefinder use is built around the occasions when I want silence or just the smallest possible package for a given film size.
Everybody in this forum should also shoot SLRs.
ludoo
Established
Lots of interesting replies.
I would like to own an OM-1 and a Pen-F sometimes, but getting a complete kit is too expensive for me now, or too expensive to put them on top of my "to buy" list.
I would say the same, except that my seasoned perspective coincides with my 13-years old one.
I've been doing this, but the problem is I end up loving all of them and can't sell any. I have to stop buying nice cheap cameras and save up for one of the excellent ones.
I completely agree. I love some of the shots I took with the more rudimentary cameras I own (the Belca Beltica is the most uncomfortable of them), and they definitely taught me something even if it's only to appreciate the ease of use of modern gear. Using a camera that does not require much fiddling and a separate meter (or guessing the exposure) and has a bright large viewfinder is more comfortable and allows me to concentrate better on what I see.
I think I will keep using old cameras, partly because I like them (my current favourite is the Super Silette I just got back from a CLA) and partly as a kind of mental exercise so as not to become too lazy.
What I cannot much stand is the soft wuality of some of my older lenses, particularly the small front focusing ones. The famed Tessar, even coated, is often pretty awful at wide apertures and I find it a waste of time, money, and potentially good shots to take pics with it (the Beltica, again).
That's exactly part of what I was trying to say. I need to get myself a Bessa R or one of the late Canon RFs before I confine rangefinders to my pocketable needs. The problem is they cost much more than the cameras I've been buying (and keep buying, just got a Vito II), so I need some patience and restraint.
Hah! You don't know how they fit.
Seriously, they cost 20 euros at the surplus store next to my office and being an IT guy I'm entitled to some weirdness in clothing. Even in the "fashion capital of the world".
That's exactly what I'm doing, but I wonder if I'm missing on something.
That's part of the problem: I end up buying too many cheap cameras, and each of them has some shortcoming.
Yes, especially given the number of Leica fans, and how nice the Leicaflex SL is. I tried one the other day and was floored by its quality and gorgeous viewfinder.
I think you're right
I would like to own an OM-1 and a Pen-F sometimes, but getting a complete kit is too expensive for me now, or too expensive to put them on top of my "to buy" list.
I would say the same, except that my seasoned perspective coincides with my 13-years old one.
I've been doing this, but the problem is I end up loving all of them and can't sell any. I have to stop buying nice cheap cameras and save up for one of the excellent ones.
I completely agree. I love some of the shots I took with the more rudimentary cameras I own (the Belca Beltica is the most uncomfortable of them), and they definitely taught me something even if it's only to appreciate the ease of use of modern gear. Using a camera that does not require much fiddling and a separate meter (or guessing the exposure) and has a bright large viewfinder is more comfortable and allows me to concentrate better on what I see.
I think I will keep using old cameras, partly because I like them (my current favourite is the Super Silette I just got back from a CLA) and partly as a kind of mental exercise so as not to become too lazy.
What I cannot much stand is the soft wuality of some of my older lenses, particularly the small front focusing ones. The famed Tessar, even coated, is often pretty awful at wide apertures and I find it a waste of time, money, and potentially good shots to take pics with it (the Beltica, again).
That's exactly part of what I was trying to say. I need to get myself a Bessa R or one of the late Canon RFs before I confine rangefinders to my pocketable needs. The problem is they cost much more than the cameras I've been buying (and keep buying, just got a Vito II), so I need some patience and restraint.
Hah! You don't know how they fit.
Seriously, they cost 20 euros at the surplus store next to my office and being an IT guy I'm entitled to some weirdness in clothing. Even in the "fashion capital of the world".
That's exactly what I'm doing, but I wonder if I'm missing on something.
That's part of the problem: I end up buying too many cheap cameras, and each of them has some shortcoming.
Everybody in this forum should also shoot SLRs.
Yes, especially given the number of Leica fans, and how nice the Leicaflex SL is. I tried one the other day and was floored by its quality and gorgeous viewfinder.
35mmdelux
Veni, vidi, vici
Ripped jeans are groovy.
ZeissFan
Veteran
I think that you might be in the same position I was a few years back (early 2000s).
What I did fairly early on when it was obvious that things were getting out of hand was to decide to focus on just a few makes. For me that was Zeiss Ikon, Rollei/Rolleiflex, Agfa, Kodak/Nagel and Voigtlander.
I also picked up some oddball cameras here and there: Konica, Olympus, Pentax K, Praktica, Exakta and a number of others.
But this will be the year that I cut back some. I've used nearly all of the cameras, but some more than others.
One other thing: It also became clear that I could go broke paying to have the cameras serviced, so I learned to do that myself.
What I did fairly early on when it was obvious that things were getting out of hand was to decide to focus on just a few makes. For me that was Zeiss Ikon, Rollei/Rolleiflex, Agfa, Kodak/Nagel and Voigtlander.
I also picked up some oddball cameras here and there: Konica, Olympus, Pentax K, Praktica, Exakta and a number of others.
But this will be the year that I cut back some. I've used nearly all of the cameras, but some more than others.
One other thing: It also became clear that I could go broke paying to have the cameras serviced, so I learned to do that myself.
Al Kaplan
Veteran
For most of us "complete kits" are fun to assemble and play with, but after awhile you discover that you mostly use just one or two of the lenses, maybe a third on rare occasion, but most of them just sit there except for the rare occasion when you decide "Gee, I should run a roll with the 400. I haven't used it in what? Three years?" If you have more than one kit odds are one of them about never sees the light of day (or the dark in a bar). Unless you need it for work or nostalgia consider getting rid of it!
bucks11
Established
I still shoot with my SLRs and wouldn't trade them for a lot of things (given there are some things)....When I decided to jump to a Bessa for a RF I now enjoy RF shooting just as much as my SLRs. I know everybody has their taste of cameras, and I still find myself grabbing for my trusty ol' Oly XA when I'm heading out the door.
mfogiel
Veteran
If you really want to have the best compact SLR camera, look for a Nikon FM3A with the 45P Nikkor, which is in reality a pancake Tessar lens, and one of the best Tessars made. This will give you the best compact SLR kit ever made, and if you feel one day like using other lenses, you can put all the Nikon AIS and Zeiss ZF glass on that.
The 45P ends, where the focusing ring begins on this 35/2 Distagon ZF
The 45P ends, where the focusing ring begins on this 35/2 Distagon ZF
ZeissFan
Veteran
That's a very pretty setup!
Keith
The best camera is one that still works!
That Nikon is compact as are the OM series ... my OM-1 and 2 comfortably share a Luigi case with my M2. My OM kit never fails to amaze me ... two bodies and a superb selection of lenses for basically what my M2 is worth.
We are spoiled currently I agree ... I salivate over some of the beautiful MF gear available at near giveaway prices! One day I will own a Hasselblad!
We are spoiled currently I agree ... I salivate over some of the beautiful MF gear available at near giveaway prices! One day I will own a Hasselblad!
gavinlg
Veteran
If you really want to have the best compact SLR camera, look for a Nikon FM3A with the 45P Nikkor, which is in reality a pancake Tessar lens, and one of the best Tessars made. This will give you the best compact SLR kit ever made, and if you feel one day like using other lenses, you can put all the Nikon AIS and Zeiss ZF glass on that.
The 45P ends, where the focusing ring begins on this 35/2 Distagon ZF
To hi-jack the thread very quickly (sorry!),
Does the FM3a have the same setup as the fm2n where you have to have the advance lever pulled out from the body very slightly to be able to fire the shutter?
thanks