Best 35mm RFs under 50 American dollars.

[Vostok]

eBay is really expensive for me, thanks to our idiot president and her party there's a 50% tax on everything I buy abroad.

It means that if I buy a $50 camera with $15 shipping I'll have to pay taxes for $32,50. That's why I always buy my cameras from argentinian dealers.

 

[David Hughes]

Hi,

Ricoh did a nice range of rainge-finders in the 80's.

Try the Olympus XA2, it's not a range-finder but many people - including me - like it. And RF's can be very fragile, especially the older ones. So, for me, the cheap and nice back packers' camera would be the XA2. It's usually cheap because every one wants the XA.

Regards, David

 

[Vostok]

Hi,

Ricoh did a nice range of rainge-finders in the 80's.

Try the Olympus XA2, it's not a range-finder but many people - including me - like it. And RF's can be very fragile, especially the older ones. So, for me, the cheap and nice back packers' camera would be the XA2. It's usually cheap because every one wants the XA.

Regards, David

Thank you for your advice.

I'm still looking, the $21 Yashica ME guy didn't answer my question and I don't know if he ships to Buenos Aires. (He's from another province).

 

[David Hughes]

Hi,

I'll wish you luck with the Yashica 35-ME. In some ways it's superior to the Olympus Trip 35, I've one or two of both and can easily make the comparison.

Regards, David

 

[Vostok]

Hi,

I'll wish you luck with the Yashica 35-ME. In some ways it's superior to the Olympus Trip 35, I've one or two of both and can easily make the comparison.

Regards, David

Thank you, David.

I found a Minolta Repo Model II for $17. Everything's working, according to the seller and it seems to be in really good condition. I'm buying.

I know it's a half frame camera from 1962, has a selenium meter and a Rokkor 30 f/2.8. But I don't know how it behaves. Is it any good?.

 

[sparrow6224]

The three best fixed lens RF's I've used are the Pentax SP35 (or 35SP?); the Canonet QL 17; and the Minolta Hi-Matic 7ii. Any of these on a lucky day could be found for $50. they go as high as twice that. Anything over $100 don't pay it....

 

[carbon_dragon]

You are probably not going to get interchangeable lenses for $50. I can think of two possible options. One is my first camera, the Konica I. Very rugged, excellent lenses, very simple, no light meter to go wrong. No collector interest and often very well priced. Made about 1948 in occupied Japan.

Second is a variety of good but simple rangefinders in the 70s from a variety of manufacturers like Minolta, Olympus, and Canon. I've had the Minolta 7 and 7s. The 7 is biggish but the lens is very good. I had less positive to say about the 7s but I think I got a bad one. But those old fixed lens rangefinders are cheap.

The reason I like the Konica I is that it's a solid, chrome plated Leica like rangefinder but on a beer budget. It's really under appreciated. The later Konica fixed lens rangefinders were nice too, but more complex and more likely to be broken and also they have more collector interest. The Konica III when in good working order is very nice.

 

[Vics]

Perhaps you should take a look at some P&S cameras. I recently bought a Canon Sure Shot Supreme at a car boot sale in England for $3. Pretty nice autofocus, AE camera with a 38mm 2.8 lens. Also the Olympus Stylus Epic is tiny and has a terrifie 35mm 2.8. These are NOT RF cameras. They are AF point and shoot, but you can't beat them for light weight. Also, get out and do some real-world shopping. Garage sales, thrift stores (charity shops.) The web isn't always the best place for bottom fishing...

 

[jody36]

konica auto s2

 

[Vostok]

Perhaps you should take a look at some P&S cameras. I recently bought a Canon Sure Shot Supreme at a car boot sale in England for $3. Pretty nice autofocus, AE camera with a 38mm 2.8 lens. Also the Olympus Stylus Epic is tiny and has a terrifie 35mm 2.8. These are NOT RF cameras. They are AF point and shoot, but you can't beat them for light weight. Also, get out and do some real-world shopping. Garage sales, thrift stores (charity shops.) The web isn't always the best place for bottom fishing...

I thought of getting a decent point and shoot and I guess that's just what I'll do since I only need this under $50 camera to put it in my backpack and have it with me every time I leave my house. I'll just take my Fed 2 out when I really need it like I sometimes do with my SLR.

We don't have garage sales here in Argentina, they just don't exist. About thrift stores, I go to the Salvation Army and look around every once in a while. Never found any photographic material at all. Only once I found a completely destroyed Rolleicord with scratched lenses. But I bought two Commodore 64, an Atari 2600, a Coleco Vision and lots of games for less than $12 each. And some LP records as well.

On saturday I'm going to another one I only went once before but hadn't had the chance to look around because I went to make a donation and not to shop. It has the reputation of having lots of good stuff, maybe with a little luck there will be a couple of interesting cameras.

 

[konicaman]

Ricoh 500G - fully manual or semi auto with a hearing aid battery

Konica C35 - fully auto, runs fine with a hearing aid battery

Mamiya 4, also sold as Rank Mamiya, selenium meter, a bit bigger than the two mentioned above, but can often be had for peanuts

And yes, the 35RC runs fine with hearing aid batteries

The Ricoh, the 35RC and the Rank Mamiya all run fine without the meter - suppose, you are familiar with Sunny 16 when using the FED?

 

[Vostok]

Ricoh 500G - fully manual or semi auto with a hearing aid battery

Konica C35 - fully auto, runs fine with a hearing aid battery

Mamiya 4, also sold as Rank Mamiya, selenium meter, a bit bigger than the two mentioned above, but can often be had for peanuts

And yes, the 35RC runs fine with hearing aid batteries

The Ricoh, the 35RC and the Rank Mamiya all run fine without the meter - suppose, you are familiar with Sunny 16 when using the FED?

The Ricoh 500G is nice, I've seen it a couple of times. Can't say the same about the other ones, but they look quite interesting.

Yes, I am familiar with Sunny 16. Not because of my FED, though. I became familiar with it thanks to my first 35mm camera, which I bought when I started working and got paid for the first time. It was a Lomo Smena 8M.

Tomorrow I will have the Minolta Repo II I mentioned before in my hands. Seems like a pretty small, fun hafl frame camera!.

 

[ChrisPlatt]

A small zone focus or autofocus camera is better suited to life in your backpack.
I recommend these models: Olympus XA2, XA3, Stylus/mju and Stylus Epic/mju II.
These are compact, lightweight, reliable and capable of producing sharp photos.

Chris

 

[z.bruce.li]

Out of the candidate cameras I used, I liked the Olympus 35C most based on mojo. 🙂 It is small and fun with fantastic lens. Yashica 35 GSN feels a bit big for me, Canonet is nice but a bit bland.

My latest favorite is Kodak Signet 35. Another camera with character and a fine lens. But I have to give it more use to justify the favorite status.

 

[Vostok]

A small zone focus or autofocus camera is better suited to life in your backpack.
I recommend these models: Olympus XA2, XA3, Stylus/mju and Stylus Epic/mju II.
These are compact, lightweight, reliable and capable of producing sharp photos.

Chris

Still looking for an Olympus XA (or XA2) for less than $50 and in decent condition. I really don't know why they are so expensive here in Argentina.

I thought of an Olympus Pen as well, some can be found for little money here in Buenos Aires.

Thank you all for giving me your advice and opinion. =)

 

[-Nash-]

Hi. There is a UK online store that sells second hand cameras for a decent price - but they are "second hand", just keep that in mind when buying from him.
http://www.rockycameras.com/
He's had a mix response from buyers - but i've gotten pretty lucky so far with my purchases.

Search for "Rangefinder" in the search option.

Also right now he's knocked off 30% off all items - but just for a short while!

 

[Vostok]

Hi. There is a UK online store that sells second hand cameras for a decent price - but they are "second hand", just keep that in mind when buying from him.
http://www.rockycameras.com/
He's had a mix response from buyers - but i've gotten pretty lucky so far with my purchases.

Search for "Rangefinder" in the search option.

Also right now he's knocked off 30% off all items - but just for a short while!

Excellent, thank you very much!.

 

[Lobo]

you sound like me, when i had that rangefinderfever, some time ago. i get myself a minolta per accident and i'm happy with it. but since i'm not really searching for a rangefinder, i see some of them regular at lokal fleamarkets. when you stop searching, they come in packs

 

[bitfeng]

Second the 35RC.

Requirement for a "small, not so heavy" camera don't go well together with idea of rangefinders. Sure, first we need to define what is small and what weight is OK, but mostly those metal made things aren't as easy as polycarbonate shell cameras.

Yashica GSN certainly isn't compact camera, it's of size of good SLR. Can not see advantage over Fed. Yashica have smaller and lighter Electro models but most of them certainly are over $50 and then Av mode basically is all you have (just be prepared, not that Av is bad).

Olympus 35RC can be used in manual mode so battery is not issue, in fact. It's also one of well balanced cameras between weight, size and usability, if slow speeds aren't needed (it has Bulb, though).

 

[thejameskendall]

third the 35RC, great tiny rangefinder. good lens.