Best entry level rangefinder

[Salad Tounge]

Hi,
I have been interested in photography for about 2 years. I have currently used both film and digital slr's. I like to practice the art of street photography. Although i have gotten some superb results from my DSLR i found that it is too large and cumbersom. I have tried to purchase small cameras such as a olympus trip, but these do not offer the the flexability and control as a ramgefinder. I am only a teenager and can't afford an expensive camera ( within the range of £0-£100 or $0-$200) Can anyone recomend a good entry level rangefinder or a website where i could purchase one.
Thanks

 

[Ray Nalley]

What country are you in?

 

[ray*j*gun]

Get a Fed 2 with a Jupiter lens. Fedka.com in NY if your in the USA or e***Y if your not. Also, check the classifieds here for a clean FSU (Former Soviet Union..... Russian camera). Fed or Zorki's are good choices.

Ray

 

[kshapero]

www. photovillage.com usually has some used Bessa's on hand. Honest and good to work with.

 

[Avotius]

if you dont want to spend much I highly recommend a Yashica GSN, I got mine for 15 dollars then 10 dollars for the battery adapter, and the camera and lens are excellent. If you want to play with something really small and neat, try the more expensive Olympus XA, smallest thing you will find in 35mm format and great for street photography.

 

[ZeissFan]

For your situation, I would recommend one of the Japanese rangefinders from the 1970s (Olympus, Yashica, Minolta, Canon and others).

I have an Olympus 35 RC and a Konica C35. Both are really nice cameras. They're small cameras.

All Japanese cameras from the 1970s will need to have their foam seals replaced. You can do this yourself.

Barring that, take a look at a Petri 35 (from the late 1950s). It's a well-built camera with great ergonomics. The Konica I and II should be very affordable. The Konica III might be pushing your budget to its limit. These three Konicas have great lenses.

For someone on a limited income, I wouldn't recommend spending every last bit of money you have on a camera that you can barely afford, leaving nothing for film or repairs, should the camera need it. I think people who respond to these threads should keep the person's budget in mind and not immediately recommend a camera that is outside the stated price range.

The thing about older cameras is that most of them will need some work. So you'll want to find a camera that has been recently serviced so that you don't have to turn around and put more money into getting it into workable condition.

In the under £60 category:

On the German side, there is the Agfa folding and rigid Super Solinette and Super Silette.

For Zeiss Ikon, there is the folding Contina (uncoupled rangefinder ... wouldn't be my first choice for a first-timer) and rigid rangefinder Contessa.

Balda made a lower-priced rangefinder -- the Super Baldinette (sort of a homely thing).

Voigtlander has the Vito CLR, Vitomatic IIb and others. The Vitomatic IIb is a nice little camera.

Rollei had its XF 35 (build quality was only average, I think) and a camera that generally sells for about USD50. I think it's currently overpriced.

Kodak had its Signet series, as well as the rather ugly Kodak 35 RF. On the plus side, there are many excellent Kodak Retinas with rangefinders. The Retina IIa is considered by many to be the best Retina made and is within your reach. Some think it's the IIIC, which might be out of your price range.

 

[Windscale]

Minolta 7S or Canon QL17 or 19. These are normally not too expensive and do not rely on batteries. Only by starting with fully manual cameras (or by not using any auto functions) that one will learn the basic principles of exposures.

I would agree that Yashica Electros are very good cameras with excellent lenses. The only let down is their reliance on batteries. And I do get worried about those electronic shutters after so many years whereas mechanical shutters tend to go on forever.

 

[stuken]

One vote for the Olympus 35SP here.

 

[Uwe_Nds]

Revue 400 SE aka Vivitar 35ES.
Takes standard hearing aid batteries without an adapter.

Best regards,
Uwe

 

[gb hill]

I'll throw in my 2 cents worth & recommend a Canonet QL-17. Has a good lens 40/1.7 & fits perfect in the hand. The Yashica GSN is a great camera too, I have one, but it's heaver, feels more cheaply made, & also a bit bulkier in the hand than the Canonet. I don't recommend ebay for these cameras because most are in pretty bad shape. Whatever you get I advise you do your research & don't jump on the first camera that comes along unless your really sure it's the perfect one for you. The classified here is the safest place to buy from IMO. Good luck!

 

[NickTrop]

Since you don't like your DSLR for street stuff (don't blame you) you probably are leaning toward a smaller camera. GSN is a great choice but not sure it's gonna improve things enough over a DSLR. That said, the biggest issue with a DSLR is the giagantic (usually slow) zoom lenses on those things, which even the largest of the classic FLRFs don't have. Peruse this site: http://www.cameraquest.com/com35s.htm


Size
Features (manual control)
Condition

Pick any two...

Olympus RC, Oly XA, Yashica CC, Canon QL 17... If you're really on a budget the Oly RC or the Konica C35 really get raves... But check them out. Read the site, a terrific resource. The best of the best of the smaller fixed lens cameras are usually considered the Olympus RD, the Canonette QL 17 (the compact one), the Minolta Himatic 7S II, and the Konica Auto S3 (the only one of these I have...) which is shutter priority... Finding one of these in good condition will cost ya and require patience.

The Russians are also a good option BUT are 100% manual and quirky. I have a Zorki 4K with a Leica Summar in good condition (lens pretty scratch free but has light haze) I'm selling for $100 US (bargain) + shipping. (That's camera with leica lens and non-leica lens hood). PM me if interested... However, this one is NOT a camera I would recommend as a first foray into manual film cameras...

(Anyone else interested, PM me too...)
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[julio1fer]

All cameras recomended above are fine.

For street photography in a budget, consider a scale focus camera. I would recommend the Olympus XA2. If you really want / need a rangefinder, then consider the XA instead.

Cameras such as the Olympus 35SP, Canonet, Yashica GSN are beautiful and very good quality, but much larger (I'm a fan of the 35SP in that category).

The XA series of Olympus has the advantage of being really small and convenient without sacrificing lens quality.

 

[btgc]

Can't go wrong with Lynx 5000 😉 no batteries, smaller than GSN, nice glass, superb ergonomics for given class, very easy to remove front element in case you need. Elegant camera!
No inflated prices like on Canonets or XA. No electronic circuit which stops shutter working [properly].

Get this inexpensive gem, shoot couple of rolls and only then put out several hundreds because Lynx is too cheap to be good camera.

 

[ray*j*gun]

Now......isn't that simple? Its always dangerous here to ask "the best ....." question, lol.

Ray

 

[Salad Tounge]

Answer

Answer

I live in the UK

 

[oftheherd]

One camera not often seen, and never mentioned in the forums is the Petri Computer 35. You select the aperture, it selects the shutter speed. A tad smaller than the Canonet QL17. BTW, I think the Canonet QL 17 has not yet recovered from its cult status, so it tends to be expensive. The 19, though larger, may be a better bargin.

Perhaps a heresy, but you might want to consider the Olympus OM1. I don't know if from the UK they are out of your price range or not. But they are small, and have interchangable lenses. If you have never tried an RF before, you might want to at least explore them.

Otherwise, pretty much any of the advice above is good.

 

[sweathog]

Salad Tongue, whereabouts in the UK are you?

For my two'p'orth the QL17 is a very nice option, but it is still a tad on the dear side. I only have one because it was given to me.
I've heard great things about the XA, but they seem to be going quite dearly here in the UK.
One can pick up an OM2 for about £50, if you look around, and then get some lenses for the rest of the budget.

That being said, the Bessa R is probably a sound investment. I think MXV had a black one relatively recently for under £100, but they tend to go for a wee bit more than that.

 

[Darren Abate]

I gotta chime in for the Yashica rangefinders, like the GSN, Electro 35 and Lynx IC, and also the Canon QL17. You just can't beat them for the money. They are perfect for students.

Check out http://www.yashica-guy.com/ if you want a rundown on what is available.

 

[kshapero]

One camera not often seen, and never mentioned in the forums is the Petri Computer 35. .

Bringing back old memories. I went to Japan 12 years ago and took only the Petri (forgot my Nikon F3HP). Took about 30 rolls of Kodachrome. Everyone thought my slides were from the Nikon. A great little camera.

 

[mh2000]

unless you are really lucky or a decent tinkerer, I would avoid FSU camera, yes the FED-2 is a nice camera, if you can get one that actually works all the way around.

I would consider a more used Leica IIIc (very common) and then maybe add FSU lenses to start out with. The little collapsible Industar-22 is quite good and only about $15USD... I really like mine... Jupiter-8's are kind of nice too for ~$20USD.

Kodak Retina's can be quite fantastic too and nice ones are only ~$50... with very good German glass. I have IIa.

The XA is cute and fun... I don't think mine is all that fantastics, but it's nice and I love the size and design.

if you are willing to go scale focusing then think about a Rollei 35 or Minox 35... the Minox have aperture priority etc. and a super sharp Tessar lens...

then there are all the others as well... good luck!