Best fixed lens RF viewfinder?

Best fixed lens RF viewfinder?

  • Olympus 35SP

    Votes: 81 7.4%

  • Olympus 35RC

    Votes: 56 5.1%

  • Olympus 35RD

    Votes: 20 1.8%

  • Olympus XA

    Votes: 53 4.9%

  • Minolta 7s

    Votes: 30 2.8%

  • Minolta 7sII

    Votes: 40 3.7%

  • Canon QL17 GIII

    Votes: 206 18.9%

  • Konica Hexar fixed lens

    Votes: 201 18.5%

  • Konica S3

    Votes: 46 4.2%

  • Yashica GSN

    Votes: 162 14.9%

  • Other

    Votes: 193 17.7%
  • Total voters
    1,088
When it comes to mere visibility and clarity, the Agfa Optima 1535 and Isolette III are quire surprisingly good. The former with a very narrow base, and the latter a 120 folder with uncoupled rangefinder and no framelines, though.
 
The Yashica Electro CC, followed by the GSN, followed by the Konica Auto S among the ones I've owned. Yashica was pretty smart about it in the Electro line, using a diamond shape that "cuts" the verticals and horizontals usually found in the reality you're filming. With the CC they really juiced the contrast of the diamond. The Konica is very good too. A lot of this has to do with the sample, regardless of the camera, and whether it has had a CLA and if the the patch is starting to fade. The 70's fixed lens cameras when they were nearing the end of their hayday tend to be better than the 60's ones.
 
The very question is in my opinion quite tricky. That's because experience has showed me it is not enough to own several cameras, but one sample of each brand, to pass a trustable judgement.

Thus my first Konica Auto S2 viewfinder was so so, but then subsequent samples I aquired showed variations of yellow patch density, and then came to my hand excellent Konica viefinders.

The Oly Sp is fairly good, but I own only one camera of this brand - this is not enough to pass a judgement !

I do have owned some four Electros and all were very consistent with a great viewfinder.

As well I do own around six Canonets ql g3 - and each viewfinder is a different story, although none of them award winning.

Cheers,
Ruben
 
Ruben: Of all the SPs I've owned (and I have another one coming courtesy of Gene 😉 ) they have all been pretty consistent. My "go to" SP has the best finder of all, but only by a hair. While it is no Bessa or Leica, it is quite good and the patch is strong. Both my current SPs had professional CLAs.
 
Rolleiflex with Rolleimeter

Rolleiflex with Rolleimeter

My Rolleiflex 2.8E with a Rolleimeter attachment essentially makes it a rangefinder camera and far surpasses anything in this poll for image quality, versatility and refinement. 🙂
 
I only own 2 RF's so far, but have a feeling at least a few more will make their way into the house. With only a limited pool to work with, I'd say that although the XA is alright for its size, the patch contrast leaves a bit to be desired. My 35ES completely blows the Oly out of the water in all aspects.

- Andy
 
Some other people have already mentioned it - Konica IIIa. If the rangefinder patch had crisp edges I would rank it above my Leica M2 (it seriously thrashes the viewfinder of the canonet that I used to own)
 
I originally voted for Canonet ql17giii, and I did like it alot until it broke tragically.

However, having subsequently bought a Bessa R3a and canon 50 1.4 (then + heliar 75 2.5 and snapshot skopar) I have to say that the image quality of my shots has been vastly improved as has the shooting experience.

The Canonet (and a yashica cc) was a good gateway drug, but now I'm onto heavier stuff.. and it is go-od.
 
Contessa Zeiss da taschino, Tessar 45 f 2,8
agfa 100 in Rodinal
Grazie Mauro


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Response to Tritiated

Response to Tritiated

I was very interested to see what Tritiated said urther up the page:

"I originally voted for Canonet ql17giii.
However, having subsequently bought a Bessa R3a and canon 50 1.4 (then + heliar 75 2.5 and snapshot skopar) I have to say that the image quality of my shots has been vastly improved as has the shooting experience. "

I have bought and used a lot of the fixed lens rangefinders (QLIIIG17, Electro 35 GSN, 7S, Lynx14, Oly35SP, Oly35RD, XA, Konica Auto S2, etc) and I've yet to be blown away by any of them. I've started to think that's it old consumer level technology that probably never was that good. I'm now taking Tritiated's path and heading for a Hexar or Bessa and stop flaffing around.

I'd like to see some of Tritiateds shots too.
 
Having so far looked through a handful of rangefinders (Mamiya 35-III, Petri 7S and the Mk II, Olympus 35 RC, Konica Auto S2, Canon Canonet), I'd have to give my vote to the Konica Auto S2. It's great the way the metering values show in the viewfinder and the view is nice and large. The second prize would go to the Petri 7s, coming in a close third, the Oly 35 RC. The Canonets also seem nice, but I can't for sure place them anywhere just yet. I'll have to fiddle with the three I just bought for tinkering with and if I get one to at least work mechanically, I'll give it a verdict then.


-Sale
 
elwrongo said:
I was very interested to see what Tritiated said urther up the page:

"I originally voted for Canonet ql17giii.
However, having subsequently bought a Bessa R3a and canon 50 1.4 (then + heliar 75 2.5 and snapshot skopar) I have to say that the image quality of my shots has been vastly improved as has the shooting experience. "

I have bought and used a lot of the fixed lens rangefinders (QLIIIG17, Electro 35 GSN, 7S, Lynx14, Oly35SP, Oly35RD, XA, Konica Auto S2, etc) and I've yet to be blown away by any of them. I've started to think that's it old consumer level technology that probably never was that good. I'm now taking Tritiated's path and heading for a Hexar or Bessa and stop flaffing around.

I'd like to see some of Tritiateds shots too.
Click to expand...

I agree and disagree with this. Those cameras are, pretty much, old consumer level technology. Some of them in their day, though, were very good. The ones with full range of controls, in-viewfinder readouts, etc, could be considered the LX3s of their day, in a sense.

I liked shooting my R2A a lot, and it gave better results than most of the fixed-lens RFs I tried, most of the time. But I think the meter on my Minolta Hi-Matic 9 actually outperformed the Bessa. Eventually I let the Bessa go and kept a Fed-2 as my only RF for now. When I want to use a rangefinder, I realized after quite a while, I want to use something truly simple and classic. When I want fancyness I'd rather use a small SLR like an OM (whose charms I've only recently discovered).
 
Sage words Climbing Vine. Interesting as I have yet to get a Bessa but weakened suddenly and picked up a Fed 5C for $30 from a local camera shop (when I say local it was 3000km away in Queensland). Its ugly to look at but I hear a lot about the Jupiter lenses. Yet to get film through it. I too love the OM's - my fave mechanical SLR. Its small enough to feel like a rangefinder and the results are very good. I have to say noticeably better than all my fixed lens comsumer grade rangefinders.
 
elwrongo, I have read here before that OM's substitute RF's for some, like you say, "it's small enough". I use SLR and can't get idea how SLR can be similar to RF. Everything is different, except they put put film through them (let's limit ourselves to film gear) and both can produce excellent results. Though tactile and visual feelings aren't same. For me RF isn't size. I have small SLR body (similar in size to OM's) and with mounted 45mm pancake it's small, though it's still different from similarly sized RF with common 40-45mm lens. Meterless RF (read - with supersmooth short travel release) is like surgeons tool, while SLR is more like gun. Yashica Electro 35 G (hate those long names, need to put them to specify exact model because there are also small Electro's) is way larger than mentioned SLR combo, and still it's way different - silent, with RF patch and tinted VF, facture of leatherette tells me what I'm holding, no, it's skilled dandy while SLR is worker, trusty worker. Size doesn't matter to me at all. When it does, I grab nice P&S camera.
 
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