Best Glass

[rc50]

Hi...
New here, and I guess this is a poll or something. My question is what is the least expense (cheapest and I mean Cheap) fixed lens
35mm range finder camera with the most surprising sharpest f2.0 or less lens that is a true street candid people scenic camera? Oh yeah that has manual controls and doesn't suffer from battery obscurity.... " 🙂

Thanks a ton
Keith
SC

 

[sevo]

"Fisher Price My first Camera", perhaps?

 

[Dave Wilkinson]

Hi...
New here, and I guess this is a poll or something. My question is what is the least expense (cheapest and I mean Cheap) fixed lens
35mm range finder camera with the most surprising sharpest f2.0 or less lens that is a true street candid people scenic camera? Oh yeah that has manual controls and doesn't suffer from battery obscurity.... " 🙂

Thanks a ton
Keith
SC

OMG!.....here we go again!.....:bang: 😀

 

[kram]

Easy- but it has no rangefinder, you estimate the distance and set it on the focusing ring.
Any Minox 35mm with its 35mm f2.8 lens can be picked up cheaply (I got a GT-E plus the largest flash they do for the 35mm Minox, plus cases for £50, and it was Mint).

 

[Dave Wilkinson]

Easy- but it has no rangefinder, you estimate the distance and set it on the focusing ring.
Any Minox 35mm with its 35mm f2.8 lens can be picked up cheaply (I got a GT-E plus the largest flash they do for the 35mm Minox, plus cases for £50, and it was Mint).

please pay attention!....he said - f2 or less - these things are important! 😉

 

[ludoo]

If you can stretch the f2 requirement to f2.3, and accept full auto controls (but with an incredibly good built-in meter), you might want to have a look at the Rollei xf35. Small, black, with an exceptionally sharp and well coated 40mm Sonnar.

 

[kitaanat]

Yashica Lynx 14E

 

[Bingley]

Konica Auto S2: incredibly sharp 45/1.8 Hexanon lens and a great bright vf to boot. I found mine on fleabay, in pristine condition, for under $30.

 

[Sonnar Brian]

The Konica Auto S2 with its 45/1.8 has the sharpest lens of anything that I've used.

However, I'll have the first roll for the Walz 4.8cm F1.9 in this week. I'm betting the Konica still has it's 7 element in three group Sonnar beat.

 

[MXP]

Kodak Retina IIIc with Rodenstock 50/2 Heligon was a surprise for me.
Voigtländer Vitessa with 50/2 Ultron (very sharp lens).
These are both foldes and very easy to carry. If these cameras gets a good CLA they will run without problems the next 30 years 🙂

 

[sevo]

If you can stretch the f2 requirement to f2.3, and accept full auto controls (but with an incredibly good built-in meter), you might want to have a look at the Rollei xf35. Small, black, with an exceptionally sharp and well coated 40mm Sonnar.

While I like mine, it has more than the usual share of quirks. Apart from common issues like a time/aperture coupled program automation and no meter off setting (outside a case/without a cap it drains its expensive mercury battery replacement within a week), it has a very bizarre OOF rendition for a Sonnar, thanks to its behind-the-lens aperture-cum-shutter with the most hideous aperture shape in camera history. And it is a repair queen, much like the rest of the Rollei 35mm cameras from these years. Two out of three seem to be broken beyond economic repair nowadays - Rollei had underestimated the effort of taking over the remains of the Zeiss Ikon/Voigtländer SLR design while simultaneously setting up production in Singapore, and had made a severe mess of themselves.

Probably the nicest thing about it (apart from the lens, fully open, provided that you are in total control of the light intensity at the set) is that it does not have or need foam seals on the door...

Sevo

 

[crawdiddy]

Technically, a Kodak Retina IIIc is not a fixed lens camera, but it's a gray area-- only the front element is interchangeable, not the entire lens.

My IIIc has a Schneider-Kreuznach Xenon f2 lens, and it is surprisingly sharp, and gorgeous. I purchased my camera for about $50, but it also included 3 brownie cameras.

Only problem is the darned shutter mechanism.

 

[hanskerensky]

Agfa Super Silette (Ansco Super Memar) with the Solagon 1:2.0 lens. Nice little shooter but use a lenshood.

 

[Tom Harrell]

Your might be surprised by an Argus C3 stopped down a bit!

Tom

 

[Sonnar Brian]

The Argus C3 has interchangeable lenses, I have a 100mm F4.5 for mine.

You can change the front module on the IIIc, but the rangefinder only works with the 50mm lens. The lens is also found on the IIa and II, not interchangeable.

For a Fixed-Lens RF that can be found CHEAP, the Minolta Hi-Matic 9 has a very sharp 45mm F1.7 lens and full manual operation.

 

[d_ross]

olympus

olympus

Nothing beats the 42 1.7 on my Olympus 35 LC!

 

[ChrisPlatt]

Look for a Konica S2 or Canonet 17 that has been adjusted to use a 1.5V battery.

Chris

 

[kitaanat]

Too many interesting choices here.

I agree with crawdiddy & MXP, the Kodak Retina IIIc have a fine quality lens. And this camera also my favorite one that I carry everyday.


Thanks Brian Sweetney and Spider67 that help me to know this camera at the first time I came here.

 

[petronius]

... that is a true street candid people scenic camera?

To be honest, this last sentence makes the whole thing questionable.
There is no "true street candid people scenic camera" on the market.

There are nevertheless many good advices in the answer posts. Some reaction would be polite, rc50!

 

[rc50]

Olympus 35 LC

Olympus 35 LC

Can the Olympus 35 LC be used in complete manual mode ?

thanks for all the great info!!!


Keith
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