Buying a 35mm or MF Rangefinder

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aghymike

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Hello,

You guys may get this question a lot and most of the time you need more information to answer it, so I'll try to be as detailed a possible.

I live in LA and plan to spend a year traveling soon. Not sure where yet. I'm looking for a camera I could take with me almost everywhere. Either small enough to fit in a jacket pocket or small backpack.

Although a digital P&S is the typical choice, I can't stand them. I might consider a film P&S but they lack manual controls.

I own a Rebel XTI, a 35mm Canon A2 and a Holga. Aside from the fact that the Rebel is too large, I am usually not satisfied with digital. Same with the A2, its too big to pocket. The holga does fit into my jacket pocket but I want a real camera.

I do like the results I get with my 35mm or Holga coupled with my Microtek i900 flatbed (or a better) scanner. Simply put, film looks better to me, I'm guessing most of you might agree.

So I'm looking for a MF or 35mm rangefinder with a decent amount of manual control and a built in flash. A bulb setting and tripod mount would be nice too.
I usually favor lenses 50mm (35mm equivalent) and above. Something new would be great, but I would buy an older model if it was in great shape.

I am not too interested in the typical travel photos, like landscape or architecture. I'm Probably more likely to take portrait photographs in a hostel or restuarant. Here is my website with some of my photos: michaelaghy.com.

There seems to be so many choices, especially with older 35mm rangefinders. I'm looking forward to some suggestions for cameras you guys like and think could suit my needs.

Besides camera advice, any feedback on the photos would also be appreciated.

My budget is roughly $400-600. But that could be adjusted if what I'm asking for doesn't exist within this price range. Hopefully it does.

Thank you for your time

-Michael
 
10-olympus-xa.jpg


I would recommend the Olympus XA, first model with a rangefinder. The lens is a 35mm f.2.8 Zuiko which in my opinion is very sharp. Altough it's quite wide for a portrait lens. And you should buy the A11 flash also, it's not that powerful but its so compact.

The main advantage is that the XA is a very, very small camera. I usually bring it everywhere I go. It's that handy. 🙂
 
Agree with juhor, looking at your photography style, you have an XA somewhere with your name on it 🙂

Get two of them, or get an XA and an XA2 (scale-focus, but you're a Holga user, so you're used to it). One could be the backup of the other.

Another one that I can recommend is a Konica C35 (small camera, amazing lens).
 
This is funny, the first thing I did after posting this last night is jump on to ebay and try and remember what my friend recommended me several months ago. Yes, it was the XA. So you guys backing that up makes me even more sure that I should get one. I think I'll place a bid today.

The camera sounds impressive (f2.8 and 10 sec shutter) and is very compact, but say I could go slightly bigger and pay more...Anything else you guys would recommend. This one looks clean:

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dl...Track=true&ssPageName=VIP:Watchlink:middle:us

One the MF side,
One thing I always wondered is the huge gap in price, quality and size between a Holga and the next MF. I mean, if someone made something similar to a Holga but with a metal body, a decent lens and some real manual controls, that would be nice. But I guess there is not much of a market for $300 compact MF Rangefinder these days.

And thanks for the feedback on the photos. I agree about cross process, its something I am quickly growing out of.

Thanks again
 
Well, for medium format use I would recommend a folder-camera. There's one nice actually right now in the classifieds, a Super-Ikonta 6x6 (No connection to the seller).

They fold down to compact size and can produce some handsome results when you don't want to carry a heavy MF SLR or a boxy TLR. 🙂

--

Juho
 
go with a folder. If you get lucky you can get a super ikonta that is rf coupled with a good shutter and a 3-element novar anastigmat lens that does not command big price but still superb for portraits. Or go for the tessar type lens and pay 200$ or such and get better resolution etc.

However.. If you are looking for built in flash, you are on a rather bad website🙂 Not too many rf's have such thing, and no folders do.

If you like convenience, fuji has folders that are modern, with light meter and such, and medium format quality, at about 400$ or more. 6x4.5 frames, very good quality normal lens.
 
The Olympus XA is a backup camera. It should run around $100. f2.8 is not fast and the ASA is max at 800. The flash does not bounce; it is direct. Still it is a very sharp lens. Check listings and keep eye open for maybe an Olympus SP or Yashica GSN or even a Canonet QL17 or a Konica S2. Their lenses are faster and they are small but not much manual control. The other option is a Canon AE-1, Minolta XD-7 or 11, & Olympus OM. They are small SLRs. Around $100 each & you could spend the extra money on fast f2.0 35mm lens. You could probably do all three for $600 with a little luck.
 
You might look at a Konica S3. Great lens, small, works with just about any flash you want with a very nice built in GN.

While it might be wider than you want, take a look at a Bessa L with a CV 25/4 lens. It's wider than you may want, lots of control and you should be able to find a used one, the lens and finder and a S3 for the upper end of your budget.

Olympus made an XA4 that combined with the XA (and a flash that would work for both) would give you two very small cameras and at a great price.

Take a look here:
http://www.cameraquest.com/xa4.htm


B2 (;->
 
Remember that it will be difficult to find 120 film in most tourist areas - and even harder to get it developed so that you can post the negatives home....

Hopefully there will often be 35mm film around in your destinations, but it may well be not the sort you prefer 🙁

A long and remote trip requires forward planning for film stock these days, but this can certainly be done, no question.
 
Let me correct myself. If you have as you say $600 then why not a Canon P rangefinder which runs under $300 & a 50mm f1.4 lens under $300. All manual no meter. Pick up a GE PR-1 meter for $15 or less. That and the Olympus XA should be fine. Another choice is an older camera with a CV lens. Cosina Voigtlander.
 
Lots of good recommendations above, although it seems that size/pocketability is important to you. If you want to go slightly larger than an XA, but still have a camera you can slip into a jacket pocket easily, the Canonet QL17, Konica S3, or one of the older Olympus models like the RC would meet your criteria. The QL17 has the advantage of having manual as well as AE modes, and a 1.7 40mm lens. It's also a pretty solid little camera, and there's an attachable flash unit that goes w/ it. Next up in terms of size would be the Bessa models mentioned above. The Konica S2 and Canon P are both wonderful, rugged cameras that could stand a lengthy trip, but are also larger and heavier than the others.
 
Thanks for all the suggestions. You guys mention some cameras that I would have never found on my own. I think I am for sure going to get an XA, just seems like a good camera to have, here or abroad.

A folder is a nice option but after some research and accepting reality, I think a MF SLR or TLR is really what I should look into. That may not be a travel companion but plenty of 35mm rangefinder to choose from at this point. I do like a lot of the folders, including the iKonta and fuji.

And pointing out the 120 film problem, I guess my solution would be to buy a lot and take it with me or have my brother send me some from time to time.

Unfortunately most the other rangefinders mentioned seem a little too large for me. Like the Canonet QL17 and Yashica GSN look so good and fun, but I doubt I can pocket them. I actually have an AE-1, my first camera, but if I'm gonna wrap something around my neck then thats a whole diffrent post.

I'll admit, asking for an amazing camera thats fits in a pocket seems naive but I want something that can travel with me everywhere. Even with its short comings, seems like the XA is a good way to avoid a P&S digital camera. Unless...Never mind, this is not the place.

And I also stumbled upon the Rollei 35 RF and Bessa R2a/R3a. Those cameras look so nice, I want one just for looks alone. Any opinions on them? Yes, they are pretty much out of my price range but maybe its time to sell the Rebel XTI.

Thanks
-Michael
 
Rollei 35 RF maybe an exception, but the real-cool-looking Rollei 35 cameras are nice toys. That's it... toys.

They are very fiddly to use, especially on a travel, the lens (I had the Sonnar) is also somehow lacking in quality despite the Zeiss T* design and coating (I know because I have the bigger SLR version of those lenses and they just kick butt quality-wise).

In my book, the XA kicks the Rollei in every aspect except for the cool metal retro look.

If you have the patience/luck, hunt for a reasonably-priced Olympus 35 RD. It has all the manual control that you wanted, and a faster lens than the XA. Plus it's a good bit smaller than the Canonet or the Yashica.

Check out Andrew Yue's page about it:
http://www.ph.utexas.edu/~yue/misc/35RD.html
 
I would recommend the Ricoh Gr1, GR1s or GR1v. Very good lens quality, AE with exposure compensation and a semi spot metering option. Very small, great if you like the 28mm lens. But it is a sort of P&S, rather than an RF (sorry).

Dave.....
 
I bought an XA and am pretty happy with it, though I still haven't finished the role. Really want an GR1, just a few weeks ago there was several on ebay, now none. Regret not getting one. Thanks for everyones help.
 
My $0.02:

Digital does have some advantages for travel photography. You can have prints made just about anywhere, and most shops will burn you a disc at the same time. This frees up your memory cards. Speaking of memory, you can carry a whole lot more capacity in flash cards than in film, and it's impervious to airport x-ray issues. The downsides of digital are well known to you, and are discussed ad nauseum on this and other boards. After a year on the road, will you spend another year at the computer processing your images? Will people want to see their pictures right away?

I've been travelling for two weeks in the middle east with just a Plaubel Makina 670. This is a marvelous folding film camera, the 80mm lens (slightly wide in this negative size) is fast for MF and it fits in my jacket pocket. Okay, it's October in the middle east, I'm not wearing a jacket... it fits in a very small camera bag. The good part is the beautiful sharp huge negatives & slides. The bad part is that film and processing are a major pain and terribly expensive! I found one shop in Tel Aviv that would process 220-size E6, and paid $220 for seven rolls. Yikes!

If you can get fresh supply of film as you travel, and can ship film back without injury to your favorite lab, then definitely go MF for the image quality alone. I've seen Plaubel 67s go for $800 on eBay, that's slightly over your budget but the camera will do you proud.

Given your style of photography, I'm surprised you don't need a faster lens? If you want to shoot by "available dark" then you might have to go 35mm just for the fast lenses and faster films. The fastest MF color neg I'm aware of is Fuji 800 Pro, whereas there's a Fuji 1600 color in 35mm. No-one was ever killed by a little grain in an image, and your cadillac nose photo shows you're able to exploit it... but in a 6x7 cm negative, you really have to try to be bothered by grain.

Good luck, let us know what you do!
 
Don't overlook the mechanical Fuji 645's.... my favorite... The Fuji GS645S. Sharp (emphasis on SHARP) multi-coated lens. Fixed 60mm, no reliance on batteries for shooting, battery only for excellent metering, manual rangefinder focus, portrait vs. landscape orientation (you mentioned mostly people shots). In addition, a nice GS645S is in your price range. ($275 to $400) About the size and weight of an SLR, but 2.7 times more negative area. I've had the GS645 folder w/75mm and folding bellows, but the bellows is a weak area. There is also a GS645W which has a fixed 45mm lens.

If you want to step up to autofocus (accurate) then the Fuji to get is a good GA645. If you want autofocus and zoom (45-90), then look at the GA645Zi. I have had all of these models and multiples of some. Never had a problem. Loved the results. Only one I ever had serviced was a new bellows on the GS645 folder. Frank at Camera Wiz still does these in a reasonable, excellent and timely manner. The folder is a coat pocket 645 with the portrait orientation.

Oh yes, and the GS645S is lighter than most SLR's. Always for sale on eBay and other suppliers. Marvelous cameras in my book.
 
I forgot to mention, my shirt pocket rangefinder is an Olympus XA, which is great. I've had about 6 or 7 of these. However, they are still just 35mm. When I want a negative that will make a large print, I always carry a light 645. I also have a 6X9 fuji rangefinder, but it's a tank. The big Fuji, and a tripod will yield a negative that will process into a huge, sharp print.
 
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