aizan
Veteran
ditto joe's question. hand held, available light, snap shot, candid...if you don't do any of that, you won't miss rangefinders.
Confession: I'm not getting that RF vibe
- Thread starter Max Power
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Solinar
Analog Preferred
An Argus........... and I thought I was a bit off the reservation by using my $1 box camera, an Agfa Synchro Box, over the weekend.
Yep, rangefinders are an acquired taste. Great for when you can get by with just the essentials and want to get that grab shot.
Yep, rangefinders are an acquired taste. Great for when you can get by with just the essentials and want to get that grab shot.
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Gabriel M.A.
My Red Dot Glows For You
Max Power said:
Happiness is a Leica + Summitar. 🙂
R
RML
Guest
Well, what can I say.... I, too, never got "the buzz" from using an FSU rangefinder (either my FED2, FED 5 or ZORKI 4), though they are nice little cameras and make very nice displays.
My Bessa R does give me a buzz, and my CL does as well but in a different way (it's smaller, less conspicious, hangs sideways and makes nice hip shooter). My Leica M2 gives me less of a buzz, though I'm getting the hang of using it (since I got an external meter, that is). My new R-D1 is also sweet but I'm still breaking it in so the buzz is not there yet.
So, I gues things depend entirely on the camera you're using and under what circumstances you use it and for what shooting purpose. If you feel you're more at ease and produce better work with anything but an RF camera than don't feel bad. It's perfectly normal. It's us RF maniacs who are nuts, not you. 😛
My Bessa R does give me a buzz, and my CL does as well but in a different way (it's smaller, less conspicious, hangs sideways and makes nice hip shooter). My Leica M2 gives me less of a buzz, though I'm getting the hang of using it (since I got an external meter, that is). My new R-D1 is also sweet but I'm still breaking it in so the buzz is not there yet.
So, I gues things depend entirely on the camera you're using and under what circumstances you use it and for what shooting purpose. If you feel you're more at ease and produce better work with anything but an RF camera than don't feel bad. It's perfectly normal. It's us RF maniacs who are nuts, not you. 😛
pvdhaar
Peter
I've suffered a momentary lapse of affection for RFs as well. Initially, when I first picked one up, I was thrilled and convinced that they were the best thing since sliced bread. I sold off all the AF-SLRs and bought one. But after a while, I found that it wasn't well suited to some approaches, and I thought "why am I forcing myself into so constrained a camera?".Max Power said:
But then I mentally made the switch not to obsess about the limitations, but instead think about the possibilities of the RF. This has changed my photos, agreed, although in my case for the better.
Honu-Hugger
Well-known
"Confession: I'm not getting that RF vibe..."
Kent,
It's the "camera vibe" that really matters and what you find most comfortable using -- keep shooting with whatever you like and what works for you.
Kent,
It's the "camera vibe" that really matters and what you find most comfortable using -- keep shooting with whatever you like and what works for you.
RF cameras call for a different approach, different thinking... While focusing is fast and precise, you don't see depth of field, and issues such as parallax, field size, and framing are very casual ... not at all as "correct" as with an SLR. I think with the RF camera you must simply let yourself go with the flow of events and let your subconscious take over. With a manual camera, I think it also takes more experience with the mechanics of running the camera, to the point it's automatic, but from within, not relying so much on electronics. This can be very fast and effective. The FED may not be the right tool, or perhaps this is not the right photographic approach for you. I do like to use my SLRs too, but none have any motors or more automation than simple center-weighted aperture-prefered AE.
TPPhotog
Well-known
Frank ..... 😛 LOLFrankS said:
That would make a great signature 😀dmr436 said:
I very much agree with the comments that the important thing is to enjoy what you use. My slide started when I realised I had lost much of the enjoyment when I switched to the F100 from a Pentax LX. I then got a Centon K100 (Pentax clone) and fitted Pentax glass and started to enjoy my photography again.
When I tried a Canonet QL17 it was like the pleasure being reborn and I now only use manual cameras again. Souping some negs today I'm very happy I made the switch and know that I nailed the one shot on the roll and not my camera 😉
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einolu
Well-known
Rangefinders are kind of about not stressing over the details. Details such as framing, exposure, focusing. Most of the time with my zorki 1 I just nudge the lens away from infinity and set the exposure for whatever I feel like (after a few months of stressing over exposure and memorising that damn exposure chart everybody links to) and shoot. Photography has never been more fun (for me at least).
aizan
Veteran
35mm cameras in general are not for stressing over details 🙂
N
nwcanonman
Guest
"there just doesn't seem to be that much of an advantage to using an RF."
......................................................................
Therein lies the 'thing' for me.
I don't look at my rangefinders for an 'advantage', any more than I look at a woman and say "Is she rich?". It's a gut-feeling love affair, not from the head but from the heart ~ ; - )
😀
......................................................................
Therein lies the 'thing' for me.
I don't look at my rangefinders for an 'advantage', any more than I look at a woman and say "Is she rich?". It's a gut-feeling love affair, not from the head but from the heart ~ ; - )
😀
richard_l
Well-known
I think nwcanonman nailed it!
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Max Power
Well-known
Well, first off I want to thank all of you for your responses...Material for reflection.
After thinking about it for a bit, I realise that my questioning might be due to two things: firstly the FED itself, and secondly, my own approach to photography. In both cases, I stand to learn a good deal if I just relax.
On the first point: I'm used to using a Minolta X-700. Although I never use it in Programme mode, 99% of the time I use it in aperture priority. As such I get maximum control with a minimum of fuss. It has an extremely reliable meter and fast manual focus. I simply love my X-700, because it does everything I ask of it without taking over the process. Using the FED is slower because there is no aperture priority...heck there isn't even a TTL meter 😀 My Canonet was close to an SLR because I could trust the meter if I needed a quick snap and there was built in parallax correction. Miles ahead of a FED 5V!
On the second point: I'm a bit reticent by nature, especially in groups. An SLR does nothing to change that. I can put on a telephoto and stay out of the action. My approach to actually capturing images is more 'suited' to an SLR. When I had my beloved Canonet, it started to force me to get into the action and up close. There is also the fact that I'm very fussy about my negatives. I obsess over correct exposure and processing. With a fully manual RF, this doesn't always cut it because you can't just tell your subject to 'hold on a sec'. Sometimes you just have to trip the shutter and pray.
So, now that I think about it, I stand to learn a lot if I just hunt out situations in which the FED would be best suited. A little trip to the older more touristy parts of Quebec City and the crowds and noise would probably be the best. May the spirit of HCB guide me in my quest 😀
Thanks again,
Kent
After thinking about it for a bit, I realise that my questioning might be due to two things: firstly the FED itself, and secondly, my own approach to photography. In both cases, I stand to learn a good deal if I just relax.
On the first point: I'm used to using a Minolta X-700. Although I never use it in Programme mode, 99% of the time I use it in aperture priority. As such I get maximum control with a minimum of fuss. It has an extremely reliable meter and fast manual focus. I simply love my X-700, because it does everything I ask of it without taking over the process. Using the FED is slower because there is no aperture priority...heck there isn't even a TTL meter 😀 My Canonet was close to an SLR because I could trust the meter if I needed a quick snap and there was built in parallax correction. Miles ahead of a FED 5V!
On the second point: I'm a bit reticent by nature, especially in groups. An SLR does nothing to change that. I can put on a telephoto and stay out of the action. My approach to actually capturing images is more 'suited' to an SLR. When I had my beloved Canonet, it started to force me to get into the action and up close. There is also the fact that I'm very fussy about my negatives. I obsess over correct exposure and processing. With a fully manual RF, this doesn't always cut it because you can't just tell your subject to 'hold on a sec'. Sometimes you just have to trip the shutter and pray.
So, now that I think about it, I stand to learn a lot if I just hunt out situations in which the FED would be best suited. A little trip to the older more touristy parts of Quebec City and the crowds and noise would probably be the best. May the spirit of HCB guide me in my quest 😀
Thanks again,
Kent
simonankor
Registered Addict
Good luck Kent! I love getting out my older cameras for a bit of a challenge... having no framelines, paralax correction or meter certainly makes you think a bit harder!
