Entry Level Rangefinder Suggestions?

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bumodo

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Hello everyone. I am completly new to rangefinders in general. I have been shooting with a Minolta X-700 and Nikon FM for a couple of years now. Not too long ago I had the chance to shoot a little bit with a Leica M6 and I have tottally fallen in love with rangefinders.

I already know for my budget I am not going to get anything close to Leica but I am prepared to enter the land of rf's. The most I am going to be able to spend is around 150 on a body and and a 28mm and around a 45mm lens. Would settle for just the 28mm though ( even better 24 or 21 🙂 ). So yeah anyone have some suggestions for me. I will be buying used of course.
 
There's plenty of RF cameras with fixed lenses of around 45mm. A super-wide would go well on a Bessa L. Your SLR experience suggests that you might want flexibility: Russian or Ukrainian equipment should fit the bill.
 
$150 isn't a huge budget so you'll "only" get something like an FSU unless you're seriously lucky. Do a little homework and determine your wants and needs. Do you need slow speeds, for instance? If not, something like a FED 2 would be a good choice since they're reliable, easy to get hold of and pretty cheap. If you need slow speeds, how about a Zorki 4/4K? Nice bright finder and common. Or if you feel you can't do without the speed of a bayonet mount how about a Kiev 4 or 4AM? The Kievs are also plentiful and relatively cheap, though they are more complex and harder to fix.

Whatever you decide, do a little research first into things like lens availability, likely faults etc, before you buy. Buying off somewhere like the classifieds on here is a better bet than Evilbay, but bargains can be had if you're careful and ask the right questions of the buyer when something's unclear. One thing about Evilbay, there's going to be another one soon, so don't think twice about waiting if something seems not quite right.
 
If you are not into bottom loading look at the Zorki 6 with the Industar 50/3,5. That would be a start. And then look for a used CV 21 or 25 mm with finder. The 25 mm is not RF-coupled but very easy to use and there are rumors about a new one coming soon, this time RF-coupled. If that comes true there should be some of the old ones for sale.

Welcome in the world of RF's
 
I agree that $150 should be enough to get you going and make you happy, but adding a decent wide may take some more savings.

I will let the guys who know more about the FSU cameras help you find a nice one, but my suggestion would be an FSU body, with a Jupiter 8 and Jupiter 12 (50 and 35mm). You should be able to get into a kit like that for $150.

Then, with a little more time to save some $ you can add that wide angle lens, they tend to command a little more $$$ than the $150 alone.

Another route would be to find a good fixed lens camera for now, here are some good suggestions from the info man Steve Gandy.

http://www.cameraquest.com/com35s.htm

Going this route will allow you to get your feet wet and then you can decide if you want to jump farther into the pool and search out a Bessa or another option.
 
I agree with what Rover suggests. One of the old Russian cameras/lens may be a good place to start. If you're lucky at Christmas, you might be able to swing a used Voigtlander body for $150ish, but that still leaves you without a lens. Something to shoot for though!

Enjoy whatever rangefinder you end up with. Compared to many on this forum, I'm relatively new to them and it's opened my eyes to what photography can be.
 
$150 should get you a Zorki 6, an extra 35mm, a viewfinder and a cheap meter. You can probably go down the Kiev route nearly the same money but the Zorki is much more straightforward to tweak if it needs a few small adjustments; flash sync and curtain tension is directly under the baseplate, rf alignment requires no disassembly at all and they rarely leak light due to the improved back design. The Industar 61LD is pretty standard on the Zorki 6 which is possibly best bang for the buck as rf lenses go.

Good luck!
 
Russian is the only way if you want changeable lens for less than $150. The real problem is that now you've touched a Leica, you'll never be able to forget about it.
 
I would take the FSU route also. I'd suggest a a pre 1970 Kiev and a Jupiter 12 and a Heilos-103 or Jupiter-8. Lenses for the Kiev seem to be a little cheaper than the LTM ones (for now).
 
Thanks for all the suggestions, it has at least given me a place to start.

I am reading up on the Bessa L, Zorki 6, and Kiev 4. I think so far I like the Zorki 6 the most. I also looked at a Werra 1 I think it was. It looked like a ultracompact camera, not a bad thing but I like to be able to really get my hands around the body to steady it.

I have seen quite a few Yashica Electros, anyone have an opinion on them?
 
Two excellent sources to check, is the already mentioned site run by Steve Gandy www.CameraQuest.com , Steve has a ton of well written info on entry level RF's that represent value and quality at bargain prices

Karen Nakamura also has an interesting site and she covers affordable cameras as well as top end cameras at her site. http://photoethnography.com/equipment.html

between these two you should be able to get good information
 
$150 will get you any of a number of outstanding Japanese Fixed lens rangefinders, if you're willing to live with a fixed lens. The advantage of these cameras is their leaf shutter design lets you synch shutter at all speeds. I have a bunch of these, and here's what I would recommend.

- A Yashica Lynx 14 or 14e IC. All manual with built-in meter. Has a 7element, 5 group f1.4 45mm lens. These are big cameras and the lens has been compared to the Summilux (take that with a grain). Great low-light performer, sharp, but flair prone. I would pick one of these cheap and send it off to either Greyhound man, Mark Hama, or Essex camera and have it restored. Many prefer the...

- Yashica GSN (or any of the "Electros"). These are aperture priority with leaf shutters. Great lenses on these too. Fast operation. Also big, but not as big as the Lynx.

- Konica Auto S3. Great shutter priority compact with an f1.8 38mm lens Modern Photography called "one of the best semi-wides they ever tested" with center resolution between 62-82 at all apertures. It also has a unique fill-flash system that works very well. It's very, very compact cool in all black - one of the best street/natural light shooters.

There are lots and lots of great fixed lens japanese rangefinders from the 60's and 70's. Too many to mention. I'm only speaking of the ones I have/use. Lots of people rave about the Canons (especially the QLIII), and the Minolta Himatics. I would suggest getting one - $50 outta do you, and sending it out to have it CLA'd and battery adjusted (most of these cameras took old mercury cells. You can use an adapter on the Yashica...)

Do some Googling if this is the direction you're willing to go. It's fun reading up on them and there's many sites with lots of information (Check out the pretty active Yashica forum here...) Yes, they're fixed lenses but most are right up there, and remember HCB shot almost exclusively with one focal length - 50mm.
 
The GSN is top notch. A great lens! Only thing, as stated is that it is aperture priority and lenses are not interchangeable. If you want that, then I'd go with the Zorki 6 or other FSU as suggested for more lens choices.
 
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