boojum
Ignoble Miscreant
I had the use of one in 1974 and loved it. A really nice camera, There's a better one out there with your name on it. You'll see. ;o)
First Rangefinder Suggestions
- Thread starter vvilliam
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I had the use of one in 1974 and loved it. A really nice camera, There's a better one out there with your name on it. You'll see. ;o)
wlewisiii
Veteran
If you're certain about a rangefinder, then keep looking for a CL. It's a real pocket rocket, with or without a working onboard meter. If you find one without, I prefer hand held (I use a Sekonic L308) but one of the little shoe mount ones like this: HEDECO or the MUCH more expensive but classic VC Meter II is a very nice option with the CL too.
I had a VC Meter in the past, I can say it works well, I just prefer having a hand held for my tastes.
KoNickon
Nick Merritt
My advice (see way up above at #4) is to avoid the Leica siren song for now and stick with a nice fixed lens rangefinder. You'll be surprised at how good they can be, and how inexpensive compared to any Leica. Then if the itch has to be scratched, look at a Leica if you want.
boojum
Ignoble Miscreant
Good advice.
Archlich
Well-known
Weirdly nostalgic as I recall there had been a myriad of posts like this at one point. The world moved on I gather.
As far as the fixed lens rangefinders go - I'm the minority here but have you considered a Contax T? A working one doesn't come with the many quirks of the 1960-1970s rangefinders, especially so as it uses 1.5V batteries. About as miniature as it gets, without sacrificing either the performance or the bling factor.
If you're good without AE or the meter at all then the world of 1950s German folders offers very nice and compact options. My personal favorite is the Agfa Karat IV with any of the f/2 lens. Very intuitive to use, with ahead-of-time amenities (like lever advance and whoops, swing-door loading) to not to get in your way, while retaining that 1950s build quality. Budget friendly as well.
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Oh, aren't we forgetting something...that is the Canon P, the ubiquitous and once go-to recommendation for entry into Leicadom. Too overlooked for what it truly is, the price has remained remarkably stable. We're having more selection of L39 lenses than ever at this moment as well so it'll be a blast to realize its full potential.
As far as the fixed lens rangefinders go - I'm the minority here but have you considered a Contax T? A working one doesn't come with the many quirks of the 1960-1970s rangefinders, especially so as it uses 1.5V batteries. About as miniature as it gets, without sacrificing either the performance or the bling factor.
If you're good without AE or the meter at all then the world of 1950s German folders offers very nice and compact options. My personal favorite is the Agfa Karat IV with any of the f/2 lens. Very intuitive to use, with ahead-of-time amenities (like lever advance and whoops, swing-door loading) to not to get in your way, while retaining that 1950s build quality. Budget friendly as well.
-
Oh, aren't we forgetting something...that is the Canon P, the ubiquitous and once go-to recommendation for entry into Leicadom. Too overlooked for what it truly is, the price has remained remarkably stable. We're having more selection of L39 lenses than ever at this moment as well so it'll be a blast to realize its full potential.
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mackigator
Well-known
My vote is Minolta CLE. Such a great camera.
wlewisiii
Veteran
Speaking of an Agfa Karat IV, i have a free one in the Christmas thread but the focus is stiff (anyone here remember that old record company ad?) due to the grease Agfa used. It can be cleaned but it's a PITA. OTOH, it's free. On the gripping hand, it would be hard to use. Just a thought.
rfaspen
[insert pithy phrase here]
If LTM options are on the table I would mention my Bessa R. The most capable LTM I'm aware of. Not too expensive (or is it?). TTL meter, flash hot shoe, frame lines, aperture priority, reasonable RF, door film loading, etc. LTM can be somewhat limiting but still many excellent lenses out there these days -- vintage and modern.
Or, the Oly RC35 (or similar good fixed-lens) and save your money for that eventual M2.
Or, the Oly RC35 (or similar good fixed-lens) and save your money for that eventual M2.
1936ContaxII
Member
For several years I've been travelling with two Zeiss Ikon Contax RF (post-war) bodies and four lenses. Just because a Leica would be too expensive for me.
Here in Europe, a Leica M costs three to four times as much as a Contax RF 😵. And even Nikon rangefinders are twice as expensive.
These old Contaxes are fully-mechanical, light-weight, versatile with good Zeiss lenses: beautiful working cameras.
- Make sure to find a working Contax. It's easy to check out a body: Does the shutter work (does it open at fast times also)? Does the rangefinder work properly? I found my bodies pretty quick. Two of them have been CLA'd, the third one is going to be. So far, it works even now.
- There are not too many technicians who know to work on a Contax body - but there are some of them.
- I'd recommend the post-war cameras IIa and IIIa because the pre-war shutters of Contax II/III were much louder. My Contax IIa and IIIa shutters are less loud than a friend's Leica M2 😛. I do have a 1936 Contax II also (see my avatar pic) and I love it, but it's very very loud.
- The Contax IIIa has a built-in light meter (like the pre-war III) but with a Selenium cell. Mine still works, but normally I use a Gossen Lunasix F or a Spot-Master light meter, with good results.
- Find a ever-ready case for any post-war Contax to carry it around. As Henry Scherer wrote on his site, the body's own strap locks are too weak to use.
- You will enjoy to use the Zeiss Sonnars 50, 85, and 135 mm. Similar to Contax bodies, those Zeiss lenses are much cheaper than Leitz / Leica lenses. The 50 mm f/1.5 Sonnar is a legend. The 85 mm f/2 Sonnar is a beautiful portrait lens. Similar to Leitz lenses, there were coated and (older) uncoated lenses. Last year I started to enjoy uncoated lenses with their "romantic" characteristics in specific situations: so far I have found uncoated 50 mm f/2 and 135 mm f/4 Sonnars.
- On a post-war Contax, the Zeiss Jena Biogon 35 mm wide-angle lens cannot be used: it was constructed for the pre-war body which had got a bit more space in its mirror box. On post-war bodies, only post-war "Zeiss-Opton" and "Carl Zeiss" Biogons can be used.
- Sure, compared to a Leica M, the Contax's viewfinder itself is its weak point. It was the Leica M who kicked the Contax off the market in the mid-50s. I use an additional Zeiss Ikon universal finder (which looks like a revolver) and it works fine for me. Especially because it enlarges the viewfinder image with telephoto lenses 😎.
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KoNickon
Nick Merritt
I agree they're lovely cameras, and a good one is a joy. But your post tends to undermine your argument -- you list a lot of provisos to take into consideration. I think anybody should really take a good long look before jumping into the Contax system.
On the other hand, Canon rangefinders (I'm thinking of the P in particular) are quite reliable, provide access to a ton of M39 lenses, and have parallax-correcting framelines. Are they widely available in Europe?
wlewisiii
Veteran
I was considering getting back into kiev/contax with a post war Contax II but in the end I got a Nikon RF and my Pentax kit instead. I have fond memories of Contax but other stuff was better and easier to use.
Godfrey
somewhat colored
Another interesting and beautiful rangefinder camera of the 1950s to early 1960s is the Voigtländer Vitessa. These are very attractive folders (Jason Schneider wrote a nice piece on them that's somewhere on this site). I remember seeing them in secondhand stores when I was a young teen doing photography and always wondered about them. After Jason's article talked about them, I bought one off Ebay and had it overhauled; just received it back a week or so ago. So it's time to load it up and go for a photo walk with it.
Very late versions of the Vitessa had interchangeable lenses... Mine is a fixed lens model equipped with a Color-Skopar 50mm f/3.5. Camera plus full service cost me about $250-280.
G
Very late versions of the Vitessa had interchangeable lenses... Mine is a fixed lens model equipped with a Color-Skopar 50mm f/3.5. Camera plus full service cost me about $250-280.
G
Cascadilla
Well-known
I think that Henry Scherer may have exaggerated the weakness of Contax strap lugs--I have never used ever ready cases with any of mine over the last 12 years and have carried them for many hours without mishap. Those cases for any camera that I have ever owned have never worked for me--they always make the camera feel too bulky and make controls too hard to get to, to say nothing of being a nuisance when reloading a film camera. YMMV
Curious, who did the service on your Vitessa?
Godfrey
somewhat colored
Advance Camera Repair in Portland, OR. They've done my Kodak Retina cameras, the Voigtländer Vito II, the Vitessa, and currently the Makina 67 I purchased is at the shop having the range/viewfinder serviced.
G
rfaspen
[insert pithy phrase here]
Oddly...they destroyed my Rollei SL35E. I think they gave it to the "new guy/gal". Came back inoperable which was not the condition they received. Actually charged me to ruin my camera. I understand my experience seems to be an outlier....I will never send anything to them again.
Glad my fellow RFFers have better experiences...
Glad my fellow RFFers have better experiences...
Godfrey
somewhat colored
vvilliam
Member
So I happened to be traveling to Atlanta for work and thought I would check out some local film shops.
Most didn't have any RF, but I found out KEH is actually local to Atlanta and their building is open to the public!
I got to feel a few different cameras, but fell in love with this, a (Cosina) Voigtlander Bessa R3M.
The 1x Viewfinder is something else!
Got it on a nice deal compared to eBay.
Excited to shoot some rolls though my first rangefinder!
Most didn't have any RF, but I found out KEH is actually local to Atlanta and their building is open to the public!
I got to feel a few different cameras, but fell in love with this, a (Cosina) Voigtlander Bessa R3M.
The 1x Viewfinder is something else!
Got it on a nice deal compared to eBay.
Excited to shoot some rolls though my first rangefinder!
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Retro-Grouch
Veteran
Congrats! IMHO, the nicest of the Bessas.
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