First Rangefinder?

[col902]

Hello,

At the moment, I have an Olympus EP-1. I would like to get a film camera as well. I feel as if it will help with my composition skills, and really focusing on the quality of the shot since you can't delete it. I would like a camera that has a complete manual mode, so it only needs batteries for the light meter. I would like the price with a lens to be below around $75. I am looking at rangefinders and film SLR's. I have heard of the Konica Auto S2, Minolta 7S, Canon Canonet QL17 G-III, Yashica GSN, as well as many others. If you could tell me which one camera (doesn't have to be one that I listed) is best for everyday shooting for under $75. Thanks!

Colin

 

[Frontman]

The GSN will be the best choice. It is the easiest to use, as well as being the easiest to find. The rangefinder is nice, with good contrast, the meter is accurate enough for slide film, and the lens is simply excellent. The drawbacks are it's size and weight, don't drop it on your foot.

 

[SolaresLarrave]

The truth is that any of those will do... provided it is in good, workable condition. Now, when it comes to saying which is the best, be ready to get loads of opinions around all of them.

I personally wasn't impressed with the GSN. Too big for me. I liked the Canonet best, and the Konica S2 second. Will they be available for $75? Who knows... I paid $87 (with shipping, it was actually sold for $76) for my first Canonet in 2004, and it came with a lens cap and a manual. My Konica S2 costed just about the same. I haven't checked recently, but I don't think the prices I paid have remained. Keep looking and you may find the one you want.

 

[redisburning]

+1 on the Konica Auto S2 and -1 for the GSN

course 75 dollars basically buys you an OM-1 and a 50mm f1.8 and that's a much tougher camera. I really liked my little Auto S2, it just couldn't handle rough traveling very well and broke on me =/ Not the camera's fault 100% on me. Repair was more than I paid, so I put that money towards other things.

 

[col902]

well the canonet ql17 g-III is about $70, the konica s2 is about $35, and the Olympus om-1 is about $85, i feel like i would enjoy the rangefinder way of shooting a lot, so should i just go with the konica?

 

[farlymac]

The GSN/GTN has an electronic shutter controlled by the meter, so you are in aperture priority all the time. It does default to 1/500 when the battery power runs out, so at least it can still be used. I'm not familiar with the Konica model you mention, but the Canonet and Minolta are good cameras. Olympus also has the 35 RC that can be operated in Auto or Manual. Then there is the Ricoh 500 G. All the 35mm compacts that will work in manual mode are in demand by a lot of photographers, so pricing can get a little hairy at times. Still, a bargain can be found if one looks around a bit.

PF

 

[ColSebastianMoran]

All of the Yashicas are good cameras. My favorite is the smaller GX, but the full size Electros all produce great photos. A manual focus SLR is also a good cheap option.

Unless you are a tinkerer, be sure to get a camera that's fully functional. For the Yashicas, that means a camera that has been worked on. The $20 bargains won't work, in my experience, but there are excellent options for refurbing these to be as reliable as a new camera.

 

[shadowfox]

Besides the popular ones, you can also get good deal on less known but excellent (if you can find a 100% working sample, that is) fixed-lens rangefinders.

Do some research on Petri 7s or Walz Envoy or Beauty Super or King Regula III.

 

[col902]

so what rangefinder do you think is the best for under $75? I would like it to be pretty small, not a huge camera, and to have a great lens, i would also like it to have a meter in manual mode. i know the konica has this, not sure about the others

 

[msbarnes]

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

They are all good; each having their pros and cons. Keep in mind that most of these cameras were designed for mercury batteries. The larger bodies tend to be cheaper, older, and equipped with 45mm lens and the smaller bodies tend to be more expensive, newer, and equipped with 35-40mm lenses.

If you want full manual mode and...
don't mind a large body: Konica Auto S2
want a small body: Minolta Hi-matic 7sII (I've heard that these lenses are sharper than the Canonet and the Olympus RD shutter tends to gum up)
want a fast lens: Yashica Lynx 14e

If you want aperture-priority only then look into the Yashica Electro series.
If you want small/pocketable then look into the Olympus RC or Olympus XA.

All the cameras above should go for under $75. The Auto S3 and Electro 35cc are generally a little above this because they are small and equiped with wider lenses (38mm and 35mm) but neither of those offer a full manual override.

The Konica Auto S2 and S3 have highly regarded lenses. I got the S2 because I didn't mind a large body and I wanted to use it in manual mode (The S3 is shutter-priority only). The S2 meters in manual mode too.

The most rangefinder-like SLR is an OM because it is small, quite, and has a large viewfinder. But I'd rather get a rangefinder because I like rangefinders.

 

[farlymac]

Matt Denton has a rundown on many of the compact 35's, along with his observations of using them.

http://www.mattdentonphoto.com/cameras/rangefinders.html

Which one is the best is relative to your likes and displeasures. Sometimes you just have to try one to see what you feel are the best and worst features, then base your next camera on those parameters. You'll get many opinions here as to the best one, but ultimately, you are the one who has to make that decision.

Good Luck!

PF

 

[NickTrop]

Yashica GSN (one of my personal faves) - meters to 1000 ISO (not 400 like most others), outstanding fast 45mm/1.7 lens, great metering system that meters in lower light better/more accurately than other cameras in its era, auto parallax correction, aperture priority - which rocks (I almost always shoot in "AP mode" anyway) decent viewfinder that smartly uses contrast as opposed to brightness. It can auto expose with extremely long shutter-lengths. They are the best low-light cameras, literally, ever produced. Hands down, bar none, period. Its leaf shutter is literally the quietest ever - even among other leaf shutter camera. And they're cheap and plentiful. $75 will get you a fully functional, working sample - and hold out for one. $75 - or less, is about right for a fully "zero risk" working sample in great condition, possibly one that's even been serviced. I'd look on this forum for one rather than eBay unless the seller guarantees a working sample and has a return policy for the money you wish to spend - which is "top dollar" by GSN standards only because they sold a zillion of them in one of the longest production runs for any film camera - (and the reason for that, is?).

Since I'm a "50mm" shooter, I have no interest in an interchangeable lens "system" rangefinder, like a Leica or Contax G - what have you. If someone offered me the choice between an M3 with a Cron and a Yashica GSN, I would take the Leica, sell it on fleabay, buy a GSN and have it serviced, and bank the $1000 profit. - Literally, and not regret if for a second, and have - again, literally (using that word a lot in this post) comparable image quality to the Leica.

 

[col902]

does anyone have a picture of a size comparison between the Yashica GSN, Canonet QL17 G-III and the Konica Auto S2?

 

[NickTrop]

The Canonet is a compact rangefinder. If size is a major factor, get that. The GSN and Auto S2 are roughly the same size - larger cameras. Cameraquest.com has some pics of size comparison. If you Google, you could probably get the exact dimension of each camera somewhere.

 

[stratcat]

I think NickTrop summarized the Electro 35's capabilities very well. It is great for automated low light shooting.

I really like both cameras and as expected they each have their pros and cons. However if full manual control and small size are mandatory criteria, the Canonet 'wins' (I have never used the Konicas or the Minolta 7sII).

Since you mention you're also looking at SLR's, you can also take a look at the Pentax MX. Small size, fully manual (no auto modes, whatsoever) and using easily available batteries (only required for the through-the-lens light meter). It is, however, over your $75 budget.

 

[btgc]

GSN is out of race as it has no manual mode. I'd also suggest to avoid fixed lens rangefinders with AE as shutter release in them is long and stiff. To fit in budget, unless you have lucky find, I know only one camera - Petri 7S (or any of 7-series Petris). Yes, they aren't well known, but lens is good, especially 45/1.8 variety and shutter release is extraordinary for little money. No batteries needed, as it has selenium cell for meter (which often is not accurate or dead at all, but no problem as it's fully manual camera).

If you decide on another camera, say, Konica Auto S or S2 - be sure to get soft release - this will help to enhance native ergonomics. KAS series have good lens and nice viewfinder.