fixed rangefinder undiscovered camera gems?

[ForestCap]

Yashica Electro 35MC. Rivals Rollei 35 with space era auto exposure.

 

[David Hughes]

Hi,

Talking to the people in my local lab I've realised that the acid test for most people is a 6" x 4" print. I would suggest the acid test is involving slide film but there you are...

Anyway, there's lots of decent cameras out there and add a half decent camera to a decent photographer and the result will be the same.

Regards, David

 

[caila77]

Hi,

Talking to the people in my local lab I've realised that the acid test for most people is a 6" x 4" print. I would suggest the acid test is involving slide film but there you are...

Anyway, there's lots of decent cameras out there and add a half decent camera to a decent photographer and the result will be the same.

Regards, David

totally agree David,
one of my favourite photo was taken with a very cheap camera (werlisa club color).
I don't think that the camera can turn a photographer into a good photographer.... anyway.. this is the topic for another thread....

thanks for vyour reply

 

[Timmyjoe]

Love my $19 Kodak Signet 35 rangefinder.

Best,
-Tim

 

[thawkins]

Don't forget the Kodak retina Ia and IIa and their superb lenses!

 

[f16sunshine]

Follow up to xayraa33

Walz Envoy 35.
It has a fast f1.9/48mm seven element Sonnar scheme lens.
The only fixed lens sonnar (so far as we know).
A really nicely made camera. Feels smooth and solid and has a great Rangefinder.
A couple here from my only test roll. Pretty lousy scans and my devlelopment water was super chalky and alkaline (island water) but, you can see the nice rendering and buttery oof area.

A Fast 50mm sonnar in a solid, metal Mechanical camera... I'm calling that a Gem!

Walz Envoy 35 by Adnan, on Flickr

Untitled by Adnan, on Flickr

Lopez 2013 2 copy by Adnan, on Flickr

Lopez 2013 Envoy 35 by Adnan, on Flickr

Remember pull tabs? … This guy does . by Adnan, on Flickr

 

[teamsc10190]

The Vivitar is very similar, but contrary to popular belief those three cameras are not the same camera with different badges. They differ significantly in internal construction as well as externally.

The 35ES body is slightly longer, the Auto S3 has a lever in the hot shoe to detect if there is a flash which enables GN mode automatically, etc. etc.

The Vivitar is black paint (!), the S3 is anodized.The 35ES has visible barrel distortion in the viewfinder, the 7s II has a lower magnification VF than the other two, and there are internal differences.

The tech that has serviced many fixed lens RFs for me once explained:

"For example, the 7SII is easiest to work on: Disconnect 3 wires , remove front coverings, 4 screws, and entire working camera assembly slides neatly out. Also meter has resistance pot which allow for adjusting the meter. They are a real jewel of intelligent design if one has to work on them.

The Konica Auto S3 / FD is an absolute b**t**d to remove the lens board and associated mangle of micro wires and hidden circuit board buried to body frame."

Thank you. Also:
Aperture blades: Auto S3 - behind shutter, 35ES - in front of shutter
Flash System: Auto S3 - Advanced balanced daylight/synchro with hot shoe and PC connector, 35ES - X-Synchro with G/N and hot shoe, no PC connector
Battery Cap Material: Auto S3 - Plastic, 35ES - Metal
Film Roller on back cover: Auto S3 - Waisted roller to prevent film scratching, 35ES - straight roller
Viewfinder construction: Auto S3 - Superior RF/VF system with larger viewfinder image using separate pair front lens group that are easily cleaned, 35ES - Smaller viewfinder image with visible barrel distortion using cemented pair front lens group that will haze internally over time and cannot be cleaned
Case: Auto S3 - 2-piece with snap closure and neck strap, 35ES - Zippered 1-piece
Production dates: Auto S3 - 1973-1977, 35ES - 1978 - ?
Size/ Weight: Auto S3 - 114 x 80 x 60 mm's, 410g, 35ES - 116 x 78 x 62, 465g
Camera manufacturer?: Konica - Yes, Vivitar - No

If you listen to folks on this forum, they're the same cameras built by the same manufacturer with different IDs? Both cameras ARE actually fitted with the same Copal leaf shutter but that doesn't make them the same camera.

 

[zuiko85]

Folks seem to like the Ricoh 500G when they try one out.

 

[splitimageview]

Thanks for the additional info about the S3 and the 35ES, teamsc10190.

Similarly, the Minolta Hi Matic 7S II isn't the same camera as the other two, either.

It's not easy to overcome years of repeated inaccuracy on the net, however!

 

[Steve M.]

Konica C35. Not the best build quality, but "good enough". Full auto exposure, but with an exposure lock that is exactly where it should be....simply pressing the shutter button halfway down locks it in. I traveled all over the place with mine, and always had comments on what a neat looking camera it was. The Hexanon lens was a keeper. There are probably at least a dozen clones of these cameras floating about.

Another vote for the small Retina 1A cameras. Even the bottom end Xenon 50 3.5 lenses give Leica like photos.

 

[David Hughes]

Konica C35. Not the best build quality, but "good enough". Full auto exposure, but with an exposure lock that is exactly where it should be....simply pressing the shutter button halfway down locks it in. I traveled all over the place with mine, and always had comments on what a neat looking camera it was. The Hexanon lens was a keeper. There are probably at least a dozen clones of these cameras floating about.

Another vote for the small Retina 1A cameras. Even the bottom end Xenon 50 3.5 lenses give Leica like photos.

Hi,

I guess that's the manual RF and auto everything else C35? Anyway, a very nice neat camera with a good lens on it. The other C35 which is AF (but no one seems to mention AF when talking about it) is also good but totally auto. Both dirt cheap.

Regards, David

 

[Arbitrarium]

I'll second Agfa Selectronic S Sensor. Just really fun to use, with a huge full information viewfinder.

I also really liked the Voigtlander VF101 made by Rollei. Really small but solid, cool extending hood, intuitive controls and a full information viewfinder. Good lens too.

Always been put off the Konica Auto S3 after handling a C35. Feels like it's made of twigs and prayers. Shutter priority ain't my cup of tea either.

And yeah, obviously Kodak Retina but it's not exactly undiscovered... I have a Retina II and adore it. Incredibly thick metal construction, fits in your pocket, extremely sharp lens. Shame about the viewfinder being the size of a grain of rice.

 

[Kevin Brown]

Going way back to the 50s, a very overlooked, under-appreciated camera is the beautiful Bolsey B3 (with Set-O-Matic, the Jubilee). I'd always loved the quality machining, looks, form factor and feel-in-the-hand of the oh-so common B2, but it was not at all a fun camera to shoot with - almost impossible to shoot steady at slow speeds due to the release lever on the side of the shutter, the inconvenient speed and aperture markings on the front of the shutter, just a single knob on the side of the lens to focus (always found myself groping for it), back-door release catch easy to loosen unintentionally, undersized wind-on knob made for uncomfortable advance, even smaller rewind knob made rewinding quite uncomfortable, flush-mounted viewfinder and rangefinder rear apertures allowed stray light in no matter how close your eye - sounds like a disaster, no?
But though you'd never know at a glance, Bolsey addressed all these with the B3/Jubilee:
- Focus distance, aperture and shutter speed all visible from the top.
- Black eyecups on the viewfinder and rangefinder eyepieces (these may have only appeared on the Jubilee).
- Taller wind-on knob makes all the difference.
- Rewind knob pops up away from the top of the camera making it way easier to grasp.
- Totally redesigned back-door latch, very secure and well-made.
- Symmetrical focus levers on opposite sides of lens barrel - need I say more?
- Much better lens and shutter: a Gauthier shutter and the f/3.2 Wollensak lens swapped out for a quite-sharp f/2.8 Steinheil.
- Proper body-mounted shutter release with integral cable-release socket.
All without making the camera one bit larger or changing it's beautiful shape.

In short the B3 and Jubilee were what the Bolsey B should have been from the start; it's almost as if Jacques put the camera out a bit too hastily. It's now not just a treat for the eyes, but for hands as well - a real joy to use.
And many forget that it's essentially the same size as the Olympus 35RC, the basic design from 1949!

Try one today!

 

[charjohncarter]

You can see the Konica C35 peeking out behind the 35RC. Both have things I like about them. The Konica is the sharpess 35mm lens I've ever had, but the down side is: it is totally automatic. I always have had one, when one breaks I get another, I got my first one in 1971.



flash unit by John Carter, on Flickr

small crop:

Trix-HC-110h-Rodinal by John Carter, on Flickr

 

[Phil_F_NM]

Adox Adrette series and Wirgin Edinex. They are the same camera. I used to have one with a 50mm Xenon lens and it was great.

I always liked my Argus AF too.

Phil Forrest

 

[JB-Dancer]

As regards fixed lens rangefinders I think the Vito III is ideal.
Voigtlander German built camera from the early 1950's (1952-56) with superb build quality..
Very pocketable camera with a great 5cm f2 Ultron coated (6 element lens) in a Synchro- Compur XM shutter.
Scarce camera but worth the search to find one.

 

[RichL]

Olympus Auto (the first version?) with 42mm f/1.8 lens.

 

[Contarama]

Ansco Autoset Rokkor 45/2.8

 

[Greyscale]

Yashica GX

Any Agfa or Ansco with the f2 Solagon lens.