For those who know; which would be the keeper

zuiko85 said:
Sell all three and get an Olympus 35RC.
*Compact
*Semi auto exposure and;
*Full manual control
*Does not need a battery to work on manual
Order a 43.5mm to 43mm step down filter ring from one of those HK dealers on e-bay.
This will allow you to use common size filters and lens hoods.

Oh yeah, it has a GN lens so any cheap small manual flash can be used as auto.
Click to expand...

I would agree, but I've had problems with this camera too. And within a reasonable time from a CLA. As Roger Hicks (not in this thread) says all of these mentioned cameras were made to take about 70 rolls of film and then buy another.

But when it is on it is great:

MOLAA, Long Beach, CA by John Carter, on Flickr

But I have to admit: I have a roll of TriX in mine (Olympus 35RC) now and I hope there are no problems.
 
Hi,

OTOH, it needs the old unobtainable, illegal mercury batteries or else the expensive Wein cell replacement. So I'll stick to my Trip and RF suggestion.

But it does give you manual and auto exposure...

Regards, David
 
You guys are great!! With all your great advise, I have made 2 "for sure" decisions: I am keeping my Trip and I'm selling all my SLR's, except for 1 Nikon FG w/35 1.8 (for nostalgia, I learned to shoot with an FG ang 35mm).

Now the question is which RF "to have and hold", till death... And you have posted a couple more camera suggestions to look into. $$$ is of course a factor, but like my Dad would say "sometimes you've got to spend a little, to get allot". That being said, I will have a threshold of about $500 +/- $200. Not saying that I am just going to hash out $700, research, touchy/feeling and testing come first.

Thanks again!!
 
Yes, a working Trip is definitely a keeper. The Konica and Minolta models are nice, but have their drawbacks. I quit using mine a long time ago.

For a decent rangefinder, there are some Japanese made models that are somewhat copies of the Leica II and III series, but with improvements like combined range and view finders, and easier loading. Canon started with the bottom loader design, but switched to back loading on the later models such as the P, VI, and 7. Their lenses are very nice, with some being really superb. And no batteries required!

But if you want a non-interchangeable lens camera, the Olympus SP or SPn are nice, as are some of the older Yashica cameras before the G series. The Yashicas are good for a budget minded person as opposed to the SP/SPn. Some have meters (though they are selenium), some don't, but all can be used without the meter functioning anyway except for the Minimatic-C.

PF
 
Hi,

Something I forgot, most of the interchangeable lens RF's need an external view-finder, which rather spoils the line as they are lumps on the top of the body. And they are expensive unless you go for the reasonable Japanese Helios one or the bigger USSR version of the pre-war Carl Zeiss one.

The alternative is the Leica M series with their different framelines and that may batter your budget badly. The classic choices, or dilemmas, are the VF's of the M2, M3 or M4; beyond (M5, M6 & M7) are dear. But with luck you might manage a starter/user like the M2 with the Summaron 35mm f/3.5. Alas, I don't know prices in your part of the world. And I'll warn you that you need a lot of luck to get one that's completely trouble free. Trouble comes dearly, usually, with the M series but they are worth it.

And there's the bargain Leica CL with the gorgeous Summicron 40mm f/2 lens, a camera I've owned and loved for decades. Even today it gets more use than the M2 or M9...

Regards, David

PS And there's the FED 1 and 2 and the Zorki 1 and 6 but mentioning them often gets me into an endless loop of the "Oh no it isn't" and "Oh yes it is" variety.
 
I think you'll know which camera you'd want to keep if you really wanted to.
If you can't decide, I'd say keep the one you feel most comfortable using and shooting with.
But I'm sure everyone has helped you out by now to make a decision 🙂
Anyway, just my take on when deciding which cameras to keep.
 
two more cents.....

two more cents.....

I realize the Rollei 35 is scale-focus and that is not for everyone, but getting reacquainted recently with that camera for me has been lots of fun. I also mention this one because you said "....til death"

It is solidly built, of beautiful design, with a superb lens. I am finding that for portraits (informal ones), and subject isolation it is fun learning process to guess distance. If I get it down, I'd look forward to just taking this camera on a "Trip" as my only camera.

You also seemed to like the idea of an XA. I say give it a try. They are repairable, lots of fun, while not a corrected lens to the extent of the Zeiss on Contax or Rollei, render beautifully. And the XA is absolutely the most portable RF.

David
 
Hi all! I've had the chance to play with my nephew's XA2 and although it's not a RF, the size and handling were quite intriguing due to its shape, it feels nice. I also had the opportunity to handle a Minolta CLE and this camera I liked allot. Living in NJ gives me the chance to go to several camera stores with good quantities of used cameras. I know that the Minolta is almost a copy of the Leica CL and Im going to see if I can plan a day to bo to B&H to see what bodies they have in stock, so I can get a feel for them.

I'll keep you posted!
 
Saijem said:
...

Now the question is which RF "to have and hold", till death... And you have posted a couple more camera suggestions to look into. $$$ is of course a factor, but like my Dad would say "sometimes you've got to spend a little, to get allot". That being said, I will have a threshold of about $500 +/- $200. Not saying that I am just going to hash out $700, research, touchy/feeling and testing come first.

Thanks again!!
Click to expand...

M2, M4-2, M4-P, M3. RFF classifieds.
 
Hi,

Minolta and Leica got together a long long time ago and some very interesting cameras came out of it, try Leica M5 and CL and Minolta XD-7 for starters. At the time they really were the best of both worlds (sigh).

Three batches of Leica CL's were made but some were marked with Minolta as well as Leica, depending on the market - from memory. You got a Summicron-C 40mm f/2 with them and it was probably called something else elsewhere too. And there was a lovely 90mm f/4 and to add to the confusion the frame-lines were for 40, 50 and 90mm. They showed as 40 and 50 together and 40 and 90 together. I modified mine to block the 50's but didn't like the look of it...

Here's a good place to learn about the CL:-

https://www.cameraquest.com/leicacl.htm

After the CL was discontinued, Minolta developed it as the all electronic Minolta CLE with a 28, 40 and 90mm set of lenses.

I've had a CL for decades and a CLE (when they were new) for a week or two. Again I'll suggest some research into the CLE...

Regards, David

PS If it will help, here's the manual and NB he does a good job and deserves a donation:-

http://www.cameramanuals.org/leica_pdf/leica_cl.pdf
 
Thanks for the explanation/differentiation between these 2 cameras (CL/CLE). I've got some more research to do, and I found the dedicated Leica/Minolta thread on this site.

As well as, looking into the M2, M4-2, M4-P & M3, as suggested.

So many choices, such great advice!!!
 
Putting all three up for sale and keeping the last one standing is the best way to make sure you will own the least desirable of the three. 😛

I'd keep the Trip. The Hexanon lens is sharp indeed, but the Trip lens isn't anything less than that!
 
Still following this.

THank you David Hughes for that XA- site. I don't agree with him about Kodak film. ...that said, I will try the Fuji 200 he suggests.

Saijem, The CL is a very cool camera and more keeping to your budget than looking at M cameras. I guarantee you will carry the XA more than any of the others! And you can buy 2 XAs and an XA-4 for the price of an M! Never mind glass for the M. 🙂

I also have the Auto S3 which for sure has a better clearer range and view finder than my XA but I still love the XA. I'd also really check out Rollei 35S. I stumbled on mine for $60.00 at a local shop recently and really like it....and wondeerful Zeiss lens. XA still has edge in portability and RF focusing!

David
 
Oh dear! That word again...

Oh dear! That word again...

Hi,

That word - love - is going to undermine all this because once you've fallen for a camera you are in that weak state where reason flies out of the door.

I mean, look at all those people spending more than I'd spend on a dozen cameras just to run a roll of B&W 127 film through an old camera...

Regards, David
 
Saijem said:
Thanks for the explanation/differentiation between these 2 cameras (CL/CLE). I've got some more research to do...

So many choices...
Click to expand...

Yes thats much 😉 but - which camera ever has your interest - hold it and better shoot it!
The Leica CL was a wonderful experience when I got mine. Smaller than my M but also a good viewfinder and the same good results.
But when it came to shooting the CL ended as my backup and the M6 won every time.

Regards, Axel
 
Haven't had any of the cameras you are considering getting rid of. I did have an Olympus SP. While it was good, I just didn't bond with it and gave it away. I do have the Olympus XA. I like it. It gives me good photos. When I got it, it was dead. Disappointment! But I considered that if it hadn't been used in a long time, there might be some capacitors that needed reforming. I left the batteries in for several hours and it began working. You may have to learn where to put your eye to use the RF. That is pretty easy to do. I try to keep it handy in my backpack all the time, as it is quite compact and I like it. YMMV.

I have some other fixed lens RF. That includes the Canon 17 and 19. I almost never use them, nor any other. Only the XA when I have no other camera I prefer, of wish to carry. But I do have another that I also like. It is a Petri Trip. Very compact and a good lens. The point of mentioning other RF fixed lens cameras, is that if you have to sell what you have now for some reason, when you want another camera of that style, is that there are lots of choices. And many of them would be just as good as the ones you are contemplating selling off now, but less expensive.
 
David Hughes said:
Hi,

That word - love - is going to undermine all this because once you've fallen for a camera you are in that weak state where reason flies out of the door.

I mean, look at all those people spending more than I'd spend on a dozen cameras just to run a roll of B&W 127 film through an old camera...

Regards, David
Click to expand...

Semantics! Well maybe a little negligence on my part. Compared to the price of a new Leica today, buying some of these older cameras by the six pack almost seems reasonable.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

P
Which camera for 28 and 50mm?
3 4 5
Replies
95
Views
7K
Beemermark
Beemermark
splitimageview
  • Locked
RFF - Let’s Not Lose Focus!
2 3 4
Replies
64
Views
4K
CameraQuest
CameraQuest
S
Suggestions / advice for new camera
2 3
Replies
45
Views
2K
silvershadelynx
S
peterm1
Who is your favorite photographer in history - who has influenced you the most?
2 3
Replies
50
Views
2K
mconnealy
mconnealy
G
Which rangefinder to get for 35mm lens
2
Replies
26
Views
2K
WJJ3
WJJ3
Back
Top Bottom