half frame rangefinder

[wamjam]

just wanna ask:

1. is the CANON DEMI series considered rangefinder?
2. is the YASHICA HALF 14 also considered a rangefinder?
3. while the Demi EE17, Demi S, and Demi Rapid have a f1.7, the
Half 14 has a f1.4...are there any other brands with a lens of f1.4?
4. bottom line, i'm looking for a half frame rangefinder with fast lens and MANUAL CONTROL...something i could use even without batteries.

thanks

 

[kbg32]

Most of the compact half frame cameras are not rangefinders and were scale focused. Though I once owned a Fujica or a Yashica that had a rangefinder. To my knowledge that was the only one. Look for an Olympus Pen D or D2. I believe you can maually set the aperture and shutter speeds with that model.

BTW, most of the old compact half frame cameras had selenium meters and were not battery dependent. If they did have batteries, it was only for the meter and they still worked manually without them.

 

[Cale Arthur]

Hf-rf..

Hf-rf..

One of the only half-frame format cameras with a 'true' rangefinder is the very rare Robot Royal 18.. amazingly small, and with interchangeable lenses and a motor drive!! Then, of course, there's the fabled Nikon S3M, but that's one of the rarest cameras on this or any other planet...

The Pen D2, and D3 have CdS meters, and are scale focus.. All Canon Demi's and Yashica Half's are, sadly, scale focus.. but i think you'll have a tough time finding a faster lens on a HF than the Half 14, even though it's auto exposure..

Still not a RF, but for half frame, i can highly recommend the Canon (or Bell & Howell) Dial 35's.. not a super fast lens, but they don't need a battery to function, and the auto-wind is too cool.. i have three of them, and absolutely love them all.. all of the shots in my 'half frame' set on Flickr were taken with a Dial 35 sans battery..

 

[Kat]

Cale Arthur, where did you pick up your Dial 35's? I had been looking in ebay, but most are of unknown condition.

 

[ZorkiKat]

Wam

Got a non-working Canon Demi EE-17. The first camera I played with was a Canon Demi- the original model with coupled shutter/aperture settings. The EE-17 runs on obsolete mercury cells, and the camera, according to the specs, should be able to shoot without batteries. Have to send this one for repair.

Jay

 

[Cale Arthur]

Hey Kat.. i picked up 2 of the Dial 35's from eBay, and one here from Joe Friday... usually, the conditions are unknown because these cameras do not work unless film is loaded. I've only had one problem with them, and it happened with all three, and that is the gearing & linkage where the auto-wind attaches needs to be lubricated after years of disuse.. after i've taken care of this, they all have worked perfectly -- do let me know if you get one, and i can walk you through this procedure.. it's pretty easy!

As far as finding one on eBay goes, i'd say that as long as it looks like it's not been dropped, you're probably in good shape w/some assurance of functionality (though maybe i got lucky).. one of mine is pretty ding'ed up, but still works perfectly.. they're relatively tough little shooters... let me know if you need more info!