How often do you see other RF users around?

[Steve George]

Just general Friday nonsense.

How often do you see other rangefinder users around? I see them so rarely I make a point of saying "hello" now - particularly if I have one of mine in my bag.

I always seem to spot them in the places I would consider most unlikely - working in Central London, in the heart of the tourist areas I see them only rarely - maybe once every 4 or 5 months - a Leica III* user in Victoria station being the most recent.

But then in an otherwise empty country churchyard in a very quiet village I met a guy taking a pic of a Yew tree with an M7, and in my home town (not a big place) last week an Xpan user was taking a pic of the castle...

...so just curious - with film taking up an ever smaller percentage of the market and RF's taking a small proportion of that already small market, how often do you see someone with an RF around?

 

[Frank Granovski]

If everyone used their real names it would be rush hour traffic each time you leave the home, unless you live in the sticks.

About a month ago one of the members here e-mailed me. Turns out it was a long lost buddy I grew up with. Prior to that, I had another blast from the past.

 

[MinorTones]

It's kind of funny, when I think about it the last person I saw with an RF was when I lived in Boston at 19 about five years ago. He had an early M camera, chrome, I didnt bother to talk. At that time I carried around a IIIf.

-Mitch

 

[ClaremontPhoto]

Never seen an RF user in ten years or more.

Some young guy who looked like John Boy Walton came here last year with a field camera on a wooden tripod.

I never spoke to him because I was always wondering why he needed a baggy white collarless shirt and too-big pants in order to use his 4x5.

 

[Frank Granovski]

Are there any RFF members from Regina? I still want to go there for a Robin's Donut, but my back is out due to a 2-hour visit at the dentist (where I did take several B&Ws with my 35RC). 🙂


-------------------------------------------------------------------------
I did just see Spock's ears: http://www.bayraider.tv/2005/12/spocks_ears.html 😎

 

[furcafe]

I'll occasionally see RF users here in DC (none from this forum, yet), usually older European & American tourists (often the classic "retired investment banker" Leica stereotype). I was in Shanghai for a couple weeks on vacation in the fall & I saw maybe 3 Leicas, 1 in the hands of a local (turns out he was a member of a Shanghai Leica club & invited me to a gathering), which is about standard for when I'm on vacation. More often, I'll run into *former* RF users (like working PJs, etc.) who upon seeing 1 of my cameras will wax nostalgic about the Leicas, Nikon RFs, etc. that they used to use back in day. But more interestingly, I do regularly encounter young people (late teens, early 20s), invariably art school/artsy types, out shooting w/their parents' or grandparents' old film cameras, including a fair # of RFs; but that may be because I live & work in the city. I've definitely seen the side of the digital boom that has made high quality film gear (especially medium format) more affordable for students, et al. of limited means.

 

[RML]

Almost never. In the past year perhaps only 2 or 3 times. That's not counting the planned meetings with rff members, the last Leica challenge, or the annual open air photo market in Doesburg.

 

[Solinar]

I hadn't seen a rangefinder in use for a couple of years, but last October while at a Klan rally, I saw a photg with a Canon 1D with a mega zoom, a Horizon type panoramic and what looked to be an M-6. ALL OF WHICH WERE HANGING FROM HIS NECK.

 

[cbass]

Exactly twice in the last two years. Maybe that's because RF users tend to be discreet? 😎

When I worked in Boston last year there was a young guy with a well-used Leica M and a CV 28 shooting pictures of the commuters exiting South Station. Saw him several times but only spoke to him briefly once (I asked him if he was indeed using a Leica -- and I didn't want to pester him while he was working). Maybe he is a member of RFF??

Two years ago I was taking pictures in the iris gardens in Montclair, NJ when I met a fellow with a beautifully restored Contax RF. He turned out to be an active member of the Zeiss Historica Society and we had a nice conversation.

I see plenty of folks with digital cameras, though. They are easy to spot! 😉

 

[Film dino]

Havent seen a single one in Kuala Lumpur in 5 years. The last one I saw was last November in Sydney- with a Digilux 2.....

 

[chenick]

Come to think of it, I don't think I've ever seen another RF user 🙁
It's been about 2 years since I've seen an analog SLR user too 🙁

-Nick

 

[SteveM(PA)]

me too...I saw a guy with a digilux 2 about two years ago at Hershey Park. I walked over to him and said "excuse me is that a digilux 2 you have there?" He was stunned, and immediately took it off and let me hold it. He was thrilled that somebody knew about it. Alas, I just had my little canon s230 (a GREAT little digi movie camera).

 

[James Burton]

Periodically. I saw a guy with a black M7 last week. Prior to that a guy from behind the counter of one of the 2nd hand camera shops was out shooting an x-pan or something. I sometimes see a square hooded something hanging around at the station. Quite often tourists have Leicas. Thinking of it I saw 2 last week, but none today.

James

 

[RML]

Quite often tourists have Leicas. Thinking of it I saw 2 last week, but none today.

I gues I live in rf desert! Or the tourists coming to Amsterdam are afraid having their Leicas stolen and don't bring them here. 🙂

 

[pesphoto]

Last weekend I was in Mystic Ct and saw someone shooting wtih an RD-1.

 

[kmack]

Only once. This summer while I was in San Francisco. I saw a gentleman in rather seedy clothes walking slowly down the sidewalks around Mission. With the large number of street people in San Fran he was almost invisible, except for the all brass barnack cupped expertly in his right hand. I followed him a short distance to see his 'technique' and while we were stopped at a crosswalk I sided up up him and said, " I have never seen an all brass Leica, which model is it?". He smiled and held it up, it was a IIIG in well used condition. He then said, "You want to see something?", then opened his jeans vest and in a kind of shoulder holster was the duplicate of the Leica in his hand. A matched pair of brass Disney G's, one with a well rendered Mickey Mouse the other with a Minnie Mouse. Both well used and cared for. We talked shooting for a while then I let him return to his hunting.

 

[thmk]

Is it that hard in Amsterdam with camera theft? So I should leave my M2 at home in March and take the Bessa-R?

Cheers
Thomas-Michael

 

[Paul T.]

They're like buses, there are none for ages, then one December morning in Brick Lane, a regular haunt, a saw two M6 users in one morning, and around a week later in Whitstable saw another two. One French gentleman was taking a photo of his family with an M6, and I volunteered to get him in the shot too. I told him dont worry, I know how to focus it, but kept my own proclivities quiet for some reason. Hope the shot came out ok....

Overall, I would say I see a lot more camera users in general recently (I live in a tourist-oriented area, Greenwich), and still a good number of classic film SLRs. And last Sunday, as I was going up in a lift in the maritime museum, I saw an elderly gentleman with a Kiev 4 and turret finder, and felt slgihtly nerdy as I was one the verge of pointing it out to my five-year old son.

 

[RML]

Is it that hard in Amsterdam with camera theft? So I should leave my M2 at home in March and take the Bessa-R?

Not more than anywhere else in the world. But Amsterdam often calls up dark and seedy thoughts in people. I don't know why. 😛

 

[harry01562]

mmm....

mmm....

Now that you mention it, very seldom. I can recall a black Leica M several years ago, and a very occasional Barnack here and there. I use those, plus mostly Canon's and Contax. I never seen those in use, and would probably at least say "Hi" if I did.
I was in an artsy camera shop in Maine last year, wearing a Canon 7s around my neck. The lady behind the counter (the owner) mentioned it, and brought out a very pretty Rolleiflex 3.5 Tessar. I remarked on her good taste, and privately lusted, since it was much nicer than mine..
We are small in number, but we are here. And with 4000 readers, we seem to be growing.

Harry