Just lookin' for a little help

[dingoesatemycamera]

It's about that time again!
Here I am, a young, curious photo student who desperately asks for extensive advice on what kind of camera to get.
I'll be honest, I've been doing photography for about five years and I'm still pretty much clueless when it comes to equipment. I would always try to get a better handle on cameras by talking to my photo teacher, but for the longest time I wasn't sure what I was looking for, so it was hard for him to help me.
Anyway, I'm going to ask kindly for all of your advice. My interest in rangefinder cameras started about a year ago because of the interesting advantage they have when taking candid shots.

so... on to the fun!
I'll tell you what I'm interested in/what I need.
-Looking for quick accurate focusing
-I'm interested in the slightly older manual bodies, but would love to hear what new series offer
-I'll proably be bying used with a budget of about $700(I'm going to push it as much as I can)

speaking of series, that's one of the things that I've always gotten hung up on. I'm not sure of the differences between each series; I'm not even really sure what the differences are from brand to brand. Obviously, I've heard good things about Leicas and Nikons, but I want to understand why they have such good reputations. What are some brands that are really good but may not be as well known? umm... pros and cons? You know, even just hearing why you guys prefer rangefinders might be really helpful.

It sorta all boils down to trying to figure out why certain series and/or brands are good and then go from there.

phew! long-winded I know, but any help I can get will really help me in the long run. Thank you all so much!

T.

 

[FrankS]

Hello and welcome!

I suggest that you do some background reading at the CameraQuest site. That way, you will be able to fit the suggestions that you may/will get into a framework of shared understanding.

Good luck, and have fun!

 

[dingoesatemycamera]

Thank you, that was actually another thing I forgot to ask; if anyone knows decent camera equipment tutorial sites, I'm totally open to doing research there as well. Thanks again for the suggestion.

 

[Diggin99]

Based on personal experience I would say get a Bessa R (screwmount), or R2 (M mount). Basically I have tried the Barnack Leica and found that while the quiet and shutter and handling were terrific, the viewfinder was small and dim. Plus the bottom loading is not my cup of tea. For "quick accurate focusing", at least in my testing of various rangefinders, the older cameras are not the best choice. I would really look at the Bessa R with a couple of Voigtlander lenses (say a 35 and 50 or 50 and 75mm. Don't get me wrong, I love the feel of the Barnack, very sexy cameras, but I have found that a bright viewfinder and easy film loading make for quick use of the camera. Just my 2 cents!

Good luck!

Oh and if I had $700 to spend I would get the Bessa T and a 40/1.4 Classic Nokton SC, but thats just me!

 

[mfunnell]

Well, I think that about the best deal you'll get on a new RF camera outfit would be this one from this forum's esteemed owner:

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

That's a new, under warranty, screw-mount RF camera with a decent combined viewfinder/rangefinder with bright-line frames for 35/50/75/90 focal lengths, decent film handling, built-in meter plus 35/2.5 LTM lens. All for $400, leaving you with budget to buy a different focal-length lens (though you'll probably have to look 2nd-hand for that).

But while you're there, make sure you look at the wealth of information hung from this page:

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

That may give you some idea of what you want, if the above Bessa R deal isn't what you're looking for. As an example within your budget, I recently picked up a Canon P with 50/1.8 lens for just on US$400 - which is also well within your budget and giving you room for another focal length. And there are lots of other options, including some really good price/performance ratios on former Soviet Union cameras (though they're not covered on Stephen's site).

(BTW: as full disclosure I'll point out that while I think the Bessa R deal above looks good for your budget, I've never owned any of the Voigtlander/Bessa/Cosina RF cameras so can't recommend them from personal experience.)

...Mike

 

[Ken Ford]

Welcome, T!

I tend to agree with the Bessa idea - $700 is enough to buy one of several different "classic" RFs (a Leica screw mount, a Nikon S2, even a Leica M3), but you'd have no budget then for any maintenance that would be needed for a fifty year old camera. A Bessa will be usable right from the beginning.

Is there any way you can try various rangefinders before you commit your budget? I suspect that you will find one particular brand or model will suit you better than others.

All that said, if I were in your position today but knew what I know now, I'd look for a user Leica M3 body ($450 at KEH) and a good deal on an older Leica 50mm Summicron, 40mm Summicron or something similar.