oscroft
Veteran
Dear all,
I've been lurking here for a little while, learning a lot and looking at some great photos. But I decided I was too unworthy to post until I had my first rangefinder in my hands 😀 Now that I have, I thought I'd indulge myself by offering a bit of an introduction - hope you don't mind.
I've been an SLR photohrapher for more than 30 years, and for that I'm currently using Olympus OM, and Bronica ETRSi. I spend a lot of time in SE Asia, so travel photography is what I do most of. But I've always been intrigued by rangefinder photography, and always thought that if SLRs haven't managed to replace it, there must be something to it 🙂 I also mostly use wideangles. My widest (and favourite) SLR lens is a Zuiko 24mm, and I've been watching 21mm lenses on eBay but they always go for too much money.
Putting the two together, I was pretty impressed when Cosina first released their Voigtlander range a few years ago, but I didn't have the money to try them. But recently, Robert White's offer of a Bessa-L body for £25 with any of the widest lenses was irresistable, and I bought the CV 21mm and 15mm lenses with two Bessa-L bodies. And I love them - the 21mm has probably become my favourite focal length, and the 15mm is quite amazing. And using the Bessa cameras is really nice. I feel a much greater sense of immediacy and connection with the subject - I feel I'm looking at the subject, rather than looking into a dark box.
But I still didn't actually have a rangefinder, and I have finally rectified that this week with the delivery of a Fed 1g (an eBay purchase for just £32.50). It's in very good condition - the shutter blinds look very good, the speeds sound and feel about right, and the lens is spotless. I have my first film in it now, and should have some results pretty soon. But what really struck me about it is - it's simply gorgeous! It looks and feels fantastic. I've only really seen them in photos in the past and have never had one in my hands before (I've seen old Leicas in shop windows before, but that was a long time ago), and I'm amazed how small and compact it is - it makes the OM and Bessa bodies seem huge and clumsy.
So, I think there might be something to this rangefinder lark 🙂 and I think could get hooked (in fact, I've got a Jupiter 12 coming from a Ukrainian seller as we speak).
Best regards,
Alan
I've been lurking here for a little while, learning a lot and looking at some great photos. But I decided I was too unworthy to post until I had my first rangefinder in my hands 😀 Now that I have, I thought I'd indulge myself by offering a bit of an introduction - hope you don't mind.
I've been an SLR photohrapher for more than 30 years, and for that I'm currently using Olympus OM, and Bronica ETRSi. I spend a lot of time in SE Asia, so travel photography is what I do most of. But I've always been intrigued by rangefinder photography, and always thought that if SLRs haven't managed to replace it, there must be something to it 🙂 I also mostly use wideangles. My widest (and favourite) SLR lens is a Zuiko 24mm, and I've been watching 21mm lenses on eBay but they always go for too much money.
Putting the two together, I was pretty impressed when Cosina first released their Voigtlander range a few years ago, but I didn't have the money to try them. But recently, Robert White's offer of a Bessa-L body for £25 with any of the widest lenses was irresistable, and I bought the CV 21mm and 15mm lenses with two Bessa-L bodies. And I love them - the 21mm has probably become my favourite focal length, and the 15mm is quite amazing. And using the Bessa cameras is really nice. I feel a much greater sense of immediacy and connection with the subject - I feel I'm looking at the subject, rather than looking into a dark box.
But I still didn't actually have a rangefinder, and I have finally rectified that this week with the delivery of a Fed 1g (an eBay purchase for just £32.50). It's in very good condition - the shutter blinds look very good, the speeds sound and feel about right, and the lens is spotless. I have my first film in it now, and should have some results pretty soon. But what really struck me about it is - it's simply gorgeous! It looks and feels fantastic. I've only really seen them in photos in the past and have never had one in my hands before (I've seen old Leicas in shop windows before, but that was a long time ago), and I'm amazed how small and compact it is - it makes the OM and Bessa bodies seem huge and clumsy.
So, I think there might be something to this rangefinder lark 🙂 and I think could get hooked (in fact, I've got a Jupiter 12 coming from a Ukrainian seller as we speak).
Best regards,
Alan
