Newbie Advice.

[MoTR]

Hey everyone,
Im about to make the leap into the world of range finders due to my love for street photography, but however I cannot afford my M^ with 50mm f1.0 Nocti 😉 So Im looking for an alternative, and the russian gear seems to be very good.
However with such a range Im kinda lost as to which would be best for me.
SO Im asking the pros here 😉
What camera should I choose.

Mostly Black And White Street Photography.
CHeers in advance.
Jay from Ireland

 

[Andrew Touchon]

Hey everyone,
Im about to make the leap into the world of range finders due to my love for street photography, but however I cannot afford my M^ with 50mm f1.0 Nocti 😉 So Im looking for an alternative, and the russian gear seems to be very good.
However with such a range Im kinda lost as to which would be best for me.
SO Im asking the pros here 😉
What camera should I choose.

Mostly Black And White Street Photography.
CHeers in advance.
Jay from Ireland

If your concern is low light shooting why not consider the CV 35mm 1.2 Nokton ? Since it's M mount , you have a wide choice of bodies to mount it on.

 

[DaveP]

Zorki 6 for what you want to do, with a Jupiter 8 and a Jupiter 12. The Z6 has a good viewfinder,lever wind, is small, opening back and its just plain flat a good camera............

 

[MoTR]

So Zorki 6? Nice and cheap too.
The jupiter 8 is only an f2, would there be any faster alternatives for that body? If there was something in the 1.4 range even if i had to pay a bit more?

 

[MoTR]

Looking at the Jupiter 3 lens it seems like it would be nice, f1.5, is there many drawbacks to a J3?
And Im not really going for low light stuff, I just like the fast street photo style, ala Chris Weeks etc.

 

[Jocko]

So Zorki 6? Nice and cheap too.
The jupiter 8 is only an f2, would there be any faster alternatives for that body? If there was something in the 1.4 range even if i had to pay a bit more?

Indeed MoTR - the Jupiter 3 at f1.5. The problem is that although capable of superb results, they had very quirky quality control and often require adjustment.

Remember that the lack of a reflex box means rangefinders are much more stable at longer shutter speeds than SLRs: you can handhold in situations you wouldn't have dared to! That extra half stop isn't essential!

Cheers, Ian

 

[brachal]

I think the fastest FSU lens you're likely to find is the 1.5 Jupiter 3. I've heard it's a great lens if you can find a good one. Good ones are rare, especially in ltm, and the Jupiter 3 tends to be one of the most expensive FSU lenses.

I'd recommend a good Kiev 2a or 4a with the Jupiter 8 (3 if you can find one) and/or a Jupiter 12. The Helios 103 is 1.8 and has a good reputation. Bear in mind that FSU cameras tend to require more maintenance than what you might be used to. Light leaks and DIY adjustments seem to come with the territory. If you're adverse to that, I'd strongly recommend a Bessa R. A nice body, and you can use most Soviet ltm lenses with it.

 

[MoTR]

Hehe ^^^ Hmmm what I might do is pick up the Jupiter 8 and keep an eye out for a proven Jupiter 3 that is known to be working ok.
And the Zorki 6 does seem like a very nice cam. Good price too at my student income 😉

 

[MoTR]

I think the fastest FSU lens you're likely to find is the 1.5 Jupiter 3. I've heard it's a great lens if you can find a good one. Good ones are rare, especially in ltm, and the Jupiter 3 tends to be one of the most expensive FSU lenses.

I'd recommend a good Kiev 2a or 4a with the Jupiter 8 (3 if you can find one) and/or a Jupiter 12. The Helios 103 is 1.8 and has a good reputation. Bear in mind that FSU cameras tend to require more maintenance than what you might be used to. Light leaks and DIY adjustments seem to come with the territory. If you're adverse to that, I'd strongly recommend a Bessa R. A nice body, and you can use most Soviet ltm lenses with it.

Yeah no I wouldnt mind getting down inside, in fact itd be a welcome break from the digital world of sending everything away the min it breaks!
Hmmm only thing being the Kievs seem to be a bit more expensive from what I can see.

 

[Jocko]

I think that if you're into fast street photography Dave's choice - a Jupiter 12 (35mm) - would be ideal. With a fast film you'll have no real problems, there's decent depth of field for scale focussing and pretty much any body will do as you'll need an accessory finder. The Zorki 6 is a very usable choice, though the FED 2 handles very well IMHO.

Cheers, Ian

 

[lushd]

Hi Jay - welcome to the FSU corner. What's been suggested so far is excellent. The Zorki 4k is also very useable and likeable and takes Leica screw mount lenses. A reaonable one can be had for little money. I would suggest buying one of the suggestions and trying it. You'll end up owning the complete set sooner or later. May I suggest that you also go out and buy a nice cupboard to store all the gear you will soon own? You'll be glad you did!

Let us know what you buy and post some pictures. All of us here will heartily endorse Oleg Khalyavin as a man to buy from.

 

[MoTR]

Teehe definitly one of the most friendly forumsIve visited 😉
I think Ill go with a Zorki 6 and A Jupiter 8 to start and look out for a good Jupiter 3.
Ill report back with my shots and my final purchases.
And yes Id say its something u can really get causght into, just lucky I dont have the money for a lecia 😉

 

[Jocko]

Let us know what you buy and post some pictures. All of us here will heartily endorse Oleg Khalyavin as a man to buy from.

That's absolutely right: he has a reputation second to none. You can get to his site directly by pressing the "Russian Cameras" cool link on the home page. Remember that his pictures show his cameras before he works on them, so some can look a bit rough!

Ian

 

[robin a]

That's absolutely right: he has a reputation second to none. You can get to his site directly by pressing the "Russian Cameras" cool link on the home page. Remember that his pictures show his cameras before he works on them, so some can look a bit rough!

Ian

Ians spot on,I recieved a Fed2d yesterday from Oleg.It didn't look like the same camera I ordered,and ohhh so smooth.Now if he only had a Zorki 3m,I've got bad GAS

 

[ruben]

It depends upon your concept of street photography. If you are talking about buildings and monuments, any system Soviet camera goes.

If you are talking about people, then no Russian RF is up to the job for being too slow to manipulate in general, and specially regarding all time dancing people. Better you find either an autoexposure fixed lens Japanese camera, like the Yashica GSN, for the same price, or the more pricey GX yet smaller and lighter, or you climb upwards in price towards something else.

"My 2 cents"

Ruben

PS: As you see from my avatar, I am a Soviet RFs fan, from the Kiev breed.

 

[Jocko]

no Russian RF is up to the job for being too slow to manipulate. Better you find either an autoexposure fixed lens Japanese camera, like the Yashica GSN, for the same price, or you climb upwards in price towards something else.

TREASON!

Ruben! You Bukharinite Saboteur! The Workers of the World Stand aghast at your perfidious machinations!

Comrades! Do not heed the siren song of this wicked Yashicaite Class Enemy, diabolical tool of the International Pentax Cyclops!

 

[ruben]

TREASON!

Ruben! You Bukharinite Saboteur! The Workers of the World Stand aghast at your perfidious machinations!

Comrades! Do not heed the siren song of this wicked Yashicaite Class Enemy, diabolical tool of the Pentax Cyclops!

My attorney issued me a data sheet with the following evidence:

a) my avatar is still the same, and not by accident.

b) http://www.rangefinderforum.com/forums/showthread.php?t=24640

c) Kievs are for love, if you need to marry better go practical.

d) & e) are kept in secrecy by now.


Cheers,
Ruben

:angel:

 

[Jocko]

Shame!

Shame!

Comrade Ruben!

You Have Brought Shame On Your Avatar! Her Hot Tears Flow Like The Waters Of Our Beloved Volga!

Ian!

 

[captainslack]

While I don't want to be hauled in front of the Politburo, 😀 I would recommend you look at the Canonet QL-17 GIII before you make any purchases. It's got everything you need apart from interchangable lenses: fast lenses (f/1.7), wind lever, super quiet shutter (quieter than my Leica IIf, in fact), and shutter priority. Not to mention of the sharpest lenses around.

 

[clarence]

It depends upon your concept of street photography. If you are talking about buildings and monuments, any system Soviet camera goes.

If you are talking about people, then no Russian RF is up to the job for being too slow to manipulate in general, and specially regarding all time dancing people.

I would disagree: Not if you have a wide angle lens. I've been using a Cosina-Voigtlaender 25mm lens (and a homemade viewfinder) on my FED-2 for the past few months and just shooting it from waist level on the street or quickly raising it to my eye. Focusing is all done with hyperfocal distance, so I hardly adjust the focus, aperture or shutter speeds. Results have been rather consistently good. The same could be done with a Jupiter-12 35mm lens or an Orion-15 28m lens.

Clarence