Sauli Särkkä
Member
We've all heard of Petri rangefinders, many have even owned one or more of them. I thought it'd be nice to collect experiences, recommendations, things to watch for and other specifics on these curious little photographic machines.
I've only just gotten started with Petri cameras and my first one, a Petri 7S (f/2.8 version), arrived a while back. I ran a roll through it and all seems to function per spec. The only problems with the unit are a dent on the filter ring and missing labels on the ISO/ASA ring. I compared the same scene with my Nikon D200 to get the exposure meter into the correct neighborhood and it seemed to do the trick.
Yesterday, I received another Petri 7S (f/1.8 version), but it was sadly battered by the postal service. It left the seller in great condition (I have before and after pictures.. 🙁 ), but it arrived with a large dent on the filter ring and even the leather case the camera was in was broken in a way that explains the camera damage simulatenously. Even the shutter seemed to have taken a hit -- perhaps due to deformation of the lens barrel. Oh well, I got a refund and all's well -- so far.
I do, however, have a Petri 7S II on the way (should arrive within a week). as well as an offer on a Petri Racer on eBay waiting to go through (or not) to give me a more general feel of Petri cameras. It'd also be nice to get my hands on a Petri Color 35, as well as the different versions of Petri Color Corrected Super.
Enough with introductions and on with the program.
The Petri 7S seems like a nice camera. The images I shot came out nice and contrasty; wide open, the lens could be a tad sharper, but the softness is negligible in smaller prints (10x15 cm or 4"x6"). The bokeh of the f/2.8 lense is nice. Mechanically, the camera seems to be fairly robust and learning to use it is a snap, since all controls are on the lens barrel and their positions are quickly learned. The match needle metering works like a charm for me, with the top meter being helpful in pre-metering areas/scenes and the viewfinder meter just showing me that conditions are still fine to shoot.
Cons? Perhaps it could be a little smaller. (That's why I'm also keen on getting an Olympus RC to compare to the Petri range.)
For some reason, the feeling that one gets when using an older rangefinder is so different to when one shoots with a modern DSLR, it most certainly affects the kind of pictures I take -- even if I were using the same focal length, FOV, DOF, etc. I don't know why that is. Anyone have similar findings?
-Sale
I've only just gotten started with Petri cameras and my first one, a Petri 7S (f/2.8 version), arrived a while back. I ran a roll through it and all seems to function per spec. The only problems with the unit are a dent on the filter ring and missing labels on the ISO/ASA ring. I compared the same scene with my Nikon D200 to get the exposure meter into the correct neighborhood and it seemed to do the trick.
Yesterday, I received another Petri 7S (f/1.8 version), but it was sadly battered by the postal service. It left the seller in great condition (I have before and after pictures.. 🙁 ), but it arrived with a large dent on the filter ring and even the leather case the camera was in was broken in a way that explains the camera damage simulatenously. Even the shutter seemed to have taken a hit -- perhaps due to deformation of the lens barrel. Oh well, I got a refund and all's well -- so far.
I do, however, have a Petri 7S II on the way (should arrive within a week). as well as an offer on a Petri Racer on eBay waiting to go through (or not) to give me a more general feel of Petri cameras. It'd also be nice to get my hands on a Petri Color 35, as well as the different versions of Petri Color Corrected Super.
Enough with introductions and on with the program.
The Petri 7S seems like a nice camera. The images I shot came out nice and contrasty; wide open, the lens could be a tad sharper, but the softness is negligible in smaller prints (10x15 cm or 4"x6"). The bokeh of the f/2.8 lense is nice. Mechanically, the camera seems to be fairly robust and learning to use it is a snap, since all controls are on the lens barrel and their positions are quickly learned. The match needle metering works like a charm for me, with the top meter being helpful in pre-metering areas/scenes and the viewfinder meter just showing me that conditions are still fine to shoot.
Cons? Perhaps it could be a little smaller. (That's why I'm also keen on getting an Olympus RC to compare to the Petri range.)
For some reason, the feeling that one gets when using an older rangefinder is so different to when one shoots with a modern DSLR, it most certainly affects the kind of pictures I take -- even if I were using the same focal length, FOV, DOF, etc. I don't know why that is. Anyone have similar findings?
-Sale
