Photography "just" for fun-

[Chris Lynch]

I'll start by saying that i don't have much experience in teh RF world, but i totally am into it. I've mainly shot Canon EOS (SLR) gear for the past 8 or so years of my life, so as a 22-yr old, i'm fairly rooted in SLR's.... AF at that!

But lately, i've really been enjoying the use of manual SLR's and Rangefinders A LOT more than my DSLR rig, and that got me thinking:

Well, a few months back i picked up a Nikon FE2 and 50/1.4 AIS, and i love it. It's not the first Manual SLR i've had, and it won't be the last. I spent less on that pair than i have invested in CF cards... or Bogen tripods... or any two of my EF lenses...

But i love shooting with it. I love the pictures it gives me. It's easy to carry, and fun to use. It livens photography up once again.
-and now i have the Hexar. Damn. This is what photography is all about; a small, sneaky, quiet Rangefinder...
There are a few reasons for this-

1. the Manual stuff is just more fun
2. the smaller film cameras are easier to carry
3. heck, did i mention how old it gets- carrying the 1DmkII rig around?
4. we're talking about FUN- Rangefinder + anything = fun

I am by no way agreeing with the general "film is better than digital" crowd. Not at all. I'm just saying, film cameras are generally more fun to use. You feel more connected to the photographic process, esp if you're manually focusing and winding your light-tight box... I mean that's what it's all about, right? Reducing the art to it's most basic form... Hell i'd love to grab a M4-P, 50Cron, and a tiny Sekonic... that would be so simple it HURTS!
When i break out the 1DII, it's a paradox- i dont really enjoy shooting manual on it, because AV works so well for me i don't really even have to try anymore. I'm not trying to toot my own horn or anything, but a camera like this, at the skill level i'm at- makes almost anything feel possible. I am not intimidated by any light level or scene anymore. I can shoot in the rain, i can toss rocks at my camera, hell i can smash somebody's face in with it. Then take a million pics on my 8gb CF. It's a big, heavy, overblown point and shoot.

I was talking w/ my cousin for a few hours a little while ago about selling like half my EOS rig, the Hexar, and grabbing some serious Rangefinder stuff (GAS!!!):

Sell:
Canon 16-35mm f2.8L mkII
Canon 135mm f2L
Canon 1.4X Teleconverter
Hexar RF (not because i don't like it, but to fund bigger fish)

Buy:
Zeiss Ikon
CV 25mm F4 Pancake
CV 35/1.2 Nokton
Leica 90/2.8 Tele-Elmarit
and some FILM...

that would leave me with a 1Dmk1 and mk2, 16-35mm f2.8L (i have the older and newer version right now), two 50/1.8's, a 100/2 usm, 580EX, and some vivitar flashes.... and a killer Rangefinder setup- and the basic FE2 rig. I could still shoot weddings or whatever with the EOS gear on weekends make some nice cash, and i'd have a stupidly fun film kit......

I guess my point is this:
All this time, i've pretty much just shot for fun, and fun i've had. I've got almost 3,000 pictures on my Flickr site from teh past 4 years, and i've spent countless amounts of money on Canon EOS gear....... 🙁
But i could reduce the size of my kit to the BARE minimum of what i would need to cover a small event/wedding, and beef up my "fun" kit.... more Rangefinder and Manual SLR stuff!
thoughts?

 

[oftheherd]

Sounds like you've had an epiphany over rangefinders.

 

[Bobfrance]

I may be interested in the Hexar.

Not that I'm trying to influence you of course 😉

 

[oscroft]

Hell i'd love to grab a M4-P, 50Cron, and a tiny Sekonic... that would be so simple it HURTS!

Nah, simple is leaving out the Sekonic 😀

Buy:
Zeiss Ikon
CV 25mm F4 Pancake
CV 35/1.2 Nokton
Leica 90/2.8 Tele-Elmarit
and some FILM...

You know what would make a very nice second body to go with that? A Hexar RF - Oh, you've already got one 😀

 

[mfogiel]

Chris,

1- rangefinders are great stuff till 50mm, max 75, beyond that SLR reign, don't sell the 135L.
2- film is king in B&W, it is also nice to use some colour negative for that instantaneous "HDR" effect, or a softone portrait, etc, colour slides are a necessity if you don't shoot digital, but digital wins here
3- the single most important component of your imaging chain with film is the scanner - get the best one you can
4- I would suggest you try your Hexar with the CV 35/1.2, or for a better handling the CV 35/1.7, or the Hexanon 35/2, and work your way from there, don't buy gear before you really exploit the basic tool, including shalow dof /low light photography
5- after you have scanned 50 rolls, do a mental check if you still enjoy shooting film over digital

Anyway, have fun ! 🙂

 

[Bobfrance]

...You know what would make a very nice second body to go with that? A Hexar RF - Oh, you've already got one 😀

Shhh! Don't tell him that.

FWIW. I've handled (though not shot with) both the Hexar RF and the Zeiss Ikon. Suprisingly the Hexar felt more right to me. Which is why I want one. Just me opinion of course.

 

[Chris Lynch]

Mfogiel and Bob, thanks for your comments-

1) i'm not planning on getting rid of my digitals, just mainly reducing my lens collection.
2) this wouldn't be the first time i've ditched digital in favor of film.
3) i'm very comfortable w/ the fast lenses and low light in the SLR world, and this is my favorite time to shoot- I really like the RF and FE2 for sneaking around in the dark w/ some pushed Neopan 1600 or Kodak TMZ... haha

I talked w/ my wife about it, and she was like "no- don't do that! Every 3-6 months, you want to sell something, and you just wind up buying it back! Plus, I wanted to be the one that got you the Ikon (or M6/M7)- i wanted to be the cool wife that got her husband a Leica"....
She has expressed to me her desire to get me an M6, M7, or Ikon (basically whatever i want at the time) for xmas next year.... and so long as i wait until then, she'll do that.

So i think i'll do the right thing, and listen to my awesome and loving wife! 🙂

Plus- she likes having all this gear too!

 

[mfogiel]

Chris
I love the Ikon and Zeiss glass (as well as the CV35/1.2), but your camera has some passionate following too, take a look at this:
http://www.1point4photography.com/blog/hexar-rf-review

 

[Chris Lynch]

ok, here's the lowdown on me and my Hexar:
Up until about 3 months ago, i didn't know what a Hexar RF was... I've been prowling around Steven Gandy's CQ site since i was in 10th grade, but i guess the Hexar pages just didn't stick w/ me.
Well, a friend of mine started talking about it, so i looked it up- and then i realized that my friend Ben (Sockeyed on here and flickr) had one, and that i hadn't seen him post anything from it in a WHILE... so i told him he should sell it to me. That he did- and in all honesty, a large part of why i jumped on it so eagerly is he gave me a really good price on it, and was very flexible on how/when i paid him... i figured i'll try it out, and if it doesn't satisfy the cravings- i can "upgrade".

I did lots of research before we closed the deal, reading CQ, 1pointfour's blog entries (even emailed back and forth with him some), Dante Stella's review of it, and Karen Nakamura (photoethnography)... i decided it did sound like lots of fun.
But there are a few small things that bug me about the hexar:

1) no manual advance. This is a large part of the "connection" w/ the camera that i speak about. Yes, the hexar is quick and quiet- but it's not the same.
2) hard to get repairs and spare parts... every hexar owner knows this.
3) the strap lugs are in the wrong spot... i want them on the sides like on a Leica.
4) i know the batteries in the hexar last a long time- but it still has the "dependancy" that i poke fun of in my signature...
5) the shutter/metering seems a little laggy sometimes, when you just bring it up to your eye to shoot really quickly...

So all these little things combine to JUST SLIGHTLY irritate me... I'm still MUCH happier with this camera than i was w/ the R3M i had briefly- I like the lower finder mag, since i wear glasses and like to shoot wider lenses. I really like the FEEL of the camera, and the shape in general. I like the controls, even though there is no advance lever. I like the fact that it pauses while rewinding, so you can pull the film w/ the leader out!

There are lots of things i enjoy for sure about the Hexar RF, but all in all, i think i'd be more pleased w/ a M6/7 or Ikon.... but, at the price i got on the Hexar, i could just keep it as a rear lens cap. 🙂

 

[mfogiel]

If you wear glasses, like me, the ZI is a must.

 

[Kin Lau]

I talked w/ my wife about it, and she was like "no- don't do that! Every 3-6 months, you want to sell something, and you just wind up buying it back! Plus, I wanted to be the one that got you the Ikon (or M6/M7)- i wanted to be the cool wife that got her husband a Leica"....
She has expressed to me her desire to get me an M6, M7, or Ikon (basically whatever i want at the time) for xmas next year.... and so long as i wait until then, she'll do that.

You're a lucky man.

 

[Chris Lynch]

Believe me, i know i'm a lucky man! 🙂 🙂

The finder of the ZI is a large part of why i'm so smitten with it!

 

[Ducky]

<3,000 pix on Flickr>

I scanned through them. Some very good shots but a lot of snapshots. That's what digital does to you (as you mentioned).

My guess is that you will slow down quite a bit with an RF and that's a good thing.

Ducky

 

[Chris Lynch]

Thank you Ducky, for the constructive criticism/observation, and taking the time to check my stream- I have a bad habit of shooting way too much, and i can't weed out the "good ones/keepers" very well, so i just upload massive amounts of shots.

The recent film shots, those are like 10% of what i've shot recently w/ my FE2.

 

[Bobfrance]

My guess is that you will slow down quite a bit with an RF and that's a good thing.

Ducky

My experience exactly. I take less - but better - images knowing that I'm shooting film. My hit rate is even higher on medium format.

My conclusion is - the dearer the film, the more it focuses the mind. 😉

 

[Marc-A.]

2- film is king in B&W, it is also nice to use some colour negative for that instantaneous "HDR" effect, or a softone portrait, etc, colour slides are a necessity if you don't shoot digital, but digital wins here

Hey mfogiel 🙂
Are you serious, or is that a joke? Digital defeats film for colour? Honestly I don't get it ...
Best,
Marc

 

[GeneW]

Chris, this is a fun topic. Literally. It's the fun factor that keeps me going with film cameras -- I like using them. If it weren't fun, there'd be no point, regardless of one's stance on film vs digital, SLR vs Rangefinder, whatever.

There are many other contributing factors as well, obviously, or RFF wouldn't have the traffic it does, but fun is number one!

Gene

 

[gb hill]

You have some great work on flickr. Has your wife ever used the Hexar? How does she feel about using film? The reason I ask this is that when you do get the rf of your dreams the Hexar would probably be shelved. With the quirks you talked about, I would really consider selling it, but then again I can certainly understand your not wanting to . For these cameras are becoming more rare. BTW I agree with you about South Carolina.😀

 

[Chris Lynch]

my wife has just briefly used the Hexar, and she enjoys pretty much anything RF... i initially got the clear to go ahead and get another RF, cuz she was like "hey- i liked the Bessa- we should get another one of those rangefinders".


south carolina.... geeze! haha

 

[Krosya]

But there are a few small things that bug me about the hexar:

1) no manual advance. This is a large part of the "connection" w/ the camera that i speak about. Yes, the hexar is quick and quiet- but it's not the same.
2) hard to get repairs and spare parts... every hexar owner knows this.
3) the strap lugs are in the wrong spot... i want them on the sides like on a Leica.
4) i know the batteries in the hexar last a long time- but it still has the "dependancy" that i poke fun of in my signature...
5) the shutter/metering seems a little laggy sometimes, when you just bring it up to your eye to shoot really quickly...

So all these little things combine to JUST SLIGHTLY irritate me...

Just wanted to comment on these:

1. That I agree, yet it doesn't bother me. If I want a manual advance - I have M6 and M3. Yet I like Hexars auto advance too. In some situations its very handy.

2. True - but how often do they break? I think if you are careful it is so well made - it will last.
3. This one never bothered me either, but I suppose - personal preference.
4. If you don't like that it dies without batteries - Ikon is not for you either. Stick with Leica M6.
5. I have seen this posted some other place or two - and can't figure out why - my Hexar is just fine in that department - if there is a lag - I don't see/feel it. Maybe some are different than others?

So, I would advise - keeeeeeeep IT !!! It's a great camera and worth keeping. Canon EOS cams come and go, but Hexar is a rare treat!