Rangefinder Recommendation?

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slappyfin3

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Hello,

My name is Reza and I'm new to the forum. I would like to ask for advice from the rangefinder experts in this forum for some rangefinder recommendations. My dad recently gave me four beautiful black and white color filters from his student days and I immediately thought of getting a rangefinder to do black and white photography (TriX 400!). The filters are 49mm in diameter and so I'm looking for a rangefinder with filter threads around that diameter. I don't mind using a step up ring but am a little apprehensive about step down rings because of the vignetting. I can manually correct for the filters if need be so a "eye on top of the lens" meter isn't a must have.

I would go ahead and get a canonet 17 gIII since it fits my requirements but they're extremely overpriced on ebay and thrift stores in the Bay Area (San Francisco, Berkeley etc) all seem to have been swept clean of functional old cameras -.-"

I will try to be patient of course but so as to not limit my choices to just the canonet your recommendations are much much appreciated. Thank you
 
The Canonet is probably still the cheapest thing you'll find that uses 49mm filters, watch the classifieds here, people often sell them here for a lot less than on eBay. Lenses for interchangeable lens RF systems like Leica usually use smaller filters.
 
Hi Reza, and welcome! The Canonet is 48mm, not 49, so finding a 48->49 step up ring could be difficult. The Olympus 35 RD/35 DC has a 49mm filter, as does the Konica S3 -- both are excellent rangefinder cameras that are about the same size as the Canonet GIII. Others may have some additional suggestions.
 
With all due respect, being given four filters is a bizarre basis on which to decide to get an RF camera. How carefully have you thought this through?

Cheers,

R.
 
Like Roger said, coming into some color filters is a bit of a strange reason to get a camera...because even the 'best' color filters ever made (the modern B+W MRC) are only $39 each. That said, for use with your 49mm filters I'd suggest a Leica MP or M7 with a Summicron 75mm asph and an Apo Telyt 135mm...no step up rings required 😉
 
A Pentax Spotmatic and most of the great popular lenses in that system would compliment your 49mm filters quite well. It's not a rangefinder but 49mm is very uncommon in the RF world.

You COULD get something like a Nikon S2 with a 5cm f/1.4 lens and put a 48/49mm step up ring. The step up rings run only a few dollars from some popular ebay retailers like Heavystars or a dollar more from Adorama or B&H. The Nikon S2 is an amazing camera for what one would pay these days. Not as popular as a Leica but myself and many others think they are just as good. The viewfinders are brilliant 1:1 with etched framelines and usually the years have treated them quite well.

Phil Forrest
 
Roger Hicks said:
With all due respect, being given four filters is a bizarre basis on which to decide to get an RF camera. How carefully have you thought this through?

Cheers,

R.
Click to expand...

For me, it's a sound reason actually. I don't like to use color filters on an SLR but use them often on RFs. Personal, I guess.

Reza, welcome to the forum ! Few RF lenses have 49mm threads. However, you can use 49mm filters to replace Series VII filters.

Many classic rangefinder lenses can use hoods that fit Series VII filters. For example, a cheap but good setup might be a Canon P + Canon 50/1.8 (or 50/1.4) and Series VII hood. On the more expensive side, a Leica with 35 Summicron v3 or even pre-asph Summilux would work as well. The lens hood for both takes Series VII (or 49mm) filters.

Have fun !

Roland.
 
ferider said:
For me, it's a sound reason actually. I don't like to use color filters on an SLR but use them often on RFs. Personal, I guess.

Reza, welcome to the forum ! Few RF lenses have 49mm threads. However, you can use 49mm filters to replace Series VII filters.

Many classic rangefinder lenses can use hoods that fit Series VII filters. For example, a cheap but good setup might be a Canon P + Canon 50/1.8 (or 50/1.4) and Series VII hood. On the more expensive side, a Leica with 35 Summicron v3 or even pre-asph Summilux would work as well. The lens hood for both takes Series VII (or 49mm) filters.

Have fun !

Roland.
Click to expand...
Dear Roland,

Fair enough. But $20 worth of filters? (What's a second-hand filter worth?) Still seems odd to me.

Cheers,

R.
 
The best rangefinder camera I know which accepts 49mm filters is the Olympus 35 SP. The Olympus SP is superior to the Canonet in several ways, the main advantage being the lens. I find the 42/1.7 Olympus lens to perform better than the 40mm lens which comes on the Canonet. I also prefer the meter on the Olympus, which operates at all camera settings, the meter in the Canonet only works when the camera is set to Automatic mode.

The Olympus SP has a mechanical shutter like the Canonet, so it will work without a battery. The Olympus also has a built in spot meter, which you can use when the lighting conditions are tricky. The only disadvantage is that the meter on the SP is not located within the lens filter ring, so you will have to compensate a bit for darker filters.

I have shot a lot of photos with the Canonet and the Olympus SP pictured below and I have always preferred the SP.

001-2.jpg
 
I think filter thread size is an unnecessary restriction on shoosing a rangefinder. That said, if something can be had cheap that can use that size, then go for it by all means. Something to keep in mind is that there could be some viewfinder blockage if the larger filters are used with a step-up ring.
 
I think we need to remember here that Reza has given us very little to judge her motives on. Sure, filters alone might seem like a silly reason to adopt rangefinder photography... but perhaps there are other associations here that make her want to try a range finder. Coming in she knows about TriX 400, Canonets and lens vignetting; we also know her father took photography in school. Odds are she has a fair bit of experiencing in photography coming in.

I know the Olympus 35 sp takes 49mm filters.

--
Bill
 
Wow I did not expect so many replies, I'm a little overwhelmed honestly lol.

Right, as some have pointed out I haven't really given my other reasons for a wanting a rangefinder. ATM I have a Chinon CP-5 for a film SLR and a mint, refurbished Pentax K1000 (which I will probably sell on ebay in the near future as I've fallen for the Chinon). I've used the 49mm filters with a SMC Pentax 50mm 1.7 lens but I've always found SLRs a little clunky compared to the timeless elegance of a rangefinder. So clunkiness is one reason I'd like to try a rangefinder. Other than that I also want to try rangefinder focusing for the experience of it.

I unfortunately do not have a lot of disposable cash (this comes out of my living allowance, I'm a student) so I'm trying to keep the initial investment low.

Also on the insistence of using the filters, they have a fair bit of sentimental value to me and that's why I'm making this odd decision to pick a rangefinder that would allow me to continue using them.

Thank you for the welcome and your speedy replies, you've given me a lot of leads for further research.

Also this is awkward but I'm a guy lol
 
and by the way, the kodak retinas (especially the iia) sell for ridiculously little money (30-40$) on ebay lately. that is if you're ok with a 50mm lens. filter size is very small though. still the best deal for a rf newbie right now if you ask me...
 
Right now there is a very nice Pentax P3 complete with Owners manual and an SMC Pentax 50mm f2 lens on EBay that closes in less than 24 hours. The opening bid is $19.99 and it will provide magnificent 35mm images for you for years. In addition the lens will easily accept your 49mm filters. I would suggest a metal, threaded, 49mm lens hood to complete the package.

I own a P3N and an identical lens an it has provided wonderful pictures for me for several years. I bought it, a spare parts camera, and the lens for under $20 about 3 years ago and have never regreted it. I do not use it everyday, but I could if I chose to. I bought it to be my beach camera and it has worked wonderfully in this role.

It is not a Leica, not many cameras are, but it will take wonderful pictures for a very long time if you do your part, and for a heck of a lot less money than many other cameras.
 
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I completely understand wanting to use a rangefinder with filters - I shoot almost everything with a deep yellow filter, and when I use one on an SLR, it's much harder to focus and see. Red filters are much worse. That's one of the reasons I bought a RF myself, so that I wouldn't have to worry about what the lens was seeing.
 
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