Rangefinder Recommendations

[jseakoi]

New to film photography here. Grew up with it but haven't touched it ever since digital became mainstream. Recently, I've fallen in love with it again. I have a Lomography LC-W and I love the images from the 17mm wide angle. However, there are a couple of problems.

1) Cheap build quality. The advance sprocket sometimes has issues and can completely ruin a roll of film.

2) Sharpness. Although the images look cool they don't come out as sharp as I'd like.

3) 17mm is limiting. Hard to constantly shoot with that extreme of a lens.

So, I'm looking for recommendations for a good 35mm rangefinder that will address these shortcomings. Good build quality, cool but sharp images, and something not as wide. Budget is under $300 for body + lens (though a fixed lens is fine too).

Any recommendations for a beginner film photography hobbyist?

If you can post links to example images with the recs that would be really helpful for me to get an idea of what the images will look like. Thank you all in advance!

 

[Dez]

I would hunt around for a good used Bessa R. This would give you an accurate behind-the-lens meter, an excellent viewfinder, and lens interchangeability. Then fit it with one of the good but cheap Russian lenses like the 35mm Jupiter 12 or the 50mm Jupiter 8. You may be pushing your luck a bit to get that for $300, but there are bargains out there. A slower lens like the collapsible Industars will be a bit less costly.





Cheers,
Dez

 

[02Pilot]

You'll get countless suggestions, which will be made more useful to you if you can narrow down the parameters. What focal length/FOV are you looking for? Do you want a meter? Manual or partially automated?

There are plenty of possibilities; the trick is finding a good example of one that meets your needs.

 

[jseakoi]

Well, since I have the ultra wide angle lens with the LC-W, I would like something more for "everyday use". Something pretty versatile for common varying situations.

As far as the meter or automation, I really am not sure. Since I am a beginning photographer, I think the simpler, the better. With the LC-W, it is crazy simple as the only thing you set is the ISO speed of your film and the focal zone (near 0.4m to 0.9m, to far 0.9m to infinity). And then you shoot. It is nice because it is so simple but at the same time, it is not really teaching me anything other than learning how close or far to get to a object to get the result I want in the picture.

 

[lynnb]

If you're looking for a more versatile lens than your 17mm LC-W, I'd suggest 35mm or 40mm focal length. If you want a bit more of a challenge, a 50mm, although coming from 17mm you might find that too narrow a field of view.

You're going to get a lot of suggestions as 02Pilot mentioned - my two cents are, consider a camera that has fully manual operation (shutter speed, aperture, ISO, manual focus) as that will teach you a lot of the basics. Some cameras offer both manual exposure and aperture-priority auto exposure, which you might find easier and more convenient to start with.

There are obvious advantages to buying into a M-mount or LTM-mount camera (great lens choice and upgrade paths) but some fixed lens rangefinders from Canon (e.g. QL17 Giii), Olympus (35SP or RD) might also interest you, although I'm not up on their current pricing.

If you like compact cameras, the Olympus XA is an easy to use aperture-priority automatic and has a nice lens. There are many others!

The more information you give, the easier it will be to make recommendations.

 

[Sarcophilus Harrisii]

You could do a lot worse than a Konica Auto S2. The finder is bright; focus patch is contrasty and easy to use; it's parallax corrected; there is a built in meter with the option of shutter priority auto exposure if you want it as well as full manual control; and the battery is only needed for the meter, everything else is mechanical. You could buy four or five, perhaps more, for your budget. Lens is a super sharp 45mm f/1.8 Hexanon. They are usually found in good condition. Sometimes shutter blades could use a clean or battery compartments are crusty which can cause typical problems. But they are basically reliable.

There are similar options from other makers including Canon, Yashica, Olympus and Minolta just to name a few. Some are capable of full manual operation, some battery dependant. Most have very good to excellent lenses. I like my Konica for the reasons stated, but there are other options that are also suitable without spending a lot of money, which you can then use for film and/or development. It depends to some extent on how fast the lenses need to be and the range of shutter speeds you want.

The Europeans should not be overlooked, either. You could do a lot worse than a Voigtlander with a Skopar (f/2.8-3.5, typically) or Ultron (f/2) lens, the glass is excellent, and they will be better finished than any Japanese camera of their time, and prettier, too. There are several options available inside your budget. It all depends on your needs.
Cheers,
Brett

 

[lynnb]

Just another thought - consider how big and bright the viewfinder is. This is a big plus of the Bessa that Dez mentioned and pictured above. And, it has LTM-mount for a very wide choice in lenses - in focal lengths, quality and price. Hard to beat.

 

[B-9]

I feel the Bessa R is the best value in LTM RF's
Easily found for around 200$, you get a super bright finder and a built in meter!

You cant do better for the price.

 

[neonart]

I also agree the Bessa R is a fantastic way to go about it.

The lens is going to be be a little difficult because you're coming from 17mm. I'd say a Russian Jupiter-12 35mm f2.8 if it fits. 50s are readily available for cheap if you can handle the FOV.

Otherwise, you could get a whole russian setup from Fedka.com for cheap, but you wont have the modern perks of the Bessa.

 

[Ko.Fe.]

J-12 will block exposure Bessa exposure meter and R + J12 is hard to find for $300.

Where are plenty of Japanese well build fixed lens RFs build in 70, 80 eighties still working well and priced around $100.

My personal choice is Olympus XA, it has modern, cheap and widely available batteries, which lasts very long. Lens is far from the primitive. Great with b/w and color film. Priced under $100.

For the rest of the money I recommend any working Barnack Leica with Industar-22.
IIf is good choice, not so popular among gear snobs, but extremely well build for photography. I-22 is sharp and classic in rendering.

About camera, lens pictures examples. Very easy. Go to Flickr and search for fixed camera or particular lens.

 

[Solinar]

My personal choice is Olympus XA, it has modern, cheap and widely available batteries, which lasts very long. Lens is far from the primitive. Great with b/w and color film. Priced under $100.

Ko.Fe. - With XA selling these days on the big auction site for between $50 - $75, that is an excellent choice - plus the camera and lens will fit in the front pocket of your trouser, provided they aren't designer blue jeans.

I must say that I prefer my Bessa R with a 35mm Summaron 2.8 or Color Skopar 2.5 - but either of those two lens will exceed the $300 mark for both a camera and lens.

- Best Regards -

 

[B-9]

To keep it aroud 300$

The Canon Serenar 35mm lenses are really affordable, and plentiful.
There are 3 variations, f2.8, f3.2, f3.5

I prefer the f3.2, its a step above the 3.5 in both IQ and Speed 😉
The f2.8 is really a staple among barnack users here, and a great investment.

Here is how i would price them without a VF
F3.5 Sub-100$
F3.2 100-135$
F2.8 195-225$

The Bessa R can easily be had in the 150-225$ range.

Be savvy, shop smart, and 300$ will go far.

 

[David Hughes]

Hi,

Olympus do a very nice range of normal sized coupled range finder cameras, as well as the miniature XA, but with fixed lenses. You'll be advised to go to a dealer for the 35 SP version as I've heard of a lot with meter problems. And, of course, the battery problem raises itself but there are many solutions and the lenses justify the effort.

There's also the Konica C35 in the RF variation, with decent 38 mm f/2.8 lens on it. Again it shold use a mercury battery but see above re the Olympus problems.

The meter-less ex-USSR one to aim for is the FED 2 a little old fashioned but highly regarded, easily repaired if need be and there's those nice ex USSR lenses for it.

There's also the Canon Canonet etc and the meter-less Werra with it's RF and Tessar lens, although I forget which Werra has the RF.

Hand held meters are ten a penny on the well known auction site and have advantages if starting or re-starting old fashiined photography.

Regards, David

 

[Pioneer]

The Bessa R is a good choice if you can find one with a lens in your budget range. It has a reliable meter and the rangefinder is great for a 35mm.

You may want to consider a Kiev 4 as well. They can be found in decent condition with a 35mm lens for $150 or less. I paid $40 for mine with a decent Jupiter 8 50mm lens. No meter but it will give you a good feel for a rangefinder.

 

[kxl]

I agree with the Bessa R if you can find one for not much more than $200 or so. Then go to fedka.com and order an Industar-61 LD 55/2.8 for $49.

http://fedka.com/catalog/index.php?cPath=24

 

[Sarcophilus Harrisii]

The Bessa R is a good choice if you can find one with a lens in your budget range. It has a reliable meter and the rangefinder is great for a 35mm.

You may want to consider a Kiev 4 as well. They can be found in decent condition with a 35mm lens for $150 or less. I paid $40 for mine with a decent Jupiter 8 50mm lens. No meter but it will give you a good feel for a rangefinder.

Yes, I got lucky finding a Kiev 4 with 50mm Jupiter for $10 from a local recycle shop a few weeks ago. Fully working, too. I put some Delta 100 into it and I'm loving it. Only problem is, I've always been besotted by the looks of the Contax II, and now, having experienced the Soviet clone, I really want a Contax! 😉
Cheers,
Brett

 

[jseakoi]

So I got a Bessa R with a Jupiter 8 from a local camera store for $220! Condition looks good. Definitely used but everything looks good. Comes with a 60 day warranty so I'll be playing with it soon.

A couple of questions though...
1) what is the little dial by the film advance lever? The markings are 75, 35/90, 50 and I haven't seen this in other comparable cameras. Can someone explain what this setting is and how I'm supposed to use it?

2) this might be a dumb question but is the focus in the viewfinder supposed to change as you adjust the focus on the lens? It seems like when I shift the focus on the lens, nothing happens in the viewfinder. Is this indicative of a problem with the lens? Or am I too used to DSLR cameras and seeing the shift change in real time?


Thanks! All of your help locating a camera has been fantastic!

 

[rhl-oregon]

2/It's a rangefinder, so the lens is in focus when 2 coincident images line up in the VF (Don't put your finger over the little rangefinder window.)

1/those are the focal lengths the VF will show framelines for: 50mm (the J8), 35mm with a small 90mm patch in the center, and the lesser-used 75mm.

Other lenses will focus, but their framelines will not display in the VF (e.g., 28mm and wider, 40mm, 135mm...you can guesstimate or mount auxiliary optical VF in the hotshoe to see their framelines).

 

[Texsport]

Olympus 35SP

Fixed, excellent 40/1.7 Zuiko lens

Center biased + Spot Meter

Choice of Auto Exposure or Manual Exposure

All metal construction

+\- $150

Best fixed lens rangefinder ever made

Texsport

PS See Flickr Olympus 35SP Pool for examples

 

[jseakoi]

Gotcha!

Thanks for answering those questions! I was able to find this site with videos and the focusing definitely makes sense now.

http://petapixel.com/2011/04/26/how-to-focus-a-rangefinder-camera/