Rangefinder with light tele lens?

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Eugen Mezei

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Hi!

Is there a rangefinder with fixed lens, central shutter and with a light tele lens? About 70 mm.
I know lot of such rangefinders with focal plan shutter (and interchangable lens or some fixed also) but I need central shutter for flash synchronisation at all speeds. I want to use the camera for potraiture (therefore the tele lens) outdoor (therefore the synchronisation, for counterlight).

Eugen
 
The Moskva 5 with the 6x6 mask would come fairly close, but that would also be medium format.
 
A fixed-lens 35mm rangefinder with a 70mm lens? I can't think of any at the moment.

The only thing that might come close is a Super Ikonta A (120 rolll-film camera), which was a 70-75mm lens. Or possibly a Super Ikonta C (also a 120 roll-film camera) with a 105mm lens but with the 6x4.5 mask in the film chamber.

Aside from that, I can't think of any cameras that have the specs that you seek.
 
As "Retro" said, if you mean a leaf shutter, that opens up a number of possibilities.

- Kodak Signet 80

- Braun Paxette

- Voigtlander Prominent

- Voigtlander Vitessa T

- Carl Zeiss Jena Werra

- Zeiss Ikon Tenax II

- Robot cameras

- Agfa Ambi-Silette

- Zeiss Ikon Contina III (zone focus but with interchangeable front elements)

- Retina IIc/IIC, IIIc/IIIC (with interchangeable front elements)

Probably others as well. If you're referring to something else when you write, "central shutter," then I don't know what you mean.
 
Yes, I meant a leaf shutter. (Zentralverschluß in german.)

Unfortunately it seems that in the tele domain the lenses for the recommended cameras begin at 1:4. Something more luminous would be nice. Not necesarily 1,4 or 1,8 as I anyway need some depth of field but 1:2 would be nice.
I intend to use the camera for taking pictures of theatre/opera shows, so 1:4 would be too dark.
My searching goes on.

Eugen
 
Kodak had one of the Retinas that took a wide angle lens as well as a light tele. I have a finder of theirs, 35 and 80 I think. They took the same lenses and could use them on an early SLR.

The Retinas were great cameras, made in West Germany and you can still get them fixed. I love my IIc (no meter) and will never part with it. Partially because it was from my father and partly because it was kick ass quality lens and body.

B2 (;->
 
The auxiliary lenses for the folding Retinas worked like this:

You focus normally through the rangefinder and then note the distance and refocus the lens using one of the marks on the underside of the lens. Works OK in daylight but not at all in a darkened room or in any instance where there are people moving.

Cameras with leaf shutters were seen as amateur cameras and didn't usually have the premium lenses of their "professional" counterparts. That often meant slower lenses.

If you will be shooting in a theater at speeds no faster than 1/25 or 1/50, a Contax IIa (black dial) has a very quiet shutter and you can add the fast f/2.0 85mm Sonnar.

A Retina IIIS with the f/1.9 50mm Xenon or Heligon could be possible (although it's not a telephoto). And then you could always consider some of the Japanese rangefinders from the 1960s and 1970s, which had suitably speedy normal lenses.
 
Eugen Mezei said:
Yes, I meant a leaf shutter. (Zentralverschluß in german.)

Unfortunately it seems that in the tele domain the lenses for the recommended cameras begin at 1:4. Something more luminous would be nice. Not necesarily 1,4 or 1,8 as I anyway need some depth of field but 1:2 would be nice.
I intend to use the camera for taking pictures of theatre/opera shows, so 1:4 would be too dark.
My searching goes on.

Eugen
Click to expand...

So, we're down to a 35mm leaf shutter RF camera with
telephoto lens faster than f/4?

I know of a few obscure cameras:

There's the Geiss Argus C4 with 135mm f/2.8:
http://www.cameraquest.com/arggeiss.htm

A Kodak Ektra with 90mm f/3.5
http://www.cameraquest.com/ektra.htm

I think it would be easier to use an SLR with fast sync
speed to get what you want. 🙂
 
payasam: My fault, I mixed things up. First I was only looking for a camera with leaf shutter for portraiture outdoor in backlight situations. Than I came up with another use: Taking pictures in theatre.

In the meantime I got a Kowa SET-R2, this would be perfect for the backlight situations as it permits flash synchronisations at any speed. I say would as I only have the 50 mm lens at the moment and I would like to have something longer, lets say about 70-100 mm. (But it seems the 135mm are more avaible.)
But it does not solve the situation of taking pictures in a theatre or concert. It is way too loud.

KinLau: The lens on the Moskva is not tele, but... after getting my 35mm film I put into my Agfa Clack back from the lab I thing I could try the same procedure in a Moskva with even better results. Also it would make a nice panorama of the entire stage.

ZeissFan: I also thought about using the Kiev 4 with the 90mm lens. Unfortunately I don't know how loud a Kiev4 would be.

retro: Those are indeed very rare cameras. Even more here in (Eastern)Europe.

Eugen
 
With medium format, you can use faster films without the grainy look, and leaf shutters are more common. How about a Mamiya 7? Or Bronica RF645 (where the 100mm lens is hard to find). Or, branching out a bit from RFs, maybe one of the Mamiya TLR models (which feature interchangeable lens pairs).
 
Last edited:
Why RF and 35mm ? 🙂

Seriously, consider the Olympus PEN F with one of its outstanding portrait lenses (like 60/1.5, or 70/2). Not too expensive, very small, sync at all speeds. Half format, of course, but at the resolution of the lenses that should be no problem.

Roland.
 
Last edited:
Rolleiflex made the Rolleikin adapter for some of its 120 twin lens reflex cameras. That lets you use the Compur shutter equipped 75 or 80mm Zeiss or Schneider lens lens with 35mm film.
 
Eugen Mezei said:
payasam: My fault, I mixed things up. First I was only looking for a camera with leaf shutter for portraiture outdoor in backlight situations. Than I came up with another use: Taking pictures in theatre.

In the meantime I got a Kowa SET-R2, this would be perfect for the backlight situations as it permits flash synchronisations at any speed. I say would as I only have the 50 mm lens at the moment and I would like to have something longer, lets say about 70-100 mm. (But it seems the 135mm are more avaible.)
But it does not solve the situation of taking pictures in a theatre or concert. It is way too loud.

KinLau: The lens on the Moskva is not tele, but... after getting my 35mm film I put into my Agfa Clack back from the lab I thing I could try the same procedure in a Moskva with even better results. Also it would make a nice panorama of the entire stage.

ZeissFan: I also thought about using the Kiev 4 with the 90mm lens. Unfortunately I don't know how loud a Kiev4 would be.

retro: Those are indeed very rare cameras. Even more here in (Eastern)Europe.

Eugen
Click to expand...

If the problem is noise, get a blimp and use an SLR with high sync
speed. That is what pro photogs use on movie sets and theaters.
There is no sound at all.

See:
http://www.soundblimp.com/nikon.htm
 
I have read estimates of 58mm to 68mm. It is marked 1:4; I've got to learn what the right math is to translate that. In any case, I put my kit together and remembered why I never use it: it makes a big camera huge and adds a lot of inconvenience to use, for very little gain.
 
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