Recommend a classic RF?

[Huck Finn]

Brian & Russ, forget about shooting wide open for the moment. Jamie talked about shooting "massive mountain landscapes" on hiking trips as his primary use for this camera. I don't think he's going to be doing this at f/1.7.

What's the downside of the Canonet . . . for his intended use? I think that other factors come into play more than sharpness wide open, i.e. size, weight, ease of use, VF, etc. I don't have the other cameras you mention, so I'm not in a position to make a judgment.

Russ, I think that the "poor man's Leica" aphorism must be referring to Bokeh. At least, that's what the Leica people say when someone finds another lens sharper than theirs. . .. Just kiddding. LOL 😀

 

[Sonnar Brian]

>* Aperture priority exposure
>* Manual mode for when the battery freezes high on a mountain
>* Reasonably small
>* Nice fast lens; preferably between 30mm and 50mm, and sub-f/2
>* Simple enough that it's hard to break and easy to fix
>* Cheap enough that I don't get upset when I drop it down a crevasse/leave it on a bus



Russ: Note that these shots are from the Konica S2, which is the full size 1960's camera. The Konica S3 (Which I also have) is the compact camera with the 38mm F1.8 lens, equivalent to the Vivitar and Minolta.

For Mountain Climbing? Based on the desire for a lens faster than F2, reasonable size, and CHEAP, The Konica S2 is still worth looking at. It is going for 1/3 the price of a Canonet on EBay, as are the Himatic 7s and 9 and other "classic RF's". The compacts, Canonet QL17, Konica S3, Minolta Hi-Matic 7s-II go for their original sale price and more!

 

[Sonnar Brian]

These will give you an idea of the size of the cameras.

 

[Sonnar Brian]

And I seem to recall that a very famous mountain climber in the '50s used to take his Retina IIIc with him. Very sharp F2 lens, folds up, and NO batteries to worry about. A good Selenium lasts forever! ~$75 will get you a good one in user condition. THIS was the original "poor Man's Leica".

 

[Huck Finn]

Thanks, Brian. I forgot about the request for a fast lens. I learned a few things from your report.

 

[peter_n]

I'm feeling that I'm in that psychological experiment - the one about the shorter and longer lines on the blackboard?

To me, Brian's Canonet scans look sharper than the Konica ones...

 

[jamiewakeham]

Good grief; didn't mean to cause all this trouble ;-)

Thanks again for all the advice. I'm starting to wonder if I actually need* two; one with a nice fast lens for street shooting, and another for mountains. But then I'd never need my SLR...

Off on a week-long school trip with little hope for interent access tomorrow morning, so I'll look in again next Saturday!

Cheers,
Jamie

 

[jamiewakeham]

* Well, we could consider the meaning of 'need' all day long...

Jamie

 

[Sonnar Brian]

Jamie, NO TROUBLE! We are always like this!

If you ask me what the best all-around fixed-lens RF is, I would say the Canonet. Size, shutter release, exposure, build quality are all important factors.

The S2 seems to have a sharper lens.

Peter: The Canonet shots are at F4, the Konica at F1.8. At F4 the Canonet is quite good, but at F1.7 the Konica is sharper. Remember at F4 there is a lot more in the Photo in focus. At F1.8, in the Crayola Shirt shot, "That Hair" really stands out. Similar shots with the Canonet (and Hi-Matic E) do not define the hair as well.

Googled this:

Sir Edmund Hillary's Kodak Retina that went up on Everest

Kodak ran a later ad showing him using a Kodak Retina IIIc.

 

[FrankS]

Another famous mountaineering camera is the Rollei 35 in its many incarnations, but it lacks exposure automation and rangefinder.

 

[Russ]

Brian

Are you a climber too. Do you think that Hillary was the first to top out on Everest?

Russ

 

[jamiewakeham]

Russ,

I personally doubt that Hillary & Tenzing (in whichever order) were first to top out. It seems more than likely to me that Mallory, and perhaps Irvine too, made it up. But climbing a mountain involves getting back down, too, so H&T undoubtedly made 'the first ascent'.

Incidentally, we (as in the OUMC) still have the logbooks and accounts from back then, with a particularly moving crossing out of the name of A. C. Irvine and the pencilled-in words 'killed on Everest'.

Jamie

 

[peter_n]

Peter: The Canonet shots are at F4, the Konica at F1.8. At F4 the Canonet is quite good, but at F1.7 the Konica is sharper. Remember at F4 there is a lot more in the Photo in focus. At F1.8, in the Crayola Shirt shot, "That Hair" really stands out. Similar shots with the Canonet (and Hi-Matic E) do not define the hair as well.

Dear oh dear! Got up late and only decaffeinated coffee in the house... Oh well. 🙁

 

[Sonnar Brian]

Russ, no I am not a climber, just a Retina User. The closest that I got was going up some shaky camera platforms for taking school Football films.

I do not know who made it up first, but I will bet that Sir Hillary was the First up with a Kodak Retina Camera! Thinking about using a camera with thick gloves on, I would guess that those big knob wind and rewind of the old Retina's made it more tangible.