seventies rf's with exposure lock

Z

zev

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Hi, I was wondering if anyone know which rangefinders from the seventies have exposure lock? Thanks.

Zev
 
"Trap-Needle" automation cameras; like the Minolta Hi-Matic 9, Konica S2; Konica C35; have "exposure lock" as the needle is trapped by partially depressing the shutter release. With a little practice on an unloaded camera; you can find the sweet spot that "locks the exposure" before the shutter is released. The give-away is the needle in the VF will stop moving after it is trapped.

Electronic RF's of the '70s, such as the Hi-Matic E, rarely have an exposure lock. In General, these cameras operate like the Polaroid pack cameras. A capacitor is discharged through the variable resistance produced by the CDS cell. Low-light, high-resistance, slow discharge, shutter stays open.

Electronic Cameras with an exposure lock, like the Nikon Nikkormat EL of 1972 work differently: When the camera locks the exposure, either taking the picture or using the exposure lock; a memory capacitor is charged to a certain level. As the shutter opens, a second capacitor STARTS charging based on the F-Stop and Film speed to determine the amount of exposure. When the two capacitors are EQUAL in charge, the shutter closes. I do not know of any Electronic RF cameras of the '60s and '70s that used this more complex circuit.
 
Thanks, Brian. I do a lot of urban landscapes with backlit buildings and with my Canon A1 and t70, can point downwards, lock the exposure as you mentioned in you first paragraph, and then point it upwards again. It's the easiest way of stopping up or down for me. I don't know if they work as you describe with the Nikon or not. In practical terms, does it make a difference?

You would know about the Olympus or Yashicas, would you?

Thanks.

Zev
 
The Yashica GSN,GS,GTN, etc does not have a way to do this. The Olympus ECR (ECR? Electronic shutter) does not. I think the Olympus SP does; check on this model. It uses a needle. It has a great 42mm F1.8 lens on it; I had one but sold it off. The Yashica Lynx 14 is all manual; so it would do the job as well.

The Minolta Hi-Matic 9 DOES work this way, and is a great value on EBay.
 
Come on... you're forgetting the Canonet! Another "needle trap" thing, which I discovered almost by accident when playing with mine.

Yashica with exposure lock? Nope. Leica? Neither... :(
 
It is true, the Canonet has the "trap needle". It also has an amazingly short throw and light pressure release; making it a little bit "touchier" to get the needle trapped and the exposure made. I usually go to Manual mode on mine, because I ended up wasting too many shots with this "undocumented feature". The Hi-Matic 9 has a long-throw, and makes it easier to depress half-way. The Hi-matic E does not lock the exposure, even with the release half pressed.
 
Olympus cameras where the 'needle-lock' works are;
- 35SP
- 35SPn
- 35UC
- 35LC
- 35RC

Olympus classic 35's where you can NOT 'needle-lock' the exposure;
- 35LE
- 35 Trip
- 35EC
- 35EC2
- 35ECR
- 35ED

Not sure about 35DC and 35RD I must admit...
 
The Ricoh 35ZF I've been trying has also that 'trap needle', so I think it should be also a common feature on the 500G family.

But now you're forgetting the Kiev 4 !!!

... just kidding :p
 
Thanks for all you answers, I'll keep my eyes on ebay. Shame that none of the manufacturers won't consider coming out with a new rf along similar lines, features updated a bit, and a decent lens. Might not be a best seller, but would sell more than a few.

Zev
 
Know how much 75,000 yen would be in dollars? There was no info on where to get one, either.
 
Pheeew ! :eek:

Hard to enter the market with a price like that one...I'd rather invest that money on a Leica M2 or a Contax IIa... or 7 minty Canonets ;)

It's hard to develope a new "classic" camera nowadays, the market niche is too small to assume the cost of making it :(
 
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Although new to this forum, I;m not new to Rangefinders and akthough I own a few, XA, G-IIIqL17, OLy 35RD, SP, Voigtlander Bessa R etc I like the Olympus 35RC for Exposure lock, simply take your reading, slightly depress your shutter button, recompose and then fully press, simple, a joy.

best wishes Mike
 
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