What was your first RF?

[Todd.Hanz]

I was perusing some old posts here the other day and it got me thinking, when I first joined RFF, the discussions were focused alot on the fixed lens rangefinders. The gallery was loaded with images taken with Yashica GSN's, Olympus RD's, RC's and SP's, Canonettes, the list goes on.

My first RF was a Yashica GSN bought off ebay for 7.50, the results were so good I bought a second for 9.00 the next week. Life was grand, couldn't be better, me and my GSN with the stunning 45/1.7 lens, then I succumb to a 16.00 Canon QL17... a truly amazing camera with an outstanding 40mm lens.

Yashica 35CC, Oly 35SP, more Canons, more, more, more fixed lens RF's. Everyday I logged on here someone like Rich Silfver was singing the merits of his Oly SP, Gene W and his Olympus XA, Taffer shooting that ancient Moskva Russian folder, Joe and his many RD's, RC's, then the Bessa R.

So I guess I was wondering, what was your first RF?


Todd

 

[JoeFriday]

my story is pretty much the same as yours, Todd.. I joined and everyone was raving about the GSN, so I picked up a nice one off the 'bay for about $20.. so far I've run exactly 2 rolls of film through it as I soon ended up acquiring a Kiev 4a, then a QL17... and on to a Contax IIa.. which of course led to the M3.. all within about 6 months

and along the way I also managed to acquire a Nettar folder, Rolleiflex 2.8A, Petri 7s, Minox 35PL, Contax T, Vivitar 35ES and a half dozen lenses

I think none of my cameras has seen more than 5 rolls of film yet, as I'm always testing a new body.. but I've run out of GAS and am now planning to keep the ones I plan to use, and roll over the others to interested parties

 

[SolaresLarrave]

When I logged in here for the first time, I was getting over the fixed-lens cameras. But to answer to your question: it was a Canonet G-III QL17 that I still have.

After the Canonet came a Yashica GS, and a Konica S2. I later added a Contax G & two lenses, and at the end, in 2003, I sold most of my cameras (except the Canonet and the Contax), and purchased my first Leica.

It sounds like a looooong time ago... And I do remember Rich Silfverberg's "family pictures" (weren't those 11 Olympus bodies?), and that above his avatar he had "The Devil Shoots With an SLR."

Very fond memories! 🙂

 

[doubs43]

In May or June, 1967, I bought a new Fujica V2 from the Air Force BX at Mactan Air Base in the Southern Philippines. It took beautiful pictures.

Walker

 

[Wayne R. Scott]

My first was a Canon QL-17 GIII. I have picked up a few others since then.

Wayne

 

[bmattock]

I was perusing some old posts here the other day and it got me thinking, when I first joined RFF, the discussions were focused alot on the fixed lens rangefinders. The gallery was loaded with images taken with Yashica GSN's, Olympus RD's, RC's and SP's, Canonettes, the list goes on.

My first RF was a Yashica GSN bought off ebay for 7.50, the results were so good I bought a second for 9.00 the next week. Life was grand, couldn't be better, me and my GSN with the stunning 45/1.7 lens, then I succumb to a 16.00 Canon QL17... a truly amazing camera with an outstanding 40mm lens.

Yashica 35CC, Oly 35SP, more Canons, more, more, more fixed lens RF's. Everyday I logged on here someone like Rich Silfver was singing the merits of his Oly SP, Gene W and his Olympus XA, Taffer shooting that ancient Moskva Russian folder, Joe and his many RD's, RC's, then the Bessa R.

So I guess I was wondering, what was your first RF?

Todd

Yashica GT for me - bought on a lark on eBoy for $5. The meter didn't work properly, but I only used it outdoors and with the default 1/500 shutter speed, I didn't notice at first. I was an SLR guy from my early days (1970's), having bypassed RF's altogether and only discovering them later.

Best Regards,

Bill Mattocks

 

[dexdog]

My first RF was a Contax II with 50/2 lens purchased while on vacation in New Zealand in 1983. I went into a shop to buy some lens cleaner, and was intrigued by the assortment of old cameras he had for sale, including contax, leica and even a few RF nikons. It was love at first sight. Bought it for $75 and used it to take a bunch of pics of the very scenic South Island.

 

[oftheherd]

After I got back into photograpy about 1974 I started reading the magazines avidly. There was some press in 1975 about carrying fixed lens rangefinders as backups to SLR's. I got and Olympus at the local PX in Korea. I can't remember the model. I just remember it was a neat camera to use and took great photos. I still preferred my SLR's most of the time, but carried it as a backup or just when I didn't want to carry a lot of equipment. Sadly, it was stolen along with the Yashica MAT 124 G I had also acquired. I replaced the Yashica MAT with a Super Press 23 which I still have. I didn't get another 35mm RF until coming to this forum.

 

[nwcanonman]

Like many: the Canonet QL17 got my cherry ~ ; - )
Now the Bessa R is my constant companion. But still take strolls with the Oly SP, Konica S2, Yashica GS, Zorki 4K ........... aaaack.
Yes, I'm an addict too.

 

[thedilettante]

I'm maybe somewhat backwards compared to most in that I started with a G2. Had that for many years but got a hankering for manual focus & wind so I bought a QL19 & an Electro GT. QL19 worked quite well 'til it jammed. Electro has Pad of Death issues & fungus but still works quite well too.

Then somehow a Canonet 28 found its way into my PO box.

Then an Oly XA

Then a Bessa R

Then an M6

Still have the G2.

Ben

 

[kvanderlaag]

I absolutely forget what sparked my interest in rangefinders. I think it was mostly a disliking for the pretention I'd experienced among SLR photogs around here, and an interest in old stuff.

So the first RF I bought was the Zorki 6, which I'm still waiting for.

In the time I've been waiting, I found my mom's old Agfa Karat IV. That's been my carry RF since then. Three rolls of film through it so far.

 

[back alley]

i still have my first good camera, the rf oly 35rc.
it was bought in the early 1070's back in my home town, n.y.c.

over the years i have stayed with rf cameras and added slr's to the mix.

i now only use rf's as the slr does not offer me anything i care for.
no need for very long lenses, close ups or motor drives or even through the lens viewing or metering. hell, i don't even need a built in meter.

joe

 

[Honus]

My first RF was a Zeiss Super Ikonta B, obtained in 1979. Then, in 1981 on a trip to Santa Fe, I purchased a Plaubel Makina 67 for $250. Oh, how I miss that camera! Selling it is the only regret I have in my photographic life.

Now, however, I am entrenched in 35mm and have been infected with the Wetzlar virus. My SLR friends think I am wierd, but the slapping sound of their reflex mirrors gives me the willies.

 

[Frank Granovski]

My 1st camera was a Voigtlander Vitomatic 11. I had it for about 20 years and then it walked away.

 

[franceluxemburg]

A bargain price on a new hexar RF in august this year.
Now at the minolta manual convention in NYC (9/05)
I won the shooting contest and i chose for first price the minolta himatic 7sII
But trade it right away for a minolta SLR lens i was unable to find in europe.
So nice little camera, hope to see one in the classified.

JB

 

[OldNick]

My first RF was a Leica IIIa bought from "Trader Horn" in the basement of the Salem Camera Shop, on Salem, in Dayton, OH in 1952. He had an interesting assortment of used cameras and photo curiosities. I still have the Leica and still use it. It has not seen a service shop since I bought it.

 

[nemjo]

I've turned on the RFF route from the digitals. Somehow I bought a Pana LC1 - and could read that it's how retro, similar to rangefginders etc.
As I didn't know anything about it. I had to look for what RF cameras are. By that search I found the sites of Karen Nakamura and Stephan Gandy...
So my first RF was a Bessa R.
OK, and that led me here.

nemjo

 

[thmk]

Mine was a Canonet QL17-GIII bought in a bundle from ebay with a sticky shutter. Great camera but not used very much after I got my Bessa.

Cheers
Thomas-Michael

 

[furcafe]

1st modern RF was a Kyocera Contax G2. 1st "classic" was a Zeiss Ikon Contessa (original folding version), followed shortly thereafter by a ZI Contax IIa (black dial).

 

[hoot]

Ah, the good old days... (rambling ahead)

I was shooting a Nikon FM3a (SLR) and had just bought a Horizon 202 after seeing these stunning panoramics by Alfred Klomp (click). When that monster of a camera arrived, I couldn't figure out how to load film into it, and searched pnet for info. I discovered that the most vocal Horizon owner on pnet lived in Vienna, like myself! A few chocolate brownies and cups of Turkish coffee later, our own Roman had broadened my Horizon. He had arrived at my apartment with his own '202 and several other cameras in a huge "Off Road" camera bag, including a Kiev 4, which was my introduction to RF focusing. I didn't pay much attention to it at the time, but then he loaned me his Olympus RC, and I'd discovered what true stealth was all about.

But to make a long story short, the first RF I actually owned (discounting the Horizon, which is fixed-focus) was a Minolta 7sII. I sold it soon afterwards because on that specific body, the VF/RF contrast was too low. Re-examining my snapshots from then, I get GAS for another one. In any case, I then bought an Olympus XA, which followed me to many places before eventually being sold to another RFF member.