What was your first RF?

[Byuphoto]

Yashica GSN, 1973, bought at the Navy Exchange at Subic Bay Naval Station, Olongopo City, Phillipines on my way to Nam. It was stolen while in Nam so I bought a Yashica TL Electro X SLR before going to Brisbane, Aus. for R&R. I never liked the SLR so I bought a Canonet at the Navy base in Guam. This was the one I took photos of the evacuation of Saigon from a Navy Sea wolf helo. Here's two taken from the deck of the USS Midway CV41. All the US planes were taken off in the Phillipines and replaced with Helos. Anyone with helo experience was TDY to the carriers and any amphibs that could handle helos

 

[x-ray]

My dad gave me a new 4x5 Pacemaker Crown Graphgic in 1964. The next was an M2 and M3 in 1968.

 

[Richard Black]

Zorkii 4 purchased of the *bay 3 years ago. 4-35mm r/fs and 2-120 r/fs and still looking. Last purchased a Bessa R with a 28 Color Skopar.

 

[Biggles]

Voigtlander Prominent with 50mm f/3.5 Color Skopar and a hot-shoe "sports finder", along with a tiny Sixtomat meter. My father's rig. He gave it to me when I was about 16 or 17.

 

[BJ Bignell]

First RF was the ZI Contessa LKE, bought about three years ago. It desperately needs a tune-up, but it might still be my favourite camera...

 

[George S.]

After using a couple of brownies as a kid, and my brother's huge, heavy, polaroid, The first rangefinder camera I bought myself was the ELECTRO 35 GS, added those quite useless "wide" and "tele" auxiliary lenses too.

 

[amateriat]

After suffering with cheap Instamatic clones and Polaroid Swingers (and suffering a bit less with a Diana or three) throughout the 1960s, my father finally got me a Yashica 5000E Lynx in 1972 – first-ever 35mm for me, first "real" camera overall (apologies to Diana devotees). To paraphrase Eddy Merckx, I used it lots. It broke lots. Replaced it with an Electro 35 GTN (yes, the kit, with those Dogawful "auxiliary" lenses) a year later; it broke less. Replaced that with a new Canon F-1 the following year. Spent the next two and a half decades in SLRville with occasional RF excursions (Things I Kick Myself For Selling: black Canonet QL17 GIII with correct metal hood; Leica CL "50 Jahre"). Came back to RFs full-time in 2002 with a Hexar RF, follwed by a second HRF the following year. Recently copped a Konica S3 off the 'Bay. The stars are aligned once again...


- Barrett

 

[Michael I.]

my first RF was a canonet gIII QL 17(soon a zorki 4 maybe)

my first SLR was a START(both gifts - the start i broke and got fixed a year or two ago by Oleg K. and now favored by me for BW due to "the glow" and the single coating)

the first SLR I used a Belomo zenit ET
the first camera I purchased was a pentax k1000
the last a nikon fm2a(maybe a rolleicord soon)

 

[Mackinaw]

A Canon III-A w/ collapsible 50mm F1.9 purchased when I was fresh out of college back in 1976. Still have both.

Jim Bielecki

 

[Don Parsons]

My dad let me use his 1952ish Petri Rangefinder when I was 15, 30 years ago. I was a freshman in High School and on the yearbook staff. Then for Christmas, he gave me a Pentax K-1000 with a 50mm 2.0 lens. I loved both of those cameras. The Petri then broke and has sat in his closet ever since.

The first rangefinder I bought was a Minoltina S, in 1981. It was a wonderful camera, but after breaking for the second time, i threw it away. I used Pentax, Nikon and Canon SLR's the most. I was able to pick up a Canonet GIII about 10 years ago that had just had a CLA. It's a nice little camera and you can see me looking thru it in my avatar. I got a Contax G1 about 5 years after that, but I'm finding myself liking manual/zone focusing better.

I hear the call of the wild M...

 

[yossarian]

A Mamiya Super Deluxe with a 48mm/1.9 lens, dead meter, given to me by my then
brother-in-law. Used it for my first and only photoclass, while those around me used
everything from FTbs, to F2s, and even one RB67. Overall....their stuff wasn't any
better.

Fred

 

[Talisker]

The Zorki 4K I bought when I was thirteen (nearly 30 years ago...). Haven't put a film through it in years, although the 135mm Jupiter a got to go with it had a few outings when I bought the Bessa T a couple of years ago, but even that got replaced with an ebay Tele Elmar.

 

[dostacos]

Canonet 1.7 GIII QL bought new still have it. passed it down to my youngest son, I have a "new" GIII that Gman gave it's very first seals and lube job 😱

I also have a never used the housing, too murky in So Cal and I quit diving....

thinking of sending it out with one of my surfer sons for a close up shot 😀

 

[GeneW]

I forgot one. My earliest was a Kodak Signet 40 I had in high school around 1962.

Gene

 

[vincentbenoit]

My first RF camera was a Zorki-4 with matching Jupiter-8 lens, bought from a gentleman in Kiev who sent it to me in a cardboard box tied with a piece of string...

I still use the camera on a regular basis, not with the Jupiter-8 but with a Voigtländer 28/3.5 and accessory finder.

Vincent

 

[pixman]

Mine was a Kiev 4A, which I still have. These days, I prefer my Canon QL25.

 

[oftheherd]

My first rangefinder was a Mamiya Press with a 6x9 back. it produces beautiful results. My first 35mm was a canonet gIII QL 17, followed by Kiev 4s (which I'm thinking of selling).

My first was an Olympus but I don't remember the model number. That was during my first trip to Korea, about 1975. Got it due to GAS and some of the photo magazines touting fixed lens RF's as good backup camera. I did enjoy it as an easy camera to carry when I didn't want to lug an SLR and multiple lenses. When that and my Yashica 124 MAT G were stolen, I replaced both with a Super Press 23. I still have it and love it. Didn't get another until the Olympus SP about a year ago, and a Canonet QL 17 some time later. Restored by you know who. What a dream it is.

 

[GrAfFiT]

I come from the DSLR world. My first rangefinder and currently only one though this may be subject to changes 😉 is a Yashica 35 Electro GSN, mint, which came from Hong Kong one month ago. I'm currently on my third roll of HP5+ and I love it!
First post btw.

 

[vincentbenoit]

I come from the DSLR world. My first rangefinder and currently only one though this may be subject to changes 😉 is a Yashica 35 Electro GSN, mint, which came from Hong Kong one month ago. I'm currently on my third roll of HP5+ and I love it!
First post btw.

Welcome to RFF. Your dSLR won't last long. 😛

Vincent

 

[kvanderlaag]

Welcome to RFF. Your dSLR won't last long. 😛

Vincent

This is all too true, believe me. I'm far more excited about my rangefinders than I am about my DSLR, though regrettably, I have to buy a bigger, better (more expensive) DSLR for school next year.

I was thinking maybe I'd try to talk them into letting me get an R-D1.