What was your first RF?

[AsahiPentax]

Canon QL17 GIII. Bought it a couple months ago

 

[sf]

First REAL rangefinder (meaning a manual focus, coupled viewfinder) was my R3A a little while ago - which I promptly sold when I discovered that for that kind of $$$$ I could almost buy the Bronica. Then the Bronica RF645 came along, then a Yashica Electro 35 GS and the Konica C35.

When I was a little kid, I had an AF fuji "rangefinder." Point 'n' shoot, but a big heavy plastic thing.

 

[OldNick]

My first rangefinder was a Leica IIIa purchased used in 1952. I still use it. See it in my avatar.

 

[grantray]

My new Zeiss Ikon. A little birthday present to myself after the hurricane and whatnot. After nearly twenty years with an AE-1 and that retched EOS system, I kept finding myself being annoyed by,(and occasionally confronted because of), mirror slap..
-grant

 

[Todd.Hanz]

a contax IIa from a flea mkt. with a 50/1.5 manuals and filters/hood. I came here for advice and have hung around since.

Todd

 

[JoeFriday]

Todd, was the IIa and Sonnar a steal at the flea market? I would think most people there would think it was a quaint old camera with mostly nostalgic appeal

 

[JoeFriday]

Canon QL17 GIII. Bought it a couple months ago

welcome to RFF, Sean.. you picked a great RF to start.. I seem to get more keepers with my Canonet than with any other camera.. maybe I should wise up and start using it more

 

[rbiemer]

My grandfather's Argus C-3 wasthe first RF I used and I still have it. The first camera(not an RF) I bought for my self was a Kodak Instamatic--can't recall which one but it had aperture setting and shutter speed choices(814 maybe?).
Rob

 

[jonasv]

Minolta Hi-Matic 7s.

It was my father's camera. It was my first film camera - after a while, I figured I needed a "real" camera so i bought a Nikon SLR and a stack of lenses.

Nowadays, I'm in love with the 7s again (and don't you make fun of it's size -- NO it doesn't take 120 rollfilm!).

 

[HMojo]

My first RF was a Leica M3 w/ 50mm Summicron (Rigid) + well-used 👎everready case. Picked it up around July 4th-ish in 2005. Beautiful camera, great condition, solidified my love of RF photography. Sold my digital SLR about a week later. 🙂

 

[Marc-A.]

I came in photography six months ago with a Pentax MX and bought my first RF four months ago: it was a soviet Zorki 4K. At first, I just wanted to know the difference between SLR and RF 😕 .
I immediately loved the way we shoot with a RF. Then, I discovered RFF and was really impressed by the works you guys make ... since those days, I bought a Zorki 4, Zorki 3m, Kiev 4am, and finally (for the moment) a Leica III. I mostly use my LIII, though my other cameras are really good, primarily because it's so small that nobody takes notice of it ... besides, as you know, small is beautiful! Now, I have to practise a lot, and one day I shall have a Leica MP 😀

 

[Doug]

My first true RF camera was a 10-year-old Leica M2 in 1967 that I still use. Earlier, ignoring the Brownie box 127, my first camera was a Regula with scale focus, then a Petri Half-7 (both long gone), and following the Leica there was an Olympus Pen D2 now also gone. The next true RF was the Olympus 35RC in 1972, then the Minolta CLE in 1982 both of which I also still use, and that was the status for the next 20 years or so. Now I'm swamped in RF cams thanks to GAS attacks brought on by hanging out in this den of gear nuts!

 

[Peter]

My first RF was the Voigtlander Bessa L in 2002. The first 'real' RF was the Voigtlander Bessa T 101 in 2002! That was the camera that started my RF craze! 😛

 

[darkkavenger]

I bought my first RF one year ago, it was a Fed-3 type B. Wonderful camera 🙂

 

[OdDbaLL]

Oly 35RC. My dad gave it to me when I was 13. Still works like a dream!

 

[remrf]

My first rangefinder was a Leica IIIc I traded a Nikon F for in 1972. My first camera was a Yashica 44 TLR which used 126 film. I got it for Christmas in 1965.

 

[Stephanie Brim]

Canonet 28 bought for $40 with shipping from someone who has done CLAs. I really, really don't want to let go of that thing.

 

[rover]

In the late 1970s my father had a Yashica RF, I don't know what model. When we showed an interest in photography he decided to get "better" cameras for my brother and I and bought 2 Minolta SRTs that I still have and use. Dad gave the Yashica to my uncle. I can't figure out what model Yashica it was, my still uncle has it, but hasn't gotten around to digging it out of a closet in his house. It was not an Electro, but had a great lens. I see it as having very clean lines and my father couldn't pick it out off the Yashica Guy's web site.

 

[iñaki]

I was infected here 1 year ago. The first one was a Bessa R from Cameraquest (april 2005).
Now I also have an Iskra and this one wont be my last rangefinder. Now my Nikon SRL is used by my bother and the digicam I bought before knowing RRF is like new (it was 700 € 2 years ago, It shoul be an M2 :bang: :bang: )

 

[Kim Coxon]

Konica S2 in 1972 while I was at University