What's the Best UNDER $50 Ebay Rangefinder?

[Dave S.]

I voted for the Olympus 35 RC. For the newbie to RF photography it has a lot going for it if you are spending under $50. It has a sharp lens, shutter priority option, full manual control option, can work without a battery, is small, has good ergonomics IMO, and a nice viewfinder. I really enjoy mine and have taken many nice photographs with it.

 

[NathanJD]

I've voted for the Yashica because it's very functional and also very sharp if not bulky and a little ugly (well.. the bigger ones anyway), but i also feel that the FSUs offer the best under $50 'poor man's Leica' feel but it does involve kissing frogs and the lenses are not really that great save 1 or 2 models.

 

[Mablo]

Yashica Electro 35 G** is a great rangefinder beginner camera because the one and only thing you actually must pay attention to is the focus. You get great sharp photos all the time.

 

[Igor.Burshteyn]

I am split between kiev and olympus 35sp. I have Yashica Electro as well but it's sitting without use for a long time - it's very good optically but bulky and ugly.
I actually love pictures from kiev more than from oly. It has nothing to do with sharpness - oly is sharp, but j8 is sharp enough and renders differently, it's like Japanese versus German optics.
The problem is to find good kiev or olympus 35sp for $50 🙂 maybe olympus 35rc? Didn't use that one personally.

 

[shadowfox]

This thread is a must read for every new RFF member.

These days I noticed that newer members went straight to Leica or Bessa or Nikon, I missed conversations like the one in this thread. It's debating really low-cost, but very decent rangefinder cameras (after CLA, that is).

Remember, there are lots of RF fun way before Leica.

That's the endorsement, now my answer:

There is no other company that produces fixed-lens rangefinder cameras as addicting as Olympus.

Every time you get one, your GAS pushes you to the next. After all, there are almost 60 varieties to choose from spanning decades.

First, 35RC, then 35RD/DC, then a detour to older models 35 Ace, LE, IV, S, SII, Trip, then the mighty 35 SP, not to mention the half-frame gems like Pen EES, D2, EF, then the disco-like XA craze ensues, multi-colored XA2 and XA3, ultimately giving way to XA4 (still own and use one).

Until one day (in my case) you stare at 25-some-odd Olympus cameras and thought: What have I become????

It took me a long time and a lot of effort to sell off my Olympus rangefinder "collection" including a rather prestigious *black* Olympus 35 SP. That's how slippery the slope is.

I'm glad that I have moved on since, but at the same time, I would not have it any other way 🙂

 

[remegius]

The Yashica: without batteries, it's useless.

Not true. Without a battery the shutter on the Electro 35 defaults to 1/500. Just load it with ISO 400 film and use sunny 16. Works great.

Cheers...

Rem

 

[btgc]

This thread is a must read for every new RFF member.

From my experience I can stress - read this carefully.

There is no other company that produces fixed-lens rangefinder cameras as addicting as Olympus.

I thought it's Yashica, but that's only because I were hit by Yashica schrapnel. Devil has many faces.

Until one day (in my case) you stare at 25-some-odd Olympus cameras and thought: What have I become????

So true. That took some time and efforts to realize that camera or two is all I really need. It's like with food - excess of rich in calories (features and specs) food doesn't make us healthier. There's way to keep in shape - excersize a lot, or better do real work - row a boat or cut trees. Journey into world of cheap FL RF's is fun, but it has to be defined, has to be finite. Selecting one camera from tens is good outcome, just think how expensive and time consuming it can be. Selecting too many dishes for a meal comes to mind. This way availability and low prices of great cameras and lenses can serve wrong way. There's nothing wrong collecting cameras and exposing endless test rolls, it's just different than taking real pictures.

This thread is a must read for every new RFF member.

Once again.

 

[Brian Legge]

Ha! My Olympus progression went:

Olympus DC -> Olympus RC -> Olympus XA -> Olympus RD -> Olympus XA4 -> Olympus SP (on the way)

The Olympus cameras are definitely addicting. I got really lucky with that line and found myself acquire a bunch cheaply. Ignoring the CLA on the RD, the rest of the Olympus cameras averaged $15. Crazy fun little cameras to use.

I just shot my first roll with the XA4. Not a huge fan of the lens to be honest, but it is a nearly silent camera with a 28mm lens that i can fit in my pocket. That utility is worth it. Really digging the camera.

The RD is still on the way back from a CLA but given how much I love the lens on the DC, I'm seriously optimistic about the camera. The SP was a $10 impulse buy. No idea if it works yet.

Despite recently handling a OM2n for the first time, I haven't hit their SLR line yet. That camera is seriously tempting. I might swap the XA for one some time, particularly if I can find a good, sharp wide angle lens for it. i don't see myself using the XA much now that I have the XA4 which fits my style a bit better.

 

[farlymac]

I too vote for the Yashica line, as you can start with a larger GSN/GTN, and 'graduate' to the compacts such as the CC and GX, without any fall-off in the learning curve. With the Argus cameras you are dealing with an arcane system that changed everytime they introduced another model. And as much as I like the Canon QL17 and the Ricoh 500 (I have both), there is just something about the Yashicas that keeps me shooting them when I could be using the others.

Some of the models mentioned on the thread are really getting quite expensive as their popularity goes up, and their availability goes down. But the Yashica's just keep rolling along, there are millions of them out there.

My best buy though did not come from the bay, but was a flea market find. It is a Voigtlander Vito B that I got for $15 because the seller thought it was broken (needs to have film in it for the shutter mech to work). But I have spent too much money getting the correct filters and other accessories for it, at a factor of many times the cost of the camera, thus taking all the fun out of it.

So to keep it real for a newbie, not only does the camera have to be a deal, but any accessories he will purchase later should not empty his pockets.

 

[Greyscale]

It is becoming clear to myself that I am planning to try every single one of them before making any decision. It's like fishing, some that you catch are keepers, some you throw back. And even with the keepers, every now and then you need to cull the herd, no matter how much it hurts.

I really like the Yashica Electros, they make it easy to take excellent pictures. But maybe too easy, I find that I often have some caveman urge to have control over everything, and damn the repercussions; besides, some of my best shots have been mistakes. Oddly, however, one of my favorite rangefinders (so far) is the Konica C35 Automatic, which has even less options for manual control than the Yashicas. I think it's small size is the determining factor here, I might like the Yashies as much if I could fit them in my shirt pocket.

My Minolta Hi-Matic 9, so far, offers the best of both worlds, manual or automatic, depending on what I want it to be on any given day, like the C35, it is one of my keepers ... at least until I get the Konica Auto S2 and Yashica M in working order ... then who knows?

I haven't started my Olympus or Canon cycles yet, and the XA's and the Canonets seem to be inching away from that "sub $50" criteria, so I had better hurry.

I do have a $0.01 bid in on a Beauty Canter ... if I win it, can we start a "sub $1.00" thread? 😀

 

[btgc]

at least until I get the Konica Auto S2 and Yashica M in working order ... then who knows?

I haven't started my Olympus or Canon cycles yet, and the XA's and the Canonets seem to be inching away from that "sub $50" criteria, so I had better hurry.

easy to predict - after getting KAS2 working you will realize ergonomics just isn't there and will look for Konica III. And then....after all, exhausted by camera repairs and fixes, test rolls and endless hours of labor, you'll say "damn, m4/3 is just what I needed, and digital isn't that bad" 🙂

 

[Greyscale]

easy to predict - after getting KAS2 working you will realize ergonomics just isn't there and will look for Konica III. And then....after all, exhausted by camera repairs and fixes, test rolls and endless hours of labor, you'll say "damn, m4/3 is just what I needed, and digital isn't that bad" 🙂

Well, the Olympus E-P1 does look pretty sweet. How long do you think I'll have to wait until I can get one for less than $50?

 

[feenej]

Nine years maybe? Five?

 

[Scrambler]

Surely the answer is "start with whichever one takes your individual fancy." The camera you love is the camera you carry.

 

[m1keinminnesota]

I bought a perfectly good Gsn at a flea market for $11.00. Added a spring and a battery, a little film, Great camera. I also like my Konica Automatic C35. Nice pictures but little control. I guess I just enjoy 60s and 70s point and shoot cameras.

 

[Sonnar Brian]

Well, the Olympus E-P1 does look pretty sweet. How long do you think I'll have to wait until I can get one for less than $50?

Well, The Kodak DCS200 DSLR is below $50.

http://cgi.ebay.com/NIKON-SLR-N8008...637?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item53e254dba5

17 years.

 

[retro]

I would say the Agfa Ambi-Silette which can be had for about $50
with normal lens. It has a very good bright-line viewfinder and
one can later add wide or tele lenses. Not many interchangeable
lens RF cameras around at that price.

 

[ColSebastianMoran]

I've tried a few. It's easy to find bargains, and harder to find one that works well.

For under $50, Yashica Electro, the later the better. These all need light seals, and most need CLA. I like the aperture-preferred automation in the Electro.

 

[patois]

I am currently in love with my Minolta Mi-Matic F.

 

[eddie1960]

the answer surely is the one you "won" that actually worked as it should
like all cameras it's just a tool and if it gets you to take more photos and you like it then it's the best
if it ends up on the shelf unused then it was a waste of money