Which SLR is most like an RF?

That absolutely has to be the Pentax MX - AFAIK the smallest SLR ever (it is smaller than most of my RFs (a Yashica Electro or Kiev 4 is HUGE indirect comparison), very solid, very bright screen, and Pentax lenses of the SMC M and A series are among the most compact SLR lenses available while at the same time being excellent (I can highly recommend the M 28/3.5, M 50/1.7 and M 100/2.8 - and there also was a pancake M 40/2.8, which I don't own, unfortunately).

Roman
 
Well, I was going to state the Obvious, The ALPA with its coupled RF viewfinder, but decided to let D2 do it as I do not own any.

However: I would have to add the Kodak Retina Reflex-S which is the fraternal Twin of the Retina IIIS. The two have the same lens mount, same shutter, same selenium meter, and the same basic body. Arcane Yes. The odds of finding a working Retina Reflex S with a good clean prism are low these days. The prism for the Minolta XG cameras is a perfect fit for it; that is what I put in my Reflex-S.

The Reflex-S has a non-instant return mirror and compur shutter, so it is whisper quiet with a "snippp" sound. Of course after the shutter is fired, the mirror is blacked-out until it is cocked. The price for peace and quiet on an SLR.

Kodak made one Ever-ready case that fit both cameras. The back has a cutout long enough for the center mounted eyepiece on the Reflex-S and the rewind-side eyepiece of the IIIS.

Fraternal Twins:
http://rangefinderforum.com/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=1782
 
Last edited by a moderator:
Let's see...smallish, wide selection of good lenses, not obtrusive, not loud, reliable. Bright viewfinder (and of course you would need a split dot screen if you were to be reminded of a rangefinder). Hmmm. I believe I would vote for the Chinon CE 3 without much hesitation. I'd also say it is the most sophisticated screwmount SLR ever created. Really an amazing piece of equipment that many never even noticed.
Jon
 
scottgee1 said:
Correct me if I'm wrong, but didn't the Nikon FG20 have both aperture priority AND manual exposure capability?
Click to expand...

Scott, I think you're right. I was talking about EM - it has only "Auto"...
I forgot about FG, since I don't have that one... - but I do have the EM.

Denis
 
You're absolutely right! Never heard of this one. I'll be it showed up at the end of the official life of the Pentax screwmount system about the time they were transitioning to bayonet.

BTW, is the Pentax screwmount the same as the M42 mount?

Thanks!/ScottGee1


Jon Goodman said:
Let's see...smallish, wide selection of good lenses, not obtrusive, not loud, reliable. Bright viewfinder (and of course you would need a split dot screen if you were to be reminded of a rangefinder). Hmmm. I believe I would vote for the Chinon CE 3 without much hesitation. I'd also say it is the most sophisticated screwmount SLR ever created. Really an amazing piece of equipment that many never even noticed.
Jon
Click to expand...
 
Last edited:
Just an addition regarding Nikon EM - it's smaller than Leica M6, and only a bit bigger than Canonet (wider, but almost the same height, even including the prism).
First shot compared to M6, second compared to Canonet.
Denis
 
The FG's are much more versatile than the EM. Most of the EM's I've handled in the past few years were broken. They seem to have a design flaw (feature?) that limited their life. The FG's do everything the EM will do plus allow manual over-ride.

I was being facetious about the Praktina. It looks like rangefinder, but I don't think it is very useful to use one like a rangefinder.

In all seriousness, I think the Olympus Pen-F/FT is more like a rangefinder than any other SLR. I use to carry a very small bag with a Leica IIIf and a Pen FT in it. The Leica for black and white and Pen for color film.

-Paul
 
scottgee1 said:
You're absolutely right! Never heard of this one. I'll be it showed up at the end of the official life of the Pentax screwmount system about the time they were transitioning to bayonet.

BTW, is the Pentax screwmount the same as the M42 mount?

Thanks!/ScottGee1
Click to expand...


Yes on both counts...the M42 mount is also called the Pentax screwmount, and this was about the last of the topline screwmount cameras built. If you want to find one on the cheap, buy a Revue AC-1. Same camera. Or, you can buy the ALPA equivalent and pay a whole lot more. Chinon made the camera for ALPA and also for Revue (think it was sold by FotoQuelle...if I have the name right). Look on German E-Bay for the AC-1. The CEII (predecessor) was larger and heavier and did not have the same focus screen or ability to use a motor drive. But it was the only camera to my knowledge to ever push a screwmount lens system to a 1/2000 shutter speed. I have one of those, and it is also a pretty amazing camera. One of the most incredible things about the metering system in both of them is this: When set to "auto," it takes its final reading after the shutter button is pushed and after the aperture closes, but before the shutter opens or the mirror pops up. That means in the microsecond available, it sends a message to the shutter speed controller to adjust shutter speed for the available light. If you never have seen the Chinon 1.4 lens, you should just for the "awe" effect. A huge piece of very fast glass.
Jon
 
The FG/FG20 has to be the the closest to a RF espesialy when combined with the E series lenses. I have both FG and FG20 and the 20 is my prfered everyday (non-rangefinder) camera, i consider it my upmarket PS. i have an E series 50mm 1.8 and it is as small and lighter than my bessa R with ultron 35 on it.
the 20 feels a little cheaper than the FG but it's still pretty strong (someone droped mine and the marks in the body are a guide to it's strength) both have the advantage of the full spectrum of Nikon gear (the MD-14 power winder is a jem).
best of all they are pretty cheap and there is a black version of the FG should you wish it.
i like the OM 1s but they use the dreaded mecury batteries, the only other camera that comes close would be (IMO) the pentax MX/ME

simon
 
Last edited:
Hmmm, a thought just crossed my mind:
'Which SLR is most like an RF?' - with a different twist:
- has to be the Carena CX300/Olympus OM-2000/Nikon FM10/Canon T60/Konica TC/etc. - hey, after all, that's the SLR body that the Bessa R was based on...
😉

Roman
 
Well, my Pentax ME-Super is virtually identical in size to a Besa R, except the lens mount sticks out a bit more to allow for the prism. It focuses via a split image in the centre, and it ain't that loud (certainly quieter than my brother's MX). So it's not dissimilar to shooting an RF - and you get AE as well - and the Pentax K mount lenses have a justifiably excellent reputation.

Cheers,
Steve
 
I agree with GeneW 100% that OM series are the ones. Size-wise it feels a little like a Leica to me. Zuiko glass is 1st rate! Below are some comparison pix I took of my OM-4 (for sale🙂 )and Yashica GSN.
 
Scottgee1 mentioned Pentax screwmount (M42) cameras. He wondered if Criteria #7 could be met. The answer is yes, yes, Oh yes. I have a complete kit - 3 bodies (one black, bit o' brassing here and there; yummy) and about five or six (I'll have to look) Super Takumar lenses. Killer glass on these Takumars.

Several people in the US repair, refurbish, CLA these cameras . Eric Hendrickson, in Sharps Chapel, TN,(pentaxrepairs@aol.com) is a retired former head of the Pentax repair division. He has lots of parts in stock. He has CLA'd all my bodies and they are now as new.

Only part that seems to be in ever shorter supply is the meter cell. But I think enough are out there for another three or four decades. At which point many of us on this forum simply won't care.

The Spotmatic is a small camera, not as small as the wonderful and esoteric Alpa, but as small as the new Bessaflex, also an M42 screwmount. I love these Voigtlander folks. "Hey, we got nothing else to do, let's make a brand new M42 screwmount SLR! Must be a lot of folks out there with dying bodies and healthy lenses, right?"

And they were right.
 
This is slightly OT, but since M42 mount is being discussed, is there anyone out there that does relativly inexpensive CLA's on M42 lenses? I have a couple of St Vinnies specials ( a Sigma 28/2.8 and a Auto Tele-Lanthar 135/2.8) that are in nice shape but are stiff to the point that they start to unscrew if I try to focus them. I have a Mamiya DTL 1000 body that I'd like to use them on (which leaves the SMC Takumars out for me, but there are lots of other M42 lenses out there).

Thanks,

William
 
William: I think Eric works on lenses also. You could email him with an inquiry.

Ted
 
Paul, correct me if I'm wrong, but I thought the Pen-F/FT were strictly 35mm half frame format cameras. Or were they 'switchable'?

TIA!/ScottGee1


pshinkaw said:
SNIP!

In all seriousness, I think the Olympus Pen-F/FT is more like a rangefinder than any other SLR. I use to carry a very small bag with a Leica IIIf and a Pen FT in it. The Leica for black and white and Pen for color film.

-Paul
Click to expand...
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

S
Follow-up to 'Which SLR is most like an RF?'
Replies
8
Views
1K
scottgee1
S
Back
Top Bottom