Why do you have a RF?

[dll927]

I have SLRs, RFs, and one TLR. As to why RFs, my Leica M4-2 can focus in far lower light than my SLRs - or at least I can see better to do it, which is really what we're talking about. Also, I've hand-held that Leica more than once down to 1/8 second and gotten acceptable slides, which would be highly doubtful with an SLR and its mirror.

Now I'm into FSU cameras and have gotten quite a collection of them - but not the 60 (sixty???) mentioned above.

I'm not knocking any of them, but use what's appropriate for the situation.

 

[parks5920]

Because I know that if my car gets broken into there is less of a chance that they will steal the Hi-Matic F in the glove box than the fancy digital P&S. Plus, you can always use you RF as a weapon if someone is chasing you. Throw a Hi Matic 9 at someone and you'll do more damage to them than the camera, and if the camera gets crunched, you can pick up another one for less than $20 bucks. Try that with a Canon SD300!

 

[TPPhotog]

Another vote for preferring film and prime lenses 🙂 I worked my up to a Nikon F100 (if it can be called improvement) and the more I used it the more I hated the hassle. So I got myself a basic manual SLR again that I could use Pentax glass with (always like their glass). Then after reading various postings about Canonet QL17s I scored one on Ebay and instantly fell in love with it. Then I got A GIII from G'Man on here and now I'm watching a Zorki 4 and 4K over on Ebay 😀 Yep I'm hooked!! 😉

 

[parks5920]

OH MAN! TPPhotog are you watching the same Zorki 4 and 4K that I am? Darn it! 😀

 

[TPPhotog]

OH MAN! TPPhotog are you watching the same Zorki 4 and 4K that I am? Darn it! 😀

I hope not, I'd hate to be hunting from a fellow RFF member 😉

 

[SolaresLarrave]

You guys can always purchase one and send it back and forth to one another. 🙂

That's another reason to love (and use) these little machines: the strange sense of brotherhood they bring with. How many good conversations can you have with a SLR-holding fellow, versus the kind of talk you have with a FSU owner (like Oscar) or a Canonet admirer? 😉

 

[parks5920]

Sounds good, except for the whole oversea's shipping thing, get's a bit pricey! 😀

 

[TPPhotog]

Have to admit I've never discussed what colour leather to put on a SLR like the hours I have with a fellow RF user 😀

 

[parks5920]

OH, that's a good topic! Hey GMan, how would the Praktica look with red snake skin? 😀

 

[SolaresLarrave]

Best proof... the time I spent in this forum... 🙂

 

[TPPhotog]

You wouldn't believe GMans latest fashion ideas if I told you 😉 "Red snake skin" sounds tame in comparison ROFLOL 😀

 

[r-brian]

Just because.

Ok, I have two small children and I'm starting to use that phrase as my answer to them. But seriously, I use a RF just because they are there.

Brian

 

[TPPhotog]

I love the ladybug idea and can't wait to see it 🙂 Could be good for stealth shooting as people will think it's a purse 😀

 

[stephen_lumsden]

I also like RFs as most of them come with thier own Ever ready cases (ERC). I find when I am out then I can just sling it over my shoulder and may be put 2 other lens in my pocket. When I want to take a shot the ERC makes it much handier getting a manual focus camera out and getting the shot taken than having to rummage in a bag in order to get an auto-focus one out. That way I find RFs sometimes quicker, or more likely handier to work with. Also they are more discrete. I do sometimes feel like a bit of a nerd when I have the SLR out these days.

rgds

Stephen

 

[Socke]

I got my Contax G2 because I liked rangefinders in general and wanted something different than what my PJ and pro phtographer friends use so I'm not compared and don't mimik a style which is not my own.
Then I fell in love with it 🙂

I added a Contax TVS for two reasons, sometimes even the G2 is to big and I changed too often between the 28 and 45 so the 28-56 Zoom was a nice add on.

And then I have a Zorki 4 and a Kiev 4 just to find out how shooting those is, and a Yashica Electro 35GX, and a Rollei 35TE which was my first camera bought from self earned money in 1980 and .....

So in short, I like RFs and especialy the G2.

 

[Marc Jutras]

I prefer film to digital and prime lenses to zooms. The smallest cameras with good prime lenses are rangefinders. So, when I wanted a quality camera that would take interchangable lenses that I could use when traveling I bought the Voigtlander Bessa-R.

Same idea here, except I got a R2. I wanted a manual-everything camera, as mechanical as possible (except for the meter) and good for low light shooting.

I haven't been victim of GAS yet and I don't know if that would happen. Cameras are not collectibles for me. They're only tools and my R2 does a wonderful job. I might get into large format at some point but I'm really not sure about it. We'll see.

 

[Iskra 2]

I enjoyed learning how to replace the shutter curtains on a Zorki 1.

Kiev4a, where did you get the info on replacing a zorki curtain? I can't "Google" anything that isn't an expensive book that costs more than another Zorki. Just curious. 🙂

 

[Bertram2]

I wonder why you have a rangefinder?

Anyway, this is my story and it would be fun hearing yours.

/ Marcus

To be honest because , to cover the weak sides of my SLR /zoom gear , I wanted a small, fully mechanical camera and three razorsharp primes, working fine for low light enviomnments too, and the whole set should be affordable.
So I bought a R and a L and a 25, a Nok and a 75. The RF had been a real culture shock at first but I learned to love it. Which does not mean my TLR and SLR camera will die from unemployment. Each for it's purpose, all systems have their specific strength.
Best,
Bertram

 

[Nikon Bob]

I like small compact outfits for travel and an RF body and three lenses fit the bill nicely when using film. It all fits in a small fanny pack. They are easy to focus and take sharp photos with in low light when travelling.

Bob

 

[Biggles]

Because my first camera was a rangefinder. Because some world-beater lenses exist for rangefinder bodies. Because it's photography distilled to its essence: see, frame, shoot, right now.

Because it's simple. Because I'm a Luddite.