Your favorite budget rangefinder?

[johne]

For those who like the oly RC, I agree. I also have excellent one I would sell. If interested, contact me directly. [Got an M2 and lens on way--hopefully!]\Johne


Two pics of RC in MY Gallery. FYI

 

[Fedzilla_Bob]

My Old School QL17, pre GIII.

I can't seem to get my hands on the latter version.

 

[Gabriel M.A.]

I think the Minox 35GL. It's quiet, unintrusive, fits in my pocket. And it only cost me, well...it was well within my Ramen Noodles budget when I got it 😉

 

[richiedcruz]

Minolta Hi-Matic 9. Paid $5 for mine, new in the box.

Best Regards,

Bill Mattocks

I also vote for the Hi-Matic 9. Hi-Matics in general seem to be underrated compared to Canons, but if you can put up with the size difference the lens is amazing. When I had my first test roll from my Hi-Matic developed, the co-owner of my favorite lab just had to know what kind of camera I had used to take them. 😀

I paid about $10 for mine off of E-B**. Mine did not come in its box, but was about as close to new as you could get, otherwise. 😀 😀

Richie

 

[Poptart]

I have a Canon QL 1.7 GIII, a Yashica GSN, a Minolta 7SII, and an Olympus XA. I've used the Oly the most. I just got the Canon & Yashica and have only fired them up. The Minolta has a nice lens but I've had limited experience with it. I like the Oly for its brilliant clamshell design and the soft shutter.

 

[rover]

I loved the lens on my Himatic 9
I loved the size and handling of the Konica Auto s3
I used the Canonet QL 17 GIII the most because it was the best all around package for me.
I never took to the GSN, honestly I didn't like it.

And,

I sold them all because the R was so much better a camera to use.

 

[24x30]

Agfa Ambi Silette with 35, 50 and 90 mm ... the leaf shutter was also
working at lower speeds ... eBay 90 Euro from UK.

or Polaroid 600 coming with Pola magazin and 120 roll film magazin
(lens is a build in lens with 127 mm) for 150 Euro.

Not really low budget, but I love them 🙂.

/rudi

 

[TPPhotog]

QL17 GIII I always have one with me and love them. Prices are all over the place on Ebay at the moments, but still good cheap ones about.

 

[pendevour]

Minolta Hi-Matic 7Sii is a very nice machine, also Olympus 35RC, Rollei B35, Yashica GSN or MG1 and just about any FSU combination - Zorki4 with jupiter 8 (cheap and very capable). The choice is vast and well within your budget.

 

[Sonnar Brian]

My favorite "all-around" fixed lens rangefinder camera is still the Canonet QL17 GIII. The short throw shutter release has most of the "trap-needle" cameras beaten. It does not have the sharpest lens, and is soft wide-open when compared with the Konica S2, Hi-Matic 9, and Hi-Matic E. The Minolta 7s-II is smaller, and has a sharper lens. But I do not like the viewfinder as much, it is just not as crisp and does not have auto-parallax compensation.

I have a Lynx 14e headed in, and had a Lynx 14 before. Sold the latter as the RF was dim, but it still sold in one hour on a BIN. These cameras are manual only, and have one of the softest shutter releases and shutters to be found. And it is an F1.4 lens that will give an 1960's SLR a run for its money.

 

[Rob]

$399? You may be able to get about 10 RFs for that price. Here are my choices and why:
Konica Auto S2, Great lens, great viewfinder, heavy enough to allow very slow speeds.
Minolta Himatic 9/11, Great lens, very good viewfinder
Yashica GSN,GT, very good lens, Ok finder
At the camera show this weekend I saw on one table:
Oly RC, Vivitar 35es, Konica C35 for $25 to $40. All were rough looking and I did not have batteries to test them. They are all good performers too. If they had been in better shape I would have got them all probably.

 

[Uncle Bill]

After recieving back from the lab a roll of colour film I shot in Kensington Market one morning, I was blown away. The camera was the QL17 GIII, non rangefinder people giggle when I pull this camera out, they stop when they see the pictures when the jaws drop.

Bill

 

[Nick R.]

For a knock-about camera, I'd go with the Konica auto S2 or the GSN. I have or have had most of the fixed lens types mentioned here. They all take terrific shots, but lately I've been using the S2 as my daily carry. I find that the bigger cameras are much easier to hold steady at lower shutter speeds.

 

[ErnestoJL]

Well, for $399 you can get a lot of fixed lens RFs!!!
My choices:
Mamiya Super Deluxe 1.5; paid $50 (I love that big lens) Fully manual, everything under control!
Kiev 4 (that wonderfull Contax feel!) paid $30 for it.
Canonet QL17 (old type); I paid $25
Yashica MG1; paid $15, not boxed but in mint condition (no battery of course!)
Beirette Electronic; paid $12 for a fully auto small black VF (not RF).
And still left $ 267 for film @ $5 ea. (53 pcs. of 36 exp. rolls) and $2 for the bus!

Ernesto

 

[Poptart]

Funny you mentioned the Beirette . . . I found (a mint) one of the vsn's and it's actually a good little camera. Sharp glass m/c lens and a smooth shutter. Reminds me of the old Pentax Pino I once had and loved. Better quality than that cardboard car the East Germans made!

 

[Pherdinand]

A yashica GSN. You can get one for much less than 399$. 1/10 of that, in fact. From me 😉

 

[peter_n]

Canonet QL-17 and spend the rest on film. Mine has a cracking lens and I take the cam everywhere. Its got a really quiet shutter too.

 

[phototone]

I guess a Zorki 1 (export model), 'cause it has just about every feature you could want, except for slow shutter speeds and flash sync, and it is tiny, and it takes LTM lenses, or excellent, cheap FSU LTM lenses. It feels heavy and robust, and built like a tank. I don't have a problem with separate RFDR and VFDR windows.

 

[P C Headland]

An Iskra!

Why bother with miniature format 😛

 

[mcgrattan]

I recently bought a little Chinon 35EE -- which is indistinguishable from the Konica C35 auto (http://homepage.mac.com/mattdenton/photo/cameras/konica_c35auto.html).

It's programmed exposure so there's no control, but the flashmatic system works well and the lens is really sharp and contrasty.

I was blown away by the crispness of the first few negs from it. It's also small enough to be pocketable.

I also really love my Fed-4 but it's about double the size and weight (the 35EE isn't much bigger than my Olympus XA-2).

I paid the UK equivalent of about $5 US for the 35EE, then had to spend another few pounds and about an hour of my time repairing the light seals which were in a bit of a state.

The Fed-4 arrived in as new condition for about $15 US (including postage! I bought it from a UK seller). Nearly 2 years and a lot of film later it's still in perfect working order.