Your favorite budget rangefinder?

[Poptart]

I sold a chinon ee recently. It's the exact same camera as the gaf memo 35ee.

 

[sf]

budget rangefinder

budget rangefinder

GSN - my friend has one that he's had since the 1980s. Never been cleaned, and it still works. He takes good care of it. Admitedly, it looks like it could use a clean ASAP. He has the Electro 35. I like it . If I had disposable income, I'd buy one just because I think it's a neat camera. Just for kicks.

 

[DougK]

I'd have to say my Konica C35 Automatic is my favorite budget RF. The only drawback is the lack of manual exposure control. If I only had a flash unit for it....

 

[Chuck A]

I really love the Oly 35RC. It is really small and the lens is sharp. The viewfinder is pretty good and the framelines are easy to see. The shutter speed and aperture in the viewfinder is superb.

 

[David Doler]

Yes it's a Point & Shoot, but the Olympus Stylus Epics are amazing little buggers.

 

[caspert79]

- Oly 35 RD: VERY nice viewfinder, great optics, very well finished, low weight

- Yashica Electro 35 CC. Actually I love it as much as the 35 RD. Truly great combination of 35mm and f/1.8.

- Yashica Lynx 14E. GRRRRREAT optics, fully manual and fully mechanical (except for the light meter)

- Yashica Electro 35 GX. I like the handling and ergonomy of this camera. It doesn't have the 35mm of the CC though (but a very nice 40mm f/1.7 instead).

- Oly XA. The ideal travel RF. Fits in your pocket and delivers great pictures. Not as light sensitive as the others though.

- Oly 35 LE. Shares the same lens as the SP, but can be found much cheaper (though hard to find).

I didn't pay more than 30 euros for any of these cameras. Still, the RD will be the more expensive one because the shutter has to be cleaned (this is typical a weak point of the RD).

 

[Richard Black]

I have had the GSN and it was a wonderful camera with no drawbacks; however, having said that, I replaced it with a Vivitar 35ES, JoeFriday's fav, and I have to agree. Comparing the two specimems I have, the V is smaller and lighter and looks cooler in black. Lenses are equal, both excellent, sharp and contrasty. I like the way the V handles over the GSN, and that is my preference, not all will get the same results, you know the legal mumbo jumbo...

 

[Pherdinand]

The advantage and disadvantage of the yashica GSN and similar yashica's (GX,CC,G,GS,GT...) is the broad ISO range, the aperture-priority-only shutter and the very good meter. You just put a film in, set an ISO speed and shoot away, focusing and focusing on the image without having to worry about settings.

 

[Aardvark Aallen]

I can confirm almost all the choices suggested 'cause I own these cheapies.

o Yashica Electro 35 GSN
o Olympus RC
o Olympus XA
o Canonet QL17 GIII
o Yashica Lynx 14
o Minolta Hi Matic 7SII

Still if I had to pick the most versatile I'm for the GSN, nice hues from the glass when using colour, and the auto exposure will let you take an exposure up to 30 seconds! The drawback , larger and bulkier, kind of clunky appearance and may need battery adapter.

The Canonet QL 17 GIII is an amazing little camera, smaller than the GSN and a sweet lens. Great for street stuff 'cause it's fast to focus and has an auto feature

With a little luck buy 'em both for less than a $100 US bill and if you take your time you may even have change left.

 

[FrankS]

If a Bessa R with 35mm lens or a Konica Hexar AF are within your budget, I highly recommend either one.

 

[FPjohn]

Hello: This is a question of taste. I would say, because I have one and the barrier is set high, a LTM Leica with 50mm Elmar and/or 2nd party 35mm. The Olympus Stylus Epic as the everyman choice.
yours
Frank

 

[iggers]

Vivitar 35ES - beauty that never seems to work

Vivitar 35ES - beauty that never seems to work

I've had maybe four Vivitar 35ES, and all of them had problems with the exposure system. Since the camera lacks a full manual option (shutter speed priority only), they were unusable in my hands. I re-sold them all (withfull disclosure) for parts. I keep hoping to find one that works.

$399 is a budget rangefinder? I think $39.99 is more like it.. LOL

for around $40 you have nearly any FSU, most Minolta Hi-Matics, Yashica GSN, possibly a Canonet QL17 GIII, or my personal favorite, a Vivitar 35ES

I even got a Contax IIa with a Sonnar 50/1.5 for almost exactly half of your 'budget' range

 

[OldNick]

I have a Leica IIIa with an Elmar 50mm f/3.5 lens and a small exposure meter, all fitted into a small, strap-supported case designed for modern point & shoots. I have even added my external BriteLine finder to the package. This makes an inconspicuous combination which will capture most photo ops that one will encounter in everyday life.

 

[back alley]

what case are you using oldnick?
i can't find a small case for dialy use that i like, they are either too big or too small.
got a pic of your kit?

joe

 

[Gabriel M.A.]

"budget rangefinder"? Whose budget? OK, I'll play:

Canonet QL G-III 17 - excellent build, excellent lens, and nicely underrated.

 

[Hektor]

ot - a bit, Hi joe, what, exactly, apart from a P, do you want to pit in this daily case ?

 

[Hektor]

sp ------ put

 

[derevaun]

Among the 70s RFs from the Land of the Rising Sun, I gotta go with the Yashica GSN. It's a better all around picture taker, and I prefer the aperture priority. The Canon G-III QL17 is small and light, which is makes it better to carry, and its shots are of comparable quality. But the GSN feels and sounds better IMHO.

But if your budget is $400 for a fixed lens rangefinder, why not just get a Bessa and a $.99 tube of crazy glue 🙂

 

[Pherdinand]

But if your budget is $400 for a fixed lens rangefinder, why not just get a Bessa and a $.99 tube of crazy glue 🙂

🙂🙂🙂 lol

 

[Rob]

My favs have been:
Yashica Electro 35 GSN
Olympus RC
Konica auto s2
Olympus XA
Canonet QL17 GIII
Minolta Himatic 9 and 11