3 new rangefinders

[unohuu]

I went a bit crazy this week after looking at some rangefinder images. I wanted to be able to use a leaf shutter camera handheld on the street for some documentary style street photography. I bought the venerable XA from Olympus so I can always have at least one camera with me. I am thinking that I will load some Provia or Velvia in this one for those once in a lifetime images.

Camera 2 is the Yashica Lynx 14E that so many have raved about. It has a fast 1.4 lens and I think this will have some ASA 50 film in it so that I always always have a camera at the ready of B/W film and last but not least...

Camera 3 is a Yashica Lynx 5000. This is the camera in the package with the 14E and I thought it would be a camera that I can grab for 800 or 1600 speed film for those times when I am not near an SLR.

Just wanted to share...but would appreciate any insights you have to share. Are there peculiarities to any of these three that I need to be aware of? Optically, what can I expect? Looking forward to sharing. BTW, I have been lugging my X-570 around all week with the hope that I would have it at the ready when chance met with me. No such luck appeared. Hopefully tomorrow and next week are better.

 

[David A. Goldfarb]

I've sometimes used a couple of rangefinders loaded with different films for travel. I seem to be shooting mostly B&W these days, but when I'm shooting color, it's handy to have one camera with a fast lens loaded with tungsten film and another loaded with daylight. Sometimes I'll carry both, and sometimes I'll switch off, and one will be the "day" camera and one will be the "night" camera.

 

[rjs003]

I keep a cheap range finder in the center console of my van, I have taken some very good shots with this camera, as it seems to be available when the once in a life time photo presents itself. When this one dies I will replace it with another cheapy.

 

[Chaska]

I use an XA2 as my carry in the car camera and love it. Dead simple to use and has a great f3.5 35mm lens, the little A11 flash does a pretty decent job as well. I use it with Tri-X @200 and the negs are a dream to print (dev in D76 1:1). The manuals for the whole series are at www.diaxa.com if you need it.

 

[unohuu]

Thanks, Chaska. I went right to the site and have downloaded and formatted for me to print out at complete a manual to throw into my bag.

 

[Chaska]

Just so everyone knows, he has a bunch of Weston exposure meter stuff there as well.