Coolest Rangefinder

[RalphLambrecht]

without a doubt, the mamiya 6mf

 

[thomasw_]

The Plaubel Makina is very cool looking, but my vote would be for a Leica M; perhaps this one =>

 

[Bateleur]

The Leica IIIf (with a 5cm summicron) ... because she said so

 

[Mustafa Umut Sarac]

IIIF with Summitar , I used two of them and what a combination.

 

[Roger Cole]

I'd love to have a Mamiya 7. Awesome camera. But cool? Two different things I think.

To compare some non-RF cameras to give examples of what I mean, my Mamiya 645 Pro is a very capable camera, much more so overall than my Yashicamat 124. But the Yashicamat is a lot cooler. A Mamiya 7 is a lot more capable than a lot of these older 35mm RF cameras and I'd love to have one but for cool - I dunno, I think the Retinas and Feds and such are a lot cooler.

Plus, the camera I can actually afford is cooler than one I can't, and this thread has tempted me to pick up one of several different possibilities I can afford. A Mamiya 7 (or 6) while an excellent camera just isn't worth the money to me now.

 

[arpinum]

I'm voting against the Mamiya 7. Its too big for the RF crowd and doesn't collapse. Focusing the long lenses is not very accurate. The 210 is a terrible lens, the close focus on the 150 is poor. The lenses aren't fast. The exposure compensation dial is not easy to use. Focus knobs too stiff for one finger movement. Worst lens caps I've ever used.
The Mamiya 7 might win for lightweight field camera, but exemplifying the coolness of a rangefinder it does not.

 

[darinwc]

The coolest rangefinder ever made is the Hasselblad X-pan.
Case closed.

I feel an award of merrit should go to the Canon QL17. It is a great camera to use. Not really in the same class as leicas and mamiyas but its got a great feel to it, a bright rangefinder and sharp f1.7 40mm lens.

 

[Trond]

Mamiya Universal is the coolest. I own one.

Trond

 

[Ghostman]

The Mamiya 7 is a little ugly, a little clumsy, plastic and very uncool but I love mine. I have a Leica M7 and an M9 but just love the 43mm lens on my Mamiya 7.

 

[TheFlyingCamera]

The reason to own a Mamiya 7 is the same reason to own a Contax or a Leica - the wide-angle lenses. Leica at least had the good sensibility to not make rangefinder lenses longer than 135, and even those are scarce as hens' teeth. They and the Contax G series top out most of the time at 90. Where all these rangefinder systems shine though is in the wide-angle end of things. The best lens for the Contax G is the 21, with the 28 a close second. The Mamiya 7's best lens is the 43, with the 50 and 65 coming in close behind. When shooting wide to ultra-wide, rangefinders are the cats' meow because you can design better glass for them. No mirror to get in the way means you don't have to come up with a retrofocus design.

 

[Ezzie]

Late to the party. Can't see the Polaroid 600SE mentioned. Very cool.

I too like the Werra, the Robot Royal, and had the Mercury been a rangefinder it would have got my vote!

 

[dbuckle]

I have to add my vote for the Konica III. It is fine rangefinder. I just brought mine.

Konishiroku by dbuckle2695, on Flickr

 

[Endo]

Coolest RF would be Plaubel Makina.... Mamiya 7 is not the coolest RF, it's the best RF. Yes, it's ugly as hell.

 

[Trask]

Yes, I'd have to vote for my Plaubel 67 Wide -- when collapsed, it's very easy to carry, and how cool are those arms that push out to move the lens into position? Built-in meter, great lens. dbuckle, I have a Konica IIIa, and it's a great camera. When I had it CLA'd, I had the interlink between the aperture and shutter speed disconnected, which makes it a much easier camera to use. It is also fantastically quiet -- half the time I can't hear the shutter go off despite the lens being only several inches from my ears. Much quieter than a Leica M. I don't know if the III has the same EV interlock mechanism.

 

[sangetsu]

The coolest of my rangefinders is my old Olympic model Nikon S3. I prefer the old black-paint cameras, I also have black Leica M3 and an M4, as well as a black-paint Canon 7 with a 50/.095 lens. I also like the bigger rangefinders, my favorite is the Fuji GSW690III. The biggest is a Super Speed Graphic 4x5.

Recently I picked up an FED S with it's original 50/2 lens. It is definitely cool, and I am enjoying shooting it now.