Final decision?

Dinis Figueira · Nov 7, 2016

Hi guy's,

After I've skipped a few rangefinder selections, I've came upon two great machines (or at least they look great on specs and round the internet) - but I don't know which one I should buy.

Why all the delay? I like SLR's but I want to carry a camera always with me - and they are big to do that and since I want something to take photos of portraits and street photography (sometimes landscape - full street views), I decided to go for a RF.

I'm deciding between a Minolta HI-MATIC 7s and a Olympus 35RC.
Coming from SLR and P&S (Prakticas and Olympus Mju Zoom - in which I hate it's VF), what would be recommended?
And what gear would be proper to buy for them other than filters and film?

OFFTOPIC: For grainy results, using HP4 would be rather nice right? But since the top shutter speed is 500th on both cameras, how do you couple with the lack of aperture choices? Only by filters or pushing a slower film does the job?

Thank you!

Ron789 · Nov 7, 2016

HP4? That was replaced by HP5 in 1989. HP5 will give nice grain indeed. In case you meant FP4, that gives very fine grain so that may not be what you're looking for. Fot grainy results, use HP5 or, even better, Kodak Tri-X.
I'm not familiar with the RF camera's you mention so I cannot help you there. Good luck!

Harry Stevens · Nov 7, 2016

Dinis Figueira said:
I like SLR's but I want to carry a camera always with me - and they are big to do that

I own a Minolta 7s and they are very bulky cameras, I have SLRs that are smaller and I don't know if I would use a RF for portraits, can't speak about the Olympus 35RC but they made some excellent small OM series SLRs.

Just my thoughts.

Kirks518 · Nov 7, 2016

The Hi-Matic 7s is probably a decent camera, but you should look at the Hi-Matic 7sII. It has an amazing lens. I have the 7sII and the RC, and I personally think the 7sII is a far superior camera. Nit that there is anything wrong with the Oly, but the 7sII has one of the best lenses out there.
https://www.cameraquest.com/min7s2.htm
Dead Link Removed

Kirks518 · Nov 7, 2016

Oh, and the 7sII is smaller then the 7s, and has a faster lens (f/1.7), and I found it just as sharp at f/1.7 as at other apertures. The 7sII and the 35RC are close to the same size (small).

sepiareverb · Nov 7, 2016

If you are looking for something compact then I would suggest a compact camera, like a disc camera. Very easy to carry. Or a 110 camera, also compact, but in a different direction. Smaller is usually less quality, but with outdated film this is less of an issue.

mklw1954 · Nov 8, 2016

I have only the Minolta 7S, which I think is excellent, but I'm sure the 35RC will also produce excellent, sharp, well exposed photos. For these old cameras, I would select the one that's in better condition, including a working meter. To me the feature differences mean less but they may be important to you.

As for the major feature differences, the 7S is not a small camera, the RC35 is lighter and smaller. The 7S has a faster lens. The 7S meter works in auto and manual modes, the 35RC meter works only in Auto mode. 7S metering is based on the EV scale, 35RC metering is based on f/stop and shutter speed. The 35RC has some sort of auto flash feature with the flash Guide Number set on the camera, while the 7S does not.

canvassy · Nov 8, 2016

I have a 35RC and quite like it, it's my walkabout camera and lives in a jacket pocket. The lens is good and produces nice images.

Dinis Figueira · Nov 8, 2016

I meant HP5 (I confused myself since I've been using FP4 lately).

Fast or slower lens for me aren't an issue since I'm mostly using sunny 16 (even thought sometimes a meter would help) and I'm already used to 2.8f - 4f.

Harry Stevens said:
I own a Minolta 7s and they are very bulky cameras, I have SLRs that are smaller and I don't know if I would use a RF for portraits, can't speak about the Olympus 35RC but they made some excellent small OM series SLRs.

Just my thoughts.

Well about that, I ignored a OM10 for 30€ (would go for 20€) because it had dust but it looked neat.
The thing is, all of my cameras has a M42 thread mount (and the lens are cheap) - and when the time comes to finally get a good camera and put all of them in a shelf, I want to get something really good and with good lens - value.
So before everything, I should find out if RF are suited for me or not... and getting them for the price I will get, I chose these two options.

klownshed · Nov 8, 2016

My main advice would be to get whichever one you like the look and feel of most. Assuming they both work as they should they're both capable of taking good photos.

Personally, I like the 35RC, it's a lot smaller than the Minolta and that may (or may not) be a factor in your decision.

I use my 35RC much more than my larger rangefinders. It's viewfinder is a little on the small side but focussing is pretty easy. It's a nicely made camera for it's type and works perfectly (for me) with hearing aid Zinc-Air batteries. It also works without a battery in manual mode. In auto, it's shutter priority.

Another alternative to the 35RC would be a Konica C35. It looks like a 35RC clone and they are available in auto version which can be very cheap. I got mine for £5 and it's a fantastic little camera with a comparable rangefinder to the Olympus. It's also the same kind of size as the Oly but even lighter. Mine is as sharp if not sharper than my 35RC. I like this size of rangefinder. It's easy to find space in a bag for them when taking a larger camera out and I often have one of them with colour film loaded for more snap-shot type photos in addition to an SLR (or even MF camera).

So my recommendation would be for smaller and lighter which can fit in your bag with your SLR or in a coat pocket. IF you prefer bigger/heavier cameras go for the Minolta.

Paul Howell · Nov 8, 2016

I have a couple of Minolta Hi Matics and the lens are very good, but my preferred small fixed lens rangefinder is the Konica S3, likely the best lens on fixed lens rangefinder of the time a 38 1.7. I have a couple of Olympus AF point and shoots, the lens are also very good, the 35RC has an excellent rep.

Harry Stevens · Nov 8, 2016

If you really want small then go and look at an Olympus XA rangefinder, I use a XA2 (three focus settings) with fast films and it really is a fast and easy camera to use.

jazz · Nov 11, 2016

Pict taken with Konica Auto S2

I tried Canonet, Olympus, Yashica, Minolta fixed lens RF....all sold. I keep only Konica Auto S2 and S3.
Konica Auto S2 is superb camera but the size little bit bulky
I bring the S3 in my bag daily due to pocket able size.

Good luck with your choice..

~ron~

Dinis Figueira · Nov 11, 2016

First of all thank you all for your help..

So ye guys... by luck I was into an antique fair and at the bottom line, there was a stand with multiple cameras. Lucky thing - there were a few rangefinders - very rare where I usually go.
Veridict? I like the rangefinder system. But small cameras won't work for me. And now since it's getting even colder around here, my hands feel like bricks and fiddling with such small cameras won't go for me.. I take too much time to think and work with the cameras...
So the idea was right. Carrying to everywhere. But It was a blind shot. If it wasn't for me, It would die in display at my home.

So now, I have to change the whole game to big cameras...

Paul Howell · Nov 11, 2016

Mamiya 6, the 50's version, with 75 lens, very sharp, Mamiya Press, or a German folder. In terms of size, midsize fixed lens rangefinder, look at the Yashicas, the Electro 35, GNS and IC 1.4, 45mm 1.4 lens.

MattKrull · Nov 11, 2016

sepiareverb said:
If you are looking for something compact then I would suggest a compact camera, like a disc camera. Very easy to carry. Or a 110 camera, also compact, but in a different direction. Smaller is usually less quality, but with outdated film this is less of an issue.

I can't tell if you're joking or not... or maybe disc camera means something other than disc film... They haven't made disc film since 1999, and only a tiny handful of labs in the world can still process it. The negatives were 8x10mm, which makes quality a real concern. An 8x enlargement - ie 8x10 quality from 135 - is closer to 2x3 inches. If you want prints that size shoot instax.

R.Gould · Nov 11, 2016

Look for a Agfa ambi sillette, quite large in terms of rangefinder, prodably the biggest rangefinder I own, and interchangeable lenses to boot,

Final decision?

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