Fixed lens mechanical rangefinder

Zuikopath · Apr 17, 2010

The Kodak Retina is a nice pocketable camera - I have a Retina 118 and a Retina IIa and they are very nice but getting on a bit...!

Be careful when shutting the front - ensure the lens is at infinity focus and gently push in the two lock buttons before trying to fold the front cover in or you may bend the arms.

Good luck.

photomat- · Apr 21, 2010

So further to me picking up the Konica, I had a moment of weakness the other night and bought an already refurbed Electro 35 GT with a battery adapter, case and hood on *Bay. Took the Konica to a local camera repairman who looked it over and said it was in great shape accept for the light seals. He is going to replace those so I will be in good shape. Also quoted me a great price to CLA my Rolleiflex which I am really happy about. I am going to be busy in the coming weeks

P C Headland · Apr 22, 2010

As mentioned, the little Ricoh 500 and Sear badged version are quite nice little cameras. Shutter priority with the battery, easy to use metered manual mode, and works just fine without the battery too. They look good too

Most have goo for light seals these days, but one of Jon Goodman's kits will have it good as new.

stevco · Apr 22, 2010

I recently bought a Minolta 7sII, and also i just wrote a little review (with photos), you can see here: (there was a url link here which no longer exists)

R gould · Apr 22, 2010

I love em, my favorite fixed lens rangefinder is a voightlander vitomatic iib,with the skopar lens,if you can find one working well it is worth getting, another one I u7se a olot is a contina 1 folder, with an uncoupled rangefinder,try them, they are just great fun and give great results,Richard

Jojje · Apr 22, 2010

My vote for Vitomatic. Cheap and reliable.
http://www.retrography.com/vitomatic.htm

R gould · Apr 22, 2010

I agree, if I had to choose it would be the vitomatic, Richard

stevco · Apr 22, 2010

Another word:
If you can find a rangefinder camera similar in weight, size and price to the compact RF, buy a RF with changeable (not fixed) lens, because any of the compact RF haven't much quality lens, and even some maybe Russian cheaper RF or similar might be a better opinion (if quality of the image it's important much at all).

photomat- · Apr 22, 2010

From the results I have seen Stevco, not sure I would agree with fixed lens equals less quality. A quick tag search on Flickr will confirm that.

stevco · Apr 23, 2010

photomat- said:
From the results I have seen Stevco, not sure I would agree with fixed lens equals less quality. A quick tag search on Flickr will confirm that.

I am not saying that they are not good, in term of size, weight, portability, quietness, faster shoting, etc.. they are fantstic.

I'm thinking about Imaging in this line of cameras - Olympus 35, Konica S2/3, Yashica electro 35 series, Minolta 7s/II, Canon ql-17 GIII.

Maybe Yashica GSN might be a better in image quality, but for the weight and size of the camera why not to buy a SLR (or RF) with changable lens, or to use just one lens (as fixed) with far far better quality (I can't compare my SRT 101 with Rokkor 58mm 1.4 to Minolta 7sII in quality of image, resolution of lens, DOF, lens flare etc...).

ludoo · Apr 23, 2010

BobD said:
Before Olympus made their 35R-series of rangefinders (35-RC, etc) they made a series of all-mechanical "Olympus 35" rangefinders that had no built-in meters. They are excellent.

I second this suggestion: the Olympus 35S-II (or the Super Wide if you can find one) is probably the most beautiful fixed-lens rangefinder ever made. Here is my battered, but fully functional, 35S-II

Dead Link Removed

They are small, beautifully engineered, with an excellent 7-element 42mm/1.8 Zuiko lens, brightlines and automatic parallax correction in the viewfinder (something very few flrfs have), and a few nice touches like a small dot on the the lens that turns from white to red when the shutter is cocked.

R gould said:
I love em, my favorite fixed lens rangefinder is a voightlander vitomatic iib,with the skopar lens,if you can find one working well it is worth getting

Another great suggestion: the Vitomatics (IIa, IIb, IIcs with a Cds cell instead of a selenium meter, etc.) are wonderfully small and compact, with an incredibly bright 1:1 viewfinder, which allows you to shoot with both eyes open. The viewfinder is also their main point of failure: it's very complex (a few prisms and lenses cemented together) and many Vitomatics have a desilvered or partially decemented one. But the Color Skopar is excellent, and if you manage to get hold of a model with a f2.0 Ultron you have one of the best lenses ever made for a fixed lens camera.

The late '60s and '70s Japanese rangefinders are nice, but cannot compare with cameras like the Olympus 35S-II or the Vitomatic.

stevebrot · Apr 23, 2010

photomat- said:
From the results I have seen Stevco, not sure I would agree with fixed lens equals less quality. A quick tag search on Flickr will confirm that.

1+

I have a Yashica Lynx 1000 (ca 1960) and Lynx 5000 (ca 1962) and have been very pleased with the optical performance on both cameras. Here is a link to the Yashica Lynx pool on Flickr:

http://www.flickr.com/groups/lynx/pool/

and posted photos from my cameras:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/28796087@N02/sets/72157623230663352/

My experience has been that the Yashinon 45/1.8 used on both cameras is sharp and contrasty. Flare may be a problem (single-coated optics), but a hood is simple to apply.

As for weight and size compared to a film SLR...About the same as a compact SLR from the 1980s, but more compact and lighter than contemporary SLR models from the 1960s or early 1970s (e.g. Nikon FTN, Mamiya/Sekor 1000 DTL, Minolta SRT 101...).

Steve

darinwc · Apr 24, 2010

Just comparing a Yashica Electro 35 to a Pentax ME i have, I really cant think of a good reason to get a Yashica 35.
The Yashica is huge in comparison, has a fixed lens, requires a discontinued battery, and is harder to focus.

Sure if you want something fun to use, sure its an inexpensive way to go.
But the images will look the same as any other quality camera with a normal perspective lens.
So you will be working much harder to get the same average looking images.
If you want something to give your images a different look, try something like a Holga, vivitar ultra-wide, olympus XA, pinhole, or other format camera.

pounder35 · Apr 24, 2010

I would go with the Olympus XA. Fantastic camera. I never owned one but worked on several over the years in my years of 35mm repair. Great design, very compact. I think this is the model with the coupled rangefinder but you might want to do some research.

pounder35

pounder35 · Apr 24, 2010

I would go with the Olympus XA. Fantastic camera. I never owned one but worked on several over the years in my years of 35mm repair. Great design, very compact. I think this is the model with the coupled rangefinder but you might want to do some research.

pounder35

alexmacphee · Apr 24, 2010

stevco said:
because any of the compact RF haven't much quality lens

Someone should lend you an Olympus 35RC...

stevebrot · Apr 25, 2010

pounder35 said:
I would go with the Olympus XA. Fantastic camera. I never owned one but worked on several over the years in my years of 35mm repair. Great design, very compact. I think this is the model with the coupled rangefinder but you might want to do some research.

pounder35

I agree that the Olympus XA is a nice unit. I picked one up several years ago and will likely never consider selling it. Extremely compact, rangefinder focus, and aperture priority automation...What more could you want? The camera even lets you set the ISO/ASA (no Dx encoding). Did I also mention that the 35mm f/2.8 Zuiko is a great performer? Yes, it does have a tendency to CA at the margins, but other than that it is sharp with excellent contrast. My only real complaint is the accessory electronic flash. It is almost as big as the camera and not very sophisticated.

Steve

photomat- · May 13, 2010

So this is what I ended up with. Had it looked at and the speeds are fine, just had the seals replaced and it's good to go. Shot a roll yesterday and apart from my own blunders, everything looked good. Just have to decide now whether to get a battery adapter for the meter or just use my Sekonic.

Anscojohn · May 13, 2010

photomat- said:
So this is what I ended up with. Had it looked at and the speeds are fine, just had the seals replaced and it's good to go. Shot a roll yesterday and apart from my own blunders, everything looked good. Just have to decide now whether to get a battery adapter for the meter or just use my Sekonic.

************
Very nice, indeed. And you will find, I think, the Hexanon lens thereon is one sharp cooky. I sold many of them. You can stand the results up against any camera made costing many times the price. I wish I had one now.

My battery suggestion: try the rubber O ring and 675 zinc/air hearing aid battery. For street shooting, having the auto feature is a nice plus. And, in case you didn't get a manual, if (in auto) the shutter locks up, it means the exposure setting range is wrong for the existing light. Neat feature, also.
And the RF lines are parallax correcting, too.

Pumal · May 13, 2010

I ended up with a Rollei 35, Olympus Stylus Epic f/2.8 if I remember. I also like to take ot my Yashica MG-1 f/2,8 but great lens, Yashica Lynx 14e ICE f/1.4 (night pcs)

Jeff Kubach · May 13, 2010

I have a Konica S2, great camera. I enjoy using it.

Jeff

Fixed lens mechanical rangefinder

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