Fixed lens RF's... in lieu of Voigt and Leica?

Vilk · May 18, 2011

geez, fanboys, relax! has anyone noticed that the OP wants to shoot weddings with this junk?

dugrant, each one i touched (auto S2, QL-17, even the fabled 35GT) literally fell apart in my hands, shutter failing mid-roll on all of them, after very few rolls. what this means in practice? it means you won't know until you soup the film and discover a few yards of somebody's completely unusable "lifetime memories"

still awesome?

not one of these cameras was designed or built to be operational in 2011. if you like seventies' chrome (like i do, no digital here) get yourself an F2 with, depending on your aesthetics and budget: 28/2, 35/2, 35/1.4, 50/1.8. bridesmaids will still swoon and you'll have something to show the couple the following day

darinwc · May 18, 2011

Yeah, if you plan on doing weddings, you need to take it seriously.
I mean you need a reliable camera. if soemthing goes wrong and you miss that shot, you will not have another chance. It's fine if you want to take a few shots with your toy. But keep the real work for the real pros.

dugrant153 · May 19, 2011

still awesome?

uhh... not really. lol
Thanks for sharing that. It's got me thinking.

Yeah, if you plan on doing weddings, you need to take it seriously.

I do, which is why I'm posting this question And I appreciate the feedback!

So, this has me thinking... if I want to go RF seriously for wedding work.... Voigtlander Bessa R series? (and more so Leica)

I have two MF cameras that are built like tanks (Pentax 645, Bronica ETRS), so just looking at the RF direction in a similar vein.

I'll keep the Konica Auto S2 for fun street photography, I guess.

maliha · May 19, 2011

I just bought a Konica Auto S2 myself, from eBay. This is my first rangefinder... looking forward to using it.

hobbes · May 19, 2011

Jeff Kubach said:
I also have a Yashica GS, I like it! Just hard to find batteries for it.

Jeff

You can get a 6V replacement. I guess the 6V battery is smaller than the 5.6V mercury and you may want to get a spring that will hold the battery from rattling inside. The circuit inside the camera is designed to handle a bit higher voltage (confirmed by a professional electronics engineer) so that the lightmeter won't lie.

I hope that helps.

stevco · May 19, 2011

Konica S, Minolta hi-matics, Oly Rc/Rd, Canon ql series, Yashica Gsn.. and other are overall the same cameras.
Mine Minolta 7SII is a flawless camera. It is the camera that I would not force myself to sell it ever, I would probably easily sale my Rolleiflex 3.5 or Minolta SRT 101, but 7SII is very enjoyable, beautiful, easy to use, small, not that light, brilliant for street and snapshots, just amazing, these are the reasons why would buy a Fuji x100 because it is like digital fixed lens RF.

I don't believe that a fixed lens RF would ever be as close as Leica/Voigtlander/Zeiss and other RF cameras with variety of outstanding lens.

Vanishing Point Ent. · May 21, 2011

adi said:
Contax G2, without a doubt the best camera I own but not really compact. 28, 45 and 90mm lens are an unbeatable combination. Can be had at a fraction of the cost of an M6. You could probably pick up a G2 body with 35mm lens for $700. 28mm and 45mm lenses are more expensive ($200-400) and the oustanding 21mm landscape lens doesn't go for less than $700. I have all the lenses but use the 45mm and 28mm most often.

I also own the 90 mm lens & use a Sunpak 120 J TTL flash with my Contax G2. Plus

I added a Voigtlander Bessa L with the 12 mm & 15 mm LTM lenses, used with a Quantum X2.

These 2 kits make for a great system.

Finally, for a P/S I have an Olympus XA. A great camera,
with a very sharp lens & with a leaf-shutter lens,
will flash synch at any shutter speed.

maliha · May 26, 2011

I'm new to rangefinder cameras. At first I was a little overwhelmed, but now it seems fun. One of these I hope I can afford a Leica... but what I was primarily looking for was to get used to a rangefinder and see if I even like it before spending thousands of bucks in a Leica just to find out I don't like shooting with them at all. I'm sure there will be many factors that make a super cheap Konica different from a Leica, but I hope the experience will be better, and not the other way round.

Can anyone with experience in both cheap rangefinders and more expensive Leica or Voigtlander shed some light to this matter?

Leigh Youdale · May 26, 2011

maliha said:
I'm new to rangefinder cameras. At first I was a little overwhelmed, but now it seems fun. One of these I hope I can afford a Leica... but what I was primarily looking for was to get used to a rangefinder and see if I even like it before spending thousands of bucks in a Leica just to find out I don't like shooting with them at all. I'm sure there will be many factors that make a super cheap Konica different from a Leica, but I hope the experience will be better, and not the other way round.

Can anyone with experience in both cheap rangefinders and more expensive Leica or Voigtlander shed some light to this matter?

OK. To address the specific questions.
I have a Leica M6 and a Bessa R4A. I still own but am about to sell an R3A. I also had a Minolta fixed lens RF.
Based on my experience, the Leica is lovely but heavy and expensive.
The Minolta was limited. The Konica might be the same. Both have limited repair options.
The Bessa does everything the Leica does, without the "aura" or the price.

My recommendation would be to buy a second hand Bessa R2 either A or M (the A version can be used on manual) and a single 50mm lens to fit. If you eventually decide you want interchangeability you can add a lens or two later. Otherwise, continue to use it as a single lens outfit.

maliha · May 26, 2011

Leigh Youdale said:
OK. To address the specific questions.
I have a Leica M6 and a Bessa R4A. I still own but am about to sell an R3A. I also had a Minolta fixed lens RF.
Based on my experience, the Leica is lovely but heavy and expensive.
The Minolta was limited. The Konica might be the same. Both have limited repair options.
The Bessa does everything the Leica does, without the "aura" or the price.

My recommendation would be to buy a second hand Bessa R2 either A or M (the A version can be used on manual) and a single 50mm lens to fit. If you eventually decide you want interchangeability you can add a lens or two later. Otherwise, continue to use it as a single lens outfit.

Thanks a bunch. A used Bessa R3-A seems to around the same price as the Leica M3 or half that of an M6. I am still confused as to which will be a better option, but the Bessa looks pretty good too. May be Bessa is the right option if the image quality is the same as that of a Leica. Having too many options is kinda crazy...

Fixed lens RF's... in lieu of Voigt and Leica?

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