Needing a rangefinder

[Sweetlou42]

I am sending my 35mm B&W and color film to The Darkroom. There enhanced scan is quite good (and $8/roll). For B&W they use DDX, and I really like the way FP4+ turns out. HP5+ is good also.

I am close to start developing my own B&W at home. Just need to develop the digitizing part.

I looked them up, sound perfect, thx

 

[Sweetlou42]

I was going to suggest a clean Canon L1 but sounds like you already bought something. The Canon has a 3 position rotating finder built in 35mm, 50mm and a zoom for focusing accurately. The other really cool feature is the accessory finders have automatic parallax correction. Super build quality, a really great screw mount camera. For a $2000 budget, a body and a few lenses would be easily doable, even some of the more exotic/classic like the 85mm f2 nikkor.

Beautiful looking camera, it uses Leica lenses?

 

[Ko.Fe.]

You've got more than enough by now to use for rf and for mail in developing.
Everything after Leica is going to substitute, to be honest. Even if it looks nice

 

[Sweetlou42]

You've got more than enough by now to use for rf and for mail in developing.
Everything after Leica is going to substitute, to be honest. Even if it looks nice

Thx

 

[guangong]

Ditto. Now that you have achieved ownership of the ultimate rf camera, any other rf acquisition would be a step down. Learn all about the potentials of your new camera with one lens. The best choice would be a 50 mm lens. Recently made Summicron lenses are ridiculously expensive. Early Summicrons are very, very good. If you don’t need f2 , the 2.8 or 3.5 Elmer lenses are excellent. Beware! The Leica philosophy for faster lenses is that they will be used primarily wide open and are not best when stopped down.
The modern fast lenses made by Voightlander and Zeiss are quite good.
Do get a set of screw mount to M mount adapters from CameraQuest. There are a lot of screw mount lenses available that can be bargains.
Have fun!

 

[BradS]

....When I send film off , how do I get it developed in a format that lets me save it to my computer or upload, etc

I very strongly recommend The Darkroom (https://thedarkroom.com/) or Swan Photo Lab (https://www.swanphotolabs.com) - both in San Clemente
I think the two labs are affiliated if not the very same company.

 

[Wallendo]

I very strongly recommend The Darkroom (https://thedarkroom.com/) or Swan Photo Lab (https://www.swanphotolabs.com) - both in San Clemente
I think the two labs are affiliated if not the very same company.

They also share the same address with Harman Lab US. (The PO Box numbers are different).

 

[StepheKoontz]

Beautiful looking camera, it uses Leica lenses?

Yes, it uses the standard L39 screw mount. I own several Leicas but when going out shooting, I usually grab my L1 or, of all things, an old level wind Tower rangefinder, sold by Sears, than I had rebuilt. I know people like to say these other options are a "step down", I own both and don't agree. Given a CLA, they perform very well.

https://www.johanniels.com/en/camera-gear-blog-posts/rangefinders/105-tower-45-leica

 

[Sweetlou42]

I am sending my 35mm B&W and color film to The Darkroom. There enhanced scan is quite good (and $8/roll). For B&W they use DDX, and I really like the way FP4+ turns out. HP5+ is good also.

I am close to start developing my own B&W at home. Just need to develop the digitizing part.

I’d love to be able to do that some day, but not yet. Just wanna try to use cameras enough and make some decent pics.
Can you develop color at home, or is it usually only black and white

 

[Sweetlou42]

M6ttl is the current MP for much less money. Same except the M6ttl has ttl flash metering, not a huge deal, and more importantly a much better rewind crank. My original M6ttl was a black chrome. 0.72, I sold it off and found a NOS 0.85 finder in chrome. Added a like new chrome 6 bit 50mm Summicron. Best 35 I've ever owned. I did pick up a Cosina made Zeiss Biogon 35 f2.8. I rarely take the Summicron off, but the little 35mm 2.8 is a gem of a lens and can be found for around 700 bucks new around Christmas sale time. The chrome Summicron is brass so weights 3 times what the little anodized aluminum Biogon does.

Re: film, process it yourself. Contact print the black and white with a 15 watt bulb and a sheet of glass. Ektachrome and Fujichrome get a Tetenal kit and a heater. C41 Take to a local minilab

Thank you for the feedback

 

[Sweetlou42]

Welcome to APUG . The camera choice for that budget is no choice. Only question is which focal lens do you prefer (=which Summicron you should get): 28, 35, 50?

Welcome to APUG . The camera choice for that budget is no choice. Only question is which focal lens do you prefer (=which Summicron you should get): 28, 35, 50?

Note; I went a little crazy and purchased four other rangefinders as well as the Leica M6ttl and Mamiya 7ii
The worst part is I don’t think I’m done

 

[Theo Sulphate]

... I dove in headfirst and bought a Leica M6 ttl and a Mamiya 7ii, looking forward to joining rangefinder world

Thats the cat's meow for rangefinders. I thought the viewfinder of my M6 was the brightest, clearest, most contrasty, and easiest to focus of all my rangefinders ...until the Mamiya 7, which somehow is even better.

Now you must take them out and use them.

 

[Sweetlou42]

Thats the cat's meow for rangefinders. I thought the viewfinder of my M6 was the brightest, clearest, most contrasty, and easiest to focus of all my rangefinders ...until the Mamiya 7, which somehow is even better.

Now you must take them out and use them.

Yes you are right! Daughters 8th grade graduation tomorrow, taking one plus my “lame Nikon d810”

 

[darkosaric]

Note; I went a little crazy and purchased four other rangefinders as well as the Leica M6ttl and Mamiya 7ii
The worst part is I don’t think I’m done

First I got Minolta rangefinder, than Yashica, than Soviet rangefinder, Olympus ... many different. On the end Leica. Now looking back - cheaper would be in the start to buy M body and 50mm Summicron and done.

 

[Sweetlou42]

First I got Minolta rangefinder, than Yashica, than Soviet rangefinder, Olympus ... many different. On the end Leica. Now looking back - cheaper would be in the start to buy M body and 50mm Summicron and done.

I think I went in with an overkill. Bought six rangefinders at once
Leica M6 ttl
Mamiya 7ii
Canonet gs III (need battery)
Olympus 35 sp
Yashika
And not sure if it’s a rangefinder Contax G2 (played with today)

I’m still looking at others but need to settle down a bit
Taking my Nikon d810 and Contax to daughters graduation tomorrow!

 

[Theo Sulphate]

...
The worst part is I don’t think I’m done

You're never done.

...

 

[Sweetlou42]

You're never done.

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Just gotta find way to hide from wife

 

[Sweetlou42]

You're never done.

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Two M6’s and two M 3’s, nice
What’s the Nikon?

 

[Sweetlou42]

Two M6’s and two M 3’s, nice
What’s the Nikon?

Are the older Leicas being used, or just collectors items

 

[Theo Sulphate]

...
What’s the Nikon?

Nikon S2. Wasn't planning on getting one, as I'd handled an SP before and didn't like it. Two guys on this site started chatting about their S2's a few years ago, posted videos, I got hooked...

Contax is IIIa; meter works and 1/1250 works. Never knew about these things; I became captivated by Cameraquest...

 

[Theo Sulphate]

Are the older Leicas being used, or just collectors items

All my cameras are used - I make photos with each of them. I've used the black Leica III (1934, with original nickle-finish 50/3.5 Elmar) quite a lot.

 

[Sweetlou42]

That one is beautiful, how much would you expect to pay for one of those

 

[Theo Sulphate]

That one is beautiful, how much would you expect to pay for one of those

I will have to check my receipts when I return home later this evening. The black Leica III was serviced before I bought it, so the shutter speeds are accurate and sound good. The rangefinder and diopter correction work remarkably well. Focusing is a bit jerky, but not stiff. It's the original nickle-finish lens for this model. The photos have seemed soft, but I'm too much of a grain peeper.



Ok. The IIIf RD ST with 50/3.5 lens was $600. Was serviced before I bought it.

The III, from 1934, with nickel 50/3.5 lens was $900. Also was serviced. Was sold to me by camera-repair friend.

 

[Sweetlou42]

I will have to check my receipts when I return home later this evening. The black Leica III was serviced before I bought it, so the shutter speeds are accurate and sound good. The rangefinder and diopter correction work remarkably well. Focusing is a bit jerky, but not stiff. It's the original nickle-finish lens for this model. The photos have seemed soft, but I'm too much of a grain peeper.

I'll edit this post with the amount I paid in a little while.

View attachment 224757 View attachment 224758

Ok

 

[Bill Burk]

What film are you shooting? Highly recommend shooting a 400 speed film at 1/250 or 1/125 and f/8 or f/11 tomorrow... Just saying you don't know if the new camera can handle 1/1000 and don't want to find out on this roll... p.s. you should get some sleep busy day tomorrow.