Rangefinder Buying Guide
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Received the G1 today. It's going back to Japan. First roll was entirely blank - maybe misfed? Camera still acted like the film was winding... and there were light scratches on the film like it had fed properly, just no shutter opening. Tested the shutter with the camera back open to be sure, seemed to not be opening. Trued a few more times, changed batteries, camera seemed to work. Got off five shots and then it froze up solid. The images it did take were good. Still, seems to be more of a hassle than it's worth.
My opinion: the electronics are starting to go bad on these cameras. Avoid them. Or pray for a good one.
My opinion: the electronics are starting to go bad on these cameras. Avoid them. Or pray for a good one.
Take pictures, mostly.
As to the 111f: You are correct - you don't know the shutter speed set until you cock the shutter. A way to get around this is to (after cocking the shutter) note the shutter speed set.
Fire the shutter and make a mark (with a small pointed marker) on the camera body opposite the shutter speed that had been used.
I have done this on my 111f and also my Nikon F2.
That way, before cocking the shutter you will know what speed the shutter is set on.
Fire the shutter and make a mark (with a small pointed marker) on the camera body opposite the shutter speed that had been used.
I have done this on my 111f and also my Nikon F2.
That way, before cocking the shutter you will know what speed the shutter is set on.
I'd be all over the Contax G series if the electronics were still reliable/serviceable and/or they were cheaper second hand. I'd be worried about paying over the odds, and then for it to turn into a brick.
As it is the Fuji X100 and X-Pro series approximate that experience, albeit digital.
I went through all this in the late '90s - bought a G1 intending to play with it until I could afford a 'real' rangefinder (also an M6). Bonded with the G1 and loved (and still love) it so much, I now own four bodies and five lenses.
The best things about G1s are (1) with a little care they go forever. and (2) If one breaks down or konks out (none of mine have), you can buy another body for very little $$$.
All the G Zeiss lenses are superb glass. The 45/2 Planar blows anything by Leica out of the air, ditto the 28/2.8 Biogon and the much-criticised 35/2 Planar.
A well kept/equally well known secret in the camera world.
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Thanks for the recommendation and link! That is a combination that I might consider ...
G1 or G2 is not a rangefinder camera. It is a viewfinder camera with AF and interchangeable lenses.
His tucked tie action is on point!
Yeah I have to get my wife to do my tie if I need to wear one. I maybe looking at my future self.
I don't know what $1000 buys today, but it sounds like enough to buy something significant. When I went through a similar exercise a few years ago I went for a Leica M, based on the assumption that they're likely to be last mechanical cameras were service is available (admittedly - at a cost). I had always been intrigued with the M6 back in the day but the lens prices were far too steep to contemplate. A few years ago I started looking for an M4/M4-P/M4-2 kind of camera - M3s and especially M6s were too expensive. Lenses were still expensive for anything other than 50 year old samples with a variety of issues. In the end I found a beaten up M4 and a used Voigtlander 40/1.4 within my budget and couldn't be happier with them. As mentioned above, should it require service, the value of the camera may justify an expensive repair.
Anything relying on electronics will eventually fail and unlikely to be repairable, motorised film advances seem prone to problems with frame spacing (overlapping, advancing more than one frame or running straight to the end of the roll etc.), more so with more sophisticated sprocket hole counting systems. The Contax Gs were received with mixed blessings at the time, they look stunning and modern (even today), the lenses were top-notch but the user experience was hampered by the only 'average' AF performance and the lack of true manual focussing. The original G1 had to be modified to use some later lenses (IIRC there was a specific coloured sticker added to the film chamber to identify those that had been modified?).
As far as other 'expensive' options go, I can only think of the Konica Hexar and the Zeiss Ikon, I know little about these apart from their good receptions when they were introduced.
Anything relying on electronics will eventually fail and unlikely to be repairable, motorised film advances seem prone to problems with frame spacing (overlapping, advancing more than one frame or running straight to the end of the roll etc.), more so with more sophisticated sprocket hole counting systems. The Contax Gs were received with mixed blessings at the time, they look stunning and modern (even today), the lenses were top-notch but the user experience was hampered by the only 'average' AF performance and the lack of true manual focussing. The original G1 had to be modified to use some later lenses (IIRC there was a specific coloured sticker added to the film chamber to identify those that had been modified?).
As far as other 'expensive' options go, I can only think of the Konica Hexar and the Zeiss Ikon, I know little about these apart from their good receptions when they were introduced.
Those are single use, exotic cameras. Once they will crap out (they are old cameras as well) good luck to find someone who is willing to open them.
Best bet for cameras with electronics and RF are latest Cosina made Bessas. Some might be still serviceable in Japan.
I'm a big fan of the Minolta CLE and not much has been written here so I thought I'd fix that 
I have a Minolta CLE with a Summicron C 40mm f/2 which I carry with me everywhere. It's small, lightweight, quiet and has pretty accurate aperture priority mode. For comparison, I also have a Yashica Electro 35 GX with a fixed 40mm and a Leica M6 TTL with a Summicron M 35mm f/2. The Yashica was my everyday camera until my wife bought me the CLE back from a business trip.
My CLE with lens cost about €1300 which is around half what I paid for the lens for my M6 and for me that's the most important factor for me as most of my work is street and urban landscape photography. I take more pictures with the CLE because I'm for more comfortable keeping it in my hand or dangling from my wrist.
When I compare 16"x20" enlargements of the same scene taken using the Summicron M and Summicron C I don't see a lot of difference. Virtually noe at all in the 5000dpi negative scans I normally work with. Plus I marginally prefer the slightly softer mid tones produced by the Summicron C. Personal preference I know.
A 40mm lens is not to everybody's taste but I like it. The Summicron C is a great lens but it is rare to find one with a lens hood and it uses a non standard size filter. You can adapt a lens hood to fit but the filters and virtually impossible to find. So you can save some money and pain by getting a late model Minolta M-Rokkor 40mm f/2 lens. I don't own one myself but from what I've seen from friends, the image quality is great. Plus the M-Rokkor hood and filters are readily available.
I have a Minolta CLE with a Summicron C 40mm f/2 which I carry with me everywhere. It's small, lightweight, quiet and has pretty accurate aperture priority mode. For comparison, I also have a Yashica Electro 35 GX with a fixed 40mm and a Leica M6 TTL with a Summicron M 35mm f/2. The Yashica was my everyday camera until my wife bought me the CLE back from a business trip.
My CLE with lens cost about €1300 which is around half what I paid for the lens for my M6 and for me that's the most important factor for me as most of my work is street and urban landscape photography. I take more pictures with the CLE because I'm for more comfortable keeping it in my hand or dangling from my wrist.
When I compare 16"x20" enlargements of the same scene taken using the Summicron M and Summicron C I don't see a lot of difference. Virtually noe at all in the 5000dpi negative scans I normally work with. Plus I marginally prefer the slightly softer mid tones produced by the Summicron C. Personal preference I know.
A 40mm lens is not to everybody's taste but I like it. The Summicron C is a great lens but it is rare to find one with a lens hood and it uses a non standard size filter. You can adapt a lens hood to fit but the filters and virtually impossible to find. So you can save some money and pain by getting a late model Minolta M-Rokkor 40mm f/2 lens. I don't own one myself but from what I've seen from friends, the image quality is great. Plus the M-Rokkor hood and filters are readily available.
I own an Olympus SP35 and it's an outstanding rangefinder camera. It has a Zuiko 42mm F1.7 lens that is rated in many of the reviews I read before buying it as good as a comparable Leica lens. Also has a spot meter button that allows you to change instantly from weighted average. Small, light, easy to carry..........
The Konica Auto S2 and its similar 1.6 version also have a reputation of optical excellence. But they are described as heavy cameras.
I love those little things and own a IIIF I would never part with, but only because they feed my masochistic tendencies. Just let me make a little list of pain points:
Archaic loading process - Need to cut the film in the right length and curve - or you are running a very real risk jamming/damaging the shutter. Film loading from the button without any visual guides, loading a Leica M is for babies in comparison.
Separate rangefinder - You have to move your eyes between viewfinder and rangefinder to focus - you even need to focus the rangefinder with a lever under the rewind know! The rangefinder is typically dull if no recent CLA was performed.
Tunnel Viewfinder - a narrow tiny 50mm viewfinder without eye relief, parallax aids or frames. That is why many use an auxiliary finder even in place of the native 50mm. The viewfinder is typically hazy if no recent CLA has been performed.
Shutter dial - the dial rotates when the shutter is released, and you can't see the current selected shutter speed unless the film is wound. You can only change the shutter speed with the film wound, and you have to lift the dial to rotate it and make your selection - the shutter range is also archaic 1/25-1/50-1/75-1/100-1/200-1/500-1/1000.
Elmar Lens - Most come with the legendary and affordable Elmar 5cm f:3.5. While excellent if clean, you will have to change aperture from a ring around the front element which is a pain in itself an more so with a hood, and impossible with a filter mounted.
And there are other minor irritation points that will affect operation: Filmwinding by knob not lever, Film release/rewind lever does not automatically return after rewind, ASA/ISO reminder dial tops a 125, manual reset of the film counter, noisier than a Leica M because the shutter dial rotates rapidly when the shutter is released.
It is still as capable of making excellent photos as it was 80 years ago, just like a horse carriage can still get you from A to B and you can still write a novel on a typewriter.
Oh and they are inexpensive but cost as much as an M to have serviced if (likely) needed.
Cheers
And some 3 years later I have just acquired a IIIC (w/factory modified dial for flash synch) with a Summitar 5 2.0. Could not be more thrilled getting to those "irritation" points. If one compares a Barnack to anything devised 40/60 years later then I see no point of discussing it. But that is the only way to see these little nuggets so irritating as to discourage others from buying one.
I've been sitting on the idea of getting a Barnack for a good few years, and there were better times to get one. Now it's just the matter of successfully loading film and off to the races, even if slow ones.
The question is: get a leader template or not? If so, which one? There are now plenty of 3D printed ones, cheap, or some old metal clasps that cost a lot but seem to be a lifetime investment.
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Agreed..... 3 phone calls and a letter between focus and the shutter firing....
Since the balance tipped towards Barnacks, I'll put in a word for the Leica CL. They work like a charm, even if the meter dies. DAG has parts and repairs them.
To quote Don "oddly enough, the Leica CL has turned out to be a good long lasting camera, the meter should be repairable, I have lots of parts if needed, photo cell hardly ever goes bad."
A very capable little camera with an M mount that works well. The latest Cosina VC 40 Heliar and 28mm are a great match for it. Well within your budget.
To quote Don "oddly enough, the Leica CL has turned out to be a good long lasting camera, the meter should be repairable, I have lots of parts if needed, photo cell hardly ever goes bad."
A very capable little camera with an M mount that works well. The latest Cosina VC 40 Heliar and 28mm are a great match for it. Well within your budget.
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I'd like a free one.
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