Denis P. said:
I'd like to hear some opinions on the (cheaper) RF gear you've used (35mm and medium format). Pros, cons, peculiarities, etc.
My first rangefinder, the inexpensive Argus C3, was built in the 1940s and 1950s in Detroit Michigan. It is a rugged and reliable rangefinder that collectors lovingly named The Brick because of its size, weight, shape, and durability.
There are 4 lenses available for it (35mm wide angle, 50mm normal, 100mm telephoto, and 135mm telephoto). I have 3 of the 4 (I do not have the 135mm). Even though the lenses are interchangeable, because bodies are so cheap, I can afford to keep each lens permanently mounted on its own body. This saves me the tedious task of unscrewing the lens, screwing in another lens, and realigning the mounted lens with the rangefinder.
I also have a 4th body that I converted to a pinhole camera.
I only use the Argus when I am shooting for myself. I find it very therapeutic to put the Argus with the 35mm lens on a tripod and wander around shooting landscapes. The slow operation of the manual/mechanical meterless Argus forces me to slow down. Manually cocking the shutter, focusing with its primitive rangefinder, using the Sunny 16 rule to determine the exposure, and using a knob to wind the film also forces me to concentrate on what I am doing.
