Ricoh Wide 2.4 rangefinder

ludoo · Expire: 2011-12-05

I stumbled upon this camera by chance a couple of weeks ago on ebay, and grabbed it in a instant as I was curious: it's one of the only three fixed lens '50s-'60s rangefinders with a wide angle, together with the Olympus Wide S, and Mamiya 35 Wide. I own a Wide S, and was curious to compare the Ricoh. It's also a pretty rare camera, and its lens is an interesting Ricoh-S Kominar 35mm f/2.4.

It came tonight, and it's in great condition, with only the B speed a bit erratic. Compared to the Olympus, the Ricoh has a cheaper construction: a less solid feel, the film advance is not as smooth, the framelines have no automatic parallax correction, and it lacks the small Olympus touches like the dot showing that the shutter has been cocked.

The comparison is a bit unfair, as the Olympus Wide S (derived from the 35 S-II) is one of the best fixed lens rangefinder ever made, and the Ricoh more than holds its own against most of the old rangefinder cameras, especially considering its 35mm f/2.4 lens, which by the few pictures on the net seems to be very sharp.

I'll probably sell it, I good a good bargain and have too many rangefinders which I use maybe twice a year, so I'll pass it on to somebody else who likes this kind of cameras. A couple of quick shots of the Ricoh Wide.

Minolfan · Joined: 30 Dec 2008 Posts: 3437 Location: Netherlands

Wow, that is a nice compact looking camera!
Very attractive vintage camera - I didnt't know of its existence.
Do you know from what year?
It looks like it is at least 10 year before the Yashica 35CC.

Thanks for sharing. I am curious about its optical performance.

ludoo · Expire: 2011-12-05

It was produced for a brief time in 1960, the latest of the meterless rf with a wide angle. I will shoot a roll this weekend, and post results here. Smile