Advice needed to find my "best" rangefinder

CarbonR

I would like to try a rangefinder, to have a kind of P&S cam, always loaded with a B&W film, in my poket. I don't know very well the rangefinder field, is there anything that would meet these conditions :
- 35mm film
- Quite fast lens (f/2 or better), in the 35-50mm range, usable at full aperture
- Slow speeds available (intended to be used to overcome the reflex in night photography, as there is no miror that shakes the cam)
- Not too big (let say, max 15x10x7cm)
- Reasonnably priced (let say, 50€ or less, if possible)
- Option : light meter, coupled or not (no problem if there is no light meter, there is the good old sunny f/16 rule + my classic 1/30s f/2 800 iso in night street photography)

Sadly, there are no Takumar lenses for rangefinders Razz

F16SUNSHINE · Expire: 2011-11-18

Canonet QL17 III

$50-100 for a working one in good or better condition.
f1.7/40mm lens that is Summicron sharp.
Smallest as you would ever want a camera to be without being difficult to use.

have fun!

Rolf · Expire: 2015-12-26

Yes, Canonet QL17-III

here few samples

http://forum.mflenses.com/canonet-ql17-g-iii-t23080,highlight,ql17.html

Wink

Attila · Expire: 2025-11-18

Canonet QL 17 Smile

Nesster · Expire: 2014-02-20

http://www.cameraquest.com/pecker.htm

Others to consider - a Konica C35, a Yashica GSN; excellent lenses on both, the C35 is tiny while the GSN is large, and neither is a night time champion but still I've managed good night photos with both. The Yashica lens is amazing.

estudleon · Joined: 15 May 2008 Posts: 3754 Location: Argentina

What about the big Konica III S, Auto S, Auto S2 ?

Attila · Expire: 2025-11-18

Konica III is near perfect..

luisalegria · Expire: 2018-01-18

Canonet doesn't really fit in a jacket pocket, the lens sticks out.

A folder will fit. A Retina IIa maybe, it has an f/2 Xenon

A working one can be had for around $50

Kathmandu · Expire: 2012-04-08

I have one of these- that I have not tried yet,so no photo samples yet. It would easily fit in your coat pocket, without the stand of c0urse. I don't have very big paws, yet it fits in my hand very well.

Wirgin Edinex with Wirgin Edinar 50mm f4.5, and Prontor-S shutter

CarbonR · Posted: Sun Apr 18, 2010 10:00 am Post subject:

I've checked Ebay and now I'm watching some Canonets. Does the 19 (seems that the two numbers stands for the aperture, as the 17 is f/1.7, 19 f/1.9, 28 f/2. Cool

is as good as the 17 at full apertures ? Smile

djmike · Joined: 01 Apr 2009 Posts: 930 Location: Taiwan

One more Canon QL17 GIII. It's sharp even wide open. Smile

martinsmith99 · Expire: 2013-11-18

Vivitar 35ES is my choice but it's a little bigger that the Canon I suspect. 40mm 1.7 lens sharp wide open, but the camera is shutter priority only.

I always fancied an Olympus 35 RC but they started going for silly money for a while. The Canon is also on my list but I have too many cameras.

alex · Joined: 18 Apr 2009 Posts: 561 Location: UK

If you can relax the f/2 requirement to f/2.8, the Oly 35RC is sheer, elementary, photographic joy. The lens can knock spots off many an SLR's. It's small, utterly pocketable, light, solid, and it looks like a camera ought to look (none of this plastic stuff painted to look like metal). Shutter runs from 15 to 500 and B, and the battery only powers the meter. Full manual control but shutter priority auto if you have a battery installed. If you set the GN of any attached flash on the lens barrel, it will automatically adjust the aperture as you change focus distance.

The Ricoh 500G is similarly specified, with an extra 1/8th on the Oly, but the Oly's Zuiko lens may just have the edge on the Rikenon.

It may seem paradoxical, but there's something very liberating about having just one fixed focal length.

CarbonR · Posted: Sun Apr 18, 2010 5:16 pm Post subject:

Alex, I already saw the Oly 35 RC, but the lens is not fast, and there is no slow speeds, so night photography is not possible, and this is one of the most important points of my requirements Wink

alex · Joined: 18 Apr 2009 Posts: 561 Location: UK

There is a faster sibling, the 35RD, but I've no personal experience of it, though it has a shutter speed range going down to 1/2 and a widest aperture of f/1.7. It's rare. The only other camera I'd think of then would be the Lynx 14e. The Yashica GSN (the GX is rather more pocketable) is good, but you won't know what the shutter speed has been till the exposure is over, unless you select B and count it out. There are ways to estimate what shutter speed the camera has chosen, but there's no readout.

The Lynx 14e has a full range of shutter speeds 1 to 500, and it's mechanical. As the model name suggests, the lens is f/1.4, which is as fast a lens as I've encountered on a fixed lens rangefinder, and it's a good one. On the debit side, it's not a small camera, and you'd need a big reinforced pocket for it. It's solid enough that if someone tried to pinch it from you, you could whack them on the head with it and it would still work afterwards (the camera that is, not the head).

Rolf · Expire: 2015-12-26

Look here for Canon camera museum

http://www.canon.com/camera-museum/camera/film/chrono_1966-1975.html?lang=us

Wink

Attila · Expire: 2025-11-18

Think about also some AF RF camera like Yashica T4 and similar ones, image quality is very good and always ready to take shoot immediately and they are very small.

CarbonR · Posted: Sun Apr 18, 2010 7:50 pm Post subject:

I'll try to get a Canonet at reasonable price. Then, if the way of shooting suits me, I'll search for a better cam, if needed Smile

Rolf · Expire: 2015-12-26

Minolfan · Joined: 30 Dec 2008 Posts: 3439 Location: Netherlands

The Canonet 19 is with a bit cheaper, older design lens with 45mm FD. For me personally the nicer one - I purchased one when it came new on the market. The 1.9 is a bit softer WO then the 40mm 1.7.

Seele · Joined: 17 Apr 2009 Posts: 742 Location: Sydney Australia

My Minolta 7sII is pretty sweet as well.

CarbonR · Posted: Sat May 29, 2010 11:13 am Post subject:

I got a Canonet QL17 Very Happy

Not an excellent price, not a G-III, but I could not wait longer to try this thing Razz

fish4570 · Expire: 2012-03-21

I hope you got a good one. If you did, the hook is set ... Very Happy

CarbonR · Posted: Wed Jun 02, 2010 5:32 pm Post subject:

I have it since 1h30 Very Happy

Everything seems to be ok and working, so it had been charged with a Lucky SHD 100 (first try of this economic film, it is better to throw to the trash a 1,7€ film than a 3€ film if the camera has a problem) Smile