advice: thinking of getting a rangefinder

positivenote

HI all,
im contemplating making a change to my approach to shooting. Ive shot manual SLR (FILM) for years and in the past 4-5years starting shooting DSLR aswell, but still predominately shoot film. In the last few weeks ive come across numerous examples of photographers shooting 'rangefinder' for street content and the more i read the more I like the idea of this technique and approach. Im just wondering if anyone shoots this way here and/or would anyone have any advice if starting shooting this way. I appreciate that i'll have to get a rangefinder camera and they seem quite expensive, so before i make an investment im looking for advice...

thanks in advcane

DaireQuinlan

Define 'rangefinder' You can get a rangefinder for anything for €10 on ebay to a couple of thousand euro. If you really want to try out a rangefinder pick up a cheap zorki, fed, or kiev, or anyone of the thousands of fixed lens rangefinders made in the 70s and 80s by yashica or konica etc etc.

On the other hand if you're looking at (and liking) shots taken using a rangefinder and thinking that the fact that they're taken using a rangefinder is the factor that makes them stand out, and that by using an RF yourself you'll be able to produce shots of a similar calibre, then you're on a loss leader right there. Nobody can actually tell you this though, so best thing would be to get a cheap RF as above and go nuts. If you discover that it suits you better than using an SLR or a P&S or whatever then all the better.

humberklog

Glenn I've a Rollie se and a canon f something or other you can use for a while if you're in Dublin to pick them up, I'd want them back but no rush.

positivenote

humberklog wrote: »

Glenn I've a Rollie se and a canon f something or other you can use for a while if you're in Dublin to pick them up, I'd want them back but no rush.

your a gent, but im never in town anymore as Ive two babies at home and barely get in that far... thanks a million, but i may take Daire's advice a pick something up on ebay on the cheap and see do I use it as much to justify pursuing it more.

any decent places to look at a kind of 'intro' to it all?
thakns again

DaireQuinlan

Cameraquest is a good resource.

One page overview of a lot of the good 70s compact RFs: http://www.cameraquest.com/com35s.htm

Mid-level Leica mount (thread mount & M) rangefinders made by Cosina (badged voigtlander) http://www.cameraquest.com/voigtsys.htm

Here's a quick list and a very brief overview of the various FSU (for 'former soviet union' ) rangefinders http://www.cameraquest.com/soviet.htm

jpb1974

Is it just me, or does anyone else find rangefinder focussing a bit of a pain in the nether region?

Maybe I'm doing it wrong, but trying to line up a (sometimes) barely visible section with the main thingy bit thing... I just find it awkward.

I've a barely used Leica M6 and a Mamiya 7... I just find them really cumbersome to use.

peckerhead

I'd venture that for the kind of street photography a rangefinder is best at, you're probably better off pre-focussing. With a moderately wide angle lens and a narrow aperture (like below f8 or so) you'll have miles of DoF and should be able to concentrate on catching the elusive moment rather than (re)focussing. Just practise focussing by guesstimate (e.g. for multiples of 5 or 6 feet, imagine X times yourself laid out head to toe between you and the subject).

DaireQuinlan

jpb1974 wrote: »

Is it just me, or does anyone else find rangefinder focussing a bit of a pain in the nether region?

Maybe I'm doing it wrong, but trying to line up a (sometimes) barely visible section with the main thingy bit thing... I just find it awkward.

I've a barely used Leica M6 and a Mamiya 7... I just find them really cumbersome to use.

Yeah I have an Olympus XA, same deal. Though its rangefinder patch is notoriously dim anyhow. I guess it's horses for courses. Some people swear by them. It's not too dissimilar to a splitscreen I guess. I have a couple of spotmatics that just have a microprism circle in the middle of the screen, no split screen. Works really well in good light and fast lenses, things seem to kind of 'snap' into focus. Unfortunately it's next to useless with wideangles and in low light.

jpb1974

peckerhead wrote: »

I'd venture that for the kind of street photography a rangefinder is best at, you're probably better off pre-focussing by guesstimate. With a moderately wide angle lens and a narrow aperture (like below f8 or so) you'll have miles of DoF and should be able to concentrate on catching the elusive moment rather than (re)focussing.

Thanks for the response.

I suppose, taking this into consideration, the question then begs to be ask... why a rangefinder, you could do this with a standard 35mm SLR.

peckerhead

Size/portability was the main factor, back when I were a lad. Also people somehow tend (or tended back then) to take less notice of somebody pointing a small rangefinder at them than a big old SLR.

humberklog

Yeah, I'd very rarely focus with the patch and just guesstimate it. Kinda finnecky to the point of annoying when trying to focus precisely.

I like using them because the ones I have look pretty, fit into my pocket and are very discrete both visually and noise wise.

DaireQuinlan

jpb1974 wrote: »

Thanks for the response.

I suppose, taking this into consideration, the question then begs to be ask... why a rangefinder, you could do this with a standard 35mm SLR.

Yeah I guess as above, one reaons is definately size. Viewfinders/rangefinders can always be smaller than SLRs. I've actually started carrying around small 35mm auto everything P&S's as day to day cameras. Some of them are pretty capable, and have lenses that rival anything I have to stick onto the front of their bigger brethren. My AF600 is tiny, but pretty perky shot wise.

Other reason, at least back in the day, is less design compromises for normal to wide lenses. Creating a 35mm or 28mm lens for an RF is much easier and relatively more free of potential abberations than one for an SLR given the clearance required by the mirror box on an SLR.