best sleeper rangefinder camera

I'm surprised that no one has mentioned any of the Soviet rangefinders. I have a Fed 5C that didnt' break the bank, and it came with the Industar 61LD, an exceptionally sharp and contrasty lens IMO. Once all the quirks were figured out, it became a standard camera for me.

Alright Christine, you really stirred up the whole gang; good for you! I've been wondering the same thing and so followed all the responses with great interest. The only fixed lens cameras I'm familiar with are the half frame Olympus pens, not really rangefinder cameras but scale focusing viewfinder cameras. Someone said they are almost as big as the RC and thats true. The best lens among the lot is, I think, the 32mm f1.9 on the Pen D or D2. From f4 to f11 it's quite good but of course you better like shooting lots of frames or a roll will last a month. Focusing by scale at f1.9 close up, say 3-10ft can be a bit tricky and you can forget that wonky selenium meter, even if they work they only read down to about EV7. But half frame is just so neat, and, very addictive. I've been hooked since the early 70's. One more thing, the angle of view of the 32 is equal to about a 47mm on a full frame 35mm, so a bit narrow in some circumstances.

I like the Rollei 35, but the zeiss ikon Contessa LBE is nice with a rangefinder

and meter and nice tessar lens 2.8/50. I have the Oly 35rc but have never used it. My 2 cents. Jared S<div></div>

<blockquote><i>Um, er, ah, BB, how on earth can one talk of the transition from in-focus to out-of-focus when nothing is in focus?</i></blockquote><p>

Come on, Dan, don't be a killjoy. The focus is maybe 5 centimeter off and the point is to show the bokeh, which is the rendering of out-of-focus areas, not the transition between sharpness and blur. Unfortunately, I have only a few pictures scanned (having neither the equipment nor funds), so I can't show off many other examples.

 

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<blockquote><i>Your example shot appears to be quite over exposed plus there may some motion blur as well. Interesting out of focus highlights

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Yep, it's a hand-held shot with guestimated minimum focus distance (the rangefinder is next to useless in low light) and guestimated exposure (f/1.4 @ 1/15 sec). The Lynx 14 has no auto mode, and I just wanted to snap some pictures at a local night event without having to meter each shot with my Sekonic light meter, so I just used these settings. The lens has a very distinctive look and produces awesome bokeh, but it is also tack-sharp (when focused accurately). And very affordable, on top of it all!

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<img src="http://www.photo.net/bboard-uploads//00FK9w-28287384.jpg" hspace="5" vspace="10">

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Yashica Lynx 14E, Yashinon-DX 45mm f/1.4, Agfa Precisa CT 100

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nobody has mentioned the Agfa OPTIMA cameras of the 1970s/80s, the top one, the 1535, has rangefinder focusing 40mm f/2.8 lens. very small and compact.

 

some nice Fujinon cameras as well.

 

voigtlander vitessa, the original of that name with the plunger film advance (early 1950s)

Speaking of Lynxes, the real sleeper of that family might be the Lynx-1000 which has the very nice Yashinon 1.8 lens and a top shutter speed of 1/1000. Although it has a bit of weight to it, it's fairly compact in size, at least relative to later Yashicas. It delivers sharp pictures as one would expect from Yashica.

 

Patrick, I agree wholeheartedly that the 35RC is no sleeper; quite the contrary. I mentioned it as a choice because it's a superb performer that, even though very popular, can be had for a fairly low price, a definite requirement for me:)

regarding the Oly 35DC, whenever I've looked for one they always seem to be at least as high in price as the Canonet G-III 17... and I think I'd prefer the Canonet... regarding the ECR, they are very cheap and very very good. Honestly, I find that with a pitiful top shutter speed of 1/500th that program mode only is no big deal since you do get exposure compensation through manual ISO adjustment. Since I typically shoot 400 speed film, I'm usually at one extreme or the other anyway with this level camera... manual is more useful to me for shooting a fast lens outdoors etc... but you need the shutter speed to do that.

 

Whenever I've held any of the Yashica's I don't like them... plenty of friends have shown me wonderful results from them though.

 

Retinas are pretty cheap, even though they aren't exactly "sleepers."

 

Just for size and wonderful design, the XA's are worth a look... I'm not the biggest fan, but I doubt I'll ever sell mine (bought new when the camera was first released).

 

I'll second the FSU suggestion as well... good ones are quite good and fun to use. I don't think the fastest (Sonnar clone) lenses are that good, but the basic Tessar clones are very sharp, especially the 61LD.

 

Not really in the "classic" genre... but still close would be a Rollei 35 AFM... not strictly a rangefinder, but AF with very nice manual scale focus override... stellar lens!

Olympus XA, HP5+ @ 800 in XTOL:

 

http://www.geocities.com/markhahn2000/images/kp1b.jpg

The XA is great, but not everyones cup of tea. The lens is a little wider than what many people like and the vignetting wide-open is distracting to some people... I personally think its an awesome camera that creates distictive images!

Why only 35mm? How about the Canon 110 ED20?

 

http://www.photo.net/photo/5095272

 

Not earlier than 1970, but 100% solid rangefinder - and deadly sharp to boot!

 

Ian, UK

I must have three or four Auto S2 cameras. A less well known model is the Auto S1.6. It has the faster lens and a hot shoe. The regular Konica C35 has a very sharp lens even if it doesn't have full manual control. The less expensive Konica C35V has zone focusing so it's more suitable for landscapes and other far away subjects. My favorite small RF is probably the Minolta Hi-Matic 7SII. It has a fast lens and full manual control. The Hi-Matic E has the same lens but does not have full manual control. If size isn't important then some other models come to mind. The Olympus 35SP and 35SPN are larger but have very sharp lenses. The older Minolta Hi-Matic 7S, 9 and 11 are all nice but are mostly found with jammed shutters because of oil on the blades. If you have them overhauled they are fine picture takers. The Olympus 35RD seems less common than the older 35RC. It is heavier and somewhat larger but has the faster f/1.7 lens. The Canonet GIII QL17 is very well known. The Canonet GIII QL19 is less well known. It has the longer 45mm lens which is also very nice. I have the QL19 model just before the GIII.

The Minolta Hi-matic 7sII without a doubt. Wonderful fast and sharp lens in a nice little package. I tested one of mine against the Oly 35 RC I also owned and the Minolta spanked it in terms of color, sharpness, and contrast. Yet by itself the Oly makes nice images. The downside of the Minolta is a so-so viewfinder. Still it's one of two film bodies I'll never get rid of.<div></div>

What are other real 'sleeper' cameras? A lot of the ones identified so far, including my choice of the 35RC, are simply some of our favorite rangefinders, and are by no means sleeper cameras, but are instead very well-known excellent performers covering a wide range of prices. For me the Walz Envoy 35 is one I know very little about, and though I know the Aires' name, it's another I don't know much about, as opposed to the RC, XA, 7sII, QL17, or GSN. What are other excellent performers that don't get much press and are often overlooked by people looking for some of the ones we've already named instead?

This is a very interesting thread.

 

My favorite rangefinder is the Olympus 35RC. I have 5 of them actually, the first one since 1973. People have given some of them to me when they stopped working. They are usually easy to fix. I also have the XA with A11, but is not nearly as nice to use. But these cameras are well known and have been mentioned several times. Another one that isn't talked about much is the Olympus 35ED. It has a bit wider lens than the RC, 38mm instead of 42mm, but is also very sharp in my opinion. It is an auto camera, and takes 2 of the 640 batteries, but that can be worked around. Most of them appear to have the shutter stuck, but it is usually just that someone has activated the self-timer without a battery installed.

 

I also have a Yashica GSN that produces very very sharp images, but the dim viewfinder and larger size seems to keep it in the drawer most of the time.

 

Wayne

Ricoh 500, cheap and great

It seems that the Japanese rfs are so well known that hardly any can be called "sleepers". So, it is the German rfs that are likely to be "sleepers", mostly unknown except to classic camera enthusiasts. This extends to scale focus, as well.

Okay, am shocked and amazed. Not a single vote for what is, in my 'umble opinion, the nicest fixed-lens 35mm of them all, and I've owned, tried, and subsequently sold all of the ones on Gandy's site except one -- my Yashica GX (the 35CC comes close, but when I had to part with one, I held on to the GX).

 

Having said this, if lens quality were all I cared about, I *might* give the edge to the Minolta 7s ii (or possibly the Canon QL 17 -- not the 19! -- though having said that, the 6 element yashinon lens on the GX is outstanding). But there's more to a great rf than the lens alone, particularly when talking about cameras this small. Ease of use (controls and knobs in the right place) a clear vf, asa range (the GX is 25-800!), top shutter speed (GX = 1/500th) min. focus (GX = 2.5 feet), etc., etc. Plus the GX has parallax correction, which almost no other fixed-lens rf has (the QL 17 does).

 

Total package, the GX stands alone. Now, good luck finding one.

Finding one that actually has been taken care of and the person wants to sell, I should have added...

Zeiss Ikon Contessa , all manual , great lens/ergonomics/leaf shutter/pocketable,it folds and looks Fantastic. Find one that's clean and works,if not , have it CLA'd and you can use/keep it for a lifetime. PC

<p>The Olympus 35RD for any photo. If you're a fanatic or a contortionist, the Rollei 35 series. </p>

<p>I love my Zeiss ragefinders. I use regularly a Contessa or a Contax III. The Contax III has the better optics. But they are not on the cheap end... No $15 bargains here!</p>

<p>Olympus 35RD for all around usage. I also have a Rollei 35. The Rollei is a little bulky to operate, but a jewel nontheless. The Olympus lens is every bit as sharp as the Rollei lens.</p>

<p>1970s eas golden age for sleeper rangefinder camera .Most of them made from metal and classic design.Not only Japanese, Chinese 's Seagull JG205 also funny. In the same time Germany's band moveing product line to Asia like ROLLEI in Singapore or find Japnese OEM ODM like Leica found MINOLTA to cut the cost.<br>

<strong>I wound like :MINOLTA 7Hi ,KONICA S2 ,Seagull/PHOXIe JG205,ROllei 35.</strong></p>

<p>IT is funny thread.<br>

Phenix Yasuhara T981 which produced in 1998,<br>

shutter speed 1-1/2000s,B ,flash 1/125,<br>

Mount L39.<br>

<img src="http://images4.fotop.net/albums3/vegatenor/introduce_rangefinder/2004812142657_G.gif" alt="" width="640" height="429" /><br>

however Yasuhara was closed in later so may be rare.I don't know Is it best ?</p>

<p>IT is funny thread.<br>

Phenix Yasuhara T981 which produced in 1998,<br>

shutter speed 1-1/2000s,B ,flash 1/125,<br>

Mount L39.<br>

<img src="http://images4.fotop.net/albums3/vegatenor/introduce_rangefinder/2004812142657_G.gif" alt="" width="640" height="429" /><br>

however Yasuhara was closed in later so may be rare.I don't know Is it best ?</p>