paulo_arellano Posted September 18, 2011 Share Posted September 18, 2011 <p>I shoot with an olympus om2 and Ive been looking for a smaller size slr like the Leicas for street photography. What do you guys recommend? I am not looking to spend more than $200. </p> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
andrew_viny Posted September 18, 2011 Share Posted September 18, 2011 <p>Thats tough. You can definitely find a good leica screw mount with lens for under 400 or 500 but leica for under 200 is hard.</p> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
paulo_arellano Posted September 18, 2011 Author Share Posted September 18, 2011 <p>Im not looking for a Leica, just something similar in size.</p> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
andrew_viny Posted September 18, 2011 Share Posted September 18, 2011 <p>igorcamera.com <br> Canon <strong>IIF</strong> #140242, E.P markings, Canon <strong>50</strong>/<strong>1.8</strong>, Ex- $175.</p> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dave_s Posted September 18, 2011 Share Posted September 18, 2011 <p><em>looking for a smaller size slr like the Leicas for street photography</em></p> <p>Assume you meant rangefinder, not SLR. Consider the fixed-lens rangefinders from the 1970s and 1980s, perhaps a Canonet. They're unfashionable, but they make excellent negatives.</p> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
paulo_arellano Posted September 18, 2011 Author Share Posted September 18, 2011 <p>hmm the canonets look small and the prices arent bad either. Thanks for the info dudes</p> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
paulo_arellano Posted September 18, 2011 Author Share Posted September 18, 2011 <p>What do you guys think of the canon P's?</p> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
paul_wheatland Posted September 18, 2011 Share Posted September 18, 2011 <p>Canon P with 35mm f2 Canon is what I have used for many years. Fabulous combination. Do not worry about wrinkled shutter it's metal, most Canons with this shutter have the same non issue! great camera, no complaints. Much cheaper than Leica M series.</p> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
steve_bellayr Posted September 18, 2011 Share Posted September 18, 2011 <p>Canonet G-III QL, Minolta 7SII, Olympus SP. Those are the smallest and can be had for under $200. If you are will to go a little bigger then the Yashica Lynx series with the Yashica 14 with a Yashinon 45mm f1.4 being the high light of the series but still under $200. Another camera is the Yashica GSN for under $100. They all have meters. I have used them all and they are good cameras...not Leicas...but will fit your price range and provide images that can be blown up to 11x14.</p> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
starvy Posted September 18, 2011 Share Posted September 18, 2011 <p>If you don't mind scale focusing perhaps a battered Rollei?</p> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
geoff_r1 Posted September 18, 2011 Share Posted September 18, 2011 <p>I borrowed a Zorki 3M for a week recently, it was solidly built, and the 2/50 lens, which I think is made to a Zeiss formula, was nice. I've seen some later Russian camera which were pretty dodgy, but this one was good, and a real bargain IMO. I think they go for around $100 or less. </p> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dave_s Posted September 18, 2011 Share Posted September 18, 2011 <p><em>What do you guys think of the canon P's?</em><br> <em> </em><br> I like my Canon P for photographing people. Like Paul, I have a 35/2. It's a tiny thing, said to be a copy of Leica's Summicron, and it's an excellent lens. The downside is that a Canon P body with a 35/2 will run at about double your budget or a bit more, unless you chance upon a lucky bargain. </p> <p>You might find a good user Canon P with a plain vanilla 50/1.8 for around $200. I doubt it will give you better negatives than a Canonet GIII with a 40/1.7, but the P handles like a better camera, with smoother mechanical functions and better fit and finish. The P, of course, takes interchangeable lenses and has a focal plane shutter. </p> <p>I used to have a Canonet GIII, until I left it at a bus stop. :>( If I recall correctly, clean GIII's with recent CLAs sell for about $150. Working but unserviced dubious users are maybe $50. The GIII has a meter, which may or may not work, and a leaf shutter-- not a bad thing, because leaf shutters are very quiet. </p> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MTC Photography Posted September 19, 2011 Share Posted September 19, 2011 <p>Olympus XA smallest 35mm rangefinder</p> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mukul_dube Posted September 19, 2011 Share Posted September 19, 2011 <p>For flexibility at low cost, a range-finder camera made in the USSR is a good bet. If an accessory finder is added, lenses from 28mm to 135mm can be used on one body. The trick is to pay a little more and buy from a known seller with a good reputation. If you are in the USA, the obvious choice is www.fedka.com. I freely admit that Yuri Boguslavsky is a friend.</p> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JamieK Posted September 19, 2011 Share Posted September 19, 2011 <p>I think you should be able to get a Voigtlander Bessa L for about $120. An Industar lens would probably be only about $30-40. The camera is fantastic. No rangefinder focusing, but you won't need that for street photography. The lens is also good, but some examples are better than others. </p> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jeff_guthrie Posted September 19, 2011 Share Posted September 19, 2011 As you are already using an Olympus camera, I would recommend the Olypmus SP. The SP has an excellent 7 element lens, a great meter, and it has a mechanical shutter which can run without batteries. The Canonets are good cameras, but their lenses are not quite as good. The Yasihica Electros have excellent lenses, but they have aperture- priority automatic operation only, and their shutters are battery dependent. The Olympus RC is also a good choice, but the lens is slower, and not quite as nice as the lens in the SP, and the aperture ring is small, and is snug against the body of the camera, making it hard to turn, which is ironic, as Olympus put the shutter speed control dial on the top of the camera. FSU cameras are a lot of fun, but only if you are mechanically competent. Odds are that any FSU you find will need at least a little of work to make it function properly. I own perhaps 100 rangefinder cameras (they seem to breed in my closet), including a few Leica Ms and Nikon rangefinders, but I usually favor my old SP. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
craig_shearman1 Posted September 19, 2011 Share Posted September 19, 2011 <p>I don't do street photography as such but I love my Canonet GIII QL 17. Very small and light -- will fit into pocket of many jackets -- and has a built in meter. Nice bright, easy to focus rangefinder. Sharp lens, sometimes known as poor man's Leica.</p> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
paulopires Posted September 19, 2011 Share Posted September 19, 2011 <p>I would say get an Hexar AF but it will blow your budget a bit.<br />I got one and it's my daily friend. I use it in daylight and in the subway with a 20 ISO film and I still get... something :)<br />It fits my style anyway.<br /><br />Just my two cents.<br /> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MTC Photography Posted September 19, 2011 Share Posted September 19, 2011 <p>The smallest reflex camera using 35mm film is Tessina<br> <img src="http://d6d2h4gfvy8t8.cloudfront.net/4936195-md.jpg" alt="" width="679" height="494" /></p> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MTC Photography Posted September 19, 2011 Share Posted September 19, 2011 <p>For small size pocketable street shooting, you really don't need a rangefinder, any of the following viewfinder is good enough: From left to right<br> Tessina with 25mm/2.8 lens, Rollei 35S with Carl Zeiss Sonnar T* 40mm/2.8 and Minox MDC with 35mm/2.8 lens.<br> <img src="http://d6d2h4gfvy8t8.cloudfront.net/12161672-md.jpg" alt="" width="679" height="324" /></p> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
richard_g Posted September 22, 2011 Share Posted September 22, 2011 Smaller size SLR like the Leicas is an OM2. Start shooting. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
maciek_stankiewicz Posted September 22, 2011 Share Posted September 22, 2011 <p>My everyday camera is <strong>Canonet QL17 GIII</strong>, great and reliable tool, but don't expect miracles with lens wide open @ 1.7. You need to stop down to f2.8 to have professional results, but at least You have all-manual control.<br /> <strong> Yashica Electro</strong> rangefinders have better lens but these are aperture priority, battery-dependent cameras...<br /> If You can live with f2.8 lenses there are lot of beautiful mechanical shutter cameras, with <strong>Minolta AL-F </strong>and <strong>Voigtlander Vitomatic IIa being my favourite.</strong><br /> <strong></strong> I also love my <strong>Minolta Hi-Matic E</strong> - beautiful camera with <strong>40mm f1.7, one-hell-of-a-lens</strong>. Automatic, battery dependent but great, fast shooter. Little <strong>Miranda Sensoret </strong>rangefinder is great but again, it's shutter is<br /> depending on batteries.</p> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
paulo_arellano Posted September 22, 2011 Author Share Posted September 22, 2011 <p> I think i changed my mind about getting a RF camera with all the crazy prices so i think im gonna stick with my OM2. </p> <p>thanks everyone!</p> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jeff_guthrie Posted September 24, 2011 Share Posted September 24, 2011 If you don't want to pay a crazy price, simply get a garden-variety Yashica Electro 35. You can get a clean and good working example for less than $100, or under $10 if you pick up one that needs to be cleaned up. It will take pictures every bit as good as your OM2 (I have examples of all the M1 and OM cameras in my collection), but the Yashica will run circles around most SLR cameras at night or in low light. Many people try out the Yashica Electro to get a taste of rangefinder photography, as it's an excellent camera and a small investment. There is no guesswork involved, simply set the aperture you like, and push the button. If you don't like it, sell it for what you paid for it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
joseph_v. Posted September 25, 2011 Share Posted September 25, 2011 <p>Yashica Electro 35... can't go wrong and you can get a good one for less than 100.00.<br /></p> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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