I want to purchase a rangefinder

[ben_quinn1]

I want to purchase a rangefinder for a project I want to do, I have no experience of these machines and limited

budget. I want to do some portraits and street photography in B&W on some high ISO grainy film. I'd want maybe

two lenses maybe a 35mm and a 50mm or a 35 mm and a 85mm. What should I buy for not much money?

[photo_galleries]

Cosina Voigtlander body + lens are good values.

[robert lee]

A fixed lens Japanese rangefinder of the 70's era can be had for $150 and under. The cost went up the moment you asked for interchangeable lenses. Something reasonable like a Cosina Bessa model or Contax G series and a couple of lenses will be $600 and up. Expect to pay thousands for a usable Leica body and lens.

 

If you're truly on a tight budget, get a 135 format SLR. A reasonable meterless, manual focus body on par with the the rangefinder you queried about can be had starting around $50. Pay another $40 for a 50mm f2'ish lens, and maybe $60 for a 35mm f2.8.

[stwrtertbsratbs5]

There's a ton of info here:

 

http://cameraquest.com/classics.htm

 

That's how I ended up with a Contax IIa. Fun camera, but there are a lot of other nice choices.

[photo_reality]

Welcome to the wonderful world of rangefinders! Careful they are addictive! :) I think you're best bet for starting out would be a Voigtlander

Bessa R2 or R3 (easy to find on ebay or in used camera shops) with a 35mm Voigtlander f2.5 lens for street shooting and the 75mm

voigtlander lens for portraits. They are quite reasonably priced on the second hand market and the lenses are tack sharp! :) Otherwise you

would get the whole kit new for close to 2k US. But that is probably well out of your budget I'm guessing.

 

Alternatively you have only the Leica's really - assuming you definitely want interchangeable lenses (the Contax G1-2 series is also good and

quite cheap 2nd hand considering the quality but it is autofocus and the viewfinder is quite small and more difficult for manual focusing). For

a budget the Leica's are really out of the question as the only affordable ones with 35mm or 40mm framelines (ie M2, M3 or Minolta CLE

models) are still in the high (600-800) hundreds US at the very least: in average condition! Add lenses ie 35mm Summaron and 90mm

elmarit, and a good light meter to that and you are easily up around the 1700-2000 US dollar mark for a used camera that is close to 40 years

old!

 

All the best!

[ben_quinn1]

Thanks for the advise, not sure I need another addiction so perhaps I should forego this idea, or maybe not. I may be back

with some sensible questions. I suppose it does not have to have interchangeable lenses, if I went for a 50mm what would

be my best choices?

[robert lee]

The Canon Canonet GIII QL 17 is always a favorite. It has a bit of a collectors' premium so it may be a bit on the expensive side.

 

I have a Minolta 7s, and it is a fine camera with a fine lens. Bought it for about $50.

 

I have heard good things about the Yashica Electro 35 GSN, but don't have first hand experience with it.

[orvillerobertson]

Pentax K 1000. It's an SLR but can shoot as good as any camera around, is solid, reliable, and has many cheap and really top

notch lenses still available for it.

[mark_hahn]

a little black Canon Rebel G has a shutter as quiet as any rangefinder and can be bought mint for ~$15... add a EF 50/1.8 new for ~$70 and you are ready to go... add an EF 35/2 if you need wider... oops, sorry... that is kind of rational... rangefinder... I'd get a Leica IIIc (reasonably priced and you know you want one)... then add maybe an Industar-22 (50/3.5 ~$15, but very good)... Voigtlander 35/2.5, 50/2.5 and 75 are all nice lenses (I have the I-22 and CV 50/2.5 for my IIIc).

 

...different strokes and all, but I like SLRs better for low light.

[ben_quinn1]

I already have SLR with many canon lenses, I thought you were rangefinder buffs? Oh well. My ideas that you all shot with

1940s leica has been dashed.

 

The IIIc looks nice, some of the examples I've seen don't look in good shape. I quite like the look of some of the nikons,

why no recommendations for nikon rangefinders?

[stwrtertbsratbs5]

Nikon ranggefinders are expensive, and you stated that you don't want to spend much money. So your best choices really are the fixed lens cameras. The Olympus RC is nice, as is the already-mentioned Canonet. Inter-changeable lens systems will cost quite a bit more.

 

If you want modern conveniences such as a built-in meter, the Cosina Voigtlander cameras are an excellent choice. I use a Contax IIa, but the viewfinder is small by modern standards. All the same, I really like the camera and the old Zeiss lenses. But now we're not talking about inexpensive, unless you're thinking of spending well over $500 for two lenses, a body, and service (old cameras do need to be serviced).

[don_e]

Are you attempting to get a retroish look to your "project"? That would be more a matter of lens, film, and

devel. Consider a Leica Elmar 50mm f/3.5, uncoated, or perhaps a 50 Summar. Mount it on any camera with a Leica

threadmount.

[ben_quinn1]

$500 is ok, Contax IIa seems like a good option and I have to say a built-in light meter would be nice. Thanks for your

advice, will let you know how it turns out.