Anyone else on here shoot a Rangefinder?

[Mr Will]

Nearly all the film I shot last year was with a Yashica Electro 35 and I have just upgraded to a Voigtlander Bessa R2A + 35mm 1.4 lens and I think I'm falling in love!

I find that they foster a different way of shooting that I really enjoy. It's something to do with the huge clear viewfinder with framelines and infinite DoF. I find that I see the world and choose the part to photograph rather than just seeing the picture. I'm concious that they have their limitations outside of the normal range of lenses or for close up work but for a walkabout/social camera I find them hard to beat.

So go on, whose got what and why do you like (or dislike!) it?

Gratuitous gear shot:

Voigtlander Bessa R2A with 35mm f1.4 Nokton Classic by Mr_Will, on Flickr

[Elderly]

Not any more but I can do a gratuitous gear shot too,
my first camera, which I still have:

[djsmith74]

I got a Leica M3 with 50mm Summicron lens as a very generous 40th birthday present a few weeks ago. My usual gear is an Olympus OMD EM5, so going back to basics was a bit of a shock! I went out with it today for the first time and found it an absolute joy to use. I screwed up with my first roll of film, and didn't mount it properly so it wouldn't wind back properly and I opened the back with the film still exposed! Fortunately my 2nd roll of film went much smoothly - lesson learnt!
It really does slow down your shooting rate, when compared with digital, as you do get into a habit of shooting for shooting's sake, rather than sitting back, looking through the very bright and large viewfinder and spending a bit of time composing the image before pressing the wonderful mechanical shutter. The overall feel of the camera is a world apart from the OMD which feels almost plasticky in comparison, despite it having a magnesium body. I must admit, the first couple of shots I did, I looked at the back straight after shooting expecting to see the image in front of me! Old habits die hard!
I used a light meter app on my iPhone to help with metering , so we'll see how I did when I send my first roll of film off for developing - must get used to actually waiting to see how my shots have turned out!
What brand of colour & BW film do you guys recommend?
Oh, and gratuitous gear shot....

[chris.mapey]

Very nice gear all...

Film recommendations - I love shooting Fomapan 100 & 200 for B&W. Adox Silvermax is another brilliant B&W film, as it the almost ubiquitous Ilford HP5...

Colour wise, Kodak Portra is brilliant, but it get great results shooting 35mm film from Poundland... It's branded Agfa 200, but is actually a Fujifilm stock and for a quid for 36 exposures you can't go wrong ;-)

I'm resisting a rangefinder (other than my Olympus Trip 35) as I'm still shooting most of my film on medium format - I have a Hasselblad 500c and a Mamiya m645j...

Have to say that the Hasselbald is awesome and redefines what a 'bright viewfinder' actually is ;-)

[Mr Will]

djsmith74 said:

What brand of colour & BW film do you guys recommend?

I'm still experimenting at the moment, but most of what I have shot has been Ilford Delta 400 or HP5+ pushed one stop (effectively making it an 800 speed film). Shot my first roll at 1600 last night and just waiting for the negs to dry now before I can scan them.

As for colour I've tried pound shop Agfa 200, but I think my rolls were either badly stored or processed as they came out with a green cast. I've shot one roll of Portra 400 (which is amazing) and have picked up some Ektar 100 for my upcoming holiday as I think I'll want a bit more contrast/saturation.

This is one of the joys of shooting film; the ability to change your "sensor" as well as your lens.

[Big_Dog]

I worked in a photography shop back in the late 70s. The manager with an infinite choice of kit used a Yashica Electro to fantastic effect. I would discuss the virtues of Olympus OM1s and Pentax spotmatics etc and he would just smile at me and continue to use his Yashica.

[2slo]

I spoke to a photographer last week who uses a Leica M Monochrom. The results he showed me were very impressive. Hard to explain without showing examples but a bit like looking at well taken images using Zeiss gear, they just have a certain style and look to them which, to anyone who appreciates a good photograph, goes someway towards justifying the high asking price (£6k body only).
There are some dedicated Flickr groups for this camera for anyone who wants to see random examples, e.g. http://www.flickr.com/groups/leicammonochrom/ A warning though. If, like me, you suffer from G.A.S. (Gear Acquisition Syndrome) it may be best not to look

[hidetheelephants]

Big_Dog said:

I worked in a photography shop back in the late 70s. The manager with an infinite choice of kit used a Yashica Electro to fantastic effect. I would discuss the virtues of Olympus OM1s and Pentax spotmatics etc and he would just smile at me and continue to use his Yashica.

That's because the Electro has an awesome piece of glass on the front; with modern coatings on it you'd be paying a lot for that glass these days.

[16v stretch]

I have a Zorki 4k.

Love hate relationship at the moment, as it doesn't always seem to wind on properly...