Originally posted by lesmore49 I've had a few film rangefinders in my life. My absolute favourite is my '51 Leica llf....screwmount, not bayonet mount. Screwmount is cheaper. Lens, a Leitz Elmar collapsible 50, F 3.5, Yep no meter, but using a hand held meter gets to be a fun thing.
Robust, not particularly fashionable and this makes it cheaper than a Leica bayonet mount as it is merely a screwmount, and the pix it takes are excellent...even 70 years after it was made.
That sounds like a great combination. From what I've seen Leica obviously command a premium but I'll keep an eye out!
Originally posted by Denver read all the posts. The glaring omission of the Olympus XA is so sad. It's a great little camera, slides into the pocket easily, takes great pics. Has a nice rangefinder. I have one and it has been a solid reliable camera. Highly recommend it as a camera to carry.
Herb Green
Thanks Herb - I'll be frank, I'd not considered the plastic, compact-style rangefinders but more the 'old-school' chunky boxes with a lens stuck on the front... I'll investigate!
Originally posted by Astro-Baby I have a Zorki 4 thats fully refurbed and optically it takes good pictures but its quite painful to use. Slow and clunky.
I think if I wanted a true RF for easy carry I would go with either a Minolta HiMatic or perhaps an Olympus Trip. I have read some Trips suffer lens hazing fairly often so you may want to approach with caution.
Ah this is very useful to know. I'll probably cross the Zorki's off the list then!
I'll keep an eye for Olympus Trips and Minolta Hi Matics, too. The Trips especially have been fetching a premium of late.
Originally posted by AgentL The 500G is bigger than a Rollei 35, about the same size as a Konica C35. But it's considerably smaller than any of the Leica thread mount cameras I've seen, think of these as the midway step. The earlier fixed lens rangefinders tend to be a little bigger, and the later ones smaller. For example, earlier Minoltas are larger than later ones, as best I can tell. The midway size like the 500G is a great compromise: it allows you to stow it most places easily, while still being less fiddly than a tiny model like a Rollei 35 or a Minox 35.
Excellent info. Yeah, the 500G does seem to be a good middle-of-the-road type of camera. Sensible size, sensible weight, very sensible price currently. Any particular issues I should be mindful of before looking to buy?
Thanks again all, incredible knowledge amongst you lot!