[TwoUptons]

Thanks Nick, Eric and others. I guess a lot of it is down to the quality of that blurry yellow rectangle. I've never used a Leica so I can't say how my rangefinders compare. I know that my Yashica yellow blob is more visible than my Kiev yellow blob. The Kiev is destined for conversion to a trendy table lamp soon because it isn't worth the cost of repairing the leaky shutter curtains. I'll give my Yashica Electro another outing on the streets this summer, hopefully when Covid is in retreat and more people are out and about.

Yeah, my Fed has a rubbish rangefinder compared to a Yashica.

And Nick is right about framing with a zone focused rangefinder. That is easier. I was only talking about the ability to preset the focus and usually have an indication of what will be in focus (from the depth of field scale). His answer is more complete.

I’ve used a couple of Leicas, and they are fantastic, but I’m happier spending most of my time with Pentax and then playing with other, less expensive options...

-Eric

[Swift1]

From April 2018...

1955 Kiev-2a rangefinder
Jupiter-12 35/2.8
Expired Kodak TMAX 100
Epson V750

[Huss]

Pentax MZ-S
Pentax smc P-FA 77mm f/1.8 Limited
Kodak Portra 400

Very nice, how did that look in kolor? (Portra 400)

[Bonner04]

Very nice, how did that look in kolor? (Portra 400)

171262988 photo - Jim's Visions photos at pbase.com

[lonerider41life]

Three weeks ago, misty and cold night...
Seagull 4A
Foma 400
F:8, 8 sec.

[Huss]

171262988 photo - Jim's Visions photos at pbase.com

I think it looks better in colour. Shows off those Portra tones with the skin and hair.

[Jacquot]

From April 2018...

1955 Kiev-2a rangefinder
Jupiter-12 35/2.8
Expired Kodak TMAX 100
Epson V750

Great textures in this Colton!

[Sam_I_am]

Leica M5, Summicron 50 v5, TriX, Cinestill DF96 Monobath

This shot makes me want to go around the corner to see the rest of the car.

---------- Post added 12-09-20 at 09:31 AM ----------

A disclaimed to begin. I am by no means a rangefinder fanboy. The M2 is the only serious RF in my kit (I also have a fixed-lens Olympus but that's a different thing), alongside far to many SLRs and a couple of TLRs. I'd fairly 'agnostic' with these things.


Yes and no. As Eric and Huss have pointed out, all rangefinders are not equal when it comes to focussing. Eg. my M2 is very, very different to my 35RD. Personally, I find it easier to focus with a *good* rangefinder than an SLR in most situations (assuming a lens wider than 50mm). I find this especially true in poor light.

But yes, for street I'm usually either zone focussing or (as I did for the shot above) pre-focussing.



I agree and politely disagree

So to answer the original question and elaborate!

I think good RF's work well for this kind of shooting for a few main reasons.

- They're very, very quiet, and it's rare for people in a street scene to hear the *schnick*. The same cannot be said for my MX or F2.
- They work much better than SLR's for zone focussing. The reason being that everything in the viewfinder is in focus, so you can set the lens to where-ever, and the viewfinder is still crisp and sharp. Do the same with an SLR and the viewfinder shows whatever is 'in focus' from the mounted lens at max aperture, with everything else out of focus.
- The top left positioning of the viewfinder lends itself to shooting with both eyes open (or more to the point with the photograph above, *waiting* with both eyes open).
- The fact that the viewfinder isn't 'through the lens' means that you can see beyond the frame. This is fantastic for timing dynamic shots like the one I shared.

---------- Post added 12-07-20 at 08:43 PM ----------

A very cold day at Kitchen Hut | Tasmania

Hasselblad SWC/M (38mm Biogon) and HP5+

I would love some snow about now.

[Huss]

This shot makes me want to go around the corner to see the rest of the car.
...

[stevebrot]

Not all RFs are created equal in their ease and ability to focus.
Leicas are the easiest to use, with super bright and defined patches.

Have you ever tried a Voiglander Bessa R-series? I wish my R3M had a longer baseline, but the finder is pretty incredible.


Steve

[stevebrot]

All my other rangefinders apart from my Xpan are a blob. Nikon S2, Canon P, Zorki 4, Fuji GW690III etc etc. Some are pretty bright, most are dull. It is a huge difference in ease of use and accuracy.

That is a pity. The patch on the Canon P tends to fade with age, but that on my Kiev 4A is quite distinctly rectangular and prominent in the viewfinder. My FED-2 presents a somewhat fuzzy circle, but still distinct. The Zorki 4K patch is hard to find, but large. My Olympus XA shares the fate of its type...faded with age, but still usable. Strangely, the "diamond" RF patch of the recently-acquired Minolta Hi-matic 9 has fuzzy edges, it is very usable. My Yashica Lynx rangefinders are similarly quite good.

I have never put a Leica to eye, but I did handle a Contax II a few years ago and was very impressed with the rangefinder on that camera.


Steve

[Sam_I_am]

---------- Post added 12-09-20 at 01:19 PM ----------

Much better, thanks!

[g026r]

I did handle a Contax II a few years ago and was very impressed with the rangefinder on that camera.

As someone who's used it, I've found the Contax II rangefinder to be better than both the Kiev that copied it* and the Contax IIa that replaced it.

* Possibly early Kievs were better. I used a fairly late model.

[Huss]

Have you ever tried a Voiglander Bessa R-series? I wish my R3M had a longer baseline, but the finder is pretty incredible.


Steve

Yeah, I had an R3A but did not care for it. Finder is nice, RF is much better than the blobs in most cameras, but not as nice as Leica Ms.

[tuco]

... The patch on the Canon P tends to fade with age, but that on my Kiev 4A is quite distinctly rectangular and prominent in the viewfinder. My FED-2 presents a somewhat fuzzy circle, but still distinct. The Zorki 4K patch is hard to find, but large. My Olympus XA shares the fate of its type...faded with age, but still usable. Strangely, the "diamond" RF patch of the recently-acquired Minolta Hi-matic 9 has fuzzy edges, it is very usable. My Yashica Lynx rangefinders are similarly quite good

Steve

Luxury! And I say that with the Monty Python's 'The Four Yorkshiremen' sketch in mind. . The rangefinder on my Crown Graphic is really bad. Both trying to look through it and the lack of a robust design. But I overlook all that and take pictures with it anyway.