Canon 7Sz
Introduce in 1965, the Canon 7s was the pinnacle of the Canon screw mount rangefinders. The 7sz was a slight modification at the end of the product life from 1967 to 1968. An estimated 4,000 were produced.
Read MoreMinolta Hi-Matic 7s
Released in 1966 The Minolta Hi-Matic 7s was an update of the 1963 released Hi-Matic 7. Don't be fooled this is a big camera. Photos make this look like it could be part of the compact rangefinder club. Sorry Minolta 7s, you are not in the club. The 7s is bigger and almost as heavy as a Lieca M3.
Read MoreLeica IIIG
Holy knobs, Batman! This think looks more like steampunk art than a camera. Produced from 1957 to 1960 as an update of the Leica IIIf (added a larger viewfinder). This one was produced in August of 1957, part of a 5,000 batch.
Read MoreCanon Canonet GIII
The Canon Canonet QL17 G-III was in production from 1972 to 1982 and sold an estimated 1.2 million units. The Canonet QL17 GIII is regarded by many as the grand champion, mac-daddy, pinnacle, end-all-be-all of the compact rangefinder format.
Read MoreKonica Auto S3
In production from 1973 to 1977 The Konica Auto S3 seems to have a strong following today. It is a shutter priority rangefinder. There is no option for manual operation of the aperture, not a big deal to me, but an issue for some. The Hexagon 38mm f1.8 lens gets lots of praise for it images. Even more praise for how well it does with a flash.
Read MoreCanon A35 F
Canon A35F. This is a nice size camera. It is just a bit larger than the Canonet but with a flash and a lighter weight. The quality is not as good as the Canonet but still a nice camera.
Read MoreCanon 7
That's not a camera, this is a camera. Specifically a screw mount rangefinder built from 1961 to 1964. It make the Leica M3 seem stealth by comparison. It does add a meter conveniently located on the top plate and allows for the selection of 35/50/85,100 frame lines. There is also an option to lock the shutter release. Top shutter speed is 1/1000. All this plus the film advance and the rewind don't leave much room on the top, so no hot shoe. For that you'll have to add an accessory shoe.
Read MoreOlympus 35 RC
This thing is small! Not Minox 35 small, but compared to a Canon Canonet (closer form factor) it is noticeably smaller. But the not at the expense of features or quality. It is solid and has a nice feel. Only part the feels a bit lacking is the film advance. Not the gears, but the lever, which just feel less well crafted than the rest of it. Also, the way it mates with the body leaves a gap so the gears are open to dirt and whatever else lives in my bag.
Read MoreLeica CL
Introduced in 1973 and produced for 3 years. The CL came in two variants: Leica CL and Leitz minolta CL. Both seem to be identical in function and design. Both were made by Minolta in Japan. It was design for use with specifically marketed 40mm and 90 mm lens but will work with most (some debate here, specifically don't use collapsible lens or you will damage the meter) M mount lens. The 40mm frame lines are always displayed. 50mm and 90 mm frame lines display dependent on the lens used.
Read MoreCanon Canonet QL17
Introduced in 1969 and produced until being replaced by the Canonet GIII version in 1972. This is a nice compact rangefinder. QL stand for Quick Load, it is simple to load. Load the canister, extend the film lead to the orange mark and close the door. Simple. Too simple, I confess to opening it to make sure that it worked and even then watching the rewind knob to be sure it was turning as I advanced the film. A less suspicious user would have better results.
Read MoreMinolta CLE w/28mm f2.8
After shooting the CLE with the 40mm and struggling with the 28mm frame lines, I found a 28mm lens. It was reasonably priced because, well it is not a Leica. It is supposedly fully compatible with other M mount lens but there seems to be some debate. Best I can tell is they are comparable and most Leica lens will work on the CLE and CL. The exception seems to be the collapsible lens that may hit the light meter. One surprise was that the 28mm is noticeably larger than the 40mm. (I know the lens geeks are rolling their eyes because they know why, but I would expected the opposite.)
Read MoreLeica M6
I did not wake up thinking I needed a Leica M6. I knew about them and thought it would be nice to shoot one for this project but it was not high on my list. I thought I would save it for the end of the year and watch for a well used one. I had been paying attention to the prices and knew about how much to expect to pay. When I walked by The Leica Store, I went in just to look and the meager used section and grab a few of the free Leica stickers. I noticed two of the sales clerks examining an M6. They said it had just come in form a customer buying a new digital Leica. The customer could not remember if he ever used it. They were scrutinizing it and not finding any clear evidence that it had even had a lens mounted or a roll of film loaded.
Read MoreMinolta CLE w/ 40mm f2
The CLE is a Leica M mount camera that Minolta built after building the CL for Leica. It was introduced in 1980. After shooting the M4, the CLE felt like a compact pocket camera. In fact it is only slightly smaller than the M4 but much lighter. That comes at the price of not feeling as much like a precision instrument. But as a camera, it adds some nice features.
Read MoreLeica M4
My M4 is a user. It came to me from a photographer who had used it as a second M-mont body but has switch to digital. This thing is built like a tank. My first impression was how heavy it feels for the size. Real feeling of confidence, not that I'd be able to take good pictures but that I could defend myself with it.
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