on 10/21/03 2:41 AM, Siddiq at iddibhai@xxxxxxx wrote:
> that said, i'm more interested in *trading* rather than sell this and buy
> the rf.
>
> first, have i gone bonkers? i know i've brought this up in the far past,
> but this time i only will get rid of ONE OM body, keep the other, so i
> have RF for snaps, and SLR for more serious fare.
>
> second, would anyone be willing to trade a chrome OM1n w/ 50/1.4mc and
> cover etc for a compact RF in working order, etc. i was thinking the
> rollei 35s (maestro john lind? sage advise?) oly RC/RD or the ubiquitous
> canon iii g17 something or other.
>
> i wear eyeglasses, if that matters in RF/VF land, i dont care about auto
> exposure, i've gone manual for 6+ years, i only need to get a general idea
> of light go from there. the lower the shutter speed, the better, 1/15 and
> faster the OM cna hold its own, it is in the quarter second range that i
> cant be steady enough to get keepers on a regular basis. the smaller the
> better too. etc etc. i shoot the digicam in manual mode in these
> conditions, and there is just too much noise (plus it gets warm soon
> further adding noise--besides, contrast is far harsher than NPH!)
>
> ideas, suggestions, comments, etc, would be welcome. or you could just
> tell me to go bugger off!
>
> thanks!
>
> --
> /S
> aim:iddibhai
> icq:104079359
> msidd004atstudentdotucrdotedu
Hmmm... a few thoughts:
Compact RF's can be handy for what you're suggesting. For this kind of
low-light and slow shutter speeds the relative lack of vibration (no mirror,
no auto-aperture) can help a steady hand with low shutter speeds.
You want a fast lens, most will be f1.7 or f1.8. Also, you need to watch out
the shutter has full speeds in the low range, some compact RF's ended at
1/15 or 1/8 second.
Most viewfinders are OK with glasses, but the RF spot needs to be centered
for best results... you won't get a Leica M finder except from them, and
maybe nearly similar quality from Cosina/Voigtlander. (I think there is one
lister at least who has the CV Bessa R or R2, which is what I would
recommend if you said you wanted interchangable lenses.)
The Olympus 35-SP was my first thought... a bit larger than some others, but
full-featured and with a great lens. Also the 35-RD, but that one is
probably more expensive and harder to find than the 35-SP, and also seems to
suffer from 'sticky shutter syndrome' more. Olympus 35-RC has slower f2.8
lens and only 1/15 slow shutter speed, but is a very compact size. Canon
Canonet QL-17 GIII is a possible, but slowest shutter speed is only 1/4 I
think. Konica Auto S-3 is also one to consider.
Rollei-35 is very good, but quite expensive and the best lens is only f2.8
Sonnar (though very high quality!). Rollei-35 can also be kind of quirky to
use, although very compact and it does offer a full range of shutter speeds.
The Petri 7s and Minolta Himatics (7s, 9, 11, 7sII) would fit your
requirements also, although those models are older and therefore probably
harder to find in like-new usable shape. Kodak Retina Iic and IIIc would
work, but are a bit quirky in use.
If you go back further there are other manufacturers who made small
fixed-lens rangefinder cameras with lenses faster than f2.0 and the full
range of shutter speeds. In the late 1950's and early 1960's some of the
cameras didn't have meters, and those that do will probably need a mercury
battery as your OM-1s do...
Any of these older cameras will be hard to find in 100% working condition,
you should budget for a CLA unless you find one in completely working
condition... Stephen Gandy's website www.cameraquest.com has a good section
of reviews and advice on this exact subject, its worth a visit for the
background info.
--
Jim Brokaw
OM-'s of all sorts, and no OM-oney...
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