Fed 5 rangefinder

[sloth]

Hmm, could this possibly be the cheapest way to get a 'proper' 35mm camera and rangefinder?

I know about the Vivitar UWS, and I kinda like it, except that with a very slow (f/13?) aperture and no control at all over key exposure parameters, it seems a bit limited.

Obviously one isn't going to pay the 'full' price that it seems to command, I would probably hit ebay and take my chances there (although there are plenty of pitfalls).

And I hear Leica M39 clone/Russian copy/compatible/super-3rd-4th-5th-party glass is cheap too

 

[jinglejangle]

i'd suggest you get something like a bessa. with russians, i've been there done that. cheap but unreliable. pinhole burns, heavy, cloth shutter sluggish, mechanics rough. i mean yes, they look pretty cool but nah. don't bother. try a bessa R. russian lenses on the other hand, good stuff. cheap and really really good.

 

[sloth]

Thanks for the tips I was thinking of a rangefinder on a budget, since this is really a toy for me and I noticed it on lomography.com - figured I could get it cheaper on ebay, of course, taking my chances....

I'd definitely consider a Bessa if I was serious about a real rangefinder. Excellent value for $$!

 

[alternatve]

Lomography.com is an example of a great marketing strategy, not a good place to buy russian gear.

If I were you, I would look for a Zorki 4 or a FED 3, both great and reliable cameras.

I usually browze this store, www.dvdtechcameras.com, www.fedka.com and www.okvintagecamera.com. On ebay, I frequent this two sellors, leon1965jazz and alex_photo.

Samuel

 

[invisibl3]

sorry to ot abit but any idea where i can get a jupiter 8 lens in sg... i rather not buy it online if possible want to use it on my fed 3

 

[Ben Ang]

i have a jupiter 8 lens tt i m not really gonna use anymore.. its the 50mm f/2. got a 52mm f/2.8 with the fed logo on it too. got it together with a russian rf, an fed3 and a jupiter cam i think. anyways, i ve decided to stick to my yashicas cos shooting without metering is quite a pain... plus the rangefinders are abit out of calibration. if yr interested u can pm me i guess. lens is clean with some scratches but exterior is abit oxidized. any reasonable price will do since i m not really gonna shoot with them anymore=)

 

[cullenjeremy]

you try searching yashica gtn/gsn they're very good. f1.7 too hahahhaa but not fully manual uh. aperture priority

 

[Bobinde]

From personal experience, the Russian RFs are OK, but not spectacular. And Quality Control is VERY "iffy." I've found that the FED 3b & Zorki 4/4K are the best of the lot, usually rather inexpensive and are fairly easy to use. Just remember to **** the shutter BEFORE changing film speeds!

Bobbo