Post by PeterW on Jun 19, 2008 5:09:21 GMT -5
Hi Michael,
What vintage rangefinder to take? A difficult choice. I haven't had any experience of the cameras you list; the nearest would be a NewCanonet QL17 which, apart from the lens, is I believe the same as the QL19.
Like you I find it a reliable enough little camera, easy to carry and with nice sharp results. The only drawback I found for 'street' photography was the 40mm lens. I like a fairly wide angle lens for a lot of things but sometimes you see something happening which you know would make a good picture but it's just that little bit too far away to fill the frame. By the time you've moved in closer the moment has gone. Sometimes I think I'd like a modern compact digital zoom job for street use, but I haven't yet got one.
One thing in favour of a camera with a fixed focal length lens is that it makes you think about your viewpoint more. A couple of years ago I went to a steam traction engine rally and decided to leave the SLRs behind and take just one compact camera. I took a 1935 Retina; guesstimate the exposure, guesstimate the distance, tiny viewfinder - all the 'drawbacks' of the 1930s.
It was much slower than a modern camera to use. I shot just one roll of colour print film instead of the usual three or four rolls I use up at an event like this. But I got possibly the highest proportion of satisfying pictures I've ever got from one roll of film. All because the 'drawbacks' of the camera made me take more time over over each shot.
Got to be a lesson there somewhere.
PeterW
What vintage rangefinder to take? A difficult choice. I haven't had any experience of the cameras you list; the nearest would be a NewCanonet QL17 which, apart from the lens, is I believe the same as the QL19.
Like you I find it a reliable enough little camera, easy to carry and with nice sharp results. The only drawback I found for 'street' photography was the 40mm lens. I like a fairly wide angle lens for a lot of things but sometimes you see something happening which you know would make a good picture but it's just that little bit too far away to fill the frame. By the time you've moved in closer the moment has gone. Sometimes I think I'd like a modern compact digital zoom job for street use, but I haven't yet got one.
One thing in favour of a camera with a fixed focal length lens is that it makes you think about your viewpoint more. A couple of years ago I went to a steam traction engine rally and decided to leave the SLRs behind and take just one compact camera. I took a 1935 Retina; guesstimate the exposure, guesstimate the distance, tiny viewfinder - all the 'drawbacks' of the 1930s.
It was much slower than a modern camera to use. I shot just one roll of colour print film instead of the usual three or four rolls I use up at an event like this. But I got possibly the highest proportion of satisfying pictures I've ever got from one roll of film. All because the 'drawbacks' of the camera made me take more time over over each shot.
Got to be a lesson there somewhere.
PeterW