Get out the tar & feathers . . .

[phc]

I'm not trying to be cheeky, but do I understand that you've just started with your second film? You can't expect to get used to a camera until you've shot MUCH more than that, in many different situations. When you get to the stage of forgetting the camera and just taking pictures, then you've got the hang of it. Cheers, Paul.

[ron110n]

Rangefinder advantage: You can shoot at clubs hand held utilizing available light. No need of tripods or flash.


Leica M6, Summilux 50mm asph f1.4, Fuji Press 800

[Alex Bishop-Thorpe]

I traded in my Canon EOS 1 with the 24-70mm lens (lovely, but huge. Not ideal when you have to ride the bus each way every day) to finance a Voigtlander Bessa R2A and a 50/1.8 Canon lens. It just suit what I do much better. If a rangefinder doesn't suit you methods, no harm done. They're still pretty neat. I use my Nikon FM2n just as much, they sit side-by-side in my camera bag.

[Anscojohn]

Maybe an older RF may never feel right for you after using an Ollie system, Bill. I shot a contemporary, a Canon IV, and the RF/VF always seemed "squinty" to me. Using the infinity lock to move the focus ring was pretty nifty, though.

[davela]

Honestly, I don't think a bottom loading LTM camera is a good intro to rangefinders (I own and use several BTW) particularly for someone accustomed to modern cameras. They take a fair amount of care and knowledge to use effectively, especially if one is coming to them with no personal instruction, although the results can be extremely satisfying when mastered.

My first rangefinder was a Yashica fixed lens model, simple to use, so I was able to (slowly) appreciate the advantages they yielded, despite the fact that was in an era (late 60's and early 70's) when the 35mm SLR was all the rage and photo magazines sort of implicitly sneered at any other camera design. My suggestion for anyone wanting to try rangefinders is to get a good fixed lens rangefinder that is modern like the QL17 or perhaps the Konica S2 (there are many others) and use it in mostly manual exposure mode. Go from there to a Bessa R or a Canon 7 perhaps. Graduating to the "hard-core" manual rangefinders Leotax's, Nicca's, Leica's, Contax's, Nikon S's, Tower's etc. ,etc. will then be a natural evolution - in fact in some cases (regrettably) a compulsion :-)