Fixed lens RF's... in lieu of Voigt and Leica?

[dugrant153]

Hi all,

I started using a Konica Auto S2 and I find it to be a really awesome camera... especially now that I have the focusing square properly calibrated!

As I can't afford a Leica, and as these cameras can be found for a scary cheap prices, I'm thinking of using these fixed lens RF cameras for not only my personal work but also some of my documentary pro work in lieu of older film SLRs. (Documentary style wedding photography is what I plan to do.)

Curious if anyone else has gone this route?
Or if maybe the idea of using these older cameras for this kind of work is too crazy?

[Jeff Kubach]

I have a Konica Auto S2 myself. Don't use it much but still like it. Great camera! One of these days use it more.

Jeff

[insertwittynamehere]

Not as compact as a Leica which I don't own., nor does it have interchangeable lenses. Smaller than my FE and FM, as quiet and quicker than my TLR (in my inept hands anyway) and found for $10 in a junk shop. Both owner and I thought we were taking advantage of the other! Sweet little piece of kit.

[tomalophicon]

The only thing is with one lens you're limiting yourself. I photographed a wedding with only a 40mm lens once and felt later I would have acheived some more interesting results with a longer lens to accompany it.

[Hikari]

Konica Hexar AF; great camera, great lens. No, it is not limiting at all. Just throw yourself into the situation and have fun.

[keithwms]

I also have used a hexar AF and I think it's great. The 1/250 top shutter speed can be quite limiting though.

Let me suggest also considering the fixed-lens medium format cameras- there are several made by Fuji.

[tomalophicon]

Konica Hexar AF; great camera, great lens. No, it is not limiting at all. Just throw yourself into the situation and have fun.

Yes, it is limiting. If it wasn't there would be no longer or shorter lenses made.

[ruby.monkey]

I've owned a few fixed-lens small-format rangefinders, including a Ricoh Five-One-Nine, Yashica Lynx 14 and Electro GSN, and Konica IIIA; and have given away all but the Konica. For all that they were excellent cameras in their own right, none of them (not even the Konica) could match my Leica M3's viewfinder for clarity and ease of focussing.

To be honest, I only kept the Konica because it's too damned beautiful to part with.

[Trask]

Ah, I don't know, ruby.monkey. I've got a Konica IIIa that I sent to Greg Weber to have a CLA and the shutter speed disengaged from the f-stops. And I've got one of the first 4000 Leica M3 DS. The Konica viewfinder sure is nice, parallax corrected and all that. And I swear the Konica is quieter than the Leica. If I were comfortable with just the 50mm lens all the time, and I couldn't have an M3, I could do very well with just the Konica.

[elekm]

The 1960s Japanese rangefinders are OK. Some have very good lenses. But I don't think they're the equal of an interchangeable lens system.