In a past post I mentioned my Yashica Electro 35 rangefinder camera, which, by the way, I picked up on eBay for twenty-five bucks. What's a rangefinder camera? Well, for some technogeeks, a rangefinder camera is an old fashioned paperweight. These cameras represent technology that is at least 50 years old. Criminey, they use--dare I say it--FILM! They are obsolete, for crying out loud. Horrors!
Well, old is new, and old is cool. I just acquired a brand spanking new Voigtlander Bessa R3A, a made-in-Japan camera that rivals the Leica M7 rangefinder, which is, in my opinion, the undisputed world standard for rangefinders. I love the immediacy of digital, but this analog machine is way fun!
A fully manual camera really feels like a tool in your hands, rather than just a fancy gadget. Most of what I do will probably always be in digital, but retro is a dream. When I started taking pictures in a more serious way 35 years ago, everything was pretty much NOT automatic like now. Using a not-fully-automatic camera forces one to creatively understand (among other things) the use of depth of field, hyperfocal distance, and the three-way relationship between film speed, f-stops and shutter speeds. You have to think to use one of these babies; the camera does not do the thinking for you. It can be a challenge, but that's part of the magic.
2 comments:
ah, hyperfocal distance. I really wish this was automated on my d700. I really don't want to look at charts for all the possibilities with my zoom lenses.
I'm interested in doing some street photography. The small size of this camera, with it set at a hyperfocal distance, makes it quite inconspicuous. Should be fun.
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