[rollei_list] Re: OT: RF vs SLR for 35mm
- From: Marc James Small <msmall@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- To: rollei_list@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
- Date: Thu, 17 Nov 2005 18:30:58 -0500
There is no quick and certain answer to whether an SLR or RF works best. A
lot depends on the user, and a lot more depends on the uses intended.
I have mounds of RF gear -- Contax RF, Kiev RF, Leica, Werra, Kodak Retina
IIc's and IIIc's -- and some SLR's -- Contarex, Contaflex, Praktica,
Praktica B, Rollei SL35E, Icarex/SL 706. I also have a bunch of the
doo-dads which go with these systems -- for instance, I have a full range
of Visoflex reflex housings which allow me to use my Leica RF bodies with
macro lenses such as the 12mm Leitz Photar or with my 3.5 Questar and a 2X
Barlow as a 2600mm f/29 telephoto. And I have owned a slew of other RF and
SLR cameras over the years including Canon, Pentax, Nikon, Olympus, and
Mamiya. (I also own a number of Rolleiflex and Ikoflex TLR's and three
Hasselblad cameras, a 2000 FC/M, a 500C, and an SWC.)
When I am going to be out and about, I generally take along a rangefinder,
as I am a solid believer in natural-light photography and detest the mirror
slap which afflicts even as snazzy a camera as the Contaflex. This mirror
slap limits the low speed at which handheld photographs can be taken. With
a Leica or Contax RF, I can brace myself against a wall or the like and can
occasionally obtain a printable shot at 1/8", while I would be lucky to do
the same at 1/30" with an SLR, a difference of two full stops. (A soft
release is STRONGLY recommended, incidentally, with any camera.)
My basic camera is a Leica M6, an early Wetzlar body upgraded by Leica to
current specs in 1991. The lightmeter is deathly accurate, and I often use
it with chrome emulsions. I sometimes, however, use a Werra III or one of
my c Retinas -- I have a IIC with JSK lenses and a IIIc with Rodenstock
optics -- or one of my warhorses, a Prewar Contax II. And I have a trio of
threadmount Leicas -- a IIIc, a IIIf RD/ST, and a IIIg, and I often use my
IIIc, as this was my first Leica and my first RF and my first serious camera.
Lenses are really important. Decide just what you wish to accomplish and
pick your lenses accordingly. For my M3 or my M6, I have a 4.5/21 Zeiss
Biogon modified to Leica M, a 1.4/35 Summilux-ASPH, a 1.4/50 Summilux, a
1.4/75 Summilux, a 2/90 Summicron-ASPH, and a 3.4/135 Televid APO-ASPH. I
also have a slew of other lenses of older vintage including a 2/5cm NF
Summicron and a collapsible 4/90 Elmar, along with six Viso-only lenses, a
4/60 Elmar, a 2.8/125 Hektor, a 4.5/20cm Telyt, a 4/20cm Telyt, a 4.8/20cm
Telyt, and a 5/40cm Telyt. And I can adapt a bunch of oddball Carl Zeiss
Jena and Soviet/Post-Soviet lenses such as that magnificent 1.5/7.5cm
Biotar to the M's with Leitz LTM-to-M adapters. Finally, I can also adapt
M42 lenses to the M bodies with an appropriate Leitz adapter and I am able
to use my magnificent 4/300 Pan-Tele-Kilar on my Visoflex rigs.
I would suggest that you get a Leica IIIc. With this you will need a Leitz
APDOO self-timer and a Geiss IIIc Kontakt for flash synchronization. All
of these are available on eBay for quite reasonable prices. You will need
an auxiliary viewfinder, and for this I recommend the Soviet/Post-Soviet
one, again, generally available on eBay for mere pimples. For the basic
5cm lens, I would recommend the Summitar, as I find this a perfectly
satisfactory lens in all regards, though the first-generation Summicron is
a grand one as well. If low-light photography is in your interest, avoid
the Leitz Summarit but seek out a sound 1.5/50 Jupter-3, a marvelous lens
if you get one which has been properly assembled or properly overhauled. A
really gooid wide-anglke is the 2.8/35 Jupiter-12, and an outstanding mild
long-focus lens is the 2/85 Jupter-9. These Jupiter lenses are SPS clones
of the Prewar Carl Zeiss Jena lenses for the Contax RF line, by the way.
For mtering, the "Sunny 16" rule generally works for me even with
Kodachrome when I am outside. For inside B&W work, I'd recommend a Gossen
Lunasix, which can be had, again, at a low price on eBay.
A IIIc is a light burden to carry and a basic lens selection does not add a
lot of weight. The rangefinder is quite accurate and the shutters are
generally bullet-proof. You can haul along your Metz 45CL or Vivitar 283
flash in the car and can use them as needed with the Geiss Kontakt but, in
the end, the kit will serve you well. I have shot a couple of pro jobs
with a IIIc a decade or so back, and got rave reviews.
Other options would be a Contax II or a Werra III (get the one with that
world-beating Prestor shutter with its 1/750" fast speed) or a Retina IIIc.
Marc
msmall@xxxxxxxxxxxx
Cha robh bàs fir gun ghràs fir!
NEW FAX NUMBER: +540-343-8505
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