Turning the Digital Clock Back to Analog

Lately, I've been thinking somewhat obsessed with the notion of shooting film again... just for grins. I pulled out some old gear I still had--Canon AE1 and various glass--and thought, "Okay, I'll get some Plus-X and shoot some B&W." Yep, the old AE1 still works. (They made cameras good back in the day.)

But then, I began thinking in a slightly different direction: Shooting with a rangefinder camera.

I've always wanted to shoot with a rangefinder but never managed to make that happen. (Probably because I've never owned one.) But hey! If a rangefinder was good enough for the likes of Henri Cartier-Bresson, it's good enough for me! And, in this digitally-obsessed world, there should be plenty of good deals on used rangefinders at places like Ebay.

I was right. Ebay is full of great deals on rangefinders. Much better deals, in fact, than you'll find there for contemporary digital cameras... except,of course, if you're looking at a rangefinder from Leica, analog or digital. Pricey!

Anyway, although Cartier-Bresson was a Leica guy, I don't feel like I have to go the more expensive Leica route to satisfy my rangefinder cravings. (Or, for that matter, most any other German producer of rangefinder cameras.) Instead, I began looking at alternative options. Fortunately, for my wallet, plenty of other (non-German) camera manufacturers, many of them Japanese, produced quality affordable rangefinder cameras: Canon, Nikon, Konica, Yashica, just to name a few.

Since I'm a Canon guy, I began researching Canon rangefinders. Also, since I started out my life-long interest in photography as a 12-year-old Yashica kid, I thought I'd give that manufacturer's goods a look-see as well. Here's what (I think) I've decided: I'm either going to buy a Yashica Electro GSN or a Canon Canonet QL17 GIII.

Both of these cameras are well-touted. They each have their pros and cons. The Yashica, for instance, is an auto-exposure camera with few manual overrides, i.e., no manual mode. The Canon is also an auto-exposure camera but with full manual operation available. Both cameras come with--according to every review I've read--some really awesome glass. The Canon was sold with a 40mm f/1.7 lens and the Yashica came with a 45mm f/1.7 lens. Both cameras offer automatic parallax correction, comes with hot shoes, and have leaf shutters. Generally, a "great condition" Yashica GSN is less expensive than a "great condition" Canon Canonet QL17 GIII. Both cameras are quite popular amongst rangefinder enthusiasts and have near cult followings. And both cameras, of course, are WAY LESS expensive alternatives to going the Leica/German route.

So that's where I'm at right now with this turning the digital clock back to analog thing. I don't have an appropriate scanner so the lab where I process the film will have to do the scanning. And yeah, that will cost a few bucks every time I want to play with my new toy. Or, maybe I'll keep a look-out (on Ebay) for a good film scanner? Who knows? When it comes to my decision to either buy the Yashica or the Canon, I might buy one of each. They're that cheap! I'll let you know how this thing develops and, hopefully, will be able to post some pics from my future, rangefinder endeavors.

The gratuitous pretty girl at the top is Roxy from some time ago. Roxy captured with a Canon 5D, 85mm prime, ISO 100 f/5.6 @ 125th.

P.S. I'm also thinking of buying a Holga. Again, just for grins.