Rangefinders (Changeable Lens)

Rangefinder (changeable lens) camera reviews – the rangefinder cameras reviewed here allow the photographer to change the lens on the front of the camera. With this comes a series of different lens mounts. The most notable being Leica Thread (/Screw) Mount (LTM/LSM), Leica M-Mount, Nikon S Mount and Contax rangefinder mount. The latter comes in two varieties, internal (for 50mm lenses) and external (for other focal lengths). Sound complicated? It isn’t really.

If you are unaware of the concept of a rangefinder, you can find out more about them in this article: What is a Rangefinder Camera, and is one right for you?

As with all the content on this website, if you find something of interest, you can find more similar products by clicking on the tags you will find at the bottom of the reviews.

 

Hasselblad XPan and its Fabulous 30mm f/5.6 Lens in Mississippi – by Andrew Morang

By / September 7, 2022 / Photos & Projects, Rangefinders (Changeable Lens) / 8 Comments

A few months ago, I spent some time reprocessing panoramas that I took years ago. These were the standard panoramas based on standing in one place and rotating the camera with overlap on each frame. I showed some of them to a friend here in town. He responded that he was scanning some of his Hasselblad XPan negatives. Would I like to use the camera? What? There is an Xpan cameras in my little town and I can use it? You know my response! In 2004, I rented an XPan when I was working in Seattle, so I had some familiarity with the concept, but I barely had time to experiment with it.

A Contax G1 camera

Contax G1 – Much more in-focus than out-of-focus – By Chantel Wakefield

By / June 11, 2022 / Rangefinders (Changeable Lens) / 32 Comments

“I loved owning one for two weeks until every photo came back out of focus.” This was a comment from a popular YouTuber under another popular YouTuber’s review of the Contax G1 35mm Rangefinder Camera. I won’t name names, but if you think about the first few film photography YouTubers that come to mind, he’s probably on that list.

For those unfamiliar with Contax G series, the G1 is a premium interchangeable lens camera made of aluminum and titanium. It was once described by TIME as “a thoroughly modern version of the classic Leica, proof that retro is the wave of the future.” Designed to be used with Carl Zeiss G-mount lenses, it cost over $2,000 when it was originally released in 1994. These days, a G1 camera body runs anywhere between $350-$500 on average, depending on the condition

Pixii

Pixii (A1571) Review – New Upgrades and Some Personal Experiences

By / December 19, 2022 / Digital Cameras, Rangefinders (Changeable Lens) / 80 Comments

For a long time, the only digital rangefinders on the market were Leicas. Now there’s Pixii. A screen-less, APS-C sensor, “connected” rangefinder that’s quite a lot less cash than anything from Leica and comes from a startup company with ideas of disrupting the marketplace with something a little different.

Leica IIIf RD

The Leica IIIF RD – My First Impressions – By Alyssa Chiarello

By / September 2, 2021 / Rangefinders (Changeable Lens) / 31 Comments

When I first saw the Leica IIIF, it was in a video someone posted on Instagram that demonstrated how to load film into the camera. I’d heard about these rangefinders being a real pain in the butt to load, but I thought, how hard could it be? I have a Leica M2. It can’t be too much harder than loading that. I’m a moron (just kidding). Blinded by the shine and beauty of it, as I often am when seeing a camera I like, I had to have one.

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