Sad news in the world of film photography: on Monday, the Japanese camera and lens company Cosina announced that it is discontinuing the Voigtlander Bessa 35mm rangefinder camera and a host of accessories and lenses for them. The Bessa R2M, Bessa R3M, and Bessa R4M are no more.
Here's an inspiring 5-minute video in which renowned street photographer Joel Meyerowitz talks about his approach and mindset to making photos.
Getting into analog photography can be an exciting proposition; maybe you find the medium more delightful, or you just want to learn more about the times of yesteryear. Either way, we have assembled a list of some of our favorite rangefinder-style analog cameras, ranging from the friendly and affordable Canonet QL 17 GII to the pricey yet exuberant Contax G2. We know that we may not have everyone’s personal favorites, but the list below is filled with cameras we know you’ll enjoy.
In January of 1961, Canon introduced the Canonet, a consumer-friendly 35mm film rangefinder camera aimed at the average person. Over fifty years and fourteen variations later, film photographers still look back on the Canonet as an excellent choice for beginning and experienced photographers alike. Let’s travel back in time to see how it all began and why the Canonet remains popular even today.
First introduced back in December 1954, the Nikon S2 is Nikon's most common rangefinder camera with more than 56,000 produced. The highly-regarded camera still sells for $300 and up these days through sites like eBay -- well, the silver version, at least.
Leica today announced its new M Monochrom (Type 246), a followup to the M Monochrome black-and-white rangefinder camera. The new camera boasts improvements in image quality as well as new video and live view features.
Photographer and camera hacker Kevin Kadooka recently built a custom through-the-lens (TTL) light meter add-on for his Canon P rangefinder. Instead of carrying around a light meter with the camera, Kadooka can now get accurate readings straight from his modified camera with his impressively designed system.
Leica has officially announced a new limited edition "Correspondent" version of the Leica M-P digital rangefinder, designed by Lenny Kravitz. The musician, actor, and designer came up with a styling for the camera that offers a luxury product in an artificially aged package.
There's a mysterious and intriguing new website online for a startup camera company called Konost. From the looks of it, the team is trying to build a simple yet powerful digital camera that it claims will be "the world's first true digital rangefinder."
Leica has created two unique M-series rangefinders based on designs by elementary school kids. One is a Leica M (type 240) covered with a rainbow pattern, and the other is a Leica M-E with a dragon and swordsman drawn onto the front of the camera.
If you’ve never picked up a rangefinder camera before and have always wondered how it differs from …
Did you know that the Statue of Liberty started out as a dull copper color, but turned green over time due to oxidation occurring on the copper skin? The green patina (also called verdigris) can occur naturally or with human intervention on copper, brass, and bronze.
Know what else is brass? The body of the Leica M2 underneath the chrome surface. Photographer Bellamy Hunt used this fact to create a custom DIY special edition of the M2, the "Patina Edition."
A few weeks ago we shared the rumor that Sony and Mamiya were teaming up to release two medium format rangerfinder-style cameras in 2015.
Today, we have a few extra details on that exciting rumor as more sources come forward to share some of the specs we will supposedly see if and when these cameras become a reality.
If removing the LCD from a digital rangefinder just isn't retro enough for you, Leica has something that even the most adamant of purists won't be able to dog. Dubbed the Leica M-A (Typ 127), this all-new film rangefinder is 100% mechanical: no built-in light meter, no electronic control, this beauty doesn't even take batteries.
The saying goes, "If it ain't broke, don't fix it." But while the X100S certainly wasn't 'broke' -- it's one of the most beloved cameras currently on the market -- Fuji is delighting customers today by releasing the much-rumored X100T and making this phenomenal camera even better by adding some groundbreaking viewfinder tech and more.
Two weeks ago we shared with you a rumor that Leica is set to release a limited edition digital rangefinder without an LCD. Today, we’ve learned that this beast is very likely the real deal, with a new "Leica M Edition 60” listing showing up on Leica’s German site for a short period of time before being taken down.
As film stocks continue to die off, so are the cameras that used them. Today, The Phoblographer is reporting that their contacts at Fujifilm America have informed them that the company intends to discontinue the Fujifilm GF670 medium format rangefinder.
How's this for a strange rumor? According to the folks over at Leica Rumors, several sources have been tipping them off to the existence of a Leica digital rangefinder without an LCD -- a limited edition camera that will supposedly arrive at Photokina.
Panasonic is having a hard time keeping a lid on its upcoming rangefinder-styled GX7 Micro Four Thirds mirrorless camera. Just last week, the first images and a list of specs leaked through an online photo magazine, and now we have a full set of specs and product shots to look at.
Those interested in starting or adding to an expensive collection of cameras may want to head over to eBay very soon. That's because movie star Sylvester Stallone, or more accurately his brother Frank Stallone, is in the process of selling the Leica M9 used in the movie The Expendables 2.
We were just able to get some hands-on time with the new Fujifilm X100s immediately after the company's press conference. In addition to blazin' fast autofocus speed, the company has also introduced a couple of new features that manual-focusing photographers will love.
One is something many photographers are already familiar with (and have been clamoring for): focus peaking. The second hasn't been received with as much fanfare, but is actually quite fantastic. It's split image focusing -- something rangefinder users will appreciate very much.
After bidding farewell to the Super Wide and Silver editions of its Zeiss Ikon 35mm rangefinder earlier this year, Cosina is officially saying goodbye to the last of the Zeiss Ikons, relegating the whole line to the history books. The news, which began as a rumor based on this tweet by one of Cosina's retailers, has since been confirmed by The Phoblographer with the company itself.
Leica's new flagship digital rangefinder, the Leica M, was announced more than a month ago, but things have been very quiet in regards to sample photos demonstrating the camera's capabilities. If you've been dying see actual photos shot using the camera, today's your lucky day. Pandachief over at the forum HK LFC has published quite a few sample photographs shot in a low-light environment (it appears to be a dinner party).
Watts Martin of Coyote Tracks has an interesting piece titled “Iconic” that discusses …
When Leica announced at Photokina last week that future M and S cameras won't have numbers attached to the model name (e.g. Leica M), I wrote that the company seemed to be taking a page from Apple's book by having generations rather than models. Turns out that's not the case. Leica doesn't want to be what Apple is to the gadget industry, but what Porsche is to the automobile industry.
Wealthy people who want to flaunt their wealth are attracted to shiny and pricey things. It’s no surprise then, …
Announced on Monday, Leica's new M rangefinder does away with the classic numbering system and simply goes by its model name. We got a chance to handle one a couple of times after the initial announcement... after fighting through the hoards that were clamoring to get a peek.
With much fanfare, Leica announced its new M and M-E digital rangefinders at Photokina today. The M breaks new ground by introducing some fancy new features that have never been seen before in an M rangefinder, while the M-E is the company's attempt at offering an entry-level digital rangefinder.
Notice that Leica has done away with its standard naming strategy. Apparently Leica is doing what Apple did with the iPad: leaving out the generation in the name entirely. In future, we'll be saying "Leica M" with "20th generation" in parentheses rather than Leica M20.
Remember those leaked "spy" shots that supposedly show someone using the upcoming Leica M10 digital rangefinder? Leica Rumors took those images and everything that we know about the camera so far, and created some mockups showing what the camera will likely look like. The most striking feature is the special port on the back that allows for an electronic viewfinder attachment on the hot shoe.
When shopping for a new computer, online shops often allow you to customize the computer and choose the individual components that go into it. If the computing world can offer that, why not the photography world?
Turns out you can with Leica cameras. The company has a website called "Leica à la carte", through which you can configure a film Leica rangefinder to suit your tastes and needs.
Beauty may be only skin deep for us humans, but crack open a classic rangefinder and there something both …
The big Leica announcement in Berlin is only three short days away, and as it draws closer more and more details about the highly-anticipated M9-M monochrome rangefinder are leaking. The most recent updates involve pricing and design. It seems that the new rangefinder will feature an all black body, much like the M9-P, with a Leica Monochrome engraving on the top plate. In fact, Leica Rumors is reporting that the M9-M will essentially be an M9-P with a monochrome sensor and a slightly higher price tag (between $8,500 and $9,000).
Remember that monochrome Leica M camera rumor that we reported on last month? The latest rumor pegs …
In a paper published in Science this week, Japanese researchers reported on a discovery that jumping spiders use a method for gauging distance called "image defocus", which no other living organism is known to use. Rather than use focusing and stereoscopic vision like humans or head-wobbling motion parallax like birds, the spiders have two green-detecting layers in their eyes -- one in focus and one not. By comparing the two, the spiders can determine the distance from objects. Scientists discovered that bathing spiders in pure red light "breaks" their distance measuring ability.
If you thought our Leica iPhone skins are geeky, check out this new case made by the Japanese brand Gizmon. It gives your iPhone a fake rangefinder-style body that isn't entirely useless: the case's shutter button actually takes pictures and the optical viewfinder can be used to compose shots. Additional features include a lens mount, a tripod socket, and camera strap holes.
Here’s what a Leica M4 rangefinder camera looks like when taken apart. It’s crazy how …
Turns out that mysterious Leica camera spotted on British singer Seal was in fact a Leica that didn't officially exist yet, but now it does: Leica has just announced the M9-P digital rangefinder. The new camera is basically the M9 with a few cosmetic changes -- all the guts are identical. Like on the non-digital Leica MP, the traditional red dot is missing from the M9-P, which meant to give the camera an "understated appearance".
Kate Spade’s Pocomo Gwem handbag features a pretty well-known rangefinder camera.
Last week The Daily Mail published some photographs of British singer Seal passing through LAX airport with his family. While at first glance it might look like the camera hanging around his neck is a Leica MP film rangefinder, look a little closer and you'll see that it's not -- it doesn't have a battery compartment, a film reverse lever, or a film advance lever...
Last week we showed you some photographs of Leica lenses cut cleanly down the middle. This week we have some interesting photographs of what a Leica M6 rangefinder camera looks like when the outer layer is removed.