“Rob a bank or shooting with film ….?”
A rangefinder camera is made for shooting on the streets: fast focus, small/ good looking body and 
a large viewfinder. Wanna shoot with a rangefinder? For a digital version you probably need to rob a bank …so analog is the only way for most of us …but there are some things you can expect to happen.
Yes, I decided to leave the bank robbing to the professionals and bought myself a second hand rangefinders. Unfortunately they weren’t ready for shooting, because of;
- not aligned rangefinder
- defect exposure meter
- almost invisible rangefinder patch
- rough aperture and shutter speed rings on lens barrel
- quite some dirt and dust both outside and inside
- missing manual
- lose aperture and shutter speed rings
So before shooting I had to calibrate the rangefinder, which takes a lot of time. I had to find a solution for the invisible patch problem and the rough rings on the lens barrel. Disassemble the camera body and lens barrel and to do so I had to purchase and search the proper repair tools. Here you find some tools you’ll need for repairing your (rangefinder) camera.
What is it like to focus with a rangefinder?
Of course I can use words to explain how it works, but why using a video? Down below I found this video which demonstrates how it looks like:
So buying a retro rangefinder sometimes also means getting yourself into some nasty repairing activities. On the other hand it is nice to experience these repairs so you get to know the technical stuff of your gear instead of only knowing the specs. Also when hitting the streets with your self repaired rangefinder, you’ll see the effort was totally worth it.
I hope I’ll get my hands on a digital rangefinder someday …