@pkotrcka Do you own any Yashica rangefinders?
@solderpunk No, only TLR (twin lens reflex). The only rangefinder I have at the moment is Kiev 4.
@pkotrcka I *nearly* bought a Yashica MG1 today to take on an upcoming trip because I'm tired of lugging around my AE-1 and all lenses and wanted to try something smaller/lighter. But the MG1 was not really much of an improvement on the AE/1 with it's 50mm f1.8, so didn't seem much point. I got a Yashica 35ME instead, a cute little zone-focus that fits in a pocket.
@solderpunk well, the ultimate rangefinder is leica with retractable lens 🙂 but older FED and Zorki can do a good job as well. My Kiev 4 is not that smaller compared to SLR, but it is fun to shoot with. Your Yashica will be great, enjoy it. Also, check Petri cameras if you find them somewhere - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Petri_Camera
@pkotrcka There were two Petris at the vintage camera shop I went to this morning, but they were both more expensive than the Yashicas, and I wanted something cheap as this was just kind of a spur of the moment idea. The Petri Racer was the most expensive. I've seen cheaper Petris at thrift stores here, though, who don't really know how to tell old cameras apart.
@solderpunk
But I'm sure you'll like shooting with your new film camera. I recommend ilford films (hp5) and a yellow filter for cloudy days :-)
@solderpunk Cloudy day = 90 percent of days between September and April in Finland 😃
@solderpunk And I hope you will write about it - both about the trip and your camera experience 😃
@pkotrcka Definitely!
@solderpunk I do not know why it is on a lomography web, but this is nice "review" https://www.lomography.com/magazine/5436-yashica-35-me
@pkotrcka Thanks for the link! It also gets quite a nice mention in Japan Camera Hunter, where it is listed among "unsung heroes" and called "fast and confidence inspiring":
https://www.japancamerahunter.com/2014/03/unsung-heroes-35mm-photography-part-ii-rfs-dan-k/
And this guy seems happy with it:
http://blog.bkspicture.com/review_Yashica_35-ME.html
On the whole, though, it doesn't seem to get mentioned much on the web.
@solderpunk
Well, in this range, Minolta was preferred. As far as I saw. But yeah, this little device seems to have a nice optics. That reminds me that I should take my Kiev for a walk as well :-)
@pkotrcka The camera store had a nice Minolta Hi-matic F that was actually a little cheaper than the 35-ME. It had a beautifully bright viewfinder, but it took weird extinct batteries and we couldn't test it. The 35-ME works with a single SR44 and that's amazingly convenient, you can buy those anywhere on Earth.
I will have to keep an eye out for Kiev, FED, etc. stuff in Minsk.
@solderpunk Hmm, I think my Minolta SLR takes weird battery as well, but it was possible to use 2 different ones (I think it is a battery with 44 in it as well, but I am not sure about the full name).
@solderpunk FED/Zorki is a Leica clone, Kiev is a Contax clone, so.. I would prefer Kiev :-) even when it is bigger.
@pkotrcka Cloudy days? What are those?
I'm looking forward to shooting a few rolls across the Baltic states and Belarus starting next week.