Black White Photography - UK (2019-11)

52
B+W

by Chris Gatcum

is published in

softback by Ammonite

Press at £19.99

ammonitepress.com

MASTERING FILM

PHOTOGRAPHY

OTHER CAMERA TYPES

Panoramic cameras

Folding cameras

Pinhole cameras

Instant cameras

Plastic cameras

Stereo cameras

Box cameras

RANGEFINDER CAMERAS

Fixed lens 35mm rangefinder cameras,

such as the Yashica Electro 35 and Minolta

Hi-Matic models (among countless others),

were hugely popular in the 1960s and 70s

but by the mid-80s their popularity had

waned as compact cameras and autofocus

became more prevalent.

However, the rangefinder design

remained popular among photographers

who were looking for a small, quiet,

high-quality alternative to a bulky

SLR. Although Leica is the brand that

typifies the rangefinder genre, there

were plenty of other offerings, including

Voigtlander’s Bessa models, with Leica-

compatible lens mounts; the autofocus

Contax GI and G2 (which purists deny

are ‘true’ rangefinders); the Hasselblad

XPan, which enables both 24x65mm

panoramic shots and regular 24x26mm

frames to be captured on 35mm film; the

medium format Mamiya 6 and 7 with

interchangeable lenses; and many other

35mm and medium format offerings.

Left

Leica introduced its first 35mm rangefinder, the

Leica II, in 1932. However, as well as its screw-fit

camera bodies, the German company also launched

the iconic M-series which is regarded as being one

of the finest camera ranges ever made.

Below

There are numerous medium format rangefinders

but my personal favourite is the Mamiya 7; it’s light,

shoots 6x7 images (or 24x65mm panoramas with

a 35mm film adapter) and has a useful range of

interchangeable lenses. This shot was taken with

the standard 80mm lens.

NEXT MONTH WE’LL BE LOOKING AT HOW TO EXPOSE FILM.

›

© Chris Gatcum

© Leica