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  • Saw a video of this in use with CineStill Df96 developer yesterday. Made at home dev look insanely easy.

    http://www.lab-box.it/

    Just cause I’d like to try one, does anyone have a recommendation for a relatively cheap rangefinder that’s still decent? QL17 still a good choice?

  • interesting!

  • yep,
    Canon QL28 is also good, as are yashica electro, ricoh 500g, konica C35, Vivitar 35ES, minolta hi-matic.

    Some of the old yashicas (minister, lynx, etc) are also excellent and dirt cheap if you're any good at sunny-16-guesswork or happy to use your phone to meter

  • I've been interested in Lab Box since day one. I didn't back it because I got a bit burnt by kickstarter around that time. Super interested. I want home C41 and E6.

    The QL17 (and a most of the Japanese 70s rangefinders like the Oly SP) go bad eventually with heavy use. They were build a bit light compared to Pro SLRs. Something like a Canon P is better imho. They have nice large viewfinders which you can calibrate, the 50 1.8 is sharp in a classic kinda way, there are quite a few around, and they're really well made. No meter and the patch isn't the best but it's fine.

    Like a lot of old gear these things are going up in value so you can't go wrong... unless it goes wrong (or becomes somehow unserviceable, sat-on, dropped off a bike or boat, left on a car roof in a service station before rejoining a motorway etc*). So... TL:DR: go mechanical, something that functions without electronics. Go 1960s.

    *I have done all these things #worstcameraowner

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