For my birthday, both my parents have agreed to contribute a sum of money towards a camera for me. At first, I had my heart set on a DSLR, but now I’m not so sure…
Let me explain. I’m as much of a computer geek as you can expect the average Comp Sci student to be, perhaps more so. I love my digital toys (or hate, depending on the situation). But for some (perhaps insane?) reason, I still prefer film to digital. My primary camera at the time of writing is an Olympus OM-2n, and it performs perfectly. Since starting out with the whole photography business, I’ve gained an interest in street photography. It’s great fun (although a teensy bit scary at times), and I love just randomly snapping pictures of interesting-looking people. I’ve been using my OM-2n primarily with the Zuiko 135mm f/3.5 lens I have for it, and I’ve generally been having great fun with it. However, I would much prefer to get closer to the subjects and get better shots that way, rather than shooting from a distance. For that method of photography, a rangefinder point and shoot camera is much more preferable and discreet compared to an SLR. Prime examples of rangefinder cameras that the average person may well know of include the Leica range of cameras.
Now, Leica cameras are a tad expensive (coming in at around.. £2,500 for the body only!), so I’ve been looking around at cheaper alternatives. The one which seems to most suit my needs is the Voitländer Bessa R3a. It’s a fraction of the price of the Leica (a “mere” £350), and seems to offer most of the capabilities of the Leica M7. It also uses the Leica M-mount for lenses, so if I ever did earn enough money to upgrade to a Leica (possibly a Leica M8 or M8.2 sometime in the distant future), any lenses I bought would for the Bessa R3a still work on the newer camera.
The Bessa R3a also has a 1:1 viewfinder, meaning that I’d be able to shoot with both eyes open (which would probably be kinda weird at first, but I’m sure I could get used to it). It uses aperture-priority for its “auto” mode, which is the same as my OM-2n. It has the ability to display two shutter speeds in the viewfinder: the shutter speed which you have selected as the user, and the shutter speed which the camera recommends. It produces outstanding results on film, with a resolution of 125lp/mm (line pair/mm). The only “downside” is that it cannot be used without batteries. I guess I can just make sure I keep spares with me at all times.
In my last blog post, I wrote about the advantages of getting film processed in bulk, buying film in bulk, and the use of film scanners to reduce the costs of photography. I believe that if I practice what I preach, I would be still be able to feed myself, whilst continuing to shoot film. (But only just…). Depending on what I decide I prefer to do in the long run, I would most likely invest in a double-digit or single-digit Canon DSLR or a Leica M8 of some sort. But this would all be in at least a couple of years, so I’m not going to think about that too much.
Now, this blog post may well be a tad pre-emptive: I’m not going to buy any new camera until I’m off my crutches. This will allow me to experiment much more thoroughly with street photography with my OM-2n and two legs. I’ll be able to get closer to my subjects, and keep moving whilst taking photos (which I cannot do at the moment). I want to be able to spend a good month or so shooting with my OM-2n on two legs before purchasing a new camera, so I’d be on the market around about late August or early September. We shall see what happens.
