Retro chic with old rangefinder cameras

People are funny… we try so hard to out-do ourselves and make things better. And with technological progress and the digital edge, everything seems so nice and perfect. And we start to bemoan “the loss of spirit” with digital audio CDs and digital cameras. Suddenly everything analogue becomes in vogue and cool again… vinyl records and film are “in” once more!

Of course, if you wanna be with the in-crowd, make sure you’re fashionable all the way. Having some old film camera from your dad’s drawer isn’t gonna cut it (seriously it only makes you look old-fashioned!). For true retro coolness, you gotta reach into your grandpa’s drawer for his ancient Leica rangefinder. But most probably you’d find something like this…

Say hello to my latest toy… it’s a Canon rangefinder. According to the records, this camera was made between 1955-1956. Japan surrendered in 1945, so this camera was made in the industrial era after World War II. For the uninitiated, the Japanese industrialization took off by imitating/copying the best products/practices from other countries. The Canon rangefinder cameras were virtual clones of the superlative Leica rangefinder cameras from Germany.

If you shoot with this camera, I assure you that you will be the king of coolness during the next photo outing. If you don’t have a dog to walk or a baby to carry, a cool retro rangefinder like this is a great way to strike up a conversation with the ladies. But do NOT try to match 1950s clothing with the camera... know when to draw the line ya?

It’s a great camera to play around with, and yes… it still works perfectly when you load film in. And guess what? It’s not that expensive… for the price of a nice digital compact you can own a piece of history for yourself. I guess there’s more to life than being really really really good-looking.

Visit this website if you want to find out more about the Canon rangefinder cameras.