Order from a Major Online Bookstore
Ultimate Book Price Comparison Engine
Save Your Time And Money
| AnyBook4Less.com | Order from a Major Online Bookstore |
|
| Home | Store List | FAQ | Contact Us | | ||
| Ultimate Book Price Comparison Engine Save Your Time And Money |
||
 |
Title: Rangefinder: Equipment, History, Techniques by Roger Hicks, Frances Schultz ISBN: 1-86108-330-0 Publisher: Guild of Master Craftsman Publications Pub. Date: 01 October, 2003 Format: Hardcover Volumes: 1 List Price(USD): $24.95 |
Average Customer Rating: 3 (3 reviews)
Rating: 2
Summary: Disappointing
Comment: A nice introduction to rangefinders for those who have no idea about them but it's not more than that. I was hoping for more information but there was none. Very disappointing.
Rating: 2
Summary: Definitely a missed opportunity
Comment: Books by the Hicks and Schultz tandem are a hit and miss affair. Sadly this book is in the latter category. I am not saying that this book is completely without merit, but there is a mismatch between its target audience, its format and its content.
Let me try and list my main points of criticism:
* Already, the introduction bodes ill: "Because the field is so vast, it is impossible to be comprehensive about the older equipment; therefore, some of your favourite cameras may be omitted. Don't worry about it. Likewise, you may feel that we've got the balance wrong with new kit. Again, don't worry about it. This is a book by enthusiasts, for enthusiasts'.
From a reader's point of view this is nonsensical and it shows that the pair started out on this book with a very fuzzy editorial concept. The choice of which camera systems to treat in more depth than others is a crucial editorial decision in this kind of book and should not be left to personal predilections only. It is only fair that the Leica system gets discussed in more detail than, for example, the Russian Zorkii. But H&S do not like the classic Contax and the system is given very short shrift indeed: 'The trouble is that classic Contaxes are wilfully complicated (...); and the shutter resembles nothing so much as a roll-top desk made of brass slats.' I don't think that any budding rangefinder enthusiast is helped by this kind of idiosyncratic assessment. There are many other instances of this kind of sloppy, arbitrary and sometimes outright dumb criticism: swing-lens are not covered at all but are characterised as a 'curiosity, because most of them are not very useful'. Tell that to great artists such as Pentti Samalaahti who built a career on these kinds of cameras. Another victim is the Mamiya 6 rangefinder camera. Still very sought after because of its excellent handling and optical qualities, the camera is simply not discussed at all. The reason is that H&S do not like the square format and hence they choose to ignore it. The Fuji RF cameras (6x7 and 6x9) are discussed in exactly 7,2 lines (with, I admit, a picture of the GSW 690 Mk I somewhere 70 pages apart). There are many other inexplicable omissions (classic compact rangefinders such as Canonet QL17 and Minolta 7sII arenot discussed at all). A book that is marketed as 'the' guide to users and collectors should aim for comprehensiveness, and not succumb to the kind of arbitrariness in selecting material for inclusion as demonstrated in the present volume.
* I agree that it is not easy to systematise the sprawling subject of rangefinder and direct view cameras. But the classification proposed by H&S is erratic and does in many instances not help the newbie rangefinder enthusiast. We know that the authors have a boon for the Swiss-made Alpa (S)WA cameras and they are separately and prominently treated under a heading 'multi-format cameras', because they accept backs for different sizes. However, it would be more logical to group the Alpa with, for example, the Silvestri T30, the Cambo Wide, the Linhof Technar, the Plaubel SW690, Horseman 612, and the Corfield WA67 (of which only the latter two discussed, the Plaubel is only mentioned in passing elsewhere) as rigid body (super) wide angle cameras (most of them accept backs of various sizes). Now the discussion is fragmented over 'multi-format', 'panoramic' and 'other current rigid-bodied 4x5 cameras'. Confusing indeed. The section on large format cameras is equally muddled: look at how it is structured:
LARGE FORMAT
('Baby' 6x7 and 6x9 cameras)
4x5 technical and press cameras
NPC
GRAN VIEW
Other current rigid-bodied 4x5 cameras
Graphics/Speed Graphic
MPP
Other format
POLAROID CAMERAS
Wouldn't this be more clearly structured?
LARGE FORMAT
- Baby cameras
- 4x5 press cameras
Graflex cameras
MPP
Other press cameras (Linhof)
- Rigid body (wide angle) 4x5 cameras
Gran View
Alpa
Others
-Polaroid cameras
-Other formats
* Although the book numbers 181 pages, it could easily have been printed on, say, 80 pages. Size of fonts, line spacing and margins have been set at ridiculously large values. The book looks as if it has been printed for 8 year old children. Pages are 18 cm wide, only half of which is filled with text (1 column 9 cm wide). In short, the information density of a given page is very low. That would be ok if we were dealing with a coffee table book. The real rangefinder enthusiast would be happy with some more substance, I am sure.
* Further to the previous point, an inordinate amount of space in this book is reserved for pictures by the authors. In many cases they fail to make a point or support the argument in the text (if there is one). The photography itself is wholly unremarkable: in its motivic choice and composition it is classic to the point of being tedious. It is a pity that at least 25 of the 181 pages are allocated to full-page photographs, with many others sctattered over the text.
* A cosmetic point, but one which continues to distract the reader, is the quality of the photographs of cameras, lenses and other gear. Probably to enhance the feeling of nostalgia, these have all been printed in a black and white that is particularly 'dirty' and unappealing: very contrasty and with a lot of grain. Sadly, in many cases the perfunctory quality of the photographys obscures details that could be of great interest to the real rangefinder enthusiast.
All in all this book gives the impression of being compiled opportunistically and in great haste. For the beginning rangefinder enthusiast it would perhaps have been better to produce a book on the great classic 24x36 rangefinder systems of yesterday and today: Leica, Contax, Canon, Nikon, Voigtländer. For the connoisseur I would have wished much more depth and a more systematic covering of the field. Given the book as it is now, I would prefer to see it published in a slim paperback volume, for quick reference, for half the price.
Rating: 5
Summary: Rangefinders made easy
Comment: This book is written in a different way than any I have read by Roger Hicks. He is extremely well informed about the more technical side of photography and sometimes tends to loose a lot of his readers. This is not the case with this book. He and Frances Schultz have put together a beautiful book that will take the reader through the different forms and formats available without becoming mired in technojargon. This is not to say it lacks detail.They do a very good job of covering lenses that are available as well as how to choose what cameras are best for what type of photography. Also,they concentrate the bulk of the book on cameras that are available today. If your main intrest is collecting cameras this is not the book you want. On the other hand, if you think you might like to buy a rangefinder camera,it's a great book.The book is well printed with a lot of great images and excellent photographs of the cameras,lenses etc..The bottom line is I like this book a great deal.
 |
Title: Leica: Witness to a Century by Alessandro Pasi ISBN: 0393059219 Publisher: W. W. Norton & Company Pub. Date: 01 April, 2004 List Price(USD): $35.00 |
 |
Title: Leica Lens Compendium by Erwin Puts ISBN: 189780217X Publisher: Hove Books Ltd Pub. Date: 01 September, 2003 List Price(USD): $59.95 |
 |
Title: Leica M6 to M1: Rangefinder Practice by Andrew Matheson, Dennis Laney ISBN: 1897802153 Publisher: Hove Books Ltd Pub. Date: 01 September, 2003 List Price(USD): $35.95 |
 |
Title: Leica M6-Ttl by Richard Hunecke ISBN: 1897802137 Publisher: Hove Books Ltd Pub. Date: 01 September, 2003 List Price(USD): $35.95 |
 |
Title: Photographica: The Fascination With Classic Cameras (Schiffer Book for Collectors) by Rudolf Hillebrand, Gunther Kadlubek ISBN: 0764311743 Publisher: Schiffer Publishing Pub. Date: 01 August, 2000 List Price(USD): $19.95 |
Thank you for visiting www.AnyBook4Less.com and enjoy your savings!
Copyright� 2001-2021 Send your comments
