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Photo Forum / General Photo Topics / UK Photography / October 2006Rangefinders - which?
I've been looking at rangefinder cameras recently (I must be getting old! ). The Contax G1 and Voigtlander Bessa R are very similarly priced complete with a lens (either 35mm or 50mm) at around £300 2nd hand. Are these a good choice? The Contax mainly comes with the gold/silver body, the Voigt. with a plain black body, I'd think the gold body colour will make it rather harder to sell on in later years? Or is there anything else out there with a reasonable price tag? No, I'm not interested in a really cheap Russian or Japanese rangefinder. Thanks for any thoughts. Alan.  SignatureTo reply by e-mail, change the ' + ' to 'plus'. If you are going for a Contax the G2 is far superior. Bessa is a bit boxy but nice but I love my Leica M4 just something I've been used to. What price to you is reasonable? Duncan > I've been looking at rangefinder cameras recently (I must be getting > old! ). [quoted text clipped - 9 lines] > Thanks for any thoughts. > Alan. > I've been looking at rangefinder cameras recently Nice thing :) > The Contax G1 and Voigtlander Bessa R are very similarly priced > complete with a lens (either 35mm or 50mm) at around £300 2nd hand. > Are these a good choice? There is the R2a and R3a. > Or is there anything else out there with a reasonable price tag? > No, I'm not interested in a really cheap Russian or Japanese > rangefinder. Reasonnable price tag ? You can consider also he Zeiss Ikon, less expansive than a Leica. Or Leica too, but how much do you want to spend ? Signature<> Daniel Rocha | Photographie <> http://www.monochromatique.com Note that the Contax is auto focus and the Bessa is manual focus. That might make up your mind for you. Alternatives? In the price range, I would think only other Bessas. The Bessa R is available NEW with a 35mm lens for $400 from the US on Ebay. Even if you pay import duty etc it's still a good deal. Peter > I've been looking at rangefinder cameras recently (I must be getting > old! ). [quoted text clipped - 9 lines] > Thanks for any thoughts. > Alan. > Note that the Contax is auto focus An auto focus range finder? >> Note that the Contax is auto focus > > An auto focus range finder? Or more importantly, why? >>> Note that the Contax is auto focus >> >> An auto focus range finder? > >Or more importantly, why? The G System offered an autofocus point and shoot option with excellent lenses. It was aimed at people who wanted the appearance of owning a rangefinder camera but could not be bothered to focus manually. As with all autofocus cameras, the question was whether it focused correctly on what you wanted to be in sharp focus. Often, the G1 and G2 get it hopelessly wrong, and you don't know until you see the results. Of course, if you always shoot at f/8 and smaller apertures, it hardly matters. >I've been looking at rangefinder cameras recently (I must be getting >old! ). [quoted text clipped - 8 lines] >rangefinder. >Thanks for any thoughts. Alan. As I'm now almost completely using digital now, the Epson R-D1s look good as does the new Leica (M10?). Richard Web pages: http://www.caravanningnow.co.uk/ - caravanning, http://www.rcole.org/ - personal web site and http://www.homeindorset.co.uk because I loves the domain name for email. SignatureMultitasking allows screwing up several things at once. >I've been looking at rangefinder cameras recently (I must be getting >old! ). >The Contax G1 and Voigtlander Bessa R are very similarly priced complete >with a lens (either 35mm or 50mm) at around £300 2nd hand. >Are these a good choice? The Contax G1 and G2 are *not* rangefinder cameras. They are autofocus compact cameras with interchangeable lenses. Like any autofocus cameras they may or may not focus correctly on the subject. Unlike an autofocus SLR there is no way to check through the viewfinder that the camera's chosen focusing distance is the one you wanted, so you take the risk of getting some unpleasant surprises after the film is developed. The G2's autofocus is slightly more predictable than the G1's but this is basically an unsatisfactory system for a serious photographer. The "manual focus" mode is a joke. The Voigtländer Bessa R is a true rangefinder but it only takes Leica screw mount lenses. The Bessa R2 accepts Leica M lenses or screw mount lenses with a simple adaptor and is a far better buy. Build quality of the R and R2 is flaky, but they are low cost entries to rangefinder photography. Personally, I would strongly recommend that you consider a user condition Leica M2 or M3, available at very reasonable prices on eBay. My 1957 M3 is in severely battered condition but it still works perfectly. Try to find one that has had a recent service. It adds little to the price of the camera but will save you the cost of a service if one turns out to be needed. |
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