Most beautiful rangefinder?

[usayit]

Here's one of the "new" Japanese rangefinders that helped start the "rangefinder renaissance" that Mr. Gandy talks about so much on his cameraquest dot com pages--the Bessa-R, the one from 1999. I bought this one back when it was the hot new thing, and have kept it somewhat carefully. This camera uses LTM or Leica Thread Mount lenses AKA "Leica screw mount" lenses. I have it shown here with the first-ever 35mm aspherical lens made in Leica screw mount, the Voigtlander (Cosina-designed and made) 35mm f/1.7 Ultron Aspherical. It's a pretty decent lens too. This particular Bessa model is the camera that launched quite a few "new" rangefinder users into the market, since it, and its lenses, were priced sooo affordably compared to Leica M-series stuff. It doesn't have the design panache of a camera from the house of Leitz, but it does have a certain "form follows function" type of very basic, simple design. Nothing fancy...mechanically-timed shutter, speeds B and 1- 1/1000 second, folding angled crank rewind, hinged back, 1/125 X-synch speed, and manually switchable, top-deck mounted finder frameline selector that has three settings:75 on the left, and 50mm on the right, and in the middle, the paired 35/90 bright-line pairing, all with automatic parallax correction. "Understated simplicity and functionality".
<img src="http://www.thephotoforum.com/forum/attachment.php?attachmentid=16955"/>
the Bessa-R

You would love the Epson Rd1.... I do have some regrets selling it

 

[Ysarex]

Sold one of these and 3 lenses when I switched to digital. That 28mm Biogon was one of best lenses ever.

Joe

 

[Derrel]

You would love the Epson Rd1.... I do have some regrets selling it

So, what are your thoughts on say, an M8 digital? I can't see my way clear to an M9, having just spent a wad on a new body and two more lenses, but...M8 prices are pretty good these days...

 

[usayit]

The M8 was an good first attempt at digital for Leica. I still use it quite a bit as a backup to my M9. Issues I have with it include IR sensitivity (which I turned into an advantage by using it for IR) and the crop sensor. IQ is great but I think that's more of a factor of the lenses rather than the body. It also tends to start showing banding at high ISOs. Handling wise, its feels very much like a slightly thicker M7. The files it produces process very well which is why mine does get used quite a bit. The M9 improves on the M8 in almost every way.

The RD1 was a very enjoyable and unique experience still yet to be replicated by any camera I have ever used. Its the closest to a mechanical classic w/ a digital sensor shoehorned into the film plane. (Even has a film winder still) In fact you can operate it without the LCD quite easily as most of the analog controls are still there. As you can immediately tell from pictures of the Epson, it is based on the Voigtlander rangefinders which is why I think you would like it. I couldn't justify keeping it because I took delivery on the M9... it required mental context switching, only 28-35-50 frame lines... short base length, different batteries didn't make it a good backup to the Leica M9 even though a great design in its own right.

The M9 is the camera that should have been Leica's first digital. The killer with Leica is that its the optics that is much more interesting.... and they have skyrocketed ever since the world economy turned. Lucky for me, I got pretty much all the optics that I wanted when they were still relatively "affordable" (for lack of a better term). Most of my lenses sell on the market for significantly more than I paid for them... but ... it would take an act of desperation for me give up my M8/M9 + system of lenses.



There is a lot shared between the Epson RD-1 and the Voigtlander on which the mechanicals are based on:

 

[Sw1tchFX]

I shot a roll through an M6 tonight with the 50 f/2 summicron.



Everytime I wanted to focus the picture it was like this

 

[gsgary]

The M8 was an good first attempt at digital for Leica. I still use it quite a bit as a backup to my M9. Issues I have with it include IR sensitivity (which I turned into an advantage by using it for IR) and the crop sensor. IQ is great but I think that's more of a factor of the lenses rather than the body. It also tends to start showing banding at high ISOs. Handling wise, its feels very much like a slightly thicker M7. The files it produces process very well which is why mine does get used quite a bit. The M9 improves on the M8 in almost every way.

The RD1 was a very enjoyable and unique experience still yet to be replicated by any camera I have ever used. Its the closest to a mechanical classic w/ a digital sensor shoehorned into the film plane. (Even has a film winder still) In fact you can operate it without the LCD quite easily as most of the analog controls are still there. As you can immediately tell from pictures of the Epson, it is based on the Voigtlander rangefinders which is why I think you would like it. I couldn't justify keeping it because I took delivery on the M9... it required mental context switching, only 28-35-50 frame lines... short base length, different batteries didn't make it a good backup to the Leica M9 even though a great design in its own right.

The M9 is the camera that should have been Leica's first digital. The killer with Leica is that its the optics that is much more interesting.... and they have skyrocketed ever since the world economy turned. Lucky for me, I got pretty much all the optics that I wanted when they were still relatively "affordable" (for lack of a better term). Most of my lenses sell on the market for significantly more than I paid for them... but ... it would take an act of desperation for me give up my M8/M9 + system of lenses.

There is a lot shared between the Epson RD-1 and the Voigtlander on which the mechanicals are based on:

There is no DSLR that can match the colors that come out of the M9

 

[Compaq]

I'll venture to claim that shooting with old rangefinders has little to do with great image quality compared to full frame digital. I use it for the process, the feeling of creating a photograph, knowing every old rangefinder has a history of its own.

 

[Helen B]

I've always liked using rangefinders, and I still have and use quite a few of them: 2 M6; 2 M7; 2 Mamiya Press Universals (one being chopped); 2 Stereo Realists (3.5 and 2.8); Mamiya 7 II; Plaubel Makina 67 & W67; converted Polaroid 110B; Vitessa L and a Bessa II relensed (and a 5x4 MPP S.92 which has a rangefinder and is fully usable hand-held). I've had and sold a Zorki 4; M2, CL; CLE; Mamiya Super 23; an Autorange and a Ricoh something-or-other. It's difficult for me to separate 'beauty' from function, but I always liked the Autorange and the Bessa II, possibly because they are so small yet produce such big negs (6x9). Of the 35 mm cameras the CL and the M2 might be my favourites, possibly because I sold them. Here's the Bessa, with its Nikkor:

 

[SamSpade1941]

I've always liked using rangefinders, and I still have and use quite a few of them: 2 M6; 2 M7; 2 Mamiya Press Universals (one being chopped); 2 Stereo Realists (3.5 and 2.8); Mamiya 7 II; Plaubel Makina 67 & W67; converted Polaroid 110B; Vitessa L and a Bessa II relensed (and a 5x4 MPP S.92 which has a rangefinder and is fully usable hand-held). I've had and sold a Zorki 4; M2, CL; CLE; Mamiya Super 23; an Autorange and a Ricoh something-or-other. It's difficult for me to separate 'beauty' from function, but I always liked the Autorange and the Bessa II, possibly because they are so small yet produce such big negs (6x9). Of the 35 mm cameras the CL and the M2 might be my favourites, possibly because I sold them. Here's the Bessa, with its Nikkor:

I love Mamiya 6 Folders they are just cooler than cool. The Mamiya Universal Press is cool also but for different reasons , its like a swiss army knife. I have actually looked for a Universal Press of my own a few times but they have went up in demand again it seems, for a while they were not very desirable. I would ultimately like to have a Mamiya 7 Rangefinder.

 

[The Barbarian]

Leica IIIa, I think.

 

[The Barbarian]

Contax IIa:

 

[The Barbarian]

Voigtlander Prominent with 1.5 Nokton. Weird beast, with focusing by the left knob on the top plate, but it takes pretty good pictures. If you want to get a Leica collector to hyperventilate, show him a Nokton without showing him the mount. Those rare ones with leica mounts are very, very desirable.

 

[gsgary]

Contax IIa:
View attachment 17097

Is this the model Capa is alledged to have used on D-Day ?

 

[Tuffythepug]

The Kodak "Retina" on the right is semi-sexy. not like a classic Leica but it has it's charms

 

[Ysarex]