Voigtlander Rangefinders by Matthew Joseph. ⇒
14 January 2008, mid-morning
I really want to get one of these, since I'm pretty sure i'll never own a Leica M in my lifetime.
This is a post from my link log: If you click the title of this post you will be taken the web page I am discussing.
Look into the Konica Hexar RF. I bought one recently and love it to bits. Fuck Leica!
by Sunny on January 15 2008, 11:07 pm #
Sounds like a good camera, though it looks too much like something from the 80s for my tastes. How is the viewfinder? I really like the way the Bessa looks, but more than that it sounds like the R’s all have really nice viewfinders. My Yashica Electro takes nice photos, but its view finder is so damn cloudy. I should look to see if that’s something I can fix. The Zies Ikon sounds pretty interesting as well.
by Ramanan on January 16 2008, 9:38 am #
I think the RF/VF of your Yashica just needs a good CLA. But you might get a brand new one for the same price!
The Hexar RF has a lovely viewfinder, Its definitely brighter than the Bessas (I had one for a week and sold it) but prolly not as good as the Leica (never used one).
The Hexar RF has a few things going for it. First is the 1/4000 shutter speed. Really useful in bright daylight and with your lens wide open. The other is the Auto Exposure with really accurate metering. Mind you none of the Leicas have any of these two features. The Hexar RF even has a motorwind built into it. The titanium body also feels solid as a tank. The shutter is whisper quiet but the motor makes a bit of a whirr but you atleast don’t have a film crank / lever. Fair to call it a modern Leica really.
Of course the Zeiss is nice RF…don’t know much about its feature set but have heard good things. People also rave about their lenses. All these RFs are M mounts so you can use any Leica, Konica or Zeiss (even older Canon / Nikon) ones as well.
An excellent review of Hexar RF is here and there is another one that convinced me to buy it.
Of course buying an Hexar RF body + lens is quite an investment (about 1000 USD) and so will be Zeiss and especially Leica. If you want to still stick to a fixed lens camera, checkout the legendary Hexar AF. This one is a little beauty!
I have finally put a roll though my Hexar RF and will post photos soonish.
by Sunny on January 17 2008, 12:35 am #
The camera does sounds very cool, but I bought an R2A. Now I need a lens. I’m thinking of getting a Skopar 35mm f/2.5.
Which Bessa did you have? Why did you switch? I’m waiting to see how your shots turned out. I need to find a good place to develop and get negs scanned in Toronto.
by Ramanan on January 17 2008, 12:10 pm #
F*#&@ leica? seriously, that sounds like something someone who has never used one would say. i mean the hexar is a cool camera but the viewfinders are not in the same league and prone to misalignment as they were cheaper mechanisms.
anyhow, what’s the update on the bessa? still loving it?
by jon on October 20 2009, 8:02 am #
I’m still using and enjoying the Bessa, though it’s definitely not as nice as the M2 I ended up buying a half year later. I can understand why people complain about Leica. The camera’s are very nice, but are they several thousand dollars nice? It’s hard to say.
by ramanan on October 20 2009, 9:56 am #