Toughest, sharpest manual fixed lens RF?

Probably the Semi-Silvered beamsplitter is deteriorated.

The Yashica Lynx 14e- if you get one would a good beamsplitter. I have been trhough TWO with bad beamsplitters, third time is the charm.

It is as big as an Yashica SLR, heavy with an F1.4 lens. I read up on your experience with the Bessa.
 
It is easier to replace it with stock from Edmund Scientific or another camera. The Lynx uses the same splitter as does the GSN. Sometimes you get lucky.

I do not know what the A5 uses.

My Minolta Hi-Matic 9 is in good shape, bought it in 1969. It is also full-size.
 
I don't know how tough it is but I love my canonet QL17 III. I thought it was much tougher than the minolta 7sII i had earlier. I've been carrying mine to my lab everyday in a backpack to document the crazy people i spend the day with. So far it's held up like a champ to all the abuse i've given it. The ebay craze on these seem to be fading and the prices are coming down now so you might get a good deal. You should be able to get one in perfect condition for under $100.
 
Brian Sweeney said:
Probably the Semi-Silvered beamsplitter is deteriorated.

The Yashica Lynx 14e- if you get one would a good beamsplitter. I have been trhough TWO with bad beamsplitters, third time is the charm.

It is as big as an Yashica SLR, heavy with an F1.4 lens. I read up on your experience with the Bessa.
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+1 for the Yashica Lynx 14: a sturdy camera with a great lens.
 
Brian Sweeney said:
It is as big as an Yashica SLR, heavy with an F1.4 lens. I read up on your experience with the Bessa.
Click to expand...

gliderbee said:
+1 for the Yashica Lynx 14: a sturdy camera with a great lens.
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Exactly. Normal sized controls. Weight and leaf shutter makes it like having VR or IS.

And no one FL RF with semi-automated AE (35RC, canonets, Konica Auto's etc) provide same shutter release experience as Lynxes. It feels like being in heaven and having angels assisting!
 
Maybe. Yashica Lynx 5000
The only Leaf shutter Fixxed lens RF with 1/1000 speed.
Heavy and built like the other Yashica Tanks with a sharp contrasty 1.8/45mm lens.
I've never found one with a working meter although I'm sure they are out there.
That extra stop of shutter speed could be very usefull to slow the shaking.
 
f16sunshine said:
Maybe. Yashica Lynx 5000
The only Leaf shutter Fixxed lens RF with 1/1000 speed.
Click to expand...

To be exact, there are other FL RF's with 1/1000th...to mention Yashica Electro 35FC, some Minoltas (can't remember on the fly)...there ARE some.

But I agree it's quite good. Again, it provides proper shutter release feeling, yet body isn't too large but also not miniature - and it's nicely rounded like intelligent brick instead of "vulgar brick" shape used on most cameras in this class 🙂

Lynxes are known for faded beamsplitter but still usable. If serviced they disinctively stand out of crowd.

5000 is more practical in terms of everyday's usage than 14 (and cheaper, usually), though 14 has more heft which has it's own charm.
 
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