Body for CV 75?

[JohnR]

Hi, I am thinking of getting the CV 75mm lens -- I have the 25/4 with a Bessa "L", and have quite enjoyed the picture-taking and the results so far 🙂

My first thought was to get a Bessa T, because of the 1.5x rangefinder and CameraQuest has a great price on them. But, by the time you include the viewfinder and LTM -> M adapter, a Bessa R is cheaper! So that's $250 for the body, and I was wondering if this is the best choice for the $$. What else would you suggest I should/could be looking at to go with the CV 75? (Used/vintage is fine). I don't need AE but I do like having a meter in the camera...

 

[rover]

Well, the R3a is a natural choice due to the higher magnification viewfinder. That means that the 75mm framelines in the viewfinder are wider than they are in a finder with less magnification. The 25 will work fine with the R3a too as you will be using an external finder anyway.

 

[pvdhaar]

I've got a Bessa-T myself, and even though I don't mind using external finders myself, I can imagine that for others it is its Achilles heel for longer focal lengths. I mean the RF magnification of 1.5x is great, but there's a caveat in the parallax department. The standard CV75 finder doesn't have a means to dial in the distance. Just make sure you're comfortable with that.

 

[Todd.Hanz]

I can't speak for the Voigtlander bodies but I use mine on an M4-P with the 50/75 LTM adapter. The M4-P has framelines (or notches really) for the 75.

Todd

 

[kludge]

Will the CV 75 (and other CV lenses) work well with FSU rangefinders? I was thinking of getting one for my Zorki 6. I was originally going to get a Jupiter-9 (love it in M42 screwmount), but the stories of problems with the LTM mounts scare me. Besides, for my purposes, a 75 would be better than an 85. What I REALLY need is about a 65, but nobody makes one...

 

[JohnR]

Hi, what I meant :bang: to ask was what to look at in that price range (and under). I guess I was just thinking out loud 🙂 Still trying to sort out all the various options!