tomperson
Member
Hi all!!!
This year I finally took the plunge. After reading so much about rangefinders, spending hours and hours on flickr looking at pics, checking lenses qualities, and last but not least, saving some hard earned cash, it was time to really get into the rangefinder world.
My budget was around 1000 for a camera+lens kit. I wanted a reasonably contemporary camera (meaning not a IIIc or Zorki-4), so I quickly found out that my only real options would be a Bessa R something or a Leica CL.
I really, really wanted the CL. Leica camera, leica glass (and the summicron 40mm f/2 seems to have quite a following), lovely minimalistic design. But I just couldn't justify spending around 500-600 for a 30 years old camera, possibly with an unreliable meter, and without AE.
Lately, I've been shooting much more street photography than before, and, for my style of shooting, AE is really important. I love Manual mode as much as everybody (and in fact, I use it whenever i can), but for "hunting" a pic, I feel AE really helps. It helps me thinking less and concentrating more on the instant and the composition.
Enter Voigtlander. Probably not as sexy as the red dot brand. But boy, am I surprised. I went with an R3A: electronic shutter with AE, 1:1 viewfinder (i thought it would be cool to shoot with both eyes open 😎) and best suited for my most comfortable focal range: 50mm. The body is very compact and it feels right in the hand, with a reassuring weight to it. It is much sexier than it looks in pics.
I wanted a fast lens (i love doing portraits with avaiable light), so I went with a 50mm f/1.5 Nokton for it. I thought about the 40mm 1.4 since it has so many rave reviews, but I wanted to start in a range that I already feel comfortable with. And I'm sure I made the right decision, even more now that I have the camera, as the 40mm frames are rather difficult to see, the 50mm ones just feel right.
The lens is beautiful, probably a bit on the large side for a rangefinder, but not so big (at least not for me that I'm used to SLRs). It has a nice weight to it, and everything just feels silky, smooth...I don't know you, but I value a lot the feeling my equipment transmits to me.
I'm loving its colours and bokeh:
Polaroid High Definition 100 / Expired 2007
Overall, I'm super pleased with the camera. I hope this helps someone who is in the same position as me, trying to figure out what kit to buy on a rather tight budget. Yes, I'd buy voigtlander again, that's for sure.
Regards to all.
This year I finally took the plunge. After reading so much about rangefinders, spending hours and hours on flickr looking at pics, checking lenses qualities, and last but not least, saving some hard earned cash, it was time to really get into the rangefinder world.
My budget was around 1000 for a camera+lens kit. I wanted a reasonably contemporary camera (meaning not a IIIc or Zorki-4), so I quickly found out that my only real options would be a Bessa R something or a Leica CL.
I really, really wanted the CL. Leica camera, leica glass (and the summicron 40mm f/2 seems to have quite a following), lovely minimalistic design. But I just couldn't justify spending around 500-600 for a 30 years old camera, possibly with an unreliable meter, and without AE.
Lately, I've been shooting much more street photography than before, and, for my style of shooting, AE is really important. I love Manual mode as much as everybody (and in fact, I use it whenever i can), but for "hunting" a pic, I feel AE really helps. It helps me thinking less and concentrating more on the instant and the composition.
Enter Voigtlander. Probably not as sexy as the red dot brand. But boy, am I surprised. I went with an R3A: electronic shutter with AE, 1:1 viewfinder (i thought it would be cool to shoot with both eyes open 😎) and best suited for my most comfortable focal range: 50mm. The body is very compact and it feels right in the hand, with a reassuring weight to it. It is much sexier than it looks in pics.
I wanted a fast lens (i love doing portraits with avaiable light), so I went with a 50mm f/1.5 Nokton for it. I thought about the 40mm 1.4 since it has so many rave reviews, but I wanted to start in a range that I already feel comfortable with. And I'm sure I made the right decision, even more now that I have the camera, as the 40mm frames are rather difficult to see, the 50mm ones just feel right.
The lens is beautiful, probably a bit on the large side for a rangefinder, but not so big (at least not for me that I'm used to SLRs). It has a nice weight to it, and everything just feels silky, smooth...I don't know you, but I value a lot the feeling my equipment transmits to me.
I'm loving its colours and bokeh:
Polaroid High Definition 100 / Expired 2007
Overall, I'm super pleased with the camera. I hope this helps someone who is in the same position as me, trying to figure out what kit to buy on a rather tight budget. Yes, I'd buy voigtlander again, that's for sure.
Regards to all.
