gave away my camera for free... where do I go from here?

[froyd]

At least now you have a reason to get a Zeiss Ikon ;-)

Actually I ended up snapping up a Contax G1 kit at good price. I have always been curious about this "odd duck" rangefinder and its superb lenses, but could never bring myself to give it a try with the Bessa around. This is as good an opportunity as any to try it out, and if it's not for me I should be able to sell it with little loss.

Thanks for all the advice

 

[Bogotron]

I would probably do as several others suggested and get a fixed lens rangefinder like a Yaschica or Canonet in the interim, while saving for an upgrade like a Zeiss Ikon. There are a lot of inexpensive rangefinder options with high quality glass - Canonet, Yaschica, Konica, Minolta, Olympus, etc. Those should be able to hold you over should you decide to save up for a more expensive system like the ZI. Of course if it happened to me I'd have to fight every urge to dump an M6 and a 35 summicron onto the credit card immediately, but hopefully you have better impulse control than I! Best of luck and I'm really sorry about the Bessa.

 

[Proteus617]

Get a Fed2 with the I26m. Great camera. Cheap. I leave mine in the car all the time. The car doors don't lock. No one ever steals it. I have no idea why.

 

[Ranger Copy]

Sorry to hear about your camera.
A good choice (at least for some time to rise funds) would be a Yashica Electro35. They have a very very decent 45/1.7 lens, plus controllable automation (aperture preferred).
Most important, a good one won´t cost an arm and a leg.

Cheers
Ernesto

I may have one of those for sale soon. I tried out my GSN last Saturday and was not impressed with the amount of work...I can almost bet 100% that all frames will come out blurry. And i can hear it now..."how did Mom's double chin turn into four?"

 

[Beemermark]

Your home owners or renter's insurance covers the loss. Of course your deductible may be higher than the value of camera.