Leica vs Bessa

[Crasis]

I agree with Roland, the M6 is very easy to load once you get over the newness of it relative to swingback. It is not as difficult to load Ms as people suggest or think.

Use two hands and no one says you can't use your teeth to hold the bottom plate 😉

Yeah sure. Two hands, teeth, and where do you put the spool? Right, older Ms. Some of the removable spools are TIGHT! Like, cannot wedge that film into them, tight. Like, where's the screw driver so I can pry this open a bit to put the film leader into, tight.

Yeah, some Ms are pretty easy to load. The others require a bit of pre-loading at home with extra spools 🙂

 

[rxmd]

Yeah sure. Two hands, teeth, and where do you put the spool? Right, older Ms.

Those were designed with Indian goddesses in mind.

Philipp

 

[CookyaITA]

Hi,
let a new member to the forum add his humble opinion ;-).
Everything I read here in the threads is right and rich of good sense.
I own a M6TTL and a CV R2.
For my street photos in daylight i prefere to carry with me the Voigt: fast, reliable, lighter and with the Twinder even faster, and don't forget that if stolen it's a muuuch smaller damage to your wallet.
When I i need to shoot inside photos such as churches, museums, night time, "inside street photos" - read: stolen portraits in very low light - the M6 with Leica lens is unbeatable (I call it my surgeon knife for it's sharpness).
Don't forget: lenses make the difference on the quality of the photo and unfortunatly also in the fullness/emptiness of your wallet...
Conclusion: IMO, start with a Voigt, also a used one, (R2 and R2A are getting really cheap-it's value for money), discover possibilities of RF shooting with reasonable budget lens. After a while, and you'll understand yourself, shift to Leica (M6 is an excellent balance between tradition and modern cameras).
ENJOY!

 

[Kyle]

I never understood why people complain about not knowing where to put the base plate when re-loading their M. Don't you people have pockets?

 

[Palaeoboy]

Ive read through this whole thread but no one seems to consider one important factor of what lens your using on this camera. I love the 40mm focal length. But I really dont like using 40's on cameras that dont have 40mm framelines. I know some people get away with using whole finders or filing down part of the mount to bring up an approx 35mm frameline but it still isnt the same, especially if you use it for 70% of your shots like I do. I simply want the correct framelines. This is a feature I put above the mechanical feel factor. If you have the Nokton 40mm then the R3M would be my choice of the 2.

 

[Dougg]

Paleoboy, I hear you on the 40mm finder framelines. This would be the attractive thing about the R3a and R3m and the less-seen Rollei 35 member of the same family. Just to consider another alternative... I use the 40mm Nokton on my Minolta CLE; the lower finder magnification means I can easily see around the outside of the 40 frame, a convenience. Further, it has 28mm framelines too, so I use a 28 'cron on it as well, again easily seeing around the outside of even that frameset. This is a lovely combination, and I'm very fond of my CLE for these attributes and its small & inconspicuous appearance.

 

[Flyfisher Tom]

Hi,
let a new member to the forum add his humble opinion ;-).
Everything I read here in the threads is right and rich of good sense.
I own a M6TTL and a CV R2.
For my street photos in daylight i prefere to carry with me the Voigt: fast, reliable, lighter and with the Twinder even faster, and don't forget that if stolen it's a muuuch smaller damage to your wallet.
When I i need to shoot inside photos such as churches, museums, night time, "inside street photos" - read: stolen portraits in very low light - the M6 with Leica lens is unbeatable (I call it my surgeon knife for it's sharpness).
Don't forget: lenses make the difference on the quality of the photo and unfortunatly also in the fullness/emptiness of your wallet...
Conclusion: IMO, start with a Voigt, also a used one, (R2 and R2A are getting really cheap-it's value for money), discover possibilities of RF shooting with reasonable budget lens. After a while, and you'll understand yourself, shift to Leica (M6 is an excellent balance between tradition and modern cameras).
ENJOY!

Well said.

Both systems have their virtues. You have to evaluate which qualities are most important to you right now. If funds are limited, spend it on glass first, that has the greatest impact on your images. The camera is just a light box 🙂

 

[FrankS]

The camera is just a light box.

You know I love you Tom, but I cringe when I hear people say this. If it's jsut a light tight box, how is it that it talks to me? 🙂

 

[BillBingham2]

Joel, what makes you think there is that much difference between a 35mm frame line and a 40mm frame line? If you want exact, Nikon F or F2, WYSIWYG, 100%.

Have you done any testing?

B2 (;->

 

[Flyfisher Tom]

The camera is just a light box.

You know I love you Tom, but I cringe when I hear people say this. If it's jsut a light tight box, how is it that it talks to me? 🙂

The camera talks to you eh ....

I always knew you were a Camera Whisperer, Frank 🙂

 

[jaapv]

I never understood why people complain about not knowing where to put the base plate when re-loading their M. Don't you people have pockets?

Or teeth?😛

 

[rxmd]

I wonder if Jaap is speaking with professional interests in mind.

Philipp