Oh, I can't decide!!! :)

[RayPA]

I had an R2. I liked the feel of it, the covering is great, and IMHO, it was the last "good-looking" Bessa, 🙂 but I ended up selling it for two reasons:

(1) when you activate the meter, the red meter light is visible from the front of the camera (in the illuminator window)
(2) the kicker for me: the sound of both the shutter and the advance mechanism was too loud/distinct/obvious for my taste.

If neither are issues for you. The R2 is a great camera.

I'm a frameline guy, so I recomend getting a camera that gives you as many framelines as possible, especially the 28-90 range framelines. Those will probably be the lenses you'll want and the ones you'll end up using the most. That may mean you'll have to step away from a 1:1 finder.

🙂

 

[sienarot]

If you haven't already you really should go to a shop and feel them all. I had originally went to pick up an Bessa R with the 35 combo. After playing with it and comparing it to the R2a/R3a. I ended up with the R3a and the 40mm.

Unfortunately the only local place that carries voigtlander here has the R, atleast according to their website. I'm actually heading there after work to check it out anyways since I've actually yet to hold any Bessa (other than my 6x9 folder).

Maybe I'll luck out and they'll have some used R2*/R3's.

 

[peter_n]

used already? that was fast!

how are you liking it peter?

Yes it was fast. I saw it at work in the afternoon, pondered on it during the train ride home and luckily it was still there when I fired up the computer at home. 🙂

This is my first CV camera so I'm still getting used to it - I had never even seen one before. The body is a bit smaller than a Leica which is the major issue for me (I guess I have medium-big hands). Everything seems to work, especially closest/infinity vertical alignment. 😉 I'm impressed with the fit & finish, shutter isn't too noisy, VF is great! It is amazing to see the parallax compensation with a 24mm lens. I can use my Leica 24/2.8 with the hood attached on the cam. It does occlude the VF but I can live with it. My 28mm M-Hexanon may well be the main lens for this body - seeing so much around that single frameline is a beautiful thing!

So far I'm a happy camper, this is an innovative product that I think deserves support from the RF community. I really don't see the point of a 0.58 mag Leica when this 0.52 mag body is so much more functional.

 

[back alley]

i'm liking mine quite a bit also.
it feels comfortable and having the framelines for the 21 is so nice.
even with having the zm 25 i am thinking about getting the new version cv 25 when it is available. i like the idea of a complete set of the tiny cv lenses.

 

[bobkonos]

I use the R2S (Nikon rangefinder mount) and 21,25, and 85 CV lenses. Great camera, great outfit. I am contemplating selling a slew of Leica M cameras that gather dust and getting another R camera (perhaps R4M) to use with my MP, so this thread has been helpful. These CV cameras and lenses are great performers and great values.

 

[dostacos]

R4M/A wide angle camera, no framelines for the 75 and 90 lenses [25/28/35/50]

R3M/A 40/50/75/90 framelines camera 1:1viewfinder

R2M/A 35/50/75/90 framelines .7 viewfinder

all have the 1/2 stop LEDs

R2 35/50/75/90 framelines, different body type [IMHO, a better rewind crank and meter on the other cameras]

R2 least expensive of the group. concider a 2 body kit down the road, one for wides and another that will cover the longer lenses

a R3M/A and a R4M/A would give framelines for ALL the available voightlander lenses.

go with a used R3M/A now and a 4 later????

 

[anna missed]

An additional benifit with the true 1:1 finder is that the longer focal lengths also appear much bigger and brighter in the viewfinder. I had a 90mm CL lens that I rarely used because on the Leica the frame lines were so small and far away it was hard to compose. After getting a 3m, I now use the 90 like it was a 50 on the CL. A big difference

 

[cameramanic]

How about getting a T with seperate viewfinders, I love mine nearly as much as my R.