Jarvis
in quest of "the light"
I can purchase this set (used) for 700€ I have looked at the specs, but this is supposibly all marketing stuff. Anybody here can fill me in on pro's and con's ?
Aperture
Member
It's a great camera and lens, only negative point might be it's limited use for wide angle lenses without having to use external finders, this due to the high (1.0!) magnification of the R3A. I believe some people already have problems seeing the 40mm lines in the finder...
It all kinda depends on whether you fancy wide-angles.
It all kinda depends on whether you fancy wide-angles.
aizan
Veteran
ooh, great price. nab it, you'll only be missing out on the 35mm framelines, unless that's your primary focal length. you'd need an accessory viewfinder for anything wider, except for 28mm, where you have the .58x leica m or .6x hexar rf as options. too bad voigtlander doesn't have a low mag finder!
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Cloudy
Established
The 1.0 magnification of the R3A is really important for accurate focusing when the lens is wide open, ie. low light shots or shallow DOF effects.
Huck Finn
Well-known
Jarvis,
DO NOT MAKE THIS PURCHASE!
This is a very useful camera/lens combination, but there have been posts about early production problems with both the camera & lens. Not unheard of from any manufacturer. This doesn't mean that you should not buy an R3A & 40/1.4. BUT it does mean that you should buy this kit with a warranty. This camera has only been on the market for a few months, so I'd wonder if the buyer is selling it because he is dissatisfied - perhaps some defect?
700 Euros is NOT a great price. It is about the same price that you can buy new & warranteed from either of the USA distributors - Photo Village in New York or Camera Quest in California. Or you can buy from Robert White in England for 510 GBP (only slightly more) and shipping will be within Europe.
Before making this purchase, you should handle the camera or buy from a dealer who will allow you to return without penalty. Some users have had difficulty seeing the 40 mm frame lines. Most of those who wear glasses have found it to be impossible. Only you can determine whether you are compfortable with this set-up.
This is a very nice camera & very nice lens, but my advice is to buy with some protection.
Best of luck with your purchase.
Huck
DO NOT MAKE THIS PURCHASE!
This is a very useful camera/lens combination, but there have been posts about early production problems with both the camera & lens. Not unheard of from any manufacturer. This doesn't mean that you should not buy an R3A & 40/1.4. BUT it does mean that you should buy this kit with a warranty. This camera has only been on the market for a few months, so I'd wonder if the buyer is selling it because he is dissatisfied - perhaps some defect?
700 Euros is NOT a great price. It is about the same price that you can buy new & warranteed from either of the USA distributors - Photo Village in New York or Camera Quest in California. Or you can buy from Robert White in England for 510 GBP (only slightly more) and shipping will be within Europe.
Before making this purchase, you should handle the camera or buy from a dealer who will allow you to return without penalty. Some users have had difficulty seeing the 40 mm frame lines. Most of those who wear glasses have found it to be impossible. Only you can determine whether you are compfortable with this set-up.
This is a very nice camera & very nice lens, but my advice is to buy with some protection.
Best of luck with your purchase.
Huck
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V0IGTLANDER
Member
i am wearing glasses, and i can't see the entire 40mm framelines corner to corner, even when pressed closed against the eyepiece. Got to shift my eye around. Other than that, the 1:1 viewfinder is great.
Aperture said:
aizan
Veteran
my bad, 700 euros *is* about 900. i wouldn't be too worried about qc or the guy trying to dupe you. he may just not think it's the right camera for him (maybe he wears glasses, heh), and saved you the possible trouble of getting a bum example.
Jarvis
in quest of "the light"
Well It's actually an acquantance selling this item. Up until 5 or 6 months ago he was a 100% digital photographer, not getting anwhere near the standards he was looking for he bought a second hand F5 and a 24-70 2,8 lens and started developing and printing himself, he really enjoyed the B&W experience and the total possibilities of manipulation of the end result, but wanted a smaller "allways take along" camera alongside his Nikon, so this is when he bought the R3a and Nokton, yet another acquantance is selling hies M6TTL in order to purchase an M7, so this is how the circle goes, the M6 replaces the R3a and the M7 the M6, and theres me looking at the R3a. I have held it, shot a roll of delta 100 and Efke 25 and I must say it all looks and feels good, I can probably get the price down a bit, I would guess to 625 or so, but I have to decide by tuesday ....
The only thing I'me worried about is wanting a Leica too in 4 months or so, allthough I'me not that type of guy (I think at least) but this leica bug thing gets around now doesn't it. I have my G2 which I still like, but too much automation, since I started manually shooting with the hasselblad I like the idea of at least beeing able to focus manually and actually seeing upfront what might come out at the end. (what sort of an excuse is this ! I just want something new hehehehe)
I am also very impressed by Konica Hexar's ... But the minimum requirement is that the camera has to be sturdy, stand the weather, and should be able to live through a couple of "bigger" bumps... and have a great 30-50mm performance fully open, this is how I like to shoot .....
By the way I have discovered the Efke film, at 25 asa it is a great "old fashioned" quality film, no grain, perfect texture I would think would fit in great with a good "Bokeh" of any lens, anybody use this film ?
The only thing I'me worried about is wanting a Leica too in 4 months or so, allthough I'me not that type of guy (I think at least) but this leica bug thing gets around now doesn't it. I have my G2 which I still like, but too much automation, since I started manually shooting with the hasselblad I like the idea of at least beeing able to focus manually and actually seeing upfront what might come out at the end. (what sort of an excuse is this ! I just want something new hehehehe)
I am also very impressed by Konica Hexar's ... But the minimum requirement is that the camera has to be sturdy, stand the weather, and should be able to live through a couple of "bigger" bumps... and have a great 30-50mm performance fully open, this is how I like to shoot .....
By the way I have discovered the Efke film, at 25 asa it is a great "old fashioned" quality film, no grain, perfect texture I would think would fit in great with a good "Bokeh" of any lens, anybody use this film ?
Huck Finn
Well-known
Okay, Jarvis, you've sold me. Knowing the history of the camera & knowing the seller makes a world of difference. I would also assume that you could go through him for warranty coverage if the warranty is not transferable? I have seen on the Ringfoto Voigtlaender site in Germany that their warranty is 3 years. This plus saving on shipping makes this a good deal - especially if you can get him down to 625 Euros.
Konica Hexar RFs seem to me to be more ruggedly built than the Bessas, but you have to want motorized film advance. I didn't. The Bessas have a brighter viewfinder. The 0.6 magnification of the Hexar RF reduces its effective base length to only slightly better than an R3A. Either can focus even the fastest lenses in the 30 - 50 mm range. If this range includes 28 for you, then I think that the Hexar RF has the tie breaker because its viewfinder includes 28 mm frame lines & the R3A does not; in fact, it doesn't even include 35 mm frame lines. With 3 pairs of frame lines built in (6 total), the Hexar RFs viewfinder is a little more clutteres - just like a Leica - if that's okay with you. The biggest draw back of the Hexar RF is that its rangefinder has the reputation of being fragile, i.e. it can easily be knocked out of alignment. This would seem to fail your requirement that it be able to withstand some bigger bumps. There have been reports that Konica improved the rangefinder after initial problems, so a later sample may be better in this regard (serial # above 1,4). Konica didn't really tell anyone publicly, so these are in the rumor category.
I think that the Leica bug gets around because users run up against the limitations of other RF cameras that they try first. Leica's longer base line & wide range of built in frame lines make it more versatile than other RFs on the market. In addition, Leica supports their products & there are independent technicians who can service them as well. Konica, for example, did not do a good job of supporting the Hexar RF IMHO, which contributed to the eventual demise to what was otherwise an excellent camera. With Leica you get the added bonus of build quality & a substantial used market. However, for the price it is hard to beat a Bessa.
Konica Hexar RFs seem to me to be more ruggedly built than the Bessas, but you have to want motorized film advance. I didn't. The Bessas have a brighter viewfinder. The 0.6 magnification of the Hexar RF reduces its effective base length to only slightly better than an R3A. Either can focus even the fastest lenses in the 30 - 50 mm range. If this range includes 28 for you, then I think that the Hexar RF has the tie breaker because its viewfinder includes 28 mm frame lines & the R3A does not; in fact, it doesn't even include 35 mm frame lines. With 3 pairs of frame lines built in (6 total), the Hexar RFs viewfinder is a little more clutteres - just like a Leica - if that's okay with you. The biggest draw back of the Hexar RF is that its rangefinder has the reputation of being fragile, i.e. it can easily be knocked out of alignment. This would seem to fail your requirement that it be able to withstand some bigger bumps. There have been reports that Konica improved the rangefinder after initial problems, so a later sample may be better in this regard (serial # above 1,4). Konica didn't really tell anyone publicly, so these are in the rumor category.
I think that the Leica bug gets around because users run up against the limitations of other RF cameras that they try first. Leica's longer base line & wide range of built in frame lines make it more versatile than other RFs on the market. In addition, Leica supports their products & there are independent technicians who can service them as well. Konica, for example, did not do a good job of supporting the Hexar RF IMHO, which contributed to the eventual demise to what was otherwise an excellent camera. With Leica you get the added bonus of build quality & a substantial used market. However, for the price it is hard to beat a Bessa.