r3a or r2a?

[Speedy]

Hi everyone,

i m new to photography and this forum...i want to buy a voigtlander rangefinder but i m not sure about buying r3a or r2a.any suggestions?thanks...

 

[Gabriel M.A.]

I think the answer is basically answered by this: will you use a 40mm lens, or a 35mm lens? Or does it matter? The R3a has 40, 50, 75 and 90 framelines; the R2a has 35, 50, 75 and 90. Everything else is the same. Hope that helps.

 

[Burkey]

Welcome to RFF. I'm going to hate myself later for repling so quickly but here are some thoughts from someone not new to photography but very new to Voigtlanders. If you surf around on this forum you'll find a lot of good if not great information about both the R2a and the R3a among other things. I have an R3a. I wear glasses and some here find that with glasses the 40mm lines in the VF are a bit difficult to see but it being 1:1 makes for a pretty easy focusing experience for me. It also has a very bright VF. Both are great cameras IMO. Check some of the sponsors of the page when you begin shopping. My own preference is Stephen Gandy's Camera Quest. Good luck. Return often. I'm finding this forum to be incredibly valuable.

 

[Gabriel M.A.]

Did I say the answer is answered? Boy, did I ever spend time at the Redundant Bureau Department of Redundancies or did I ever spend time there?

 

[Fred]

There are a lot of used R3a cameras out there, maybe try one and see how you get on.

As a glasses person I tried the 3a but found the 40 frames lines difficult to see. From that perspective the R2a would be better. Also thee are a lot more good 35mm lenses out there than there are 40s. I think 40 is a tad too close to 50 but thats a personal preference.

 

[aizan]

50mm -> r3a
35mm -> r2a
40mm -> leica cl 😀

 

[Toby]

It's a bit like saying I'm hungry what should I buy chicken or steak? If you are new to RF why not buy the original bessa R? they're dirt cheap so if you decide you don't get on with RF cameras you haven't wasted too much money