Seeking advice for a purchase

[chadmopix]

Hi everyone. My first posting to RFF.

I am returning to film after an extended hiatus into digital and am looking to pick up a RF body plus a couple lenses. Price is an obvious factor and I am torn whether to try for a used Leica (M6 TTL) and a used 50mm Hexanon or,for the same price, a brand new R4A, a used R3A, ,a 40mm Nokton and a 21mm (both new).

I really like the 21 bright lines on the R4 and the Nokton seems like a fantastic low-light lens. My thinking is with 2 bodies I would have the luxury of having different films loaded and also a back-up as well.

I've seen a few people with issues regarding the R3 shutter sticking (not sure about the R4). I guess I'm trying to decide if quantity over quality is the best route (if there even is a quality issue with the Voigtlanders).

I'd really appreciate any advice/experience, etc. Thanks very much!

 

[elshaneo]

For a tight budget, I would go for the second choice, it seems to me that You like to shoot with wide angle lens. Anyway I believe that the Voigtlander Bessa Rangefinders are good quality although they are quite cheap compared to the Leica Rangefinders.

 

[Fred Burton]

The Bessa's are good cameras. Will the R4 you buy still be around to be fondled 40 years from now? Probably not, but neither will most of us. And it seems the finder matches your interest in wide angle lenses. The M6 might impress your friends more, but it sounds like the R4 would be a better match.

 

[ClaremontPhoto]

I don't have any friends to impress so the name on the camera doesn't matter.

I do, however, have friends and they all think my 'Kodaks' are pretty good judging from the photos they see.

If I went out now and got a €10 camera from the drugstore and set it next to a Leica nobody I know would even see any difference.


Chadmopix: choose your len(es) and then choose your camera to suit. If you're anywhere near Ffordes go and see them, try various cameras, and listen carefully to their advice.

As for the shutter on the Voigtlander there's no problem if you don't rush it. If you do try and advance the film before the end of the exposure it will sometimes jam.

 

[Fred Burton]

Very true, Jon. My Retina IIIc gets more comments than my M3. Probably says a lot about my friends, though. 😉

I've shot the heck out of my Bessa's, though, and have been very happy with them. If I shot wider than 35, I would have an R4.

 

[chadmopix]

Thanks everyone. I've made a special trip to Ffordes Photographic specifically to get a hands-on look at the Bessas, Leicas and also an Ikon. They all seem like great bits of kit. I do like to shoot wide, so I thought the 21 would be a nice choice and either the 40 Nokton or a 50mm lens (perhaps the Hexanon).

There is no doubt the mystique attached to the Leicas, as well as somewhat reassuring 'heft' to the bodies, but as everyone has pointed out twice the kit for the same price is pretty attractive.

One more thought: has anyone used a 40 Nokton and a 50mm Hexanon? If I were to go with a 21 for the landscapes and tight spaces, the 40 or 50 would cover the majority of situations. Also, the 40 could really only go on an R3 (not without a little guess-work) since the R4 has no 40mm brightlines. Any thoughts?

Thanks again.
Chad

 

[ClaremontPhoto]

chadmopix:

Having 40mm framelines, or not, depends on your photography. But since the R4 you seem to have decided on has 35mm framelines and 50mm framelines anyway perhaps you'd be happier with one of those lenses?

Ffordes are good honest people, and more importantly they are photographers themselves.


Fred Burton:

I didn't mean to infer that I had any Kodak cameras. All cameras here are called 'Kodaks' whoever made them just as all vacuum cleaners are called 'Hoovers'.

 

[back alley]

the r4a is a solid camera and wonderful for wide angle lenses. the 21 cv lens is perfect for the r4. the 40/1.4 can be used as a 35 on most other bodies that don't have 40mm frame lines.

 

[Fred Burton]

Yeah, Jon, I knew what you were talking about. I was just agreeing that in my experience as well, most people notice other cameras more than Leica M's.

I'm good to go, though, because I do have a Kodak camera AND a real Hoover vacuum cleaner (sucker must weigh 50 pounds). 🙂

 

[topoxforddoc]

Personally out of your choices, I'd go for the M6TTL and a 35 lens. If money's tight a used Voigtlander 35/1.7 or 35/2.5 would be an excellent starting point. To be honest I'd take a Leica M2 and the 35 as my choice. That's what I shoot as RF all the time. My M6TTL sits on the shelf at home.

Charlie

 

[Steve Bellayr]

M6 Classic with one lens for starters. If you have the cash try for the 35mm Summicron but that depends on your shooting style and lens preference. The M6Ttl is newer but there are plenty of M6 Classics is great operating order.

 

[mfogiel]

It really should work backwards:
- first decide the lens
- then decide the viewfinder
- lastly decide the camera

You sound like a normal rf shooter: yoy want to shoot from wide to normal.
My advice would be:
- start just with a 35mm lens and a body which suits that.
If you like AE, then a budget choice would be a Bessa R2A, otherwise look for a good condition Leica M2.
Next you could go wider (28mm) or longer (50mm) according to what you miss most. A 21mm lens is a pretty specialized fl, I would wait with that.

 

[ClaremontPhoto]

...most people notice other cameras more than Leica M's...

I lent a Leica to a business associate because we needed some photos of some products we were selling together.

He brought the camera back the next day and told me he hadn't actually needed to use it as the store owner we were buying from lent him a really good camera - a Canon APS.

My business associate is a university professor in a scientific discipline.