Sitting here in awe

[Byuphoto]

As I write this I am still fondling the Bessa R. As long as I have been at this business,over 30 years, I have never held anything with that magical "Leica" name on it. I am more in awe of the lens cap than anything else. I put it down and then take it back up a turn the dial and focus it just for fun. And many will never understand. It reminds me of when I got my S&W Triple Lock .44. Just to cock the hammer and revolve the cylinder was heaven on earth. I can only imagine what it must be like to have a fine Leica camera also. I have a 165 year old Sharps that feels like that and evokes that kind of emotion. It feels like a bank vault when you lock it up. I have rambled enough. To all those that have Leicas I applaude you for keeping the dream alive.

 

[back alley]

you should try to fondle a canon p!

now that's a mind boggling experience...

joe

 

[ChrisN]

Ha - you just beat me to it Joe. Rick, I was about to say that with your appreciation for fine mechanical devices and your interest in firearms, you should really get a Canon.

 

[ray_g]

Rick,

I would look for a clean bottom loader leica next. The M's are great, but the Barnacks are not only well-built, they are elegant and exquisite as well, IMHO. Would go well with the Summitar, too. Cost is much less prohibitive as well. The IIIF's are plentiful on the used market.

Welcome to the dark side.

 

[Byuphoto]

Well my first love is always canon, however I took a maalox to relieve GAS and will be content with the R and this lens and will add a Leitz 90 f4 after I recover fron my latest bloating.

 

[wlewisiii]

If you like really fine equipment, then it's obvious (to me anyway 😀 ) that you need to try a nice Contax II with a good piece of Zeiss glass attached. Now that's a camera that leaves, for me, the Leicas in the dust. If the late prototypes had made it into production, it would have been interesting to see if they could have held against Leica on the marketing level. I do doubt that the RF era would have been signifcantly extended - the advantages of Nikon's F were just too great for the pros to ignore. But it might well have at least had the kind of niche that the Contarex had.

I don't expect to ever get a Leica myself (unless it's a gift and, hey, I'm not _that_ silly), but I will admit I expect to get a Canon P or 7 someday.

On the gripping hand, you've just gotten an example of one of the most amazing deals in modern cameras. Why sweat the little stuff? Go and shoot and bring back your celluloid trophies for the rest of us to enjoy... 🙂

William

 

[simonankor]

I'm with Joe on the Canon thing 😉 Although I haven't had time to shoot it much yet... it's soooo beautiful! My Bessa R is now sitting at home getting more and more jealous. I'd better take her out again soon!

Now I just need to replace that old FED 2 that died...

 

[Sonnar Brian]

HEY! What is this, a group grope?

You guys gettin' TOO Excited!

Before you blast your credit balance to the Moon,

Think to yourself "MTF Test, MTF Test, Air Force test Chart, Grey-Scale Cards, Grey-Scale Cards"

That should get rid of the excitement.

 

[rover]

Well my first love is always canon, however I took a maalox to relieve GAS and will be content with the R and this lens and will add a Leitz 90 f4 after I recover fron my latest bloating.

This is what I like. Sit back and enjoy what you have and don't worry about what to get, at least for now.

 

[back alley]

This is what I like. Sit back and enjoy what you have and don't worry about what to get, at least for now.

let me know when you get that perfected ralph!! 🙂

 

[Byuphoto]

I just realized that there was absolutely no learning curve with the Bessa. I started shooting with an oldmanual Yashica TL Electro X and a Pentax K1000. The controls on the R are just like that. When I wasshooting the latest Canon Digital SLR's they were almost intimidating. So many controls and buttons. I shot a short roll todayand it was like puttingon an old pair of shoes.. I thank God, for the providence that lead me to this forum.