Sorry to say... but I'm leaving the Ms...

My bessa R is easy to use, but If it was all about functionality and ease of use I doubt that many of us would be here at all. I reach more often for my 50 year old meterless canon (or, maybe it reaches for me!)
 
F3HP is a great camera. I bought mine a couple months ago, and it's one I will NEVER sell! Doesn't hurt that mine was used by the LA Times. I like to wonder where it's been:)
 
Haha, Thanks for all of your support, guys... I've had my eyes on an F3HP for a while now, but the slow sync speed is a hinderance IMO.... I may still end up getting one, but Im thinking something along the lines of an FM2n instead. any of you guys have experience w/ the differences as far as handeling is concerned?
 
The F3HP with an MD4 motor drive is an amazing combination - of course that assumes you NEED the motor. I prefer the balance and weight in that setup. On it's own, the F3 is still a wonderful camera, slower sync & all. I found the FM2's to be a bit small on the handling side, but you can't go wrong with one of those either. Nikon makes some great manual focus lenses - construction & quality wise.
 
The FM2n body has identical primary body dimensions as a Leica M3 (I'm holding them next to each other). The F and F2 *look* so much larger, they are larger of course, but when you hold them next to the FM2n the differences are small. I don't have an F3HP to compare. It's funny how such small differences in actual dimensions can make such a HUGE difference in look and feel.
 
...just for grins I did a quick sound test, I had my Girlfriend stand at the other end of the room and fire-off shots (no film) all at 250th. The FM2n seems to be the loudest of the bunch!!! Followed by, or almost the same as the F2. The FM2n has more of a metal box sound. The F was very quiet compared... the M3 of course seeming almost silent. The F was so quiet, I was surprised and actually expected exactly the opposite result!
 
Carrying/using expensive cameras really is such a mentality issue. I have a lot of money tied up in expensive cameras...more than in my car certainly, but I don't ever fear bringing them with me. My dad, on the other hand, is always shocked that I bring my cameras with me around New York or to foreign countries. My response is, "well, what good are they sitting in a drawer?" I often walk around with an M7 and an M8 in my bag with a 35/1.4 ASPH, 75/2 and a 25mm biogon. That's well over 10,000 dollars in a bag, but it's just the way I work. If I did not carry them with me, and use them, I would feel bad about having bought them in the first place. I have insurance that covers them in case of theft, so I feel safe. My dad would not, and he only really used his M6 at family events and special occasions.

Anyway, there is nothing wrong with being uncomfortable using the M2, it really is a mental issue and you just need to use what you think best fits your work. It is just always interesting to me the different ways people look at it.
 
dscottdavis said:
...just for grins I did a quick sound test, I had my Girlfriend stand at the other end of the room and fire-off shots (no film) all at 250th. The FM2n seems to be the loudest of the bunch!!! Followed by, or almost the same as the F2. The FM2n has more of a metal box sound. The F was very quiet compared... the M3 of course seeming almost silent. The F was so quiet, I was surprised and actually expected exactly the opposite result!
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the FM2n and the FM3a are cool smal cameras, i prefer the metering indicator in the viewfinder of the FM2n over that of the FM3a...as to sound, both have it, and compared to the MP3, are very noisy, but also feel as if they'd jump out of your grip....the OM2 though, is a compact, very smooth, elegant body ..almost leica like
 
>> The F was so quiet, I was surprised and actually expected exactly the opposite result!<<

The F uses the SP shutter plus a mirror assembly. If you lock up the mirror, the sound is identical to that of an SP. Not super quiet, but not very loud, either.
 
StuartR said:
Carrying/using expensive cameras really is such a mentality issue. I have a lot of money tied up in expensive cameras...more than in my car certainly, but I don't ever fear bringing them with me. My dad, on the other hand, is always shocked that I bring my cameras with me around New York or to foreign countries. My response is, "well, what good are they sitting in a drawer?" I often walk around with an M7 and an M8 in my bag with a 35/1.4 ASPH, 75/2 and a 25mm biogon. That's well over 10,000 dollars in a bag, but it's just the way I work. If I did not carry them with me, and use them, I would feel bad about having bought them in the first place. I have insurance that covers them in case of theft, so I feel safe. My dad would not, and he only really used his M6 at family events and special occasions.

Anyway, there is nothing wrong with being uncomfortable using the M2, it really is a mental issue and you just need to use what you think best fits your work. It is just always interesting to me the different ways people look at it.
Click to expand...

It's not so much the actual value of the camera that I have with me, so much as it is, the idea of dropping the camera, misplacing it, or otherwise being without it in some fashion or other and not being able to replace it because I don't have the finances to be able to... The way I look at it, I can go through 3 bessa Rs before I would go through Just 1 M2.

I will likely own another in the future, but for now, this suits me better, and allows me to feel more comfortable while I adjust to bringing a camera with me everywhere.
 
I, too, understand the issue of carrying an expensive camera around. That's why people have more than one camera. It takes a long time to get used to carrying a expensive camera that you saved up for a long time to buy. But, the real issue is not that it will be stolen but the clumsiness of the photographer. More often it gets dropped when we are inattentive. I think this occurs when we are concentrating on two things at once, i.e., driving and leaving the camera on the front seat and a quick stop and it just hit the floor. That is why we have the phrased the comfort zone.
 
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