back alley
IMAGES
...and maybe saving up to buy another one.
as of right now i don't own a rangefinder...the rd1 was my last one and i did love that camera.
getting my hands on the minolta film slrs has sort of started an itch that i think only a true rf can soothe.
i thought about getting another rd1 as i like/prefer/have no problem with digital imaging.
but it's the film thing that is stirring the pot.
thought about getting a leica and a summicron as a one lens/body kit but really, for me, that would be a dishonest move as leica has never been a first choice.
in the end, lens choice has been the deciding factor. i like auto focus as my eyes and my fingers just are not as fast as they used to be...so i would need a wide angle lens to take advantage of hyper focal distancing to make focussing a non issue...so a nice small 25mm is my choice and that being so...it makes sense to think about the bessa r4a. would be a pretty good street kit...a cv 25/4 on a r4a body.
as usual, money is a barrier but i'm not in a rush and think i could swing it painlessly for a next summer purchase.
my winter project is then to save/put aside/earn some extra $$ for a film rf kit!!
i feel better....
as of right now i don't own a rangefinder...the rd1 was my last one and i did love that camera.
getting my hands on the minolta film slrs has sort of started an itch that i think only a true rf can soothe.
i thought about getting another rd1 as i like/prefer/have no problem with digital imaging.
but it's the film thing that is stirring the pot.
thought about getting a leica and a summicron as a one lens/body kit but really, for me, that would be a dishonest move as leica has never been a first choice.
in the end, lens choice has been the deciding factor. i like auto focus as my eyes and my fingers just are not as fast as they used to be...so i would need a wide angle lens to take advantage of hyper focal distancing to make focussing a non issue...so a nice small 25mm is my choice and that being so...it makes sense to think about the bessa r4a. would be a pretty good street kit...a cv 25/4 on a r4a body.
as usual, money is a barrier but i'm not in a rush and think i could swing it painlessly for a next summer purchase.
my winter project is then to save/put aside/earn some extra $$ for a film rf kit!!
i feel better....
bonatto
looking out
Never handled a Contaz G2 kit myself, Joe, but that's possibly something to look into if you would like AF goodness. From what I hear though it's not the greatest RF experience though...
Darthfeeble
But you can call me Steve
I've had a couple G cameras Joe, they are lovely, the G2 or Green label G1 being the preferred. I would think that film would be a large PIA after all the digital that you've been doing. Getting quality developing is more and more a hassle. Waiting the two to three weeks for it after the immediate results from digital is more than I could bear. An RD 1 with the CV 15 or 21 would be killer. S
hausen
Well-known
Another + for the G2 kit. Wish I had never sold mine.
back alley
IMAGES
one hour process and scan for xp2 film...7 bucks a roll and 10 for deveop & scan.
Back to 2003, Mamiya 6.
f16sunshine
Moderator
Dude
Hexar AF is it!
Summicron IQ, Silent leaf shutter, Killer Af .
All for the price of a body alone.
You mention one lens one body.. that's it.
Completely smitten with mine after less than a month .
Hexar AF is it!
Summicron IQ, Silent leaf shutter, Killer Af .
All for the price of a body alone.
You mention one lens one body.. that's it.
Completely smitten with mine after less than a month .
furbs
Well-known
The Hexar AF, though not a proper rangefinder, is a great little camera. I do use my Leica a lot more than the Hexar. But if you need AF, the Hexar seems pretty much ideal.
Scrambler
Well-known
I'm still very much beginning with this but...
If you want wide, get wide but I don't think there's a real virtue in getting a 25 just to avoid focus. Get the Hexar AF or similar if you want film, one lens, no manual focus.
If you want fast focus on a manual RF, get a lens with a "U" shaped focus tab. One finger, fast and precise. Using either a single tab or worse still barrel a la SLR is slower.
If you want to look at RF, can scrape the cash and prefer digital, why not an M8? You can get your 25mm, have it function more like 35mm for view but depth of field unchanged. and M8's are getting very affordable by Leica standards.
Admittedly a grand's difference in price between your Bessa and an M8.
If you want wide, get wide but I don't think there's a real virtue in getting a 25 just to avoid focus. Get the Hexar AF or similar if you want film, one lens, no manual focus.
If you want fast focus on a manual RF, get a lens with a "U" shaped focus tab. One finger, fast and precise. Using either a single tab or worse still barrel a la SLR is slower.
If you want to look at RF, can scrape the cash and prefer digital, why not an M8? You can get your 25mm, have it function more like 35mm for view but depth of field unchanged. and M8's are getting very affordable by Leica standards.
Admittedly a grand's difference in price between your Bessa and an M8.
back alley
IMAGES
i love the 24/25 fov...
back alley
IMAGES
I had the hexar af and liked it but...I'm thinking real rf...
dfoo
Well-known
I had a hexar and sold it. I had the following issues:
- Sticky shutter button (well known with this camera).
- The tiny buttons made it a pain in the butt to change anything.
- Easy to miss focus and not realize. The only way to tell what the camera actually focused on is to look at the distance scale. Not always so easy.
- Sticky shutter button (well known with this camera).
- The tiny buttons made it a pain in the butt to change anything.
- Easy to miss focus and not realize. The only way to tell what the camera actually focused on is to look at the distance scale. Not always so easy.
Darthfeeble
But you can call me Steve
If it works, good. I had all kinds of trouble with the local stuff. Ritz camera did a cruddy job. Wal-Mart, well it's Wal-Mart at it's worse up here. Had fair luck with CVS until the lady that was doing the work got promoted and then I got my negs back without sleeves and when I complained, I just got blank looks. I gave up on the locals and sent to some labs. While the treatment that the negs got was way better. The scans on disk were pretty poor, and that was the high res ones. Bought my own scanner, a plustek, it was worse. Bought a Konica/Minolta Dual Scan IV and it's pretty good but the time it took just wasn't in my performance envelope. I'm just not cut out for film I guess.
back alley
IMAGES
cdn chain called 'london drugs' does a pretty good job with the dev/scan plus stocks the film...5 minutes from my place.
ReeRay
Well-known
Went through the same deliberations sometime back and, as a spectacle wearer, elected an M6TTL 0.58 coupled with a Zeiss 25mm 2.8, 35mm 2.8 and Summicron 50mm. Took a while to hone my focusing, but all sorted now. Never regretted it for a moment. As you say, XP2 in the local lab and scanned at home. An added benefit is fitting the lenses to my Fuji X-E1 when digital calls out. All three are stellar performers.
Contarama
Well-known
Get you a Minolta Uniomat or Ansco with Rokkor lens in the meantime Joe...cheap cheap cheap and you can do some experimenting with film. The Minolta or Ansco cameras match up nicely with your Minolta slr stuff. And then there is the Minolta CL or whatever it is... 
segedi
RFicianado
I'm tempted to sell you my R4A with grip. Don't have the cv 25 though. I do have two 21mms - cv and Zeiss Biogon-c. And the Zeiss 25mm ... I have too many lenses!
Scale or hyper focus is fairly easy and your suggested kit would make for light, small kit. The Zeiss 25mm is a gem, but a bit beefy. Really like the Bessas, have an R3A too!
Scale or hyper focus is fairly easy and your suggested kit would make for light, small kit. The Zeiss 25mm is a gem, but a bit beefy. Really like the Bessas, have an R3A too!
PMCC
Late adopter.
Good point. The LTM Snapshot Skopar works a treat with accessory VF on the Bessa L or T (with LTM adapter), using the detents to zone focus. Those bodies feature external meter readout, which together with zone focus allow for pre-adjustment and thus very fast handling. And the T has CRF when you want to use coupled lenses.
Archiver
Veteran
Depending on your need for light, the Voigtlander 25/4P might suit you. I carried the Zeiss Ikon and CV 25/4P as a general snapshot camera for quite a while. It's compact, light, and its viewfinder is better than anything else I've tried, including the M7, M9, Fuji X100 and Contax G2.
The Ikon's shutter is more damped than that of the Bessa, and the overall feel is great. But the CV 25/4P is only f4; if you want to shoot in lower light situations, the Zeiss 25/2.8 may be better, although it is a lot larger and more expensive.
The Ikon's shutter is more damped than that of the Bessa, and the overall feel is great. But the CV 25/4P is only f4; if you want to shoot in lower light situations, the Zeiss 25/2.8 may be better, although it is a lot larger and more expensive.