size, durability?

[jano]

Hi,

Which rangefinder would you say have the best mix of size (smaller!), rugedness (perhaps weather sealed?), quiet (click!), and quality? I've been reading all about the various rangefinders here and on various websites. Started looking at the canonets, then saw the olympus xa (wow, very small!), maybe the yashica.. but.. as I think about this, I really would prefer a system with interchangeable lenses. Any reccommendations?

Thanks!
jano

[FrankS]

Hard to wrong with Bessa, Leica M or Canon screw mount bodies.

[Hektor]

Perhaps the best Bessa was the R2, -the last mechanical one, - out of production now I think.

You need batteries to make the current (no pun intended) ones work.

OT - How're you doing with that IIIc and summitar Frank ?

[jano]

Yikes, I'll be more careful with thread topics, hadn't thought of it *that* way!

I'm looking through various leica's and canons and bessa's now, sheesh there are a lot of choices. How the heck do you decide?! I've looked for a side-by-side picture preview of the leica's, too, but no luck finding anything. Closest was the leica m guide on gandy's site.

There's a camera show coming up in a few weeks here, maybe I'll go there to have a look at these things, too.

Right now I have a contax g2 (previously a g1), with standard 3 lens set. Love it, but the viewfinder is tough to use with glasses, focus is kind of noisy, and I'm not learning anything about exposure due to the nice aperture priority setting.

I'll have a look at that Bessa, thanks mango.

jano

ps: what's the benefit of m-mount to screwmount (technically speaking, I understand most modern cams today for m mount)

[taffer]

To me, those qualities can only mean something

Leica CL :)

[FrankS]

Hektor, I haven't yet put a roll of film through the Leica IIIc. The rangefinder patch is useable but just not near the M bodies. I'm thinking of dedicating this body to the 25mm Colour snap-shot lens which is scale focus and uses an external finder. The Summitar lens that came with it I plan to use on one of the M bodies. I will do tests to compare it to the Summicron.

[Hektor]

OK Frank, if you need the rangefinder mirror fixed I can recommend CRR Luton, England.

Not too expensive, He's done a couple of mine, and he's factory trained and an ok bloke.

I'm pretty sure you know about these things though, - I mention it in case it helps.

Good luck with the shooting, and keep your pecker up ;-)

John C. (Hektor)

[breakaway]

Hey:)

People, we need to think about how we title our threads. First we have Stephanie telling us she's a "working girl", and now this - I thought it was viagra spam. :D :D

ManGo

Just to add, we have the "topless G1" (http://www.rangefinderforum.com/forums/showpost.php?p=39950&postcount=9) as well!