cameraquest free shipping?

[hoppinghippos]

I just checked out cameraquest and stephen gandy is giving free shipping if you pay up in full before oct 10. oh my goodness, the temptation is too great!!! the new R3A is just so good to look at!! help!! ... must... control.... myself.... :bang:

[Jeroen]

It's definitely tempting: the offer goes worldwide. Just checked www.voigtlaender.de - the German retail price for both newcomers is at 699 euros. Even with shipping Cameraquest would be cheaper. Don't know if mr. Gandy gives you 3 years of warranty, though.

[hoppinghippos]

Stephen gandy gives one year warranty on his website. hhmm I wonder if the price of the new bodies will drop in say 6 mths time tho. my only concern is that the new bodies are powered by only button cell batteries (LR44) and it remains to be seen how many rolls this can lasts since the other electronics like AE and metering would also tax the battery.

I guess the free shipping would really apply to low priced items like say adaptors and accessories where the cost of shipping would normally equal the price of stuff bought?

[back alley]

darrel,

use the sr44 batteries and carry a spare set. they last much longer and have a better decline rate.

joe

[hoppinghippos]

but joe, don't you think, in light of the possible poor battery life, its still better then to get a leica? :O)

Thanks for your tip on battery selection! I have considered it and resisted the equipment-bator temptation, I think it's more prudent to wait for reviews to come out first.

[rover]

I expect a glowing report from Steve Gandy on the CVUG which will fuel a returning gift to himself of a full Paypal account. Heck, he may even arrive home to find an order from me.

[hoppinghippos]

Rover, what are you planning to buy?

[rover]

I am mulling over an R3a.

I haven't decided yet, but it is a possibility.

[jdos2]

Gandy is pretty decent. His returns are for problems *only,* though, so that barely used (mounted once!) S mount 85mm won't go back to him for full value (he's offering me 1/2)...

I'd LOVE to relieve him of one of those new S3's...

[rover]

The prices are slowly falling on those JD. I don't think Gandy has discounted them yet though.

[hoppinghippos]

yeah same here, the R3a is quite attractive but I'm just wondering if the prices will fall after a few months, in which case I"ll just make do with my R till then. but I wonder too if the prices will be raised due to christmas season.

[iMacfan]

Originally posted by hoppinghippos
yeah same here, the R3a is quite attractive but I'm just wondering if the prices will fall after a few months, in which case I"ll just make do with my R till then. but I wonder too if the prices will be raised due to christmas season.

I'd doubt that there will be many price reductions. If you look at the improvements over the past generation (AE, quieter shutter, longer EBL, stronger rewind crank...), the R3a at the same price as the R2 is a real bargain (Especially for those lucky sods who live in America - 'cause they are at least 50% more expensive here, and I thought that the dollar was weak!)

David

[rover]

I agree, I don't see the R3a or R2a prices falling at all. In the past the new Voigtlander stuff has initially been priced high and fallen to what the market dictated. The new cameras are starting at what we all think is more or less a good place.

The Nikon S3 prices are falling because the dealers want to get them off their shelves. They are marvelous looking cameras, but at the prices they are offered at they are no more than collector pieces, and will rot on the dealers shelves before they sell.

[hoppinghippos]

errrmmm you guys really aren't helping me curb my shopping urge at all!

Just one question if anyone could care to teach: I understand effective baselength is magnification X actual baselength, and so with a magnification of 1X in the R3a, the effective baselength increases compared to R and R2, but what's the difference vs having an effective baselength that is long due to the actual baselength and not the magnification factor?

[laurentvenet]

I was wondering whether it was not better to buy a R2 as everything is mechanical and you do not rely on batteries.

[rover]

Darrel, here is Steve Gandy's explaination.

http://www.cameraquest.com/leica.htm

In the end he says that focusing accuracy is effected by EBL not BL alone. That is all and well, but by increasing the magnification of the viewfinder, you are enlarging the image in the viewfinder, therefore limiting it's usefulness in wide angle photography. The benefit is the ability to focus longer faster lenses. This is what is done with the R3a and .85 Leicas.

A camera with a long natural baselength allows you to have a viewfinder magnification friendly to wide angle framelines (28mm and 35mm) and still accurate focusing because the EBL is still long. This is what the Leica .72 and new Zeiss Ikon have.

[rover]

laurentvenet, depending on your photography, what you need for a tool, you are absolutely correct. The R2 is a well made machine.

[hoppinghippos]

Thank you Rover, that is indeed enlightening. however I think its interesting to note that even with R3A's 1:1 magnification, a 35mm wide view can still be used in the view finder (ie if the entire view finder is equal to 35mm view as claimed by stephen gandy). I think anything less than 35mm usu comes with its own view finder anyway so it is also ok to have such a high magnification?

laurentvenet: the R2 requires batteries for the lightmeter anyway, so unless you're the kind who can manual tell what settings to use (I can't do it for nuts) you'll still have to rely on the lightmeter and hence batteries.

[sfaust]

Originally posted by laurentvenet
I was wondering whether it was not better to buy a R2 as everything is mechanical and you do not rely on batteries.

I've got the R2, but have a deposit on the R2a. The battery issue to me is moot, and always has been on any camera I've used. There is no reason why I couldn't carry a second set of batteries, or even a third if I was really paranoid. They have a very long shelf life, easily last 6 months to a year in use, and are so small I just put a very small slit in the leather part of my camera strap for them to slip into. They are always with the camera, and I'll never have to worry about the battery issue.

For fast shooting the aperture or shutter priority modes that usually come with a more electroinc camera easily saves a second or two when composing a shot that you need to get off quickly. Focus and shoot, rather than focus, ck meter, set apearture then shoot. This far outweighs the downside of needing to carry a second set of batteries in my opinion.

[peter_n]

Completely agree with your practical viewpoint, Stephen. There are "traditionalists" who are only happy with a "batteryless" camera, but aperture priority is so useful it's a no brainer.

[rover]

Why the R2a and not the R3a Stephen? I am pretty sure I am going to order the R3a to be better able to focus longer lenses with the intention of using my R2 with wides, the 21/4 in particular. The image area is so large with this lens that I would not trust the meter and AE system to expose correctly. Any significant light source in the frame greatly effects the metering.

[Doug]

There's a price to be paid for the 1:1 R3a viewfinder, as Gandy says the 40mm frame is not all visible to eyeglasses wearers. By contrast, the R2a's 35mm frame IS visible to eyeglasses wearers. From my experience, I would not count on the usability of a camera's entire viewfinder for framing a wider lens. If even the whole area may approximate the lens's field of view, there's no parallax correction to help at closer distances.

I agree fully with Stephen and Peter on the battery issue and AE. On excursions I also carry a hand-held incident meter that runs on a battery. :-0

[thmk]

Just in case anyone does not know, yet...

The RFF sponsor Cameraquest is again shipping for free if you order and pay between April 29th and May 9th 2005.

Please forgive me if this information already came up in a thread.

Cheers
Thomas-Michael

[BrianPhotog]

I'm wondering if it's worldwide again...shipping to Taipei is a pain...or I guess I could always get some suck...err...family member to recieve an order then re-ship it to me :)

[Flow]

You have trouble receiving things in Taipei from overseas? I don't seem to have trouble sending photographic items to Taipei.


Flowen

[thmk]

Yes, it is worldwide again :)

Cheers
Thomas-Michael

[BrianPhotog]

You have trouble receiving things in Taipei from overseas? I don't seem to have trouble sending photographic items to Taipei.


Flowen
No, not trouble. Just a pain. Time + additional cost. Take the additional cost out of it and...

I think I'm gonna be buying a lens from him this week :D