Nicholas Wright <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> asks about Voigtlander rangefinders
> considerably cheaper than the Leica bodies. How good would these be suited
> to what I need to do? Can I use Leica screw mount lenses on these bodies?
> Thanks again, sorry this is heading somewhat off topic. :)
There are three Voigtlander cameras (made by Cosina, who bought the rights to
that brand). The Bessa L is a screw mount and doesn't have viewfinder or
rangefinder, so it's better suited to wide lenses. The Bessa R has an
excellent viewfinder/rangefinder, and is probably the one you'd be going
after. These two cameras take Leica screw mount lenses (of which Cosina has a
full line nowadays) The third camera is the just releases Bessa M, which has
a Leica M bayonet mount so it can take Leica M lenses. It has a rangefinder
but no viewfinder (strange beast)
These cameras use an electronic metal shutter, not unlike the one on a ZX5N.
I have fired the Bessa R a few times in a shop (back when I was lusting after
the M6 I finally got) and found it to be pretty loud, almost comparable to
the ZX5N.
Also, they are based on Cosina's standard SLR body (the one they make as
Nikon FM10, some Vivitar K-mount bodies, I think also Phoenix K-mount), so
the feel is not extremely solid. Not too bad, but it's not a Leica or even a
Konica Hexar.
As Shel says, a Canonet GIII would be an excellent choice.
j
=====
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Juan J. Buhler
http://www.jbuhler.com
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