disconnekt Posted November 28, 2007 Author Share #21 Posted November 28, 2007 Advertisement (gone after registration) P.S. Does anyone have an opinion on the Konica Hexar RF? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Advertisement Posted November 28, 2007 Posted November 28, 2007 Hi disconnekt, Take a look here which rangefinder suits my needs?. I'm sure you'll find what you were looking for!
steve kessel Posted November 28, 2007 Share #22 Posted November 28, 2007 Hi Alison I've got a Bessa R3M and a CL with the CV Heliar 50/2 and the CV Nokton 40/1.4 all bought off this website. Camerawise the Bessa is bigger, heavier, has a louder shutter, with a centre weighted meter with illuminated numbers. The CL is light, compact, has a silky shutter and more of a spot meter with a relaxed pointer. The CL has the strap brackets on one side which I find a bit inconvenient. I got the Bessa and the 50mm lens as a package. I like a normal lens but was enticed by the idea of supplementing this with something just a bit wider. However I've yet to get the hang of the the 40mm which I find prone to flare in high contrast lighting. Given the choice now, I'd opt for the Leica 40mm that was sold with the CL if you can get hold of one. Otherwise these purchases are giving me lots of pleasure. Good luck with your choice. Best wishes Steve Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
xjr Posted November 28, 2007 Share #23 Posted November 28, 2007 $1000 will buy you a decent M6 w/o a lense but have you considered the discontinued Contax G2 ? The lenses are first class you know....Some people might class it as not quite rangefinder but I would. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
earleygallery Posted November 29, 2007 Share #24 Posted November 29, 2007 My local Leica dealer is advertising a CL + 40mm lens for £399. PM me if you want their details. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
philipotto Posted November 29, 2007 Share #25 Posted November 29, 2007 Alison, There is a link to the Buy & Sell Section near the top of each page. The CL I was referring to specifically is this one. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
disconnekt Posted November 29, 2007 Author Share #26 Posted November 29, 2007 Excellent posts, again! I don't know how I managed to never notice the Buy & Sell section, thanks for the heads up. The ad you linked to looks very interesting, indeed. But if a seller has no feedback and no posts, is that a bad sign? Steve, it's great to hear that you're happy with the CL and using it with the 40/1.4—I assume it's not too difficult to focus then? Because of the compactness and lightness of the CL, as well as the lower price as compared to other Leicas, I'm leaning heavily toward it. I'm so excited to finally enter the world of rangefinder after all these years... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
NZDavid Posted November 30, 2007 Share #27 Posted November 30, 2007 Advertisement (gone after registration) Allison, I reckon it's really important to buy from a good dealer you can trust who can offer backup. Others have mentioned some good ones. In Europe I have dealt with Ffordes of Scotland, Leicashop Vienna and Leica bei Meister, Hamburg. All were fine. It would really help if you could borrow the camera for a few days first before buying, so maybe somewhere local would be a good idea. I am unsure about long-term reliability of the CL. M6 with 50 Summicron would be excellent, but exceeds your $1000. Cheaper M3s and M2s and some M4s are older than the CL but superbly built and using a handheld meter is not too tricky. Voigtländer would be wrth checking out, too, though I have no experience of them. Good luck! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
NZDavid Posted November 30, 2007 Share #28 Posted November 30, 2007 Also check out http://www.photovillage.com in NYC. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
disconnekt Posted November 30, 2007 Author Share #29 Posted November 30, 2007 Oh I've bought a bag from PhotoVillage before but didn't think of asking about a used CL there... will try, thanks! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
budrichard Posted November 30, 2007 Share #30 Posted November 30, 2007 Save your money and purchase an M6 with either a Summicron 50mm or 35mm of the vintage of your chosing. The M6 meters just fine and coming from the FM2, will not be a problem. Either Summicron will provide very nice images with the latest lenses being sharpest. The Leica equipment will continue to function and be repairable while who knows about other manufactures. For RF I use only Leica and for SLR, Nikon. Neither has failed me.-Dick Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
alan c. davis Posted December 13, 2007 Share #31 Posted December 13, 2007 I have both the Hexar Rf and a M6ttl. Both are wonderfull cameras. The Hexar with AE, exp. compensation, motor wind, Dx coding and so on is probably more user friendly than the M6. The body has titanium top, side and bottom plates and the metering is spot on. Only problem will be the availability of spare parts. However I expect mine to last well into my dottage. And I'm not game to say the Hexanon lenses are second to none on a Leica site. Suffice to say they are fabulous. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
stuny Posted December 13, 2007 Share #32 Posted December 13, 2007 Alison - I had a CL for a few months and found it to be a lovely camera. If you try one, remember that in order to turn on the meter you have to move the advance lever out from the body -- Some people are unaware of that and think the meter or battery are bad. One big caution!!!! Shooting with a rangefinder is very different compared to shooting with an SLR. I've owned several rangefinders (Leica CL, Leica IIIf, Minox, Rollei, and others) and could never adapt to them. You might want to try using one for a bit (if you can borrow or rent one) before buying one. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
tom0511 Posted December 13, 2007 Share #33 Posted December 13, 2007 I would recommend without any hesistation a M6 and a 35 or 50 Summicron. Cheers, Tom Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
zapp Posted December 14, 2007 Share #34 Posted December 14, 2007 The CL is a rangefinder camera, but not the best choice to spend $1000 if you want to take photos. You have little to no wide angle capabilities. If you like the CL, go for the much more advanced CLE from Minolta. Even the CLE is old - and Murphy knows what that means. New gear or not so old gear will include Voigtländer, Konica Hexar, Contax G series. Face it, Leica feeling in decent condition and somehow up to date does not start below 1000 for a body and 500 for a lens. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
k_g_wolf ✝ Posted December 14, 2007 Share #35 Posted December 14, 2007 >> Alison Have you decided already ?? Since this is an OLD thread coming up again: let me also vote for the M6 with a 50 or 35 mm SUMMICRON. BESSA is fine, but not a LEICA, CL is fine but not an M. The M6 is much younger than the CL and in case your purchase needs a repair/ service - which is most probable if it hasn´t been done by the previous owner - I would rather prefer to pay this towards a LEICA M than towards a CL ... The M6 would be going strong for 10 or more years after a decent CLA without too many problems. I doubt you can expect this from a BESSA or a CL/ CLE. Best Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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