Thor: I think your hunch with the Bessa R2 is a good one. Why not try it? If you catch the RF bug you can always add a new or used Leica later using the same lenses. If you shoot mostly chromes I would avoid starting with an old Leica LTM or M - as much as I sympathize with Marc's suggestion the classic Leica IIIc because I also like the looks and feel of LTM Leicas. Same can be said for older Contax IIa, Retina or classic Voigtlaneder Prominent and Vitessas. A newer Leica M6 or M7 would give you the chrome metering accuracy but at a hefty price. The forthcoming Zeiss Ikon body may be a compromise between Leica poshness and Cosina-Voigtlander economics. Then again the new Voigtaenders look quite attractive and intuitive to use (not really a big switch ergonomically from the Nikon FM2 since they are based on a similar mechanical SLR). I am currently debating myself if I should have an early M3 reconditioned for $300+ and find a better used or new standard lens for it ($350+) or sell it and spend the $$ on a Bessa R3A with the attractive 1.4/40mm (see: http://www.photovillage.com/html/voigtlander.html) The latter would certainly give more consistent results for chromes. Let us know what you decide. Jan ======I've never actually used a RF system, but having done research recently for some friends (I ended up recommending the Bessa R2 to them) I'm more and more curious. Maybe a Bessa would be nice for me too, with a lens or three. Small, light, compact, quiet. No offense to the Leica crowd, but I really don't see what all the fuss is about, either they cost a fortune (M6) or they're so old and quirky that the handling suffers (i.e. film loading, shutter leaking light, etc). But then again, I don't know. Never used a Leica. I can't afford one anyway, and my main question was what are the main strengths and weaknesses of SLR vs RF? What will I gain/miss for casual snaps, taking pictures on walks or when travelling light? I shoot Kodachrome 64 pretty much exclusively when in 35mm. Maybe some B&W now and then. Looking forward to opinionated opinions :-) Sorry this was OT. Cheers, Thor --- Rollei List - Post to rollei_list@xxxxxxxxxxxxx - Subscribe at rollei_list-request@xxxxxxxxxxxxx with 'subscribe' in the subject field OR by logging into www.freelists.org - Unsubscribe at rollei_list-request@xxxxxxxxxxxxx with 'unsubscribe' in the subject field OR by logging into www.freelists.org - Online, searchable archives are available at //www.freelists.org/archives/rollei_list