[rollei_list] Re: OT: 35mm RF (Voigtlander Bessa)

  • From: Thor Legvold <tlegvold@xxxxxxx>
  • To: rollei_list@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
  • Date: Thu, 20 Apr 2006 00:37:58 +0200

Hi again,

last post before going to sleep. I found this:
http://cgi.ebay.com/SUPERB-Prewar-Zeiss-Ikon-Contax-II- CLA_W0QQitemZ7606270828QQcategoryZ30099QQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem


(one line, or item no.: 7606270828)

WOW what a lovely camera!

Before I take this too far, a few quick questions:

Size? Is it comparable to a Bessa or Leica, or bigger/smaller?
Noise? Is it quiet (as Leica, as Bessa, other?)?
Can it be maintained/serviced reasonably?
Where is the film advance lever....?!?
Zeiss lenses are nice, are there fast (and small/light) lenses available?


Cheers,
Thor


On 20 Apr, 2006, at 0:14, Marc James Small wrote:

At 04:39 PM 4/19/06 -0500, Jeffery Smith wrote:
The Leica M4 came at a time when Leica had decided
to stop making rangefinders. A year later, they started making them
again due to demand, and the M4-2 (made in Canada) was the result.

It's a bit more complex than this. The M4 was introduced in 1966 at a time
when Leitz was suffering a significant loss of its skilled workforce and it
was a complex camera to build. Thus, they designed the M5, a somewhat
simplified design with an inbuilt meter, which flopped dramatically in the
marketplace due in large part to its larger size -- a lot of Leica
accessories could not be used on the new body and it is important to bear
in mind that the Leica is very much a system camera with all sorts of
doodads and geegaws.


The M4 was reintroduced in 1974, supposedly being constructed from leftover
parts. Leitz scrambled and brought out the M4-2 in 1978, though that only
lasted for two years before being replaced by the M4-P, which remained in
production until 1987, three yeras after the M6 was introduced.


A mid- or late M3 is probably the most rugged of Leica M's and it has some
neat features, such as the DOF notches in the RF/VF, not found on other
models. But Leitz/Leica has never made a "bad" camera.


For the all of it, though, the best mix of price and durability and
performance is the Prewar Contax II, the camera of choice along with a
Rolleiflex TLR of most of the WWII war correspondents including Capa and
Mydans.


Marc

msmall@xxxxxxxxxxxx
Cha robh bàs fir gun ghràs fir!

NEW FAX NUMBER:  +540-343-8505



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