Best vintageNON-Leica LTM Camera ?

I have a Fed 2d/e and a Zorki 3m, both with 50mm lenses (J-8 and I-22). Both

are satisfying and have produced good photos. However, I would like to move up

the ladder in quality, but would prefer not to spend a great deal of money.

 

What is the best NON Leica LTM camera- at a price less than the cost of a real

Leica or new Bessa R ?

 

Thank you,

 

Ross

canon

Nikka (or Tower): http://www.cameraquest.com/nicca.htm

Dream on. The name of the game is to get good images, not to "move up" to more expensive equipment. Get rid of your less favorite USSR camera/lens, and learn to use the other one.

The Canon's and tower/nicca's are usually as much or more as a good screw mount Leica.

a used Bessa R is only $ 225, anything cheaper wont have a modern or accurate meter - there really isnt any point moving up from the Zorki...a Canon 7 would get you a great camera with a meter, but again its not a modern meter, its 50 years old, and for $ 25 more you can get a used Bessa with low miles on it.

A Canon.

 

Any Canon Rangefinder will be far more durable than the Bessa.

Canon P.<div></div>

Yeah, there are a lot of Canon P's at very nice prices at KEH. They will outlast the Bessas, so long as you don't poke your finger through the metal shutter curtains.

 

The Canon 7 lacks an accessory shoe and has an ancient meter, the 7s has a usable non-TTL meter and accessory shoe, but a Bessa is cheaper. But the 7 and 7s do have a nice bright-line finder.

 

Your Jupiter lenses will focus more accurately on the Russian cameras than on the Canon or Leica cameras. Their rangefinder is apparently calibrated on the Contax standard lens focal length, rather than the Leica standard lens focal length.

Japanese copies or clones of the contemporary Leicas were once considered garbage, hardly worth even trying to sell, and in many instances relegated to the trash bin. Now that we know better, the survivors often sell for more than their Leica counterpart. The late Nikkas in particular bring a premium when they can be located at all! Leica/Leitz, upon introducing the M series abandoned the earlier Barnacks and apparently never looked back. More than nostalgia is involved in the current interest in the Barnacks, which in spite of their lack of modern amenities apparently are good for another hundred years if kept in reasonable preventive maintenance!

canon p

I had a Canon P (40+ years ago when they were new) and my retina is still not fully recovered from the confusion of multiple reflected framelines in the one-size-fits-all viewfinder. I wouldn't use one again for love nor money.

I use two Canon Ps. They're bullet proof and the equal of M3 with the exception of their better mechanical design (hinge back, takeup) and their noisier shutter and viewfinder. They're not burdened by failing electronics/batteries (CV, M6) and they're not built for short lives (CV). Twenty years from now, if we have film, people will shoot Ps from five decades ago, but they won't be shooting todays Voigtlanders.

I also liked the Canon P.

 

If only Voigtlander had come out with its range of screw-mount lenses, esp. the wides and

superwides, 20 years earlier...unfortunately, at the time, the legacy wides (19, 21, 25mm)

were generally rare on the market and expensive, so I moved on to SLRs.

 

In terms of operation, the P was the equivalent of an M4, substituting a 100mm frame for

90/135 lines - rewind crank, fast-load spool, 35-100 frames, 1:1 viewfinder - but

available 7 years earlier. As Bill mentions, you see all the lines at once, but somehow I

never had a problem with that.

The Canon P is a very excellent choose. If you want, also, the CDS meter, the best camera is the Canon 7s or 7sZ. In this case, you must replace the outlawed PX 625 mercury battery with Wein Cell MRB625 or Cris Camera battery adapter MR9.

If you want more infos about the Canon LTM system, see www.cameraquest.com.

Ciao.

I agree with John and Andy. The Canon P is the way to go for you. Lots of great lens choices to boot. Don't mess with a Canon 7 or any of the old models with meters--none of them will be very accurate after all these years. I have several classic RF cameras which I love but anytime I want to get serious I use my Canon P with it's 50mm f1.2 Canon lens and it will get the job done no matter what the situation.(Don't poke the shutter curtains !!!)

I love my new Voigtlander R4M, but the old LTM Voigtlander bodies were mediocre. They are

not as perishable as some say here. Look how many other amateur cameras from 50 years

ago are still around with similar build quality. My recommendation is mirrored by several

here. I love and own a Canon P. I no longer shoot with it since I prefer more modern choices.

One thing to remember with old cameras is to wind and trip the shutter mechanism every

several months. Also store them with one of those dehumidifier bags you see dropped in the

boxes of new cameras. Anyway the Canon P is fast, rugged, with a great viewfinder and, very

important, predictable shutter button.