My Search for a Moderately Priced All Manual Rangefinder

Rick Soloway 2004

The story starts with my search for an easy to carry compact (manual) camera with great optics at a moderate price. A new Leica M6 is disqualified because of the prohibitive cost alone, not to mention worrying about it all of the time. I did briefly consider a Leica Minilux or a Leica C2, but even the cost of these high-end point & shooters ($500-$800) encouraged me to compare other cameras in a similar price range.

In the past, I’ve used the little Rollei 35 with a fixed collapsible 35mm lens, focus by guess (that actually worked well) and a whisper quiet shutter. Sturdy, compact, quiet and reliable with great glass.

I’ve also used an Olympus XA clamshell with rangefinder focus, aperture priority exposure, an add-on flash module, fixed Zuiko 35mm lens and a very quiet shutter. The XA is still a wonderful camera for travel, and qualifies as a rangefinder with the size and ease of use similar to a "point & shooter".

I’ve owned and used a Leitz-Minolta CL that can be considered a precursor to the Voigtlander R, in that it was a true rangefinder with a built-in light meter, accepted Leica C mount lenses, and it was moderately priced. Perhaps the idea was to create a backup body for nervous Leica owners, as well as build a camera for consumers looking for lower cost alternatives to Leica. Anyway, a lovely little camera, smallish compared to any "M" body, very quiet shutter, but comes with a rather peculiar and unreliable light meter. Eventually, the Leitz-Minolta CL disappeared from the scene in spite of its affordability and Leica compatibility. What’d I do with my CL? I sold it to a nervous Leica owner who wanted a less precious backup camera body. While I almost found fulfillment and happiness with the Leitz-Minolta CL, it was a relationship not meant to last. I yearned for a smallish all manual camera with a variety of quality lenses that would be easy to schlep around. I wasn’t asking for the moon, or was I?

I reconsidered the high-end point & shoot cameras (like the Minilux and the Leica C and C2) thinking that a zoom lens wouldn’t be a bad thing to have, even if the cameras weren’t "manual". Maybe the Contax T3 or TVS? The closest I could get to my ideal was the Contax G2: changeable glass; manual and AF capability, a handsome rangefinder, but even so, perhaps a bit too pricey and precious for my taste. I didn’t want a camera that draws attention to itself when I whipped it out, and the luxurious titanium finish on the G bodies does just that. I think only a few "Gs" have been made with a black body and they are hard to impossible to find. For a G2 outfit, expect to pay $1500 with one lens (usually a 45mm) included. Yes, it’s half the price of a Leica considering it comes with a lens, but still 2-3 times more than I wanted to spend.

I turned to the Internet to extend my search. I went to a site called www.camerareview.com, a consumer oriented site where photographers enter their own reviews and ratings regarding particular cameras that they own and use. It’s a good no frills, no nonsense, non-biased site that lets the consumers and users rate cameras, minus the BS (no, not "Bachelor of Science", the other "BS") of advertisements and industry influence. When I searched for reviews of "rangefinder" type cameras, I became aware of the nifty looking Voigtlander Bessa R made by Cosina. Finally, pay dirt! Eureka!

Here it was: a smallish "all manual" rangefinder with a broad range of top notch optics AND Leica C mount compatibility; a built in light meter; flash hot shoe; a handsome build in a diminutive black body, that doesn’t scream steal me now, and costs under $500! Bingo! Reviewers, however, had some criticisms: apparently there were some vexing parallax issues in the first "R" body. Perhaps too much plastic on the outer body, and a noisy shutter that makes being inconspicuous while photographing difficult, if not unlikely. Hell, if the shutter was THAT noisy, I can always cough or fake a sneeze when I sneak a photo on the street if I had to. Hmmmm. OK, not ideal, but not a deal killer. Besides, the Voigtlander lenses were getting glowing testimonials, while costing a fraction of the price of Leica glass.

While I hesitated in making my purchase, low and behold if Cosina didn’t announce a new build version of the Bessa R, calling it the Bessa R2. Parallax viewing issues resolved, beefier build with metal body top and back along with rubberized grips, and Leica "M" mount (bayonet) compatibility. That was it, I could wait no longer.

However I couldn’t find a whole lot of Voigtlander camera dealers out there, other than B&H in NYC. I searched the Web and found an interesting web site run by a guy in LA named Stephen Gandy called www.cameraquest.com, a web site devoted to the glorification of the rangefinder type camera, and a wealth of information on the various manufacturers and camera bodies out there both new and old. AND, this guy was a Voigtlander dealer with prices better than B&H! Check it out.

So I made the plunge, buying the Bessa R2 in black along with a way so cool 21mm lens and VF, an amazingly sharp 35mm, and a 75mm ("boke lens"). The R2 has built in frame outlines in the rangefinder for the 35mm and 75mm lens, so no viewfinder necessary for these two. There is a dirth of different lenses that’ll hook up to this puppy, including Leica C (with adapter) and M mounts, as well as the superb Voigtlander glass (from 12mm to 90mm) for a fraction of the cost. Let’s put it this way, I spent less than half of what it would cost for a Leica body alone, and I got three lenses and almost all of the functionality. Did I mention it has an EF hot shoe and PC cord connector!

And, if imitation is the highest form of flattery, then the Voigtlander Bessa R2 can justifiably consider itself "flattered" by recent reiterations of this trusty well-built "manual only " 35mm rangefinder. There are versions of the R2 being built under license with the likes of Rollei (see the Rollei 35RF = $2000 w/ 40mm lens), and even as a high-end digital rangefinder version of the Bessa R2 body being built by Epson (price = $3000.00 though not released yet in the USA). In fact, I’ve been shooting ISO 200 & 400 speed color negative film and scanning my negatives to get hi-res noiseless digital files. So I have one foot in the optical/mechanical world and one foot in the digital world with this camera. Hey, just think of film as a high resolution "write-once read mostly" or "W-O-R-M" storage media. And think of the Voigtlander Bessa R2 as a dream come true.