Originally posted by stevebrot Gorgeous...almost makes me wonder why I would even think of buying a high-end dSLR if I had a spare $2300 in my wallet!
Steve
Thanks Steve. I didn't pay that much, not even half of it actually
Originally posted by séamuis how would you rate the viewfinder of the Ikon? I haver heard it is really incredible, and in photos it would seem larger than the Bessa’s (certainly from what I have read, better than anything Leica currently offers, or have ever offered) but I have a Bessa R3A with the 1:1 finder, and I would be hard pressed to consider another finder easier to use than this one. I don’t even have to close one eye to focus and compose. of course it makes using wider angle lenses a pain, but 35mm can be utilized by using the whole frame. for someone like myself who uses 50mm most of the time (gotta love those summicrons) this 1:1 finder pretty much trumps any other advantage the Ikon may offer for the higher price. would you consider the Ikon a good investment over the Bessa, considering the current prices for the Ikon new? I can hardly bring myself to justify a 1000+ dollar film camera, unless it was an investment I knew I would get a return on. besides, the bess a is just a wonderfully utilitarian camera, its lovely in its own right. but I have to admit, the Ikon is handsome.
Sorry I never had any other Rangefinder before, but I did hold Bessa R4A and Leica MP/M6/M7 before. The Leicas feel very nice and solid, but I don't like the way they load film. My buddy friend had Bessas, compared Leicas and Zeiss Ikon, and he chose ZI over a Leica mainly for its viewfinder and easier loading film.
After a few days play, I feel the ZI is a very good camera, to my standard anyway. But I still need some time to get used to the way it works. I'm used to seeing actual thin DOF when focusing with a fast lens on a SLR, but I can't do that on a rangefinder. And all my LM lenses (well, I only got two anyway) can't even focus closer than 70cm
I like to get very close to target sometimes, this is really a big shortcome for LM lenses especially when adapted on cameras like my Panasonic GF1...
I'll shoot a few more roll films and see how well I'd like it. For now, I still like my Pentax better