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Am I going insane? Macheath !8b4g0BkNZg
My desire to take up photography was fueled by my wish to take interesting travel/vacation photos. Street photography fascinates me. I'd also love to start using film (sadly, only experience is with old point and shoots developed at the drug store).

Lately I've been e-window shopping for rangefinders. I secretly lust for a Leica M7, though I know owning a Voigtlander Bessa R2 is more realistic. I can't keep my mind off of it, I really am interested in these cameras.

But my more rational side kicks and reminds me of how much these cost, and even moreso, that I've already invested a bit of money in another camera. I'm currently a happy Canon Rebel XT user. I knew from the beginning that I could never justify buying myself a pro class body and an arsenal of L lenses, and I will be content when I have a semi-pro body, a solid walkaround zoom, telephoto zoom, and a couple of good primes. I've also been meaning to buy a film body for the EOS system as well. And I've been thinking of buying a little lighting setup as well...

So what I'm asking is, am I stupid for wanting to buy into the Leica M system? Should I wait till after getting everything I ever wanted for EOS? (assuming there will be enough room in my budget) Will I be wasting money if I do so? Should I just be content with what I have, and reject the Red Dot, and all of its pomps and works?

(pic sorta related, I've uploaded this one before, from when I was in NYC)
EXIF data available. Clickhereto show/hide.
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>> Anonymous
leicas are ridiculously overpriced for what they do
the voigtlander rangefinders are alot more reasonable but still, 500 dollars for what's essentially 1970's camera technology?
>> Anonymous
Just stick with what you've got.
>> Anonymous
Well, as a bit of a counterpoint, I love my Bessa and can't imagine traveling without it. It's small enough to carry pretty much everywhere and takes great pictures. With the Jupiter-3 it's got great performance for a reasonable amount of money, at least compared to the Leicas or Zeiss Ikons. I love shooting film, I love shooting manually, and thus the Voigtlander makes for an attractive package.
>> Anonymous
>My desire to take up photography was fueled by my wish to take interesting travel/vacation photos.

I took it up to emulate the poet Allen Ginsberg, who did photography on the side, and because I wanted better photographs of my friends than "LOL HAI JUST WAIT FOR THE POWERSHOT FLASH LULZ GAIZ."

My point is, I don't think anyone plans to be contemplating spending hundreds of dollars, repeatedly, when they first decide to take a few pictures.

>So what I'm asking is, am I stupid for wanting to buy into the Leica M system?

No. Get a beat-up old M3 or M2 and an old lens in the focal length you want. Shouldn't cost too much, probably not more than a new Bessa and new lens for it. Maybe even less if you get a steal or a cheap screwmount lens and an adapter.

>Should I wait till after getting everything I ever wanted for EOS? (assuming there will be enough room in my budget)

Depends on the relative importance of your SLR system and your rangefinder system to you.
>> Anonymous
>>170224
>500 dollars for what's essentially 1970's camera technology?

The hammer was developed how many millenia ago?

"Technology" isn't gadgets; it's tools. Lots of people think Ms and Bessas are superb ones.
>> heavyweather !4AIf7oXcbA
35mm f/1.4 Nokton... cheap 35 f/1.4 or cheapest 35 f/1.4? I'll let you be the judge.
>> Serenar !m827jEgWi.
>>170240
35mm f/1.4 Nokton... shit bokeh or shittiest bokeh? You decide.

(honestly I don't mind it too much but some people go bonkers over it)

OP: I'm pretty gay for rangefinders too, but I wasn't sure if I wanted to buy into the M system until I touched one. Feature/value wise, Leicas suffer a little, but if the unparalleled mechanical precision appeals to you (oh god they feel so beautiful) then you won't find it anywhere else.

Real suggestion: Buy another interchangeable lens rangefinder on the cheap and then upgrade later. I like my Canon 7, though it's a bit big. There's a whole world of other Canons, Soviet bodies, and screw-mount Leicas to choose from on the cheap. The screw lenses you'll pick up will work on a future M or Bessa, and some of them are pretty unparalleled (the older fast Leica 50s for their "Leica look", the Canon 50/1.2 for speed on a budget, CV's ultrawides, so on)
>> Teus !QbSstcPD6U
buy a mid-level rangefinder like a Bessa. get used to RF's and their way of shooting, save up for a Leica in the meanwhile.
>> Macheath !8b4g0BkNZg
>>170237My point is, I don't think anyone plans to be contemplating spending hundreds of dollars, repeatedly, when they first decide to take a few pictures.

Well, I know of a few people that did. My friend's mom blew thousands on a Pentax K1000 outfit back in the 90s, which he tells me has been used only a handful of times. But she refuses to sell it so that she can brag about how she spent thousands on it.

But yeah, when I first decided to "take a few pictures," I picked up a point and shoot, but when I decided that wanted a little more control over the final image, I contemplated spending $700 on a camera outfit.

>>170265
>>170228

Yep, that's precisely what I wanted to do. Although I originally thought I'd rather have a Zeiss Ikon, I realized the Bessa R2M had the framelines I was most interested in anyway.

And I don't plan on buying a rangefinder for at least another 3-5 years.

Basically what I want to know is, would this be a waste of money buying tools that overlap jobs, or would I be buying another camera that compliments my SLR nicely?
>> Anonymous
>>170332
Buy a cheap rangefinder (e.g. a Canonet) and try it out. From your thing about the framelines you're interested in, I'm guessing you want a 40?