bessa R2-M vs. R3-M

[temujin]

after years working with slr's, i bought my first rangefinder a year ago, the fuji ga645zi. i have been very pleased with that camera, but now want to get a manual focus 35mm rangefinder. i am currently looking at the bessa r2-m and r3-m, but can't decide which is best for me, and i am a novice with rangefinders (or any camera, for that matter!). the r2 has brightlines for 35mm lenses, which i would like. but the r3 has 1:1 magnification. which would you recommend? is the r3 easier to focus because of the greater viewfinder magnification? focus is a issue for me, since the only rangefinder i have used is an autofocus. thanks.

 

[matt miller]

I bought the R3M and found it difficult to focus. You have to have your eye lined up just right to see the RF patch effectively. I just couldn't get the hang of it. Others have absolutely no problem. I really loved everything else about the camera. The 1:1 is very cool.

 

[Donald Boyd]

The focus patch in the MP and M7 are easier to focus.

 

[David H. Bebbington]

after years working with slr's, i bought my first rangefinder a year ago, the fuji ga645zi. i have been very pleased with that camera, but now want to get a manual focus 35mm rangefinder. i am currently looking at the bessa r2-m and r3-m, but can't decide which is best for me, and i am a novice with rangefinders (or any camera, for that matter!). the r2 has brightlines for 35mm lenses, which i would like. but the r3 has 1:1 magnification. which would you recommend? is the r3 easier to focus because of the greater viewfinder magnification? focus is a issue for me, since the only rangefinder i have used is an autofocus. thanks.

As you probably know, the "m" stands for "manual", which means you need to match LEDs to set exposure with the camera, as opposed to "a" (R2a, R3a) standing for "automatic" and indicating the presence of aperture-priority auto exposure. The choice of R2m or R3m really depends on whether you want to use a 35 mm lens a lot, if so the R2m/R2a allows this without the need for an additional finder. The advantage of the 1:1 finder in the R3m/R3a is not only that the image is slightly bigger but that if you are doing photojournalism you can keep both eyes open and observe [moving] subjects before they enter the frame. This may be useful or not, depending on the kind of work you are doing. Personally I like auto exposure and a built-in 35 mm frame, so my choice is R2a.

Regards,

David

 

[Donald Boyd]

Another good one is the Contax G2.

 

[Andy K]

I use the R3M, I cannot compare it to the R2M as I have not used that camera. What I will say is I have no problem at all with the viewfinder or the rf patch on the R3M. As far as the metering goes, it probably has one of the best rf in viewfinder metering displays I have ever used. Mostly I use the Nokton 40/1.4 lens and have found that it actually shoots wider than the 40mm frameline, so you could probably use a 35mm lens and use the entire viewfinder as a frameline. As David says, the 1:1 vf is extremely advantageous because you can easily shoot with both eyes opn, which reduces the chance of missing shots.
I don't need high speed of shooting so all manual is good for me.
I would recommend, if possible, you try a hands on comparison.

 

[Rob Skeoch]

I like the R2a myself.
I like to use the 35mm lens and slip the camera onto auto everyonce and a while.
-Rob

 

[temujin]

thanks for your helpful input. as far at the advantage of being able to shoot with both eyes open with the R3M, this unfortunately would not work very well for me. i wear contacts with astigmatism correction, and my left contact tends to shift and make my vision blurry, so i always compose and focus my shots with my left eye closed. i do like shooting with a 35mm lens, and rarely go wider than that, so i think i might go with the R2M.