Canon VI-L vs Canon P vs Voigtlander Bessa R vs Leica IIIG

At the risk of adding even more complexity into the choice of lens for a thread-mount camera, the Soviet 50mm ƒ/2 Jupiter-8 is compact and shorter than normal 6-element Gauss-type lenses. The Jupiter is a Sonnar design, so it has a somewhat different "look" than a Gauss lens. I really like mine, a coated unit from 1962. It barely intrudes into the finder view. Brian Sweeney adjusted mine to be correct for most focus distances on my IIIC. A few years ago, these Jupiters were inexpensive. Brian warned that many of the recent ones that ship from the Eastern European countries are damaged or poor hacked examples, but I have no personal experience. Some examples:

https://worldofdecay.blogspot.com/2021/07/optical-treasure-1960s-jupiter-8-lens.html

Quite some time ago I owned all of these. All very good. The VI-T had a better finder than the 3g wile the 7 had almost as bright a finder as the M3. I

used the canon 1,2 (a beast) but preferred the collapsible summicron and the leitz which fit easily in a large pocket.. Today I would use a Rollei 35 for that, but expose very little film.

p.

ph said:

Quite some time ago I owned all of these. All very good. The VI-T had a better finder than the 3g wile the 7 had almost as bright a finder as the M3. I

used the canon 1,2 (a beast) but preferred the collapsible summicron and the leitz which fit easily in a large pocket.. Today I would use a Rollei 35 for that, but expose very little film.

p.

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Thanks. I've been doing a lot of reading, comparing physical specs, etc and have come to the conclusion than a 7s or 7sz would be the ideal model. The 7 series is actually a tiny bit smaller than my VT. I think it'll meet my needs well.

Chris

The advantage of the 7 is no batteries for the meter.

Paul Howell said:

The advantage of the 7 is no batteries for the meter.

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That was true decades ago. But the selenium meters on the original Canon 7 are 6 decades old. How many are linear over their measurement range? How many can be trusted? The CDS models may be repairable today.

My plan is to get a 7s/7sz with CDS meter.

Chris

mtnbkr said:

My plan is to get a 7s/7sz with CDS meter.

Chris

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Chris, what was your final choice? How has it worked out for you?

Kodachromeguy said:

Chris, what was your final choice? How has it worked out for you?

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I don't remember why I changed my mind, but somewhere along the way I ended up with a nice Canon VL2 which has been great. I like the lever advance better than the trigger on the VT and the metal shutter curtain has been trouble-free. It's nice and small and pairs nicely with my Voigtlander 35/2.5, a combo that has become my default hiking kit. It still has the hard-to-read shutter speed dial of the VT, but with fewer selections to make it a bit less cluttered. I haven't been tempted to replace it, so I think it's a good fit for my needs.

Chris