Second Canon body recommendations.

[Stephanie Brim]

I have a P. I wear glasses. The 35mm framelines are a little hard to see for me so I'm thinking of eventually picking up a second body. The VI or the 7 both seem good choices, but the 7 is almost winning out because of the 85mm frameline. What would you do?

 

[Captain Slack]

Are you settled on a Canon body or would you consider something else?

If I were you, I'd look at a Bessa R. For about the same amount of money you'd spend on a 7, you could get the combo kit at CameraQuest which comes with a 35mm f/3.5 lens. The R also has a GREAT finder with selectable framelines for 35, 50, 75, & 90mm (I wear glasses too and had no trouble seeing the 35mm lines) + a built in meter.

Something to think about....

 

[Stephanie Brim]

One thing I don't want when I go looking is a 1:1 finder. I'm going to use my P for 50/100, but I'd like something that I can use with wider lenses...28/35. The VI is appealing because it has variable magnifications depending on which framelines you choose.

 

[Captain Slack]

I don't think the Bessa R has a 1:1 finder. If I'm correct, the R3A is the only Voigtlander camera that does.

The Canon VI would be good, though. From what I've heard, it's a great camera.

 

[Mackinaw]

The Canon 7 vs. P or VI has been argued for years over on the RFF. I've always preferred the 7 because of its excellent viewfinder. The VI series cameras use reflected frame lines, not projected like the 7, and the viewfinder of a lot of VI-series cameras tend to be somewhat "flary" today. Many on the RFF will argue otherwise. Only advice I offer is to try both before you buy and see what works best for you.

Jim Bielecki