Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 1992/10/07
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Ah, my favourite subject; Canon rangefinders. Canon's have always
had combined range/view-finders, at least since the S-II of 1946.
With the IIB of 1949 they introduced the three-position combined
finder (50mm (minified) vs. unit magnification vs. magnified for
critical focusing). The V and VI series (late 50s) have a 35/50/RF
dial, the P has 35/50/100 framelines in the finder (I think), and the
7s have switchable framelines for 35-135mm. The viewfinder seemed to
get better every few years (i.e., there is a very noticable
progression from S-II to IVSB to V/VI/P to 7). The rapid winders on
the T models (and the accessory winder for II/III/IV models) seems
reliable enough, but a bit of a pain if you try to follow-focus.
I've never had any problem with rangefinder accuracy, but then I
don't use my Canon RFs very often (yes, I'm more of a display
collector, but I do like to use them occasionally). In any case, the
rangefinders are easy to adjust, at least horizontally. Repair on
Canon RFs seems pretty straightforward, and about half the cost of
Leica repair.
I think a IVSB would be a good choice indeed for a "classic" Canon.
The IVSB2 was the last and best of these, but will probably be a bit
more expensive.
-- Richard