Re: [Leica] Interesting: Cosina/Voigtlander Bessa-R

[Gaifana@aol.com]

Stephen - 

    Relax. No need to be so defensive. I think you were reading commercial 
slander in where there was none. I didn't say the Voigtlander was a terrible 
camera. In fact, I think it could be fun. Maybe that wasn't how it came off - 
but I think that, being on the consumer end of this market, I am entitled to 
question why things are like they are. It may be just the thing to replace my 
Canon LTM when it is on its last legs.

    Maybe you are right - a $700 option in a sea of $2000 rangefinder cameras 
may be a good thing (I was dismayed when I went to buy a point-and-shoot for 
my mom this Christmas and could find nothing between the blister-pack models 
and the mega-Elph for $300). But would it be lost in a market flooded with 
LTM rangefinders? It's not an M-mount camera, and if the relevant market is 
LTM cameras, the used alternatives are far, far less money and are by and 
large well made (and I do stand corrected on the .7 vs 1.0 issue - I didn't 
get the second message until later). And there's certainly nothing wrong with 
looking like Canonet.

    And please don't jump the gun -  I wasn't talking about the manufacture, 
but rather one of the exterior materials - the Bessa-L is solid and well 
made. What bothered me looking at the pictures of the -R were surface issues. 
The materials used in a camera have both aesthetic and practical aspects. For 
example, for Leicas, Vulcanite grips well but ages poorly. Similarly, that 
apparent matte plastic surface seen on the back of the new camera has been 
around the block a lot on all kinds of compact cameras and consumer 
electronics. And it develops shiny spots. If you're a manufacturer going the 
distance of making a product as sophisticated as a Bessa-R, with a nice 
painted metal exterior, how much more does leatherette cost? Or even rubber?

    I for one would be eager to see this when it hits the shelves.

Cheers
Dante