[Leica] Leica, Hexar, Bessa in-store comparison (long)

[Peter Klein <pklein@2alpha.net>]

Folks:  This weekend, I visited Glazer's camera in Seattle, and played with 
the various rangefinder alternatives in succession.  I'd done this once 
before, when I only wore glasses.  I wanted to repeat the process now that 
I am completely used to contact lenses. However, since I can't wear 
contacts 24 hours a day, I also needed to bear in mind how each camera will 
work with glasses.

This is a subjective, personal, touchy-feely, non-scientific anecdotal 
report.  It may have been affected by the phase of the moon, what I ate for 
breakfast, and the mood of my spouse the previous evening. Your milage may 
vary.

*** M7 ***

Leica really got it right this time.   The new on-off switch/shutter lock 
is great.  The new display in Auto is wonderful--just the information you 
need, and no more.  I have no trouble seeing the arrows and numbers.   It 
would have been nice to be able to see the shutter speed in manual mode, 
but this would require a wider display with the numbers to the left or 
right of the arrows.

Autoexposure has a use beyond just point-and-shoot.  You can use it as a 
fast metered manual.  Point the camera at a mid-tone, read the shutter 
speed.  If it's too fast or slow, tweak the aperture.  Then lock the 
exposure and fire when ready.  This gets away from all the back-and-forth 
fumbling one sometimes does when the light is low and you have to choose 
between 1/15 at wide open plus a half stop or 1/30 plus a stop and a 
half.  The exposure compensation dial is a bit fumbly.

In manual, the M7 acts just like an M6TTL.  The only thing you miss is the 
swishy sound of the low-speed gear train.  The battery vs. mechanical issue 
is a personal preference.  If I owned an M7, there would always be one--and 
preferably two--sets of spare batteries in my bag.   The Pop Photo review 
this month says that four LR-44 (and I assume, their silver oxide 
equivalents) will power the camera if you can't get the lithiums.

The shutter release has a bit more resistance beyond the exposure lock 
point, but I got used to it in a couple of minutes.  It's still Leica-smooth.

The viewfinder multi-coating seems to add a little bit of contrast when 
light sources are in the frame.  It still flares under the same conditions 
that cause flare in the M4-P through M6.  But the flare is a bit 
diminished, so you will get total-whiteout conditions somewhat less 
often.  I'm also finding that with contact lenses, I can move my eye 
slightly and the flare disappears.  With glasses, I had no leeway to move 
my eye or the frames were cut off by the eyepiece.

General impression:  Mmmm!  Nice!  Me likee.  Me want.  If I can get over 
the cost, I'll probably get one eventually.

*** M6 and M6 TTL ***

I had thought that the lack of a center dot in the classic M6 metering 
display would be a serious inconvenience.  It really isn't bad once you get 
used to it.  And the classic M6 shutter dial goes in the right direction 
:-)  Since I use flash only when I can't get a good shot any other way, the 
TTL stuff is not absolutely necessary.  OTOH, if I do use flash, I prefer 
bounce flash, for which the TTL would be very useful.  Anyway, if I decide 
the M7 is just too pricey, I would seriously consider either M6.

*** Hexar RF ***

This is a sweet little machine.  The techie in me loves it.  But two things 
keep me away--the winder noise and the low-magnification (0.6x) 
viewfinder.  The Hexar is just too noisy for theater and concert 
photography, or for the candid available light work where you don't want to 
be noticed after the first shot.  In contrast to Leica's "k-tik,"  the 
Hexar says "K-TIGZZZzzzt."  You can diminish the duration of the noise by 
shooting in "continuous" mode, but it's still too loud for some of the 
stuff I shoot.

It isn't really the shutter that's noisy, it's the film advance.

The coated viewfinder is not *that* much dimmer than the M6/7.  I think it 
seems so because it has a bluish cast, which cuts down on yellow rays that 
give the impression of brightness.  It is certainly quite usable in a 
shadowy area metered at 1/30 at f/2 and ISO 400.  I was able to make the 
viewfinder flare, but only if I tried really hard.  In all cases, compared 
to both the M6 and M7, RF flare was much dimmer and disappeared with less 
shift of the camera or eye my eye.

I have mixed feelings about the metering display.  Unlike the M6 and 7, the 
Hexar displays how many stops the camera is from correct exposure. But the 
display seems a bit busy, particularly the blinking number that shows the 
set shutter speed (the steadily glowing number shows correct 
exposure).  The display is on the left of the viewfinder rather than the 
bottom, so I can't see it plus the right-hand 28mm frameline at the same 
time.  I need more eye relief than the mythical average person, so this may 
not be a problem for you.

The diopter on the store demo camera was a bit "off" for my eyes (using a 
distance-corrected contact lens).  The Leicas and Bessas were fine.

The Leica 1.25x magnifier does *not* fit on the Hexar--I tried it.  The 
threads are different, and when I held the magnifier in the eyepiece, it 
was way out of focus.

*** Voigtlander Bessa R ***

The R2 was not yet in stock at Glazers (next week maybe).  So I refer you 
to Tom Abrahamsson's excellent review of it in the current LHSA 
Viewfinder.  The following observations are based on the classic 
screw-mount Bessa R, which should be quite similar.  Tom says the R2 has 
better build quality and less shutter noise.

I *LOVE* the viewfinder on this camera.  I'm a 35-50-90mm kind of guy, so 
the limitation of 35-90 framelines is fine for me.  The magnification is 
0.7x, almost the same as the classic "M" viewfinder.  But it has **much** 
better eye relief--I can see the 35mm frame just fine even with glasses.

I couldn't make the RF flare, despite my best efforts.  Instead, that the 
RF patch will actually disappear under some conditions.  For most of the 
focusing range, it's there as long as you look straight through the 
viewfinder.  But when focusing close to minimum distance (between 3 and 6 
feet), the RF patch disappeared unless I moved my eye to the left a 
bit--just enough for me to lose the right edge of the 35mm frame.

The shutter of the Bessa R makes more noise than the Hexar RF.  It's like a 
quiet SLR--it reminds me of my OM-2.  However, the noise is short, because 
it's just the shutter, not the winder like the Hexar.

The build quality and "feel" of this camera is decidedly consumer 
SLR.  It's no Leica.  It does the job, however.  The RF is short-base--it 
should be fine for 35 and 50/1.4 lenses.  A 90/2.8 or 3.5 should be OK, 
with the 90/2.8 being marginal at closest distance.  This is not the camera 
for a 90 Summicron.

*** General conclusions ***

I want an M7.  Bad.  I don't like the price, which would cut into my lens 
budget for a long time.  I'm waiting to see whether Leica announces a 
permanent fix for the RF flare problem in the forseeable future, and how 
much it would cost to retrofit it to an M6 or M4-P.  I'm also waiting to 
see what bugs and reliability issues crop up.  If I decide against the M7, 
it's a tossup between an M6 or an M7.  There are many nice things about the 
Konica Hexar RF, but for the kind of stuff I like to do, it's not the 
camera for me.

If my eye doctor told me tomorrow that I had to stop wearing contacts and 
go back to glasses, I would seriously consider a Bessa R2 for general 
photography.  I'd also trade my .72x M camera for a .58x M6 or M7, and use 
the 1.25x magnifier for all but the 35mm lens.

One thing I did not think about was the approximately 100-120ms (1/10) sec 
shutter lag with the M7 and Hexar, compared to the less than 20 ms delay on 
the M6 and prior.  Has anyone found this to be an issue?  A lot can happen 
in 100 ms.  Take a look at the bow arms of these musicians taken at 1/30 
sec (33 ms).  This is 1/3 to 1/4 of the shutter lag of the M7 and Hexar, 
repectively:  http://www.2alpha.com/~pklein/currentpics/semiquavers.htm

*** Wish List ***

Leica M7:  Consider showing shutter speeds in manual mode, or a +/-n 
display to show how many stops we're off.  Also, look seriously at the 
Bessa viewfinder.  Eye relief is not the same thing as magnification:  With 
glasses, I can see the 35mm frame in the .7x Bessa, but not in the 
Leica.  Surely there must be a way for Leica to give spectacle wearers the 
benefit of full-frame view without that teeny .58x magnification.

I think eye relief is a major issue.  Since I got contacts, my 35mm shots 
are better framed and I'm cropping less.  With glasses, I lost about 1/5 of 
the 35mm frame.

Hexar RF:  How about a .7x Hexar with better eye relief so glasses wearers 
can see the full frame?  Also, how about a "quiet" mode where the film 
moves slowly but you can't hear it?  Or even a way to turn off the motor 
and use a bottom trigger-advance similar to the Rapidwinder?

Bessa R:  The quieter they can made the R2, the better.  I wish it were a 
long-base RF, but that would make it a different camera.  Bravo, bravo, 
bravo on the viewfinder!

Hope these ramblings are useful.  Again, they represent my conclusions, 
based on my eyes, ears, preferences and experience.  Yours may be different.

- --Peter Klein
Seattle, WA

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