Topic: Seems this is it for Cosina's Voigtländer rangefinders

[jojonas~]

read here:
https://www.imaging-resource.com/news/2015/10/01/cosina-announces-its-killing-off-the-last-of-voigtlaenders-35mm-bessa-range

looking at Cosina's own site there seems to be a lot going
http://www.cosina.co.jp/seihin/voigt/s-shuryo.html

[02Pilot]

Stephen Gandy announced this over at RFF a few days ago. Sad to see, but it's got to be difficult to sell brand new film cameras to a niche market when there are so many used options available for less. I've not owned one of their bodies, but I have several of the CV lenses, which I would argue are their most important contribution to the RF film world. Their wides are dramatically more affordable and readily available than anything else out there.

[Francois]

I know I find it a bit sad to see them go...
I so wanted one but could never pony-up the money to get one (even used)... that's why I ended-up buying a FED...

[AJShepherd]

It's a sad day. I've always felt that if I was only allowed to have one camera, then my Bessa R3A would be it.
It's probably that camera alone that got me out of DSLRs and back into film.

[SLVR]

It sucks that they are leaving but the RF base length on them was always something that turned me off of their cameras.

[hookstrapped]

Great lenses 

[jojonas~]

yeah, I'm thinking about investing in some lens. thinking they might go up in price with time

[gsgary]

I got a few of their lenses and they are great the 50F1.5 m mount based on the old lens on the Promanent is stunning

[Francois]

thinking they might go up in price with time

They definitely will go up in price... they're top notch quality and fit every Leica M out there...

[vintagesnaps]

What a shame, I have one and was glad to see Cosina continue on with Voigtlander.

[tkmedia]

Not to be a armchair management... They really didn't have enough alternate lines of other products or services to sustain the camera production. For example larger companies like Canon and Ricoh has the office photocopy machines, but also document management and industrial related services.

[Dave Elden]

It sucks that they are leaving but the RF base length on them was always something that turned me off of their cameras.

I've used an R2 for years, including occasionally with the VC90/f3.5, and have never found focusing accuracy to be a problem so for a lot of users using the slower & wider VC lenses I suspect the base length was entirely adequate. The R2 isn't really well made though, various faults have developed in mine with just average use. Finally just gave in and replaced it with an M6  but still getting used to the extra weight (which of course is well offset by the lighter wallet...).

Dave.

[Jack Johnson]

It sucks that they are leaving but the RF base length on them was always something that turned me off of their cameras.

Finally just gave in and replaced it with an M6  but still getting used to the extra weight (which of course is well offset by the lighter wallet...).

Fair trade?

[everydaylanre]

I know I find it a bit sad to see them go...
I so wanted one but could never pony-up the money to get one (even used)... that's why I ended-up buying a FED...

I still plan on buying one (used) 

[John]

I know I find it a bit sad to see them go...
I so wanted one but could never pony-up the money to get one (even used)... that's why I ended-up buying a FED...

I still plan on buying one (used) 

I can recommend the Bessa R2. It's normally cheaper that the R2A/M and it's almost the same apart from the metering which is the basic 3 spot LED like the Bessa R. It's metal, M mount and the only weakness is the lever rewind. My lever broke, when I pushed it too hard (stiff mechanism) but they are cheap to replace, from Robert White. I need a diopter and they are easy to get and cost about £20 and are the same as one of the Nikon cameras.

I've got a FED 2, a 1958 model which I like, but the Bessa is light years ahead. I favour the Jupiter 8 on the Bessa.

[Late Developer]

I used to have an R4M + 21mm/f4 and 35mm/f1.2.  Great combo but I couldn't get away from having the bottom right hand corner of the frame obscured by the lens (particularly the 35mm/f1.2) and this really played on my mind. 

I'm really sorry that they're on the way out as the bodies were great - not tank-like as per the Leica "M" series but they were, at least, less of a faff to load than the Leica "M" series, IMO.

[Dave Elden]

I can recommend the Bessa R2. It's normally cheaper that the R2A/M and it's almost the same apart from the metering which is the basic 3 spot LED like the Bessa R. It's metal, M mount and the only weakness is the lever rewind. My lever broke, when I pushed it too hard (stiff mechanism) but they are cheap to replace, from Robert White. I need a diopter and they are easy to get and cost about £20 and are the same as one of the Nikon cameras.

I've got a FED 2, a 1958 model which I like, but the Bessa is light years ahead. I favour the Jupiter 8 on the Bessa.

The stiff rewind -> lever breaks is one of the exact problems I had with my R2, interesting that it might be repairable, I will try calling R White on that. But of course the new part might just break as well...

Dave.