Needed - Small rangefinder with fast lens and decent quality

I bought a Contax G2 a while back. Very nice. It is automated, but not complicated. Not as quiet as my Leica M3, but it is cheaper and faster to use than the M3.

I like the idea of an older manual rangefinder like the canonett QL1.7, Konica S2, or Yashica Lynx. If worse comes to worse, you can always just ditch the camera and run from the bar full of bikers.
Frank

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I would shy away from the Canon Canonet. My version, the GIII QL, can only be set for film speeds up to iso800 and there is no proclivity for exposure compensation. Therefore, high speed film with AE mode is out and on top of that the meter doesn't work in manual mode. Personally, I use a Bessa R and I think it's great.

I have just purchased a Bessa R2 and although it's probably a bit too early to sing it's praises, the first impressions are very good. The Bessa R2 and the new Leica MP appear to have an almost identical specification. The Leica will be built to a better standard than the Voigtländer, but that doesn't mean that the Voigtländer is not a well made solid feeling piece of kit. For me, at 20% of the price of the Leica, there is no choice.

The only negative point so far, is that the shutter is more noisy than I expected, but not as bad as a typical SLR.

The top film speed setting on the Bessa R2 is 3200, for the Leica MP it is 6400. Neither have separate exposure compensation so you may have to think a bit harder when rating films at high speed depending on how high you go!

I also considered the Konica Hexar but eventually decided that excellent value for money that the Bessa represented could not be ignored. Don't forget you can use Leica L and M mount lenses with the Bessa R2.

Go for the Canonet, despite what's been said. Here's why:

• CHEAP. I got my last one for $35.
• FAST SHARP LENS. Yes. Maybe a little prone to flare outside.
• QUIET. Leaf-shutter, it's far quieter than an M6.
• SMALL. Smaller than an M6, or a HiMatic.
• YOU WON'T USE THE METER ANYWAY. If you are shooting in a bar, get a single valid mater reading from something in the light, then shoot manually based on that from that point forward. It's the only way you're going to get decent shots anyway, so ignore the automatic metering.
• FLASH-SYNC AT ANY SPEED. Leaf shutter...
• GUIDE-NUMBER AUTO FOR FLASH. It can set the f/stop according to the focus distance. Handy!

The only real downsides to this camera are that some of them are old and beat-up, they're flimsier than a pro camera, no interchangeable lenses. But hey, the whole kit is cheaper than a Leica lens cap.

If money is not a major issue then LeicaM6, end of story.

I use an Olympus 35RD for that purpose some times. It has a faster lens than the RC (1.7 vs. 2.8). They are traded around $100. Be aware that they need mercury batteries.

Again, the mercury batteries are a non-issue, because you should just ignore the meter (even if it's a spot meter). Make yourself a little card with exposures if you must. Shoot a test roll. In dark interiors the proto-point-n-shoot auto meters in cameras like the RC are NOT what you want to use to control exposure.

The Leica CL might be worth a look-a lot cheaper than the Ms but takes the same lenses. also the Minolta CLE (ditto)-did a worksop at Duckspool with Charlie Harbutt & he recommended it.