Lost in a sea of rangefinders! Help!

[daveandiputra]

I don't know how big is your pocket, but anything with non collapsible lens would struggle to fit in a pocket.
So I would agree with the and collapsible suggestions, as they would be perfect. And with your budget I think that will be easy.
Then again a FED2 from Fedka or oleg, with a Leica lens would be a good option to think about.

Cheers,

Dave.

[keithwms]

For someone with eyesight issues, a bessa T is an obvious choice. The RF window has a diopter, and the VFs are external. It also fits the price point; excellent used ones are around $300.

[Ngothien]

Wow, the response was better than I expected. I'll try to look up those cameras later since finals are next week. I guess a pocketable camera was a little unreasonable. I also tend to shoot wide around 28mm.
Are the Kiev cameras compatible with all Zeiss lenses and can Zorki and Kiev share the same lenses?

[daveandiputra]

Yes the Kiev rangefinders can mount all contax rangefinder Zeiss lens, at least the pre war( certainly not the G series rangefinders), it's basically the same design as the contax II. As for the zorki they use Leica Screw mount lenses, maybe a wider choice of lenses if you really need a lot of them.
For me the Kiev/contax mount lens choice Is sufficient as I only shoot 35mm and 50mm. I can't say the Kiev viewfinder would be good for eyeglasses wearer, but I find it rather squinty but liveable.

[buzzardkid]

I'd suggest a Canon P (with a 1:1 viewfinder) and the Canon Serenar 28mm 3.5 lens. Small lens, capable of great results. It needs a finder on the accessory shoe but when you take that off, the whole thing still is pocketable. It is in Leica specs so can take a Voigtlander 25mm, 21mm or even 15mm if you want to go really wide.

You can have both the P and the 28mm with the finder for under USD 600.

[Red Robin]

I wanted a Leica for quite a while until someone pointed out that the Canons I already owned stood up to and, in the opinion of many, surpassed the famous camera in function and build quality. These days I find my Canon III, Canon IIs2, Canon P(3), Canon 7, and Canon VI-T along with a Bessa R most of my needs are met with these M-39 cameras. A variety of lenses are to be had to fit most everyone's tastes. Good luck choosing Red