Comments about Zeiss Zeiss Ikon M-Mount Rangefinder Camera Body, Silver:

This is my first film camera ever, as well as the first rangefinder camera I ever used. I bought it as a lightweight companion for my Nikon D90, and it actually replaced my D90 for 95% of the time. Combined with the Zeiss 50mm f/2.0 Planar, this makes a unique super high quality, super compact, carry anywhere setup.

Focusing with the rangefiner is an absolute joy, though it takes some getting used to. The major advantage of the rangefinder is the ability to focus accurately in *ANY* light in which you can see. Shooting with the Zeiss Ikon in pubs at night, almost all of my pictures are in good focus (I use the Voigtlander 35mm nokton f/1.4 for these situations).

The simple manual controls are amazing to use. I suddenly felt like *I* am the one making the picture and not my camera's inner brain. Using such manual controls will make you much more aware of shutter speeds and aperture values, which in turn will help you visualize your photos better. That being said, the shutter speed LEDs in the viewfinder are very hard to invisible to see in bright sun. I find myself often covering the finder with my hand in order to see the LEDs.

The built in meter is a primitive center weighted meter, which can easily be fooled. If you're used to matrix metering then you'll be surprised by how often the meter is fooled (plus with film, you can't know it in field). That being said, if you know how to work with a center weighted meter, this will be perfect for you.