>>3935388>Kiev Contax>- Nikon S2/SP and be shackled to Nikon not-Contax lensesI have some experience with those for what it’s worth.
The Kiev Contax (Kiev 4a would be my pick in terms of availability and bulk, avoid the bulky 4 with the useless selenium meter) is I would say a step above the Zorki/Feds in terms of ergonomics (not a high bar to pass lel) and in terms of rf patch. They inherit the long baselength, solid prism RF from the Contax II. The rf doesn’t get out of alignment at all from bumps etc., it’s impossible to unless it breaks. Also it doesn’t flare or lose contrast due to the solid prism design (many rfs use mirrors).
*That said*, unless you really like the cameras or the lenses (50mm, 85mm Sonnars) you can find for them on the cheap, I don’t recommend them for general purpose use.
Viewfinder is small and squinty (same for Zorkis) with no framelines.
Lenses cost a fortune if you want something wide. Either because vintage Biogons are as expensive as modern ones due to rarity, or because the only other option is some special Voigtlander run for the mount (Nikon mount actually with slightly different standard/register, but for wides focusing is fine). Those are not especially expensive, but you pay “modern” prices after all.
Nikon’s viewfinder is much, much better. Also it might be a better option for lens choices (*aside* cheap Russian sonnars), since you can use longer focals from the Voigtlander S/C range (the specialty run), on top of the original Nikon options that offer more choices and kinda cheaper than Zeiss last I checked.
The Bessas are a totally different league in terms of usability. Great finders, metered, huge lens selection - including cheap chink stuff like the 50mm f/1.1 sonnar that is cheap and performs great if you like the sonnar look.
The Zeiss ZM is a step above and pretty much has the best vf/rf in terms of size and brightness of any rangefinder bar none (including Leicas).
