Five to ten years ago, I had a long fling with Contax cameras, first one of the SLRs, then an Aria, then a G2. I used cameras mainly for vacations then, though the G2 came in handy also for a project on "banger" racing here in the UK (old cars around a dirt track) that resulted in a self-published book. However, after that I switched to M-mount rangefinders, which I enjoyed for a long time as I started getting a lot more serious about photography. I liked their small size and easy focusing, and some of the lenses I used were excellent.
But I always had an old SLR knocking around, which I played with occasionally. Recently, I got hold of a Pentax ME Super, and had a ball with it. And I started to realize what I was missing with rangefinders. The Super was small and light, had a superb viewfinder, and most of all presented me with an image in that viewfinder that corresponded much more closely to what was recorded on the negative, especially with wide-angle lenses. So I started thinking, maybe I should go back to a "serious" SLR. To make a long story short, I borrowed a friend's Aria, fell in love with it. I just sold off my rangefinder gear and am now the proud owner of one of my own Arias and the 25/2.8, 35/2.8, 50/1.4 and 85/2.8 Zeiss lenses. It feels good to be back. Very good.
But I always had an old SLR knocking around, which I played with occasionally. Recently, I got hold of a Pentax ME Super, and had a ball with it. And I started to realize what I was missing with rangefinders. The Super was small and light, had a superb viewfinder, and most of all presented me with an image in that viewfinder that corresponded much more closely to what was recorded on the negative, especially with wide-angle lenses. So I started thinking, maybe I should go back to a "serious" SLR. To make a long story short, I borrowed a friend's Aria, fell in love with it. I just sold off my rangefinder gear and am now the proud owner of one of my own Arias and the 25/2.8, 35/2.8, 50/1.4 and 85/2.8 Zeiss lenses. It feels good to be back. Very good.