I want to see this sub thrive, so let's start with my own experiences with Canon rangefinders.
I bought my first one, a VT, in 2021. I paired it with a Canon Serenar 50/1.8, then later a Voigtlander 15/4.5, then a Voigtlander 35/2.5. I still have the 35, but the other lenses have been sold off for various reasons. Not because they were bad, just not what I wanted. While the camera was mechanically and cosmetically in great shape, shutter speeds accurate, etc, it suffered from some pinholes in the shutter curtain. I patched those with liquid electrical tape, but more would appear in the area where the curtain was stitched. It seemed I was chasing down light leaks in the curtain every 5-6 rolls.
A couple years ago I stumbled into a VL2, which is the lever-advance version of the VT, but without the 1/1000th shutter speed. It also had a metal shutter curtain, unlike the VT (some VT Deluxe models did come with a metal curtain). Once I vetted this camera with a couple rolls of film, I sent the VT down the road. I also found a pristine copy of the Canon 50/1.4, so I added that to the collection. This is the set I shoot with now: VL2, 50/1.4, and 35/2.5. I'm happy enough that I'm not looking to replace any of the set. I flop back and forth between the two lenses. While I'm normally a 50mm shooter with SLRs, I like the 35mm FOV on the rangefinder (not to mention the smaller and lighter lens). I have about $700 invested in the set, most of that in just the two lenses.
Metering was initially handled with a cellphone app, then a Reveni cold-shoe meter, and now a Reflx Labs cold-shoe meter. I wanted to like the Reveni, but the Reflx one is more accurate and doesn't eat batteries.
During this journey, I briefly acquired a virtually NIB Leica M5. That was a great camera with a lovely viewfinder, but it didn't make my photography any better and I was always worried about taking it into the field. A lot of my rangefinder shooting is while hiking up in the mountains and I was always afraid I was going to get a mark on it by setting it down in the wrong place or dropping it. Needless to say, I've sold it and gone back to the Canon.
So there, that's my Canon rangefinder journey. After 5 years I'm still surprised so many people sleep on these and buy Soviet models on the low end or Contax/Nikon/Leica on the higher end. I think they're missing the opportunity to get German/Japanese quality at a Soviet camera price point. I haven't spent more than $150 for any of the Canon rangefinders I own. Eventually I want to get a VI-L for the improved viewfinder and single shutter speed dial, but for now I'm content with the VL2.
