On the other hand...
The 'true' RF experience I suppose means a viewfinder that shows more of the view than will actually appear on film; manual focusing with an optical rangefinder.
The Contax on the other hand does not have a viewfinder with framelines, it doesn't show areas that will not be on the frame, and the rangefinder focusing is automatic (yes it's still focuses with a rangefinder, just not a manual optical one.)
So it may not be a 'true' RF experience in the traditional sense, but they are actually more alike than they are different. After all, both systems use separate viewing systems, not through the lens.
Both views are always sharp; if you like shooting wide open, you'll have to imagine where the sharpness ends and the out of focus area begins, as compared to an SLR where the view is through the lens and you can just view it.
For everyone that 'hates' the G2 (or G1) (that is a very strong word, BTW) there are those that similarly find that the Leica experience isn't for them.
Every camera has idiosyncrasies, of course. For all the wonderful 'feel' and obvious quality that Leica exudes, there is one thing that I always come back to. I've owned several M2s, several M3s, several M4s, a couple of M5s, two M6s, two M6TTLs, and an M7 ...they are all just a royal pain in the a** to load. The later ones are a pain, the earlier ones are even more of a pain. (Even the M8 is a pain, having duplicated the bottom plate loading of the film cameras.)
There is nothing worse than fiddling with loading, while the event is passing you by... Eventually I got to the point where I would pre-load the camera at home with a roll, and if the full roll was used, I'd simply put the camera away and stop shooting. This progressed to just not taking the camera with me at all...
And yet, over the years I kept coming back to Leica, as if I kept at it, I'd finally overcome this frustration.
I tried the Hexar RF, which has very easy loading, and that is a great camera. The viewfinder was a problem though, difficult to focus, due to the reduced magnification. The RF baselength is very short, so very fast lenses are borderline for focus accuracy.
I have also owned a Zeiss Ikon...great camera. The best viewfinder of an M mount camera, bar none. Easy loading! This is the one to get if you want an M mount camera. But even used the body alone is about $1000...you can get an entire Contax kit for less than that.
Never had any interest in Bessas, so can't comment there. This would be the least expensive way to get into the M mount world.
Now, back to the Contax. Since the Contax is out of production, the only choice is to buy used (although there are still a few essentially 'new in the box' Contaxes still out there.) If you spend a bit of time researching prices, and buy right, you will always get your money back if you don't like the camera.
The same can be said of buying any used Leica, or a used Zeiss Ikon, or even a Hexar.
So there really is no risk to buying whatever you want to buy (unless you buy something brand new.) This means there is no wrong decision...buy it, try it...if you don't like it, sell it and try something else...any money lost in the transaction is essentially a rental fee.
With the Contax your investment is going to be much less than any M mount alternative. The lenses simply can't be beat. I disagree that they lack endearing qualities...there is a reason why people spend $550 each to convert G lenses to M mount.
Although personally, I think they'd be much better off just buying and using a Contax in the first place.
Hope this helps with your decision.
