Dermot, I hope you mean that the Contax is the finest MF camera in the world. If so, even if it sounds a bit over esteemed, it's not too far from the truth. As far as the Rollei 6008i goes, I had bought one with high hopes after all the heaping praise the system is given. I had used it only twice in 8 months of owning it because I hated it. Hated everything about it; from it's heavy weight, boxey shape to the way film is spooled (especially the convoluted film spooling bit) and not to mention the loud slap of the mirror. On top of that, I saw no difference in the way the images rendered with the Rollei's 80mm compared to Contax' 80mm for all the trouble. Didn't try the Schneider lenses because of their exorbitant costs but I can imagine what they can do from my LF Schneider lenses. The camera's thoughtless design itself discouraged additional expenditure on lenses, however fine they may be. The only good thing about 6008i, IMO, was that it averaged 5 seperate spot readings that the Contax doesn't but my Sekonic 558 serves me well there. I also found out, to my dismay, that the older Rollei TLRs have better resale value (about 2-3 times the original price) than the more modern 6008's. It was a waste of my money and made me appreciate the Contax a whole lot more. Fed up with it, I wanted to toss it in a garbage but someone kindly rescued it by paying me half of what I bought it for. If ever I itch for a square format camera again, I will look into the Hasselblads, particularly the 203FE (as it comes close to Contax' features). Until then, the Contax 645 is what I am most comfortable with. It is truly a well thought out photographic instrument. Get the 645, you will not regret it.
Sorry if my opinion of the Rollei 6008i does not agree with anyone else's.
Sorry if my opinion of the Rollei 6008i does not agree with anyone else's.