R2a/R3a Feedback?

[mike goldberg]

Given that there was no response to my R3M query, are there any R2A/R3A users
out there? I'd like to hear how you like the cameras... especially with regard to R/F focusing and the electronic shutter.
Thanks, Mike

 

[mfogiel]

I have an R3A, and although I am quite happy in general, I have reported several issues:

- I find that I am clumsy enough to have frequent problems with correct winding lever action, and this creates uneven spaces between the frames on film - this doesn't happen on my ZI

- the black paint on the rewind knob has started to go away after just 3 or 4 months of moderate use

- unless I put on a lens as heavy as the 90 Elmarit, the camera tilts heavily backwards, and I find it annoying

- the RF is misalligned at infinity and I will have to fix it - this has happened to my ZI too, so it is not an issue related to any particular brand I think, but Bessa is not immune to this

- the winding lever has become quite tight, and at times it does not snap back after the winding action by itself

The focussing is ok, and with longer lenses it gets better with the 1.35x viewpiece magnifier, while the shutter and autoexposure work well, even if the shutter is not very quies - it gets toned down a bit if you use a half case...

So, here you are, I will dedicate the R3A to the 75mm and 90mm lenses and be done with it, but in all honesty, if I had to decide the purchase again, I would have saved up for a second ZI, this camera is such a joy to use... (and it costs twice as much... :-( )

My R4A instead, is working better and would be impossible to substitute with the ZI, so if you are a wide angle guy, you could start with this one.

 

[noci]

I've recently bought a R3A with a 40mm Nokton and I'm extremely happy with that combination.
It's my first rangefinder camera ever; I also shoot digital and the occasional Polaroid.
Concerning the build quality- from my point of view, it's a proverbial tank. but then, my digital cameras don't hold up in comparison and I've neber handled a ZI or Leica. perhaps that's a good thing, so it doesn't lessen the enjoyment of handling the R3A.
With some practice, the focusing is a breeze- yet as you might have read elsewhere, the 40mm framelines are hard to see when you're wearing glasses. I don't really care about that; if I wanted 100 % framing accuracy I wouldn't bother with a RF camera.
I find the shutter to be very quiet; compared to some 30-year-old Pentax and Canon bodies I have sitting around here, it's certainly quieter than that.
Metering and Aperture Priority work fine, the controls are intuitively laid out.
I have noticed no backwards tilting whatsoever, but that's a user thing, I guess.
Oh, and the 1:1 viewfinder is a pleasure to work with; the camera literally becomes "transparent".
All in all, I don't think you can make a grand mistake with the R3A. Buy some lenses with it, and if you don't like the body anymore- well, sell it and keep the lenses. the Voigtländer lenses are beautiful and highly affordable.

 

[mike goldberg]

Hi there, mfogiel,
These cameras cost a helluva lot of money! I lucked out on an excellent Bessa R+sidegrip, earlier this year from an RFF member.

I'm enjoying an engraved Zorki-4, recently CLA'd by Oleg. In fact, I've just sent him my Fed-2c for CLA as well. Obviously, in what I write above, there's a much lower investment than in one of the recent Bessas.

The Zorki-4 has a good, Leica-like feel. I have an M2, and have had it for 35 years. For bouncing around town, I'd rather take a small Canon P & S digital 🙄 or one of the FSU bodies.

Your feedback is very valuable... If I wanted to spend that much money on a metered RF [which I don't], I'd probably do well to consider an M6 or MP.

Please have a look at the Zorki-4 in the Link.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/mikegoldberg/1171652915/

grazie, Mike

 

[mfogiel]

mike
I have probably shot my first photos on a Zorki camera when I was about 10, haha but I believe it was Zorki II...
I think that if you want a metered body for fast street shooting, it should be capable of exposing well, and this is no problem with either Bessas, ZI or M7, but I find a 35mm or 28mm lens better for candids, so the R3A is a bit too long. The second thing you need is a good VF, and ZI cannot be beaten for this. If you feel like using a fast, light combo for the street( which doesn't cost an arm), the R2A with the CV 35/2.5P is the right choice.

 

[oscroft]

especially with regard to R/F focusing and the electronic shutter

I've got an R4A, which has a different VF magnification, so I can't comment on the R2/R3 VF (though I am in the process of buying an R3A). But the R4A has the same shutter as the R3A, and it works great - it's noticeably louder than a Leica shutter, but a bit quieter than an SLR shutter.

 

[wintoid]

I had an R3a but sold it quickly after realising that the 1:1 viewfinder wasn't for me. I now have an R2a and love it. I think it's seriously underrated. Just because the Voigtlanders are the cheapest M cameras available new, doesn't mean they're anything other than excellent 😀

 

[back alley]

if you have the bessa grip, use the lug on the grip for your strap and the camera will no longer tilt.
works for on my r4m.

 

[Bluesman]

R2A: The rewind mechanism/knob with the folding "extension" is a disaster waiting to happen, IMHO. The paint isn´t very durable, and the lugs/balance issue is irritating. The metering pattern is a thing you need to get used to, I have a few "funny" autoexposures here (especially on Neopan1600), not all of them can be blamed on a sloppy/non-thinking photog...


That being said, I love the Bessa R2A. With the 1,35x magnifier + diopter adjustment, it´s a gem, a lot easier to focus on 90mm lenses. Get the side grip, the magnifier and the deluxe carrying strap, and you´re home.

/R

 

[mike goldberg]

Hello again,
I HAVE the Bessa Side Grip, and it is great.

Could wintoid, or anyone else, tell me the difference in use between 0.7 and full 1:1 R/F in practical use? I find the Bessa R to be great, and would like a 2nd M-mount body.

Thanks, Mike

 

[mike goldberg]

Magnifier in R2a

Magnifier in R2a

Hi Richard,
Hope you are enjoying the Fed-2.

What's the magnifier?
Does the R2A have a Diopter adjustment built in, like the T?
Thanks, Mike

 

[Bluesman]

Mike, the magnifier I speak of is made by Megaperls in Japan. It has both magnifier and diopter adjustment built in. The magnifier makes the viewfinder almost 1:1, which allows you to focus and shoot with both eyes open (huge advantage in street photography). The magnifier also virtually increases the Bessas RF base, making it a lot easier to focus a 90mm.

And yes, the FED says hello 🙂

/R

 

[wintoid]

Could wintoid, or anyone else, tell me the difference in use between 0.7 and full 1:1 R/F in practical use?

My verdict is based on purely personal bias. I just like the 0.7 better. I'm sure I could have trained myself to use the 1:1, but as this was my first foray into RF photography, and I hadn't quite realised how much I was going to like the 35mm focal length, it became apparent that the R3a was the wrong camera for me. I also like to use the R2a's full frame as an approximation of 28mm.

 

[Thardy]

Given that there was no response to my R3M query, are there any R2A/R3A users
out there? I'd like to hear how you like the cameras... especially with regard to R/F focusing and the electronic shutter.
Thanks, Mike

I'll try to limit my feedback based on your questions. Also will give a general impression.

The focusing seems to be fine as the only thing I have to compare with is an old ZI Ikonta folder. The VF focus mechanism on the Bessa R2A is extremely nice. The RF patch takes a little time to get used to but it seems to be easier to focus these than manual focus 35mm and 120 film SLRs.

The electronic shutter seems to be fine, as the exposures are generally accurate.

I got this camera in mid June and have been very tempted to buy an M6, ( for reasons I can't explain) but I'm going to resist it. Everytime I pick up the Bessa I am impressed by the feel, the weight, and the smoothness of the controls.

I wear glasses and find it a little hard to see everything through the viewfinder so I think the R3A would be really tough for me.

I've come to realize that I seem to like to look at my cameras rather than shoot with them (not really i just don't have time) so for now I'll stick with this one as my example of a 35mm rangefinder.

 

[ClaremontPhoto]

R3A:

The viewfinder and rangefinder are both fine. It encourages both eyes open style.

The shutter perfectly good. It's accurate and not at all noisy in real world day to day photography.

See elsewhere what Mr Kobayashi, Stephen Gandy, and Tom Abrahamsson have written about this series of cameras.

 

[Leigh Youdale]

R3a

R3a

I've had mine for a couple of years and have had no trouble with it at all. yes, the strap lugs allow it to tilt backwards with light lenses on - a minor inconvenience and the "noisy" shutter - well, I also have two Leica IIIf's - one is quieter than the R3A and the other is just as "noisy" so when people say the Voigtlander shutter is noisier than the Leica I'm tempted say - "but which Leica?" I guess most people are comparing it with only one - the nearest one.

 

[Avotius]

My r2a has never given me any problems except I knocked the v alignment out somehow. Its a little annoying and I think it may be out and infinity as well so I need to have it take care of. Also the paint has started to wear off the bottom of the camera and the viewfinder is full of dust.

 

[Scarpia]

R3A with apo lanthar 90mm f3.5. used in aperture priority mode.
Kurt M.

 

[Scarpia]

the light green thing is something called a lemon cucumber. All from our garden in Warrensburg. Love the R3A.
Kurt M.

 

[PetarDima]

Hello Mike, Vlad is here - remember - lucky man who have BESSA R2M thanks to
all of you RFF people 🙂 . Very happy with camera. It will take time to take that
tool as a piece of my mind - but it's piece of Art. I have something new from street
for you & other BESSA life photography fans:

The Old Man & a Bride