24 hrs with my Bessa R

[lxmike]

Sadly last year l had to sell my M2, however, since then l have acquired a lovely Leica IIIg and a IIIc, all three are mechanical gems, beautiful to look and and smooth in usage. Anyway, this week l bagged a Bessa R at a very nice BIN price and I must say l am more than very pleasantly surprised, its a joy to use and hold, l know it cannot be compared to the build quality of lets say Leica but the example l have feels nice and solid, the wind one is nice and everything is as l would like, it also feels nice and solid with my CV Nokton 1.5, l must get a grip for it.😎

 

[tbhv55]

Anyway, this week l bagged a Bessa R at a very nice BIN price and I must say l am more than very pleasantly surprised, its a joy to use and hold, l know it cannot be compared to the build quality of lets say Leica but the example l have feels nice and solid, the wind one is nice and everything is as l would like, it also feels nice and solid with my CV Nokton 1.5, l must get a grip for it.😎

Well done, and congratulations! I picked up an 'R' a few months ago - I find it very good to use. I also like how it looks.

I guess - if I'm being honest - I'm still intrigued by Leicas, but (for the moment at least 😉) the Bessa is just the ticket.

 

[lxmike]

Well done, and congratulations! I picked up an 'R' a few months ago - I find it very good to use. I also like how it looks.

I guess - if I'm being honest - I'm still intrigued by Leicas, but (for the moment at least 😉) the Bessa is just the ticket.

Many thanks l was lucky enough to grab it for £135 🙂

 

[ForestCap]

I bought my R one year ago, and it has burnt more rolls of films than the other cameras I have. The bright viewfinder and easy-to-see 35mm frameline surely make it the best bang for the buck among all interchangeable-lens rangefinders.

I use the VC-5 half case for better gripping and impact protection. It even muffles the shutter sound a bit.

£135 is a good price! I paid something like £160 for mine. I had to remove a piece of fungus on the plastic viewfinder protection window though.

 

[charjohncarter]

I bought mine from the boss of RFF, and it is really nice to use. I'm really careful with it as I read early on that you should not force the film advance so I wind slowly and near the end of a roll I'm slow and light with the advance.

I've thought about getting a 2A and putting an adaptor to use LTM lenses, but haven't acted on that. I like the idea of setting f stop and letting the camera decide on the shutter speed.

 

[tbhv55]

I'm really careful with it as I read early on that you should not force the film advance so I wind slowly and near the end of a roll I'm slow and light with the advance.

I was unaware of this. That's a very useful tip - thanks!

 

[tbhv55]

Many thanks l was lucky enough to grab it for £135 🙂

That sounds like a good deal. Mine came with a lens, so it's difficult to compare properly, but at £135, yours sounds like a bargain - presuming that it's in nice condition.

 

[lxmike]

I bought my R one year ago, and it has burnt more rolls of films than the other cameras I have. The bright viewfinder and easy-to-see 35mm frameline surely make it the best bang for the buck among all interchangeable-lens rangefinders.

I use the VC-5 half case for better gripping and impact protection. It even muffles the shutter sound a bit.

£135 is a good price! I paid something like £160 for mine. I had to remove a piece of fungus on the plastic viewfinder protection window though.

how did you disassemble the viewfinder