"A" model bessa owners- ever had a shutter fail?

[Merkin]

In one of the very first threads I ever read on RFF, back when I was just a lurker who hadn't even signed up, people were arguing the relative merits of the Rxa versus the Rxm. This argument still goes on. I realize that the argument was around long before the bessa, or maybe even cosina as a company was around. It was the reason that a lot of people kept buying nikon f2 cameras for a good while after the f3 came out.

I completely understand wanting an Rxm if you are going someplace incredibly remote or poor, like any number of places in sub-saharan africa, or on a trek through the amazon rainforest. In situations where batteries may not be available, it is a wise choice. however, most photographers are never more than 20 to 30 minutes away from a place where they can buy camera batteries, and most carry spares anyway, so, in the first world at least, reliance on batteries isn't really a huge inconvenience, and even the majority of Rxm cameras keep batteries on hand to keep their meters going, so that part of the argument is relatively moot.

my question, however, has to deal with the argument that an electronic shutter is less reliable than a mechanical one. These arguments tend to stay in the realm of 'ifs,' theory, and principle. I want a bit of real world info here. has anyone on rff who owns an RxA camera experienced a shutter failure? If so, what was the culprit? What were the conditions? Do you think it likely that an Rxm model would have kept on going? If you repair cameras, have you ever had to repair an RxA with a failed shutter? It certainly isn't a rampant issue, or no one would buy the A models. I certainly don't read every single thread, but I haven't come across any threads where people have complained of RxA shutter failure.

Is the argument that the electronic shutters in the A models are inferior validly backed up with real world experience, or is it just theoretical retrogrouchery?

 

[backstein-420-]

hey merkin!

i'm not sure about the reliability of the r3a shutter yet. but i had a very good experience with an electronic shutter controlled camera (minolta xd7) in very very cold weather in russia - three years ago it had under minus 20° - the water in our bottles we had in our jackets just froze after half an hour. no problems with the shutter or the metering whatsoever. i had one of these CR 1/3 lithium batteries in there i now also have for my bessa. also: batteries are very light and tiny. i think you may carry at least 10 of them in a single film canister - even if i had an all mechanical shutter camera with me i'd make sure i'd carry a spare one for the light meter. if a shutter fails (mechanic OR electronic) i won't be able to fix it myself anyway. i'm going to need a mechanic. so i try not to worry about that too much. but maybe i'd stay away from digital cameras and cameras with automated film transport and built in flashes when going on longer vacations..these need bigger batteries than run out very fast.

happy shooting, c

 

[Leigh Youdale]

I have an R3A bought new, and not a sign of trouble. And I have an R4A bought second hand and although the shutter works just fine there is a glitch which means I can't use a flash on that camera. The flash keeps self-firing every 20 seconds or so. Had it looked at - the problem is something to do with the shutter and the solution is to send it back to Japan to correct. No big deal - just do without the camera for several weeks.
Decision - don't bother. Use the R3A for the few times I want to use a flash; like about three times a year!

 

[ethics_gradient]

I completely understand wanting an Rxm if you are going someplace incredibly remote or poor, like any number of places in sub-saharan africa, or on a trek through the amazon rainforest. In situations where batteries may not be available, it is a wise choice. however, most photographers are never more than 20 to 30 minutes away from a place where they can buy camera batteries, and most carry spares anyway, so, in the first world at least, reliance on batteries isn't really a huge inconvenience, and even the majority of Rxm cameras keep batteries on hand to keep their meters going, so that part of the argument is relatively moot.

It's completely moot; SR-44's weigh virtually nothing and take up virtually no space. One could easily carry a few year's supply along with them without even noticing the "inconvenience". The camera gives you plenty of warning when the batteries start getting low.

It's been about a year now, and I bought it pretty well-used, but I've had no problems with the shutter of my R3a. Have had to change batteries once, and the first pair wasn't even fresh.

 

[ruby.monkey]

I only kept my R3A for about three years but it performed flawlessly throughout. The closest I came to babying it was to tuck it under my coat between shots if the rain got too heavy.

My personal experience has been that even remotely modern electronically-controlled shutters are at least as reliable as their mechanical counterparts. Battery dependence is a separate matter.

 

[Merkin]

I have an R3A bought new, and not a sign of trouble. And I have an R4A bought second hand and although the shutter works just fine there is a glitch which means I can't use a flash on that camera. The flash keeps self-firing every 20 seconds or so. Had it looked at - the problem is something to do with the shutter and the solution is to send it back to Japan to correct. No big deal - just do without the camera for several weeks.
Decision - don't bother. Use the R3A for the few times I want to use a flash; like about three times a year!

Out of curiosity, do you have any idea as to whether your shutter/flash glitch is of a sort that can only happen to the electronic shutters, or is it of a sort that could happen to manual ones as well?