Are Bessa R2s still avalible

[surlysimon]

I was looking at buying an R3A but realised that maybe an R2 would suit me just as well, but i am not sure if they are still availible or will i have to look for a S/H one?

 

[Stephanie Brim]

You'll have to look for a used one. The R2 is a good camera.

 

[Huck Finn]

The R2A/R3A is a better camera than the R2.

 

[Stephanie Brim]

The R2 is mechanical. To me, that sets it apart right there.

You kind of have to decide for yourself what is better.

 

[Huck Finn]

If it had the build quality of a Leica & a network of tech service to support it, that might be a good point. but where are you going to get a CLA on a Bessa as the years go on? An electronic shutter is more reliable in terms of accuracy than a mechanical one. In every other way, the R2A?R3A is just as mechanical as the R2 with manual film advance, film rewind, & manual focus. And the film advance & rewind are improved.

Add to that the fact that the close focus capability is also improved. Why would you want to limit your lenses to 0.9 m because of the body on which they're mounted when they're designed with the capability of focusing down to 0.7 m? Of course you can scale focus them for the last 8 inches, but why would you want to choose that when you don't have to?

Huck

 

[Huck Finn]

I was looking at buying an R3A but realised that maybe an R2 would suit me just as well, but i am not sure if they are still availible or will i have to look for a S/H one?

The Rollei 35 RF is essentially a special edition of the R2 but with 40/50/80 frame lines. And the 40 frame lines are more viewable than on the R3A because of the lower 0.7 magnification. These are still available new.

Huck

 

[Stephanie Brim]

You can still get a CLA for your 50 year old Leica M3, so I highly doubt that it will be a big problem for the R2 either. If you want Leica quality, get a Leica.

 

[Huck Finn]

The Leica tech I talked with said that he won't work on Bessas. Maybe that was just him. My point was just that as nice as mechanical cameras are, they have their limitations. One of them is that they need periodic adjustments to keep spring tensions properly adjusted so that shutter speeds are accurate. This is not the case with electronic shutters. I just have a question about whether anyone will be out there to service Bessas the way they are out there to service Leicas.

BTW, did I mention that the R2/3A has a better eyepiece? I don't mean to belabor the point, but it was nice to see that Cosina made a number of upgrades when they came out with this camera. They didn't just slap AE on the existing R2 & leave it otherwise untouched.
However, for anyone who prefers a mechanical camera, the R2 is still good value for the money.

Huck

 

[Huck Finn]

The Rollei 35 RF is essentially a special edition of the R2 but with 40/50/80 frame lines. And the 40 frame lines are more viewable than on the R3A because of the lower 0.7 magnification. These are still available new.

Huck

I should add that I remember seeing that Tamarkin (www.tamarkin.com) still has R2's available new. You'll get great service there. 🙂

 

[surlysimon]

did a quick search localy and found the last R2 around and got it for 60% of the cost of an R3A so i am happy.
as for service, given the R2 has a mechanical shutter surely that will be easier to service in ten years than an electronic one? maybe not I don't know but i wanted a camera which didn't rely on a battery

 

[ClaremontPhoto]

Hey, that is one sweet deal. Congratulations, and enjoy.

 

[allthumbs]

but where are you going to get a CLA on a Bessa as the years go on?

Aren't the Bessas based on the ubiquitous, bog-standard Cosina SLR body and shutter? Considering that's one of the most common camera bodies on the planet, and of a notably simple design made even simpler by the deletion of the mirror box, I'd guess one would have little trouble having it CLA'd. The one possible hitch being that you may have to look up a separate technician to service the rangefinder or do it yourself, but AFAIK there's nothing exotic about the Bessa's rangefinder, either.

 

[Kim Coxon]

Hi,
Slightly OT but relevent. I was in London last week delivering a couple of the Pentax's to one of my friendly repair techs. I also took down one of my old Asahiflex's because he had expressed an interest and we had a general discusion about servicing and the like. The Asahiflex, pre prism, 1950's went on ghis tester. the slow speeds were some of the most accurate he had seen in a long time being less than 1% out. The fast speeds were within 4% all well within very acceptable limits. If the curtains go, they can be replaced. We then got onto the subject of the K series. The one big problem he has is the K" with it's electronic shutter. Over a period of time the blades get dirty. A quick fix is to wipe them with a solvent but in his view, all this does is hide the problem for a short while. The only true cure is to dismantle the shutter and clean the blades before putting it all back together and although he is a Pentx trained tech and has been working on them for 30 years, he said it is not a job he would atempt. The mechanical shutters on the other hand were easy to maintain and keep well adjusted. Any shutter will need periodic maintenance and servicing an electronis one is a very difficult and expensive job.

Kim

The Leica tech I talked with said that he won't work on Bessas. Maybe that was just him. My point was just that as nice as mechanical cameras are, they have their limitations. One of them is that they need periodic adjustments to keep spring tensions properly adjusted so that shutter speeds are accurate. This is not the case with electronic shutters. I just have a question about whether anyone will be out there to service Bessas the way they are out there to service Leicas.

However, for anyone who prefers a mechanical camera, the R2 is still good value for the money.

Huck

 

[surlysimon]

The New R2 i bought today makes a little noise after the shutter has fired and i lift off the release button. is this normal or should i take it back? My R doesn't make the same sound

 

[former member]

I can still get my Voigtlander Prominent serviced, so I would not worry about getting a Bessa R2 serviced. Plenty of repair shops specialize in "We Service your old camera".

Just like to add: The Bessa R2S in Nikon mount is available new, from cameraquest.com.

 

[RayPA]

Two of my favorite CV lenses (Nokton 0/1.5, and the Ultron 35/1.7), show that they only focus to .9m. I'm rarely down at that end of things, anyway—even with the lenses that focus to .7m. I here what you're saying, though.

I picked up the R2 for the reason Stephanies stated, it's a good mechanical backup to my all electric cameras.

That said, I may be putting mine up for sale shortly. My M4-P has taken over the R2's role.

🙂


.

 

[RayPA]

The New R2 i bought today makes a little noise after the shutter has fired and i lift off the release button. is this normal or should i take it back? My R doesn't make the same sound

At what speed do you here the noise?



ray

 

[former member]

Well, I for one like my M3's. I use lenses that focus to 0.7m on it. If I need something much closer, I'm likely to pull out the SLR. One of the M3's has been modified to focus closer than its original minimum distance, but the parallax comesation drops out at ~0.8m. The RF goes to 0.7. My Nikkor 5cm F1.4 in LTM goes down to 18", but that only works on the Nicca's.

 

[surlysimon]

At what speed do you here the noise?



ray

Ray
it happens at all speeds, the meter dosen't switch on untill the shutter is cocked