Bessa a good first Range Finder?

thegman,
I'd advice you to keep on investigating until you understand all there is to understand rangefinder cameras, so you can better compare/decide. I was recently in your position, you may be interested in reading my after-buying thoughts:

http://www.rangefinderforum.com/forums/showthread.php?t=79903

Long story short, I love my R3A + Ultron 50mm 1.5...An instant affaire. Very good construction quality to both, and my first pics speak for themselves.

By the way, the EBL (effective base length) tells you how long is the rangefinder base. Yes, longer EBL means more accurate focussing, specially important for large apertures/tiny depth of fields. Bessa R2, R3, R4 cameras have shorter EBLs than Leica "M" cameras, or Zeiss Ikons, in the range of Leica CL (as far as I understand, those cameras were influenced by CL's size and functionality, sort of an inspiration). That said, I had no problem whatsoever focusing an Ultron 50mm @ 1.5 with an R3A, and I'm a rangefinder beginner.
 
Another advantage of the Bessas: The focal lengths has to be set manually with a lever on the body's top. So you don't need the "correct" M39 to M adapter (for 50/75 or 35/135) right at the beginning. You could start with one adapter and use your R2/R2a etc as an LTM camera in the beginning.
An advantage of the plastic (not entirely) made R is its low weight. Together with a 35/2.5 or a 21/4 it makes a lightweight combo you can haul around for hours without being burdened to much.
 
OK, I'm beginning to understand the issues now a bit better. I see myself using pretty a wide angle lens, maybe 35mm, and as fast as possible, so I'm not sure if the 35mm will be wide enough to get rid of focusing issues or not.

Having said that, one thing I really like about the photos I see on this forum is the bokeh effect you get with shallow depth of field, so control of that is quite important to me I think.

I think I need to spend some time thinking about the EBL, which is not something I considered before...

Thanks

Garry
 
I wouldn't worry about the EBL too much - particularly if you want a fast 35. Say for eg. a Nokton 35 1.4, the increasing depth of field with shorter focal lengths make focussing accurately at f1.4 no real problem in practice. The R2a will be fine.

Longer lenses have shallower depth of field at equivalent f stops, so that is where rangefinder accuracy becomes more important.

The R3a/m has the longest EBL of the Bessas (which is still smaller than Leicas other than the Leica CL) and there are no problems for me focussing a 50mm 1.4 @ 1.4 up close. People use the new Nokton 50mm 1.1 on the R3a/m @ 1.1 without problems it seems.
 
Garry,

From what you say, you should get the 35mm f/1.2 Nokton. It has the most beautiful OOF rendering. A bit large, but a good investment... It's the lens what defines your shots, not the camera. No focusing issues with it: any M mount body will be OK...

Cheers,

Juan
 
thegman,

As mentioned before, for wide angle lenses that inherently have greater depth of field, having a long EBL is not that big an issue. It gets critical with longer lenses and big apertures. In fact, that's why many old zone focus cameras have lenses in the 35-40mm range, because the bigger depth of field allows for wider margins of error when guesstimating.

I think you should go with an R3 if you're a 50mm or 40mm shooter, or with an R2 if you're a 35mm kind of guy. Either way, you won't be dissapointed i think...

Regards.
 
I just got a brand new R4M, and can't wait to go out and shoot. I chose to get a Bessa because I didn't want to spend an arm and a leg, and I still wanted a relatively high-quality camera. I made the choice of the R4M because I love to use wide angle lenses, and I wanted a manual camera ( I almost never use any camera on "auto" except for digitals ). Had I not cared about the wider framelines, I probably would have gone with a 2 or 3.
 
I have a Bessa R4A, which is fantastic. If you are worried about the rangefinder offset, the wider focusing R4A is excellent for ultra-wide angle and wide angle photography. You practically do not have to focus at all at 21mm and f/8, and many cheap cameras used a 35mm fixed focus lens, at (pobably) f/8. Once you stop the lenses down, there is no OOF.

I also have a Leica M6, which I use for everything above 35mm. (in 35mm format).

For low light (wide open) shots, there is a bit of concern. Wide angle takes care of most of that.
 
bessa and scopar quality

bessa and scopar quality

thegman see by yourself, on the bessa r2a the CV 35 @2.5 pancake and the summicron asperical 35mm @2.0 . I see only a slight shadowing in the corners.
 

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As a newbie to rangefinders after a lot of careful thought I went for a R2A and 35mm f1.4 lens. I've shot film before with a Pentax P30, but most recently have been predominately digital with a Nikon D300. The weight and in your faceness of that was getting to me so I decided to firstly get a Leica D-Lux 4 which goes everywhere with me now, and then go for a film rangefinder. I now find myself thinking seriously about selling my Nikon gear as it rarely gets used.

Some first attempts with the R2A:

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from: http://www.flickr.com/photos/dws21/

I'm a rangefinder convert, especially for black and white, and the joy of not carrying a rucksack of DSLR and lenses around everywhere is priceless. Now if only I could win the lottery and buy that M9.... 😀
 
Juan Valdenebro said:
Not the R3 but the T. Anyway for a 35mm you won't need a very long EBL, so any Bessa with internal finder will do fine.

Regards,

Juan
Click to expand...

You're right Juan, the T has the longest EBL of all bessas but she's not in production any where. Next best, and the best of all the Bessas with built in viewfinders is the R3.

Irwin Puts has a great write up on EBL and requirements for different lenses and speed out there on his site. I do not have it bookmarked on this computer. I think a 35/1.4 you will be fine on any of the current Bessa.

B2 (;->
 
Thanks for the advice, some lovely shots in this thread, very encouraging for a newbie like me.

I had the pleasure today of looking at an R3A in a shop today, along with a Nokton 1.4 40mm, very nice, so I'll ponder it for a little while and maybe go ahead with that.

Cheers

Garry
 
I've been using Bessas for a few years - I currently have an R3A and an R4A - and the short EBL thing just hasn't been an issue.

Unless you're using a fast 50 or longer, and shooting at short distances wide open, it's almost certainly going to focus fine - I've never had a problem with my CV 35/1.4, for example, on either Bessa.

Considering build quality, I use Leicas too, and while Bessas aren't as solid, I'm very happy using them side by side.

Talking of the CV 35/1.2, it is an excellent lens, of that there is no doubt - but it's a huge monster, and it's expensive (though a good price for what it is). I compared the two (a mint used 1.2 and a new 1.4) when I was choosing a fast 35, and I just couldn't imagine myself being happy lugging the 1.2 around with me, so I went for the very compact 1.4 and have been very happy with it.

Also, if you're interested in a bargain 35mm lens and don't need a fast one, the CV 35/2.5 is a little gem - I got one with my first Bessa R, and it's still one of my favourites.
 
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