davidbivins
Established
I received my Bessa III yesterday, ordered from a firm in Germany. I've shot several rolls with it, but I haven't had time to process the film yet. I just wanted to post some notes and answer any questions for those who are still curious about this camera.
It's a beautiful camera. The fit and finish are very high quality. The metal surfaces have a satin finish which doesn't show fingerprints as easily as a gloss finish (like my black paint MP). A significant part of the front and the right-hand area of the back are clad in rubber which is easy to grip with confidence. It's not as "grabbable" as a Mamiya 6 or other camera with contoured grip, but that's not an issue.
It's relatively light for its size. It seems much lighter than my Mamiya 6.
Opening and closing it is easy and you can feel satisfying feedback. There's an extra tug you have to do to pull the front standard straight (like any folder), and closing it is very easy if you remember to swing the focus ring back to infinity.
Loading it is similar to the Mamiya in that you have two small buttons, one for each reel, that release the bottom pins so you can slide the film in and out. Loading the film is very straightforward. The film winder is a knob, not a lever, but it's geared to easily spin with a flick of the thumb. Loading the film with it, forwarding film, and winding up the roll are all much faster than I would have thought when I first used the winder.
The viewfinder is generous, with brightlines that I found easy to see even when facing bright light. The shutter speed is indicated to the right of the brightlines and is still within my sightline without having to adjust my view (I wear eyeglasses). When in aperture priority mode, the scale shows the shutter speed that the camera has chosen. In manual mode, it shows both your chosen shutter speed and the "suggested," or metered, shutter speed. If the Minolta CLE would do this, it would be almost the perfect 35mm rangefinder.
The shutter is as close to silent as any I have used. It is quieter than a Yashica Electro 35 or any of the large format shutters I've used, perhaps because my sense of it is dampened by this huge camera between it and my ears. But seriously, it's quiet. I received it at work, and I took it out on my lunch hour to shoot in Manhattan. It's noisy on the sidewalk at lunch, and I honestly wasn't sure I was taking photographs--that's how quiet it is. I trusted that I was because I was able to advance the film to the next frame. Now, that makes it a nice candidate for street photography except for the fact that it looks like a contemporary old-fashioned camera, so everyone stares at you as soon as you bring it to your face.
My only frustration so far is the focusing and holding with my left hand. There is a tab in the focusing ring that kind of corresponds to my left index finger, with my left thumb holding the bottom of the camera. Or you can use your left thumb to focus, wrap your hand under the bellows (don't squeeze!) and rest your fingertips against the rubber-clad front cover. I haven't found my ideal position yet. It's somewhat awkward.
The focus and aperture rings are easy to turn without feeling loose. Subjects snap into focus in the rangefinder patch. I showed it to a co-worker and he got it immediately, despite never having used a rangefinder. The only other control is the shutter dial. Because the shutter speed is visible in the viewfinder, it's terribly easy to use. You never have to even look at the shutter dial.
120/220 choice is built into the back, as is a pocket for slipping the tab of your film so you remember what you're shooting. All cameras should have this.
All-in-all, I'm happy to have it, and I'm looking forward to seeing the photographs I've taken with it so far. Given that it's not a studio camera and it's not necessarily ideal as a street camera, I'm not sure where it lives at this price point. It seems ideal for travel; I can see taking it on a trip and also using it with friends and family. On the street I shoot Leica most of the time, and I would use the Mamiya 6 (or the Fujica GL690) if I wanted medium format. In a studio or controlled setting, I would use the Hasselblad 500C/M.
But I paid a lot of money for it, so I'll be damned if I don't find the perfect use for it!
I'll post photos to this thread as soon as I have them.
It's a beautiful camera. The fit and finish are very high quality. The metal surfaces have a satin finish which doesn't show fingerprints as easily as a gloss finish (like my black paint MP). A significant part of the front and the right-hand area of the back are clad in rubber which is easy to grip with confidence. It's not as "grabbable" as a Mamiya 6 or other camera with contoured grip, but that's not an issue.
It's relatively light for its size. It seems much lighter than my Mamiya 6.
Opening and closing it is easy and you can feel satisfying feedback. There's an extra tug you have to do to pull the front standard straight (like any folder), and closing it is very easy if you remember to swing the focus ring back to infinity.
Loading it is similar to the Mamiya in that you have two small buttons, one for each reel, that release the bottom pins so you can slide the film in and out. Loading the film is very straightforward. The film winder is a knob, not a lever, but it's geared to easily spin with a flick of the thumb. Loading the film with it, forwarding film, and winding up the roll are all much faster than I would have thought when I first used the winder.
The viewfinder is generous, with brightlines that I found easy to see even when facing bright light. The shutter speed is indicated to the right of the brightlines and is still within my sightline without having to adjust my view (I wear eyeglasses). When in aperture priority mode, the scale shows the shutter speed that the camera has chosen. In manual mode, it shows both your chosen shutter speed and the "suggested," or metered, shutter speed. If the Minolta CLE would do this, it would be almost the perfect 35mm rangefinder.
The shutter is as close to silent as any I have used. It is quieter than a Yashica Electro 35 or any of the large format shutters I've used, perhaps because my sense of it is dampened by this huge camera between it and my ears. But seriously, it's quiet. I received it at work, and I took it out on my lunch hour to shoot in Manhattan. It's noisy on the sidewalk at lunch, and I honestly wasn't sure I was taking photographs--that's how quiet it is. I trusted that I was because I was able to advance the film to the next frame. Now, that makes it a nice candidate for street photography except for the fact that it looks like a contemporary old-fashioned camera, so everyone stares at you as soon as you bring it to your face.
My only frustration so far is the focusing and holding with my left hand. There is a tab in the focusing ring that kind of corresponds to my left index finger, with my left thumb holding the bottom of the camera. Or you can use your left thumb to focus, wrap your hand under the bellows (don't squeeze!) and rest your fingertips against the rubber-clad front cover. I haven't found my ideal position yet. It's somewhat awkward.
The focus and aperture rings are easy to turn without feeling loose. Subjects snap into focus in the rangefinder patch. I showed it to a co-worker and he got it immediately, despite never having used a rangefinder. The only other control is the shutter dial. Because the shutter speed is visible in the viewfinder, it's terribly easy to use. You never have to even look at the shutter dial.
120/220 choice is built into the back, as is a pocket for slipping the tab of your film so you remember what you're shooting. All cameras should have this.
All-in-all, I'm happy to have it, and I'm looking forward to seeing the photographs I've taken with it so far. Given that it's not a studio camera and it's not necessarily ideal as a street camera, I'm not sure where it lives at this price point. It seems ideal for travel; I can see taking it on a trip and also using it with friends and family. On the street I shoot Leica most of the time, and I would use the Mamiya 6 (or the Fujica GL690) if I wanted medium format. In a studio or controlled setting, I would use the Hasselblad 500C/M.
But I paid a lot of money for it, so I'll be damned if I don't find the perfect use for it!
I'll post photos to this thread as soon as I have them.
