Leica LTM Bessa L or Leica If for my 21mm Color-Skopar? Help me decide!

Leica M39 screw mount bodies/lenses
One drawback of the L: the rubberized (fashionable among manufacturers during the '90s) back will get sticky over time, if haven't became so yet.

Tedious chore to get that thing off. Once done it feels good though.
 
The Bessa is a different sound, vertically traveling metal blades vs horizontal cloth. A lot depends upon where you are as to which is better.

I carried a Bessa L with a 25/4 Snap-Shot on her for years. Never a problem, till I went to sell it (wait for it....). Of all the Leicas, Nikons and Bessa's I've sold, that is the one kit that I miss the most. Flexible (a meter when I needed it), light weight, reliable, good looking and easy to use.

B2
 
Pioneer said:
My vote is for the Leica Standard. Elegant, slim, compact and a joy to hold and use.
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The problem with the Standard and the I is that the excellent big plastic 21mm VC viewfinder that this lens normally comes with fouls the camera viewfinder
 
Thanks again for all the replies. It certainly seems the Bessa L is the logical mate for my lens.

Anyone have anything to say about the If or Ic?
 
I guess that depends entirely on whether you want flash sync or not. The If has it, the Ic does not.

I guess the thing I would say is, if you are interested in a Ic or If, you would be better served to use a IIIc or IIIf instead. They are only a tiny bit bigger, will probably cost less, and allow the camera to be used for something other than a platform for an ultrawide with an accessory finder.

For that matter, if you are interested in a Bessa L, you might be better off with an R.

Cheers,
Dez
 
Fersure the Bessa L! I sold mine... missed it so much I bought another.

med_U20714I1269340492.SEQ.0.jpg
 
If the feel is important to you :Go for classy; dump the flimsy Bessa L and use the Leica. The combiation of modern glass with vintage camera will give you goose bumps.

If practicalty is important to you : go modern.
 
The Leica Stadard. It is super classy.

Pioneer said:
My vote is for the Leica Standard. Elegant, slim, compact and a joy to hold and use. I have nothing at all against Bessa, I love my R, but to walk away from one of the finest and most reliable Barnack gems in exchange for a few ounces and a swing open back is very confusing to me.

If you shoot slide film an external meter will be more accurate and estimating exposure for color or black and white negative film is not very difficult.

With your ultra-wide focus is not something you will need to worry about so everybody's favorite complaint, "squinty" range and viewfinders, is not a problem.

A well treated Leica Standard will likely outlive all of us. As nice as the Bessa cameras are I kind of doubt they are that well designed and built.
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Those cameras share almost nothing... Well, I try not to recommend options outside those mentioned by the OP, but...
Pick the Leica if you want a heavier camera without meter, with a curtain the sun can damage, and with slower loading and rewinding, and slower shutter.
Pick the Bessa L if you want superior specifications there, with a bit louder shutter, yet with much lower sound than an SLR, and with useful metering information you can check on camera without taking your camera to eye level, a great feature IMO...
But...
I would choose between Bessa T and Bessa R4M instead:
Pick the T if you want the lightest possible camera that's able to focus fast lenses close and wide open, with the same great meter and external meter info the L has, and Leica M mount, for use with external finders.
Or pick the R4M if you like a very well built and designed mechanical camera, the only one with 21mm framelines in its internal viewfinder, and metered and M mount too. After owning and using a Leica Barnack and a Bessa R4M and other Bessas for a few years, I consider my Bessas, all of them, better cameras than my Leica IIIF RD.
My pick, for your case, would be the T if you ever carry two cameras, and the R4M if only one.
Cheers,
Juan
 
a lot of interesting feedback here. One thing I realized recently is the Bessa L is the same size as the Bessa T. Kinda seems like you might as well have a rangefinder built in for the same size.
That is what appeals to me about the Leica If or Ic: the camera is physically substantially shorter. This makes sense to me because of the added height of the shoe mount finder needed for the 21mm Color-Skopar...

Any feedback about using a If or Ic?

Thanks!
 
satedesco said:
and one more thought- a leica standard or c converted to standard- these can often be found in handsome enameled black for @300- more than the L but less than the If or Ic. plus you get a 50mm viewfinder to boot - and the smallest package you can dream of- unless you find a leica CL with the metering arm removed. also IIf's are quite undervalued. loading screw mounts is easy- come on.
Click to expand...

Pioneer said:
My vote is for the Leica Standard. Elegant, slim, compact and a joy to hold and use. I have nothing at all against Bessa, I love my R, but to walk away from one of the finest and most reliable Barnack gems in exchange for a few ounces and a swing open back is very confusing to me.

If you shoot slide film an external meter will be more accurate and estimating exposure for color or black and white negative film is not very difficult.

With your ultra-wide focus is not something you will need to worry about so everybody's favorite complaint, "squinty" range and viewfinders, is not a problem.

A well treated Leica Standard will likely outlive all of us. As nice as the Bessa cameras are I kind of doubt they are that well designed and built.
Click to expand...

This is an interesting alternative. I've been looking at Standards on the 'bay and they don't seem to be cheaper...
Great looking camera Though. And it would do what I need it to...
 
As I mentioned before the normal big 21mm CV finder will not fit a Standard or I because it jams up against the camera's viewfinder. Otherwise it would make a great outfit. The Ic If etc would be fine 'cos there is no camera viewfinder.

Or find a smaller finder.

My CV 21 seems to have taken up residence permanently on the Nex...
 
Dralowid said:
As I mentioned before the normal big 21mm CV finder will not fit a Standard or I because it jams up against the camera's viewfinder. Otherwise it would make a great outfit. The Ic If etc would be fine 'cos there is no camera viewfinder.

Or find a smaller finder.

My CV 21 seems to have taken up residence permanently on the Nex...
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Thanks for the heads up. I'm using the larger plastic finder that came with the lens, so that kinda kills the Leica standard option for me...
 
I did the Bessa L thing but it failed after about a week. (The Bessa has a lot going for it, I suppose, with that nice shutter and the built in meter, but
it is not the camera I'd buy if I wanted reliability. )

I then cranked my 15mm Heliar onto a far more reliable camera.
Loading a Barnack is not that hard.....trust me.

iiif15mm.jpg
 
literiter said:
I did the Bessa L thing but it failed after about a week. (The Bessa has a lot going for it, I suppose, with that nice shutter and the built in meter, but
it is not the camera I'd buy if I wanted reliability. )

I then cranked my 15mm Heliar onto a far more reliable camera.
Loading a Barnack is not that hard.....trust me.

iiif15mm.jpg
Click to expand...

Lovely kit. Despite the enthusiasm for the L, I'm leaning toward the If.
Handling seems fine:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D8CPyA31N88
 
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