Bessa L with J8?

[atelier7]

hello,
i'm thinking of getting a bessa L.
Could i use it with my J8 and petri 7s 2 Auxilliary viewfinder?

 

[BrianPhotog]

Sure, so long as your J8 is in a Leica screw mount 🙂

 

[captainslack]

Isn't the J8 a 50mm? I didn't think it was recommened to used the L with anything larger than a 35mm?

 

[chug]

You'd need a 50mm finder for it. Would work alright. But probly not the best thing to have on an L 🙂

 

[Kin Lau]

I frequently shoot my Leica IIIa + 5cm Elmar in hyperfocal due to the separate vf/rf bother. F8 on a 50mm lense will get you either 10-20ft or 16-infinity in focus.

For a Bessa L, maybe a collapsible I-22 or I-50 would make for a nice compact package as long as there's sufficient clearance.

 

[sockeyed]

Throw in some Tri-X at 1600 or Fuji Superia 800 and you should be good to go. You'll need that depth of field with a 50.

 

[Gordon Coale]

I used to think that using a 50 for scale focus would be sporty until I bought a 65mm lens for my Mamiya Frankencamera and had no problem. Then I bought an Agfa Isollete II with an 85mm lens that is scale focus. I haven't shot that one yet (waiting for another shutter) but a whole lot of other have with no problem. Just keep it stopped down to f11. A 50 is a piece of cake. Just stop it down a little.

 

[Gordon Coale]

Or you could make a cardboard rangefinder.

 

[Alan]

That is so cool, too bad there's something wrong with my printer. I wonder what's the effective base length for my human cardboard rangefinder.

 

[atelier7]

thanks everyone for your input. the cardboard rangefinder is really cool!
i'm afraid I'm too much of a newbie to understand even hyperfocal...

maybe i should rephrase my question.
What's a cheap and effective lens to use on a Bessa L?
without a rangefinder, what's the best way to still focus accurately?

 

[Alan]

If you want to use the L you will need to know how to use scale focus. and the best way to focus accurately is to understand hyperfocal distance. it's just something to do with aperture and depth of field. guestimate the distance of your subject to the lens. select the aperture, then just line up the distant scale with the aperture.

 

[atelier7]

thanks everyone for answering my hypothetical questions about what cheap russian lenses to use on a Bessa L. I figured its just a whole lot easier to go with a Bess R from camera quest. Still planning to use my J8 with it.

Now, to read up more about Hyperfocal...