Bessa R as a tough travel camera?

[sockeyed]

I've travelled the world with my trusty Canon F-1/ A-1 kit which has stood up to just about anything I could throw at it. I'm considering taking my Bessa R to India in the fall instead, particularly since I'm so happy with the quality of the 35/2.5 I just got, and I really enjoy using a rangefinder camera.

I wonder if people could share their thoughts/experiences about using the Bessa R (or even other Bessas) in hot, dusty and/or damp places, or as a travel camera in general. Would the newer Bessas (R2A/3A) be much different in terms of ruggedness?

Thanks
Ben

 

[Doug]

Ben, I took my Bessa-L to hot/dry southern Spain and Morocco a few years ago, along with the Minolta CLE and a few lenses, and all the gear took it fine. For that matter, my home area is rather hot and dusty in the summer and often quite cold in winter. We don't have problems with fungus or mold, but dust & lint can gum the works so keeping stuff clean and lubed is important. It would be a good idea to take your travel gear in for cleaning and lube before you leave, and early enough to run a roll or two through afterward to make sure all is well.

 

[newspaperguy]

I have toted a Bessa R for several months in the cab of my pickup truck,
along with my Bessa L, which has been there for over a year... both in
a soft-sided, zipper top picnic cooler bag ($6 at the discount store).

No problems. :angel: (Knock on wood)

Rick

 

[Fedzilla_Bob]

...both in
a soft-sided, zipper top picnic cooler bag ($6 at the discount store).

No problems. :angel: (Knock on wood)

Rick

Some of the zipper top coolers even resemble high-end camera bags and have water bottle carriers on the outside that can hold other gear. They are very water resistant, nearly water proof and often have a vinyl interior that is easy to clean and does not add any dust or lint of its own. I have two from "Arctic Cooler."

 

[newspaperguy]

Hey.... IMNSHO - one of the best things about picnic cooler bags

is that they DON'T look like camera bags! 😎

Rick (undercover ops)

 

[tedwhite]

Carrying my new Bessa R in very small Tamrac bag made for a digital camera (the Bessa's so small it fits perfectly). Due to the bag's smallness it fits under the seat of my Passat (ergo invisible) and in my go-to-Mexico car (a $600 1978 Chevrolet Caprice Classic station wagon, that oddly enough runs just fine) there are a number of stash compartments. Should I ride my off road motorcycle I will take another camera. There are limits, and I don't want to find out what Bessa's are.

 

[shaaktiman]

I took my bessa R2 to Bangladesh, Nepal and Bombay recently. My first ride on a motorized rickshaw in Dhaka knocked the rangefinder out of alignment. (On the first day too!) Needless to say I didn't trust anyone over there to bust open my baby and start adjusting it so I spent the vacation doing a rough focus and stopping down. It worked out fine, but still!

I recommend that you hold your camera in your lap during moto-rickshaw rides (not in your bag on the floor!) and be aware that strong jolts or vibrations will kick the rf out of focus. Other than that the camera was a dream, no other issues at all.

A pet peeve of mine is western photographers walking around very poor cities with 2 motorized Nikons around their necks playing "important photographer." It definitely puts a wall up between artist and subject. Having a small, cheapo looking camera may help you look less ostentacious as a tourist.

have fun!

adam

 

[tedwhite]

Adam:

I completely agree. I have the black Bessa R with the 35/2.5. It is small and inconspicuous. I blacktaped over the white "Bessa R" and it's now virtually unnoticeable. It hangs inside a beat-up leather jacket which is unzipped half-way. I can pull it out, make a shot, and stick it back inside in seconds. Several times I have been asked if it was a real camera. One couple thought it was a single-use camera. Its main advantage, as I see it, is that it's not threatening.

On the other hand, when I use the Bessa L (25/4) with the viewfinder mounted on top and the large rectangular lens hood, it attracts attention apparently because it looks so weird.

And, when I start walking about with my SLR's it's a whole different ball game. As you say, it's not what you want to do in poor sections of a city. Puts up the wall is right. In some sections of nearby Mexico I only carry my Olympus XA.

Ted

 

[mstevenson]

That took me a minute Adam, but I appreciate the comment about western photogs with fancy gear in poor cities. My first read through had me almost immediately up in arms due to "pet peeve" and "western photographers" appearing in the same sentence. I'm a bit overly sensitive to everything west, or in particular "American" being perceived as BAD.

I'm glad I read through a second time, and paid closer attention. I can imagine the sight of someone who is obviously not indigenous to the region walking about and snapping away with their gear that could easily feed a small family for months.. hell the film and developing costs could feed said family for some time.

Thanks for the insight..

Michael

 

[Roger Hicks]

The first thing to do on an arduous trip is to insulate ANY camera from sustained vibration: I once had the back fall off a Hasselblad after 300 miles on a single-cylinder motorcycle (MZ), and on another occasion an internal lens group on a Vivitar 200/3 unscrewed after a couple of thousand km. on a 350 Bullet touring south India. Low-density foam is the best insulator: I now carry cameras in a tank bag on my BMW R100RS with 2 inches of foam in the bottom of the bag. High-density foam is good for insulation against knocks, low density for vibration.

Keep the cameras in Ziplocs or similar when you're not using them, to keep dust out of the works. Don't leave them anywhere they'll receive serious shocks such as, yes, on the floor of an autorickshaw -- I wouldn't do this to ANY camera I own, not even Alpa, though an old Robot might be OK. Incidentally I wouldn't hesitate to trust a good Indian camera repairer, or Russian: that's one reason I use simple mechanical cameras.

My wife and I have used various Bessas (R, R2, R2C, T, and R3A) alongside Leicas since the Bessas first came out and have had no problems when motorcycle touring or or travelling by Series III Land Rover. This includes such trips as 3000 miles in 300 hours in 2003 researching www.motorcycletouringineurope.com (www.mctie.com for a quicker log-on) and 4500 miles inh 2004 around Eastern and Central Europe in the LR, getting within 1/4 mile of the Ukrainian border at one point. The Bessas have also been to Greece, Malta, Portugal, Spain... I don't recall if we took them on our last trip to India but I wouldn't hesitate to take them on the next one (this year, insh'Allah).

Cheers,

Roger (www.rogerandfrances.com)

 

[Sonnar2]

I take my Bessa-R with me riding on horseback with a couple of lenses 2-3 years now, as well as biking and hiking. Before that I used my first C/V-camera, a Bessa-L in the same matter. No complains. It can be quite high temperature in the summer and cold in the winter. Only once the shutter of zthe Bessa-L gets stuck and it costs me 30 USD to my repairman to get it working again, thanks to all mechanical construction. With the Bessa-R, you should know it has no release-lock, therefore accidental firing and some waste of film can be happen. I also have two Canon A-1 and I estimate the Bessa will age more dignified...
thanks, Frank

 

[RML]

I took my L and R on several trips to Mongolia and India. They both experienced temperatures in the deep -30 degrees C and the high +40 degrees C. They've been in dust and rain and snow. They've been in carried around in my daypack without any padding for days on end. They've endured a lot of poor treatment. One thing is that both are always covered in the body cover of the never-ready case. That has saved them from dings, bangs and botches. And maybe I'm just lucky but I've never experienced a misaligned RF.

 

[jan normandale]

I've travelled the world with my trusty Canon F-1/ A-1 kit which has stood up to just about anything I could throw at it. I'm considering taking my Bessa R to India in the fall instead, particularly since I'm so happy with the quality of the 35/2.5 I just got, and I really enjoy using a rangefinder camera.

I wonder if people could share their thoughts/experiences about using the Bessa R (or even other Bessas) in hot, dusty and/or damp places, or as a travel camera in general. Would the newer Bessas (R2A/3A) be much different in terms of ruggedness?

Thanks
Ben

Hi Ben,

I like "tough stuff" and there are a lot of rugged cameras out there that will do the job. I haul a little Olympus 35 RC around in a ziplock bag. This goes into a back pack, with everything, bottled water, books, keys etc, it recently took a "hit" and it is still going. These units are cheap cheap but they are good quality low tech cameras. I don't use the light meter, it slows me down. Sunny 16 and shoot , that's it. Check this link at RFF, you will see the damage to the little Olympus and it is still going. I love this camera, it's a friend.

You won't be afraid of losing/damaging it, the camera is so inexpensive, and it is a great travelling camera with "hard copy" not digital.

Jan

http://www.rangefinderforum.com/forums/showthread.php?t=5658

 

[sockeyed]

Thanks for you comments, everyone. I'm glad this thread resurfaced.

I have no doubt that my Bessa will be with me on my next trip (likely to India, this fall). It'll probably be my Bessa R, a few lenses, and my Oly Stylus Epic in my pocket.

 

[jmilkins]

heh folks.
I've used the L and a 15 and 25 on :
very bumpy roads in Timor Leste (East Timor) , a vintage car rally in New Zealand and
on my Transalp motorcycle in the bush

I can echo the sentiments expressed already. The only problem I had was camera shake from the bumps 😉

The Olympus XA and XA4 would be really discreet options and stop people asking about the groovy accesory finders on the bessa...

 

[Tom Diaz]

I have traveled in India and also have traveled with an R2A and a Leica M6 TTL, although not all at the same time.

I think the R2A is a fantastic camera, although my first one jammed up on me after three weeks of use. (The dealer replaced it immediately.) So I like traveling with it but could not from this experience suggest setting out with only it in my bag. (Don't forget, its all electronic shutter is totally dead with dead batteries, and then on top of that you could have a malfunction.)

I will not try to make any point about "western" photographers in India vs. any other kind, but I would advise you of two things to keep in mind of a practical nature, which you can add to any ethical scruples:

1. People there do not especially like to have their pictures taken, so be polite and discreet. Ask and do as people say, or if you aren't going to ask, be discreet.

2. Which leads to the second point: The streets and alleys teem with people, and backing off with even a short tele means your view of the person or other subject will be obstructed. I shot the vast majority of my pictures with a 28mm f/2 and a 35-70 zoom at the 35mm end of the range. I was as discreet as possible, with occasional surreptitious hip shots.

If I had it to do over I would take my two rangefinders with a 35mm f/2 and a wider lens. I don't own a 28 or 24 in an M mount, so I guess that trip would give me the excuse I am looking for. I would probably use the R2A preferentially because of its aperture priority meter, which would be ideal for fast street shooting--not so many skies or backlights to throw things off. If the R2A bombed out again I would still have the trusty M6.

 

[tedwhite]

Ton, excellent analysis of real-world problems photographing in narrow crowded streets. Although I've never been to India, I have spent time in Mexico and Central America and, in the inner cities, the same crowded environment occurs.

I, too, have found long lenses not at all useful. At the time I used Pentax Spotmatics, and my most preferred lenses were the 20 and 28. If I were told I could go to Mexico on a grant, all expenses paid, but on condition I take only one lens, it would be the 28.

Today, with my Bessas, it would be the L w/25/4 and the R w/35/2.5. Maybe carry the small J8 in a pocket for those special moments.

 

[sockeyed]

When I travelled in Vietnam, I actually found my Canon FD 85/1.8 very useful. I got some great, natural people shots with it, even though I'm generally not a fan of teles. I carried it, a 24mm and a 35mm. A great travel kit, I thought. Now I'd probably go with my Bessa, 25/4, 35/2.5, and 75/2.5.

It's funny about what you say concerning people in India not liking having their picture taken, Tom. My experience was just the opposite - I found people often asked to have their picture taken, which led to me burning through quite a bit of film, sometimes. Perhaps it's different in different parts of the country (I was mostly in the west).

 

[2maneekameras]

Ben, take your fed2 and /or zorki4, My FSU cameras have handled the abuse of being hauled around in my Unimog both on and off road without any problems. As you know, these cameras are readily and cheaply replaceable. I thought it was quite appropriate to take pictures of such things as chinese BMW motorcycle copies with a Ukrainian Leica inspired copy.

 

[akalai]

2maneekameras...WOW, you have a Unimog??? Which one, the really old early ones or a new version? I can imagine that being a really fun vehicle to go bush bashing in... 😀

Sorry back to cameras now...

AKALAI