Bessa R - Framelines & Parallax Error

[mikule]

Hello all, been a while since I posted, but after using my sisters SLR on the weekend I've have a slight GAS attack......

My Fed 5B and Russian Lenses (I61, J8 & J12) have been treating me well over the past couple of months, however the parallax error is really starting to get to me, and since starting a photography course I've been a pit more pedantic about wanting to see what I'm going to get.

So before I shell out for a digital SLR and have to start again with my (abeit small) collection of (inexpensive) lenses, how does the Bessar R perform when it comes to framing?

I was thinking of getting one from Camera Quest either with or without the 35mm lens. If I got it without the lens, then I'd still use my Fed 5B and J12 with finder, then use the I61 and J8 with the Bessa. Does this sound like a reasonably good idea, or would I be better waiting for a secondhand Leica that may set me back the same ammount?

The main issue is the framing of shots. Which is why I'm looking to upgrade, although I'm sure the extra shutter speeds and built in meter would not go astray either.

Appologies if this has been discussed before, any feedback would be greatly appreciated.

Cheers
Mike

 

[Kin Lau]

Get the Bessa R + 35. You'll appreciate having a good 35mm on the Bessa. You'll have to go to an Leica M for framelines and parallax correction, since none of the LTM Leica's have that, and an M will cost you a lot more.

Jump over to dslrexchange.com if you want to hear about DSLR's 🙂

 

[theory]

In my experience, the Bessa R works really well with framing accurately. I've been shooting it with the 61L/D which is a little higher than 50 and though I haven't attempted too many tight compositions yet, I had no compositional surprises with any of the negatives at the end of a shoot.

The viewfinder also acommodates 28mm lenses; but since you will have to use the entire finder without the aid of framelines in this case. You will once agian have to deal with parallax intuitively

 

[einolu]

Though its possible to frame fairly accuratly on rangefinders, if its very important to you, you should probably use an SLR (since they get a consistant 95% frame coverage coming through the viewfinder). Rangefinders are around 80% coverage, and the parellex correction isnt perfect.

 

[mikule]

Thanks for the feedback, It's probably not a fair comparison against a Russian FED with a Bessa, but didn't know if the parallax error was significantly improved or not.

I know I always get a few suprises with each roll of film I develop. And can't help but be weary when composing right up to the edge of the frame. Often when I bracket my shots, I'll shoot one composed in the viewfinder and the other slightly off to try and compensate for the misalignment. Sometimes this works, but it'd be nice to know what I'm getting at least 90% of the time.

Either way, the Bessa R with 35mm lens is very tempting...

 

[einolu]

I still shoot with my zorki 1 sometimes and what I end up with can often times suprise me, not so with the bessa. The bessa shows it like it is. You never get any surprises because its pretty conservative with its framelines. This is a good thing. Also, its a very nice camera (the best part being the viewfinder, a lot brighter than other rangefinders in the price range. cant compare it to a leica, having never touched one, but at least I know its better than the canon 7 I had for a bit).

ps: your jupiter 12 probably wont work on the bessa.

 

[mikule]

Regarding the J12, thats way I was just going to pick up the Bessa R body. I'd use that with the 50mm len's that I have, and keep my Fed 5B and finder for the Jupiter 12. Although most people I speak to suggest picking up the Bessa R with the 35mm lens. Being that they're quite reasonable priced together.

 

[wlewisiii]

I can sympathize with your issues. I started out with a Kiev 4a and a J12 with no finder... 😱 A few embarassments later, I had homebrewed a 35 VF and bought a SC Skopar 35/2.5. Later still one of the biggest reasons I wanted a Kiev 5 was the fact that the finder window covers about 90% of the 35mm's FOV, has frame lines for the rest and is parallax corrected. It and the R2C are the only Contax mount cameras that can do that and I got the 5 for 1/6th the cost of the R2C... 😀

I can't speak to the Bessa's finder, as I've never used it. However I can say that the SC Skopar (optically identical to the one sold with the Bessa R) is an utterly exquisite lens. It was the first lens wider than 50mm that I actually enjoyed using. That FOV is still as far as I care to go, but it allowed me to appreciate for the first time why people like wide angle lenses. I'd advise buying the combination because it really is that good a lens.

Hoping this is of some use,

William

 

[captainslack]

I've only used an R once, but it was a wonderful experience. It's wonderfully solid little camera! Bright viewfinder, TTL meter, switchable framelines. None of the pictures I took indicated any parallax error.

I own a T now, but if I were in your shoes, I'd buy the R + 35mm lens. Trust me, you're going to wish you had later if you only get the body. In fact, I predict once you get it, that FED will start gathering dust. 🙂

 

[Roman]

Having just gotten an M2, I do have to say that the Bessa R's finder is even brighter than the Leica on (the latter is a bit more contrasty in the RF spot, though).
The finder is in my opinion the best thing about the Bessa R, and reason enough to get one when you come from FSU RFs.

Roman

PS: I'd also get the Bessa with 35mm lens; the J12 is a nice lens, but can't be used on the Bessa, and on a FSU RF you still have to use it with an external finder, which means parallax (though not as bad as eg. with a J9 or other longer lens). You would not gain a lot by getting a Bessa only for 50mm lenses, as with those you can just as well use the finder of your FED, and leave a little room at the top when framing close subjects. Oh, and the while the Bessa finder works quite well with a 50mm lens, with a 35 it is perfect.
BTW, the main reason why I still got a Leica after the Bessa was that I needed something with a longer RF baseline to correctly focus a 90mm lens wide-opne & close-up.

 

[lido]

I just got Bessa R after using Kiev 4 and what a difference it makes. My suggestion is to get it with 35mm lens. I made a mistake (I blame it on lack of funds) of getting body only and use it with Jupiter 8, but first chance I get, I am going back to Cameraquest for that 35mm Color Skopar Classic.

 

[sockeyed]

The R + 35/2.5 is a wonderful package. I have an R3A + 40/1.4, but I still enjoying going back to my R. It's so lightweight, too. It travels with me when I head out for hikes. I use it a lot with my I-61, too, with great results.

 

[mikule]

Thanks for the feedback everyone. It's only getting easier now to justify sending away for one 🙂 One thing I didn't take into account though was how the Bessa R handles longer focal lengths, a few people have mentioned using a better camera for 85mm and upward lenses. How does the Bessa R perform when using a portrait lens? or is this more of a job for a slr?

 

[Roman]

Using the Bessa R with a 90 (or 85, which is close enough; for 135 there are no framelines) is no problem with regard to framing, parallax, etc - that works perfectly (though of courde you have to compose withhin the rather narrow framelines, but that is a problem of almost all rangefinders); a bit of the problem is thje rather short baselength of the Bessa - I have a VC Apo-Lanthar 90/3.5, and with that, at close distance and with wide-open aperture, the Bessa R is not accurate enough, with a 90 I's reccomend stopping down at least to F/5.6 if you want to use it at portrait distance.

Roman

 

[Solinar]

At $200 for the Bessa R versus $400.00 and up for the Bessa R2,, I'm willing to forgive a lot.

The Bessa R is an ideal package with the diminutive 35/2.5 Skopar. With longer focal length lenses, the camera doesn't feel as balanced and as Roman mentioned, you'd probably want to be conservative with regards to setting the aperture.

After using a Jupiter 9 at f/5.6 and above with no complaints, I sprung for the 75mm Heliar. I really like the lens even though the camera loses its balance on a neck strap, but it still offers a very good hand-hold. The lens also works well with my Leica IIIf. 😀

I just do the following compensation. Shoot at f/5.6 or above at 5 to 6 ft. From 6 to 10 ft, I'll use f/4. I also use the V/C 75mm, 1:1 accessory finder to frame.

The only downside is shooting in low-light. So, I'll generally push my E.I. to 1600 to be able to use 1/60 or 1/125th of a second to get by in a moderately lit room.

These days I generally use the Bessa R for outdoor work, so this issue is less of a problem for me.

 

[negative_bros]

Bessa-R

Bessa-R

The bessa R is a fantastic little camera. The framelines are far brighter than any Leica I’ve used, the meter works reliably, and paired with the Voigtlander 35mm f2.5 MC it’s a dream to use and when getting results!

I found a nice video showing the framelines and the rest of the camera if anyone is interested - https://youtu.be/ufTl6A1JaY0

 

[agentlossing]

16-year thread resurrection! 😀

 

[charjohncarter]

I bought a 'R' from Camera Quest in around 2007. I've used it, albeit, carefully on many out of country trips, I have never had a repair issue. The frame lines are bright and accurate, and my RF is right on.

 

[Ko.Fe.]

🙂 Still most elegant R I used 🙂

 

[stompyq]

I sent mine off for repair. RF was out of calibration. Looking forward to getting it back