Bessa R, Kiev 4am?

I have a Kiev 4 and a Bessa R. I love my Kiev 4 kit (J-8, J-9, J-12 and H-103), and I love how it's built, but to be honest, I am sure to put a lot more film through my Bessa in the long run. It's hard to say no to a built-in meter and a huge viewfinder with multiple framelines. It's surely lighter too.

I've order a Dual Scan IV, too, but it hasn't arrived yet, so I can't comment. I got a great price on it at etronics.com, but it's been 2 weeks and no scanner.
 
I don't know if I already said this, but Friday I ordered the Bessa R w/35/2.5, so don't stress me and give me anxiety by telliing me they fall apart. Every time I read something like that I have to go ride my motorcycle through the desert at high speeds on cow trails in order to calm down.
 
:) I am happy with the Epson 3170. It handles 120 and 35 acceptably well for me. However, if you are in the US you could have the film developed and scanned on CD at the same time, saving you some time and upfront money. I like the Bessa R and I am not hard on my equipment. I have a Minolta X370 since the early 80's and it works well enough to take pictures at my daughter's wedding. The bright viewfinder is wonderful as is the rangefinder spot. I have a Zorkii 6 and a Leica IIIc with dim viewfinders. I use the Bessa R 90% of the time. I can't say more.
 
tedwhite said:
I don't know if I already said this, but Friday I ordered the Bessa R w/35/2.5, so don't stress me and give me anxiety by telliing me they fall apart. Every time I read something like that I have to go ride my motorcycle through the desert at high speeds on cow trails in order to calm down.
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I just mentioned that because gabrielelopez mentioned it. I dont have any personal experiance with the camera. It looks great to me and I would love to own one, heh.
 
Richard Black said:
:) However, if you are in the US you could have the film developed and scanned on CD at the same time, saving you some time and upfront money.
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The CD idea is a good one I have good and bad results with those. The CDs obtained through Kodak have been my favorites. The local drug stores and mom and pop 1 hour shops tend to do wierd stuff with them. Long's Drug Stores here in California do something that looks a hell of a lot like a bad newspaper 150 line screen effect for some reason. Go figure.

Sockeyed- I have dealt with etronic for video equipment before. They are hard pressed to say when they have something in stock. I'll keep my fingers crossed for you. They do eventually deliver.
 
BackAlley: Deep Breaths are good.

I made up all that stuff about stress and anxiety. Really, I just putt around in the desert. Honest. As a fiction writer I get paid to make stuff up, but sometimes I forget. Maybe the relentless sun in this blasted desert....these endless vistas of thornscrub and creosote bush...but I digress.

And anyway, I got on some site last night wherein owner's evaluations of their experiences with various cameras are posted. The average for the Bessa R was 4.06 out of a possible 5, 5 being the best, and the number of evaluators was about 25-26. One poster hated it but his reasoning left a bit to be desired in terms of logic. He obviously was a klutz who should never be allowed in the same room with a camera.

Another poster didn't like it because he couldn't see through it, but later, in an aside, confessed to dysfunctional vision. So you take two '1's away from a bunch of '5's and a lot of 4.6's and there you are.

Ted

Tomorrow's the day.
 
Off topic a bit, but I've had consistently abominable results from CD's made from my color negs in places like Target, etc. When you stick them into your computer for a look it appears they were made at the lowest possible resolution. On one print, where I had rich cloud detail, the clouds now look like pure white cotton balls. In street shots, people's faces all look as if they were heavy smokers - that sort of reddish-purplish skin tone. While the prints are tack-sharp the same images on the CD look as it they were taken with a disposable camera.

Ted
 
Thanks, Fedzilla_bob re. etronics. They said it was in stock, but I'm having my doubts.

One thing that I didn't mention about the Kiev, a definite plus, is the HUGE rangefinder base, which gives one a good chance at focusing a longer lens, like the Jupiter-9 (85/2). I have doubts if my Bessa could handle something like that.

In terms of scanning, I've had good results from scans done on a Fuji Frontier. The attached picture was scanned on a Frontier (but it wasn't shot on a rangefinder. (Instead, a Canon T-90 w/ 135/3.5 on NPH)
 
Just as a point of reference, re the long baseline, I use my Jupiter 9 85/2 and Jupiter 11 135/4 wide open on a regular basis. No problems with focusing. The portrait "Pretty Woman" in my gallery was with a Jupiter 9 - f2@1/25th - on my Kiev 5 which has the shortest RF of any Contax/Kiev model. No problems.

William
 
sockeyed said:
(Instead, a Canon T-90 w/ 135/3.5 on NPH)
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OOOOOOoooh the canon T90. A Colani designed masterpiece. If I were to chase after SLRs that would be the one. I have a T70 - the baby brother to the T90. I love the Canon FD lens system.

I have never heard of the Fuji Frontier. I wonder if it is sold here in the "States." I will look that up. Is it one of the flatbed scanners?
 
OK, I have gone and done it. I found a Bessa R Body on ebay with a buy it now price of $200.

Now the scanner issue looms. Suggestions?
 
Mine's shipping from cameraquest. How far from Westminster, CO is it to your place?
 
tedwhite said:
Mine's shipping from cameraquest. How far from Westminster, CO is it to your place?
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I'm in San Diego Its coming from Colorado via US Postal Service Priority mail. I sent two items to CO last week and they arrived in 3 days. So, I guess Wednesday earliest. I have some Kodachrome waiting. Except I didn't get the very nice 35mm Skopar. Ill put an Industar 61 on until my Jupiter 8 comes in.
 
Mine came yesterday (the Bessa R w/35mm lens) and I've been out shooting with it.

First impression: a surprisngly small camera. Very bright viewfinder, all controls in the right place, very easy to use and getting easier. In another day or so, when one of the +/- arrows appears, I won't have to stop and think about which way to move the aperture ring.

I DID NOT find the rewind lever difficult to raise, as some people have reported.
 
tedwhite said:
Mine came yesterday (the Bessa R w/35mm lens) and I've been out shooting with it.

First impression: a surprisngly small camera. Very bright viewfinder, all controls in the right place, very easy to use and getting easier. In another day or so, when one of the +/- arrows appears, I won't have to stop and think about which way to move the aperture ring.

I DID NOT find the rewind lever difficult to raise, as some people have reported.
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Can't wait to see your images from the new Bessa and lens.

(Bob is turning blue from holding his breath while awaiting the Bessa R he won on ebay) Anticipation sucks.
 
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