Bessa R Price Break

[rover]

If you haven't noticed in the past few days I have seen the price of the Bessa R has fallen at a number of retailers, including Camera Quest. Speculation is that Cosina will be introducing a new rangefinder camera this fall, perhaps it will soon be here.

 

[lars]

Re: Bessa R Price Break

But the R2's price hasn't changed, right? Perhaps the new CV is a screw mount?

I wouldn't mind seeing an R body with a spot meter or better yet, a greater range of built-in frame lines...and maybe aperture-priority AE.

 

[rover]

Steve Gandy, on his CV users group, in the spring did not give any specifics, but did say that they new camera would not have AE. Too bad. It does seem to me that the camera will replace or be in a similar place in the CV line as the R. An M-mount R?

 

[Doug]

Hi Rover -- An M-mount Bessa R is already available, the Bessa R2. There's also the R2S and R2C with Nikon RF and Contax RF mounts.

We're to expect a "unique" camera... Likely using the same basic chassis as the other Bessa models, what could it be? Not AE, not digital, and offering uniqueness in the market... Speculation is difficult! A panoramic version? Stereo?

 

[lars]

We're to expect a "unique" camera... Likely using the same basic chassis as the other Bessa models, what could it be? Not AE, not digital, and offering uniqueness in the market... Speculation is difficult! A panoramic version? Stereo?

First, I am ASSuming that the R is coming down in price because of the upcoming camera (I noticed that some of the lenses have gone up in price [eg: 50/1.5, 75/2.5] maybe due to the US dollar's drop?) so my guess is that it's not a panoramic or stereo version. The stereo is too limited in appeal and a panoramic would require either larger lenses or a swing mechanism. Neither of those options would impact the R's sales.

If I recall, Steven Gandy said that it would be unique among current cameras which implied that an older camera or cameras might have had the same feature(s). I was hoping for a collapsible but I doubt that would affect R sales since it would be a fixed lens camera or use different (ie: non LTM) lenses. Also, it wouldn't share much in the way with the current chassis so it would be much more expensive to produce.

Do any current rangefinders have a true spot meter? Or how about a spring-driven motor drive?

Well, no matter what it is, I really hope that they move the strap lugs a little farther forward so the camera hangs properly!


...lars

 

[lars]

Here's the quote (from www.cameraquest.com) I referred to:
"Yet another 35mm Bessa Rangefinder is planned for release towards the end of 2003. It does not have AE. Like many Cosina Voigtlander products, it will be unique among production 35mm RF cameras. That is all I can say for now. I will leave it to others to guess what it will be, but I will give no confirmations."

Ok, so no AE. But notice the reference to "production" cameras. I wonder if one could infer that some production medium format cameras have a feature or two of this new Bessa RF? Do any have digital backs? ;-) I think Stephen mentioned in a post to the CV list that Mr. Kobayashi has no interest in producing a digital RF, though. Personally, I'd love to have a digital back for my R.


...lars

 

[rover]

I was thinking about a lower cost m-mount.

Perhaps a fixed lens camera?

 

[lars]

I was thinking about a lower cost m-mount.

That doesn't fit very well with the "Like many Cosina Voigtlander products, it will be unique among production 35mm RF cameras" description.

...lars

 

[Doug]

...The stereo is too limited in appeal...

Well, on the other hand, it's limited niches like this that Cosina is sliding into. 😉 For instance, producing a camera to take Contax RF lenses would seem pretty limited too!

What made me think of stereo is a gent who fastens two Bessas with 35mm lenses side by side and uses a double cable release to make stereo pairs. It wouldn't take a huge amount of redesign to splice two bodies to work as a single stereo camera.

Again on the other hand, displaying stereo is, if anything, more troublesome now with the popularity of digital scanning, internet, decline of transparencies, etc. I'd think something innovative would need to be done about presenting stereo images to make it fly.

I'm not advocating stereo, just speculating. What might excite me more would be a multi-magnification viewfinder. Didn't Canon have one long ago? It would change magnification for 21mm, 28mm, 35mm, 50mm, 75mm, and 90mm extending the function of the R/R2's frameline switch. At each magnification step, the view would show a small space around the outside of the bright framelines... which would move and contract for parallax and distance. This would be unique in the current market and could sell a bunch of cameras!

 

[Doug]

To clarify one point: I am aware of turret viewfinders, etc... What I meant was a built-in vari-focal rangefinder. Would that be cool?

 

[lars]

What might excite me more would be a multi-magnification viewfinder. Didn't Canon have one long ago? It would change magnification for 21mm, 28mm, 35mm, 50mm, 75mm, and 90mm extending the function of the R/R2's frameline switch. At each magnification step, the view would show a small space around the outside of the bright framelines... which would move and contract for parallax and distance. This would be unique in the current market and could sell a bunch of cameras!

Yes, that would be interesting for sure, as long as it didn't reduce the ease-of-use of the Bessa's excellent rangefinder.


...lars

 

[SolaresLarrave]

I guess we should expect a Bessanet... that is, a Canonet reincarnation.

Wouldn't that be unique? 😀

 

[rover]

Hopefully whatever it is, it will be here soon.

 

[Picture Guy]

The original question was about the Bessa R, and I assume that Rover meant NOT the R 2.

I think that Gandy has dropped the R 2 by $10.

I would think that the price of residual stocks of R 's would drop considerably due because of the R 2.