Bessa R Questions

[Swift1]

So I recently sorta inherited a Bessa R and CV Color-Skopar 35/2.5, and I have a few questions regarding it.

Firstly, do I need to worry about direct sun on the lens burning holes in the shutter? My main rangefinder experience is with my Fed 3 and Zorki 4.

Secondly, should I need repairs done, what are my options?

TIA,

Colton

 

[jim_jm]

Colton -

The Bessa R has a metal Copal shutter, so it's not at risk of burning holes in the shutter like Leicas and other cloth focal-plane shutter cameras. That being said, don't be lazy and test this out - try not to point the camera into the sun if you set it down for any length of time without a lens cap on. If the shutter blades get hot enough I imagine there may be some risk from heat damage.

If you need any repairs, I would look to our head bartender Stephen at Cameraquest. There may be other repair folks out there for CV, but since he sells 'em I'd ask him first.

Also, the Color Skopar 35/2.5 is a great lens, so make good use of it!

 

[zuikologist]

Lots of good information on the Bessa on the Cameraquest website. It is worth considering a grip to go with the body. It improves handling and strap location.

 

[Swift1]

Colton -

The Bessa R has a metal Copal shutter, so it's not at risk of burning holes in the shutter like Leicas and other cloth focal-plane shutter cameras. That being said, don't be lazy and test this out - try not to point the camera into the sun if you set it down for any length of time without a lens cap on. If the shutter blades get hot enough I imagine there may be some risk from heat damage.

If you need any repairs, I would look to our head bartender Stephen at Cameraquest. There may be other repair folks out there for CV, but since he sells 'em I'd ask him first.

Also, the Color Skopar 35/2.5 is a great lens, so make good use of it!

Thanks Jim. I don't think I'd ever have the lens pointed at the sun for more than a few seconds.
I don't currently have a lens cap 🙁
What is the correct size cap?

Lots of good information on the Bessa on the Cameraquest website. It is worth considering a grip to go with the body. It improves handling and strap location.

I've read most everything on cameraquest regarding the Bessa R.
I am only able to use the camera blind from the waist, so the grip likely wouldn't help much. 🙁

 

[zuikologist]

In that case the Snapshot Skopar 25/4 might be useful. Click stopped for zone focus.

 

[Swift1]

In that case the Snapshot Skopar 25/4 might be useful. Click stopped for zone focus.

I'm actually really used to shooting blind using a 35mm lens, and 25mm is probably too wide for my style.
I'm also getting better at scale focusing.
This was blind composed and scale focused to 2.5 feet wide open. I missed a tiny bit, but it's not bad. The film was crappy and expired.

 

[gb hill]

My only advise in using the Bessa R is don't be too jerky on the advance lever. Most breakdowns with this camera from what I have read is people wind the lever too fast & gets stuck somehow.

 

[rbiemer]

My only advise in using the Bessa R is don't be too jerky on the advance lever. Most breakdowns with this camera from what I have read is people wind the lever too fast & gets stuck somehow.

My understanding of this is that if one is shooting in a hurry, presses the shutter release and then starts to wind on before the shutter has closed it will jam.

I've read most everything on cameraquest regarding the Bessa R.
I am only able to use the camera blind from the waist, so the grip likely wouldn't help much. 🙁

I have the side hrip on my R and, for me, the best thing about using it is that it makes the camera hang better. I found the R without the grip plenty comfortable to hold it was just that with out the grip and with a lighter/shorter lens--such as the CV 35/f2.5 or the J-8 50mm--the camera wanted to leana bit backwards.
Rob

 

[traveler_101]

I'm actually really used to shooting blind using a 35mm lens, and 25mm is probably too wide for my style.
I'm also getting better at scale focusing.
This was blind composed and scale focused to 2.5 feet wide open. I missed a tiny bit, but it's not bad. The film was crappy and expired.

Someone I corresponded with some years ago as I started really paying attention to photography told me that 25mm is the maximum FL for effective zone focusing. Anything above that is very difficult to get right. I've always used that rule thinking it was standard practice, but maybe I am too pessimistic?

 

[sweathog]

That is a great combination, which I used a few years ago as my go-to.
With regard to blind shooting, I found the 35/2.5 to be very forgiving in good light, I recall I often had it set at f16 in bright sunlight which allowed me to get shots quickly without losing 'the moment' by being too preoccupied with spot-on focus.

 

[Swift1]

Someone I corresponded with some years ago as I started really paying attention to photography told me that 25mm is the maximum FL for effective zone focusing. Anything above that is very difficult to get right. I've always used that rule thinking it was standard practice, but maybe I am too pessimistic?

I've done a fair amount of scale focusing with a 35mm lens, and with a bit of practice you can get fairly consistent results. I've also shot blind and scale focused using 50mm lenses and got pretty good results. Judging composition with a 50 can be tricky though.
Most early 35mm cameras (Leica, Retina, Voigtlander, Agfa) were all scale focus cameras, usually equipped with a 50mm lens. Shooting wide open can be difficult though.

 

[Swift1]

That is a great combination, which I used a few years ago as my go-to.
With regard to blind shooting, I found the 35/2.5 to be very forgiving in good light, I recall I often had it set at f16 in bright sunlight which allowed me to get shots quickly without losing 'the moment' by being too preoccupied with spot-on focus.

I currently have the Bessa R loaded with 400 speed film so I can keep the aperture small and the shutter speed high. Even in overcast conditions I can still shoot 1/125 @f/11

 

[BillBingham2]

Someone I corresponded with some years ago as I started really paying attention to photography told me that 25mm is the maximum FL for effective zone focusing. Anything above that is very difficult to get right. I've always used that rule thinking it was standard practice, but maybe I am too pessimistic?

I've never found the 25mm limit to be true. As an example almost all cameras from years back used by the masses were zone focused. I've used zone focusing on a 35mm with excellent results. A lot depends upon how wide your zone is (based upon the speed of the film, brightness of the day, etc.).

The original CV 25 (LTM) had three click stops that make it VERY easy to adjust to a specific point when not look at the lens. That was my Every Day Carry kit, a black Bessa L and a 25, I miss that little combo.

B2

 

[rfaspen]

Colton,
You're going to like the Bessa R and CV 35/2.5 quite a bit. That's just a very good combination that has everything a decent RF shooter needs. The built-in meter is really pretty good (as long as you are aware of what its doing; in other words, its limitations). That lens is the best bang for your buck in the 35mm focal length, and the Bessa R is a sleek machine that will be reliable as long as you treat it gently. The wind-on advice above is good advice.

If you leave the lens pointed at the sun for too long, it won't burn a hole in the shutter, but it will burn a spot into the reflective coating on some of the shutter blades that reflect light onto the meter sensor, thereby destroying the utility of the meter. In general, avoid pointing lenses directly at the sun for very long. It just couldn't be good for any camera.

The V1 35/2.5 had a push-on lens cap that would slide over the built-in hood. If you remove the hood, you have access to the front rim of the lens where you can mount a 39mm threaded filter, 39mm threaded hood, and/or a 39mm lens cap. I don't have the 2nd version of this lens (the "pancake"), so I don't know if it is also 39mm or some other filter diameter.

Enjoy this camera/lens combo. I really think you'll come to love it.

 

[BillBingham2]

You might look into the L as it's meter indicators are on the top of the camera.

B2

 

[rfaspen]

Oh, I forgot about the question regarding repairs:

That can be tricky. As mentioned, Stephen is your best bet for getting repair service. I do know that CV/Epson may have difficulty completing some repairs. I needed to repair my Bessa 1 or 2 years ago and went searching for parts. I looked high and low, and all around the world in my search and could not locate the simplest of my parts needs -- the small black screws that attach the top plate to the body. If you look at the back of your camera, you'll see two of them; one is about below the shutter dial and the other is located at the lower edge of the eyepiece. Those small screws are no longer available from CV or Epson. I could not locate old stock anywhere (although I suspect there are some out there somewhere). Eventually, I had to order similar sized screws (slightly larger) from Micro-Tools and modify my camera to use them. In the end, you would not know I did such a thing unless you place my camera next to a "stock" camera and look closely.

My story has a happy ending, but be aware repairs could be tricky. You're likely to have better luck when sending the camera in for a repair than I did (home repair). Best thing is to treat the camera nicely and use a strap. Seems obvious, but "dropped camera" is the leading cause of camera death.

 

[Ko.Fe.]

Colton!
Black J-8 was in use on Bessa R, BTW.

The V1 35/2.5 had a push-on lens cap that would slide over the built-in hood. If you remove the hood, you have access to the front rim of the lens where you can mount a 39mm threaded filter, 39mm threaded hood, and/or a 39mm lens cap. I don't have the 2nd version of this lens (the "pancake"), so I don't know if it is also 39mm or some other filter diameter.

....

43mm not 39, for C and P.
PII is 39mm.

 

[rfaspen]

I think Ko is referring to the slip-on lens cap as 43mm, not the filter diameter (which is 39mm). I don't know if you can use a snap lens cap of 43mm in the hood or not. Just to be clear.

OK, I just tried a 43mm snap-in lens cap (the typical kind with spring-loaded tabs you squeeze then insert the cap within the filter ring, then release) on my LTM 35/2.5 lens hood. Its just a tad too big to fit inside the hood. Perhaps Ko is referring to the ID of a push-on cap, that might work. I would have to dig through a drawer to find one of those and test. Maybe its information overload already.

Good luck.

 

[Swift1]

Colton,
You're going to like the Bessa R and CV 35/2.5 quite a bit. That's just a very good combination that has everything a decent RF shooter needs. The built-in meter is really pretty good (as long as you are aware of what its doing; in other words, its limitations). That lens is the best bang for your buck in the 35mm focal length, and the Bessa R is a sleek machine that will be reliable as long as you treat it gently. The wind-on advice above is good advice.

If you leave the lens pointed at the sun for too long, it won't burn a hole in the shutter, but it will burn a spot into the reflective coating on some of the shutter blades that reflect light onto the meter sensor, thereby destroying the utility of the meter. In general, avoid pointing lenses directly at the sun for very long. It just couldn't be good for any camera.

The V1 35/2.5 had a push-on lens cap that would slide over the built-in hood. If you remove the hood, you have access to the front rim of the lens where you can mount a 39mm threaded filter, 39mm threaded hood, and/or a 39mm lens cap. I don't have the 2nd version of this lens (the "pancake"), so I don't know if it is also 39mm or some other filter diameter.

Enjoy this camera/lens combo. I really think you'll come to love it.

So far, I'm liking the combo a lot. Due to my health, I'm quite limited in what I can do, but I can mostly use this camera by myself. I can't change shutter speed on my own though, and even though I can kinda wind it myself, I really should have help. I kinda wish they made a small motor drive for this camera.

 

[Swift1]

You might look into the L as it's meter indicators are on the top of the camera.

B2

I've definitely thought about the Bessa-L.
I pretty much never use a meter though.