Bessa R Review

Bessa R Review

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what happens if the foam on the slit view window in the film compartment disintegrates? will light get in and ruin film? i use my bessa r for relatively rugged and risky conditions and it performs excellently. but i do worry about that foam. is it easy to have it replaced ifever? i live in the philippines where access to good aftersales is hard and it can be very inconvenient when you have to wait for months when the camera undergoes just a minor repair abroad. i do hope somebody can still pick up this thread. last post has been more than a month.
 
Eddie:

I think it's quite unlikely that the foam around the window would disintegrate in a camera of such recent vintage.

For example, the first cameras I bought with a film window were Minolta Maxxum 7000's. I bought these the year they were introduced - 1984 - and when I sold these cameras in 2005 - 21 years later - the window foam was still perfectly OK.

In the unlikely event the foam does disintegrate and you begin to have light leaks, simply place black electricians tape over the window. All you have to do is remember what kind of film you've got in the camera, and as long as you set the ISO speed when you load the camera you can keep right on using the camera. N

None of the Pentax Spotmatic cameras I use daily (along with my Bessa R) have a film window. However, they have a cute little dial around the rewind lever that you can set for "empty," "panchromatic" (black and white), and "color."

I almost always forget to set it.

Ted
 
comforting

comforting

okay. bessa r is worth keeping then. thanks, michael and ted, for the assurance and the possible remedial measures i can resort to just in case. i thought i could have a good reason to move up to a zeiss ikon or an MP and create a gaping hole in my wallet.:D
 
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Do keep it, sir. It's a great camera and the v/c lenses are superb. If you ruined yourself financially and bought a Zeiss Ikon I doubt its acquisition would make you a better photographer than what you already are, nor would I expect to see any noticeable improvement in image quality.

Ted
 
eddie con said:
what happens if the foam on the slit view window in the film compartment disintegrates? will light get in and ruin film? i use my bessa r for relatively rugged and risky conditions and it performs excellently. but i do worry about that foam. is it easy to have it replaced ifever? i live in the philippines where access to good aftersales is hard and it can be very inconvenient when you have to wait for months when the camera undergoes just a minor repair abroad. i do hope somebody can still pick up this thread. last post has been more than a month.
Click to expand...
Recently I've replaced leaking foam from my R4 with new foam bought from a japanese site on the bay. It comes in 2 sheets around 10x15 cm each and has to be cut to fit. Instructions came with the sheets. Name of the japanese site is Aki-Asahi if memory doesn't fail me.
nuno
 
ted,
the pictures i get from the bessa r are truly terrific. i am just worried about its durability and resale value. but its the most worryfree camera i have ever had and though i have added a toy (contax G2 is too heavy for kids though) i am not parting with the bessa r. our friends in the group assured me that it is going to be fun using the G2. well, right now i am assured of one thing -- reading the manual and understanding how it works is good brain exercise. thanks again.
 
the foam

the foam

nrb said:
Recently I've replaced leaking foam from my R4 with new foam bought from a japanese site on the bay. It comes in 2 sheets around 10x15 cm each and has to be cut to fit. Instructions came with the sheets. Name of the japanese site is Aki-Asahi if memory doesn't fail me.
nuno
Click to expand...

thanks nuno. i am taking note.
 
I could not justify the R2 as the second body since I would spend more time removing the adapters to switch back and forth
Click to expand...
You can leave the adapter in and screw the lens in and out.

Philipp
 
I've been using an R for over a year now. Love it to death :) However I finally discovered a negative issue with regards to durability.

The printed on viewfinder magnification markings on the top are starting to get rubbed. I've almost lost the "90" and the "75" is missing part of the "5". I think I'm going to cut out a piece of clear tape to cover it over.

Heat stamped or moulded numbers would have been more durable, but less elegant out of the box I think. Oh well.

Mechanically it is still great and is my user camera.

Later,
Greg
 
The R is my first rangefinder too. I have not warmed up to digital (other than for my job) cameras. They are like coffee without caffeine or a boat without water. I could go on like this forever. I went on vacation, but was too chicken to use the Bessa. I had just gotten it the week before and I wasn't quite ready to use it yet. There is just something so COOL about a rangefinder camera too. As for the Bessa R, I can't wait to hit the megamillions to buy an R3 from Cameraquest.
 
Well, I've had mine for some time. It's a real workhorse. I use it quite often. The grip helps enormously and eliminates the backward tilt, plus makes it a bit heavier and more stable. That's a plus.

The ONLY minus is - at least in my camera - when I try to advance beyond the last frame, which frequently happens when I'm doing fast street shooting and not paying attention to the frame counter, the camera jams. I press in the little button on the bottom to release the gear on the take-up spool and begin rewinding. Nothing happens. Inevitably I have to stick the camera into a change bag, open it, unstick things, and then wind the film back into its cassette.

For a time I carried the change bag wadded up in a pocket. Finally I came up with a plan: If it's a 24 exposure roll, stop at 21 or 22. Then it rewinds just fine. As I bulk load, what's a frame or two anyway.

Outside of that single quirk, the camera is a gem, as is the 35/2.5 Skopar.

Ted
 
I just ordered a Bessa R with the Skopar 35 2.5.

I have wanted a rangefinder for years, but never wanted to pony up the money needed for a Leica. It's not that I dont like them. But it is kind of like owing a Rolex, man I would hate to loose it, or drop it in the drink.

When I first heard about the Bessa, I was very skeptical. When I am shooting for the newspaper, I use a DSLR, you pretty much have to these days.

But I really wanted to use film again for my documentary work. A friend of mine let me try his, and I was hooked.

I swear my BIG GEAR must weigh about 7-8lbs each, by the time you have fast glass and flashs on both.

I just loved the feel of the Bessa, the ability to really use zone focusing, and the quality of the pictures is great.

And while I hope no harm ever comes to my new toy, if it does, I dont have to break the bank to get a new one.

Cheers.
Mark.
 
Hi, Mark:

My Bessa R seems fairly rugged. I schlepp it around most every day, sometimes on a motorcycle, and it seems just as solid as when it was new. Like you, my commercial work is all DSLR (Pentax ist DS) because of the right-now demands of clients, but when nobody's looking I pull out the Bessa and snap away.

Ted
 
Build quality is plastic, light weight but definately not flimsy.

Rangefinder spot is a tad small. I had a better experience with the Canonet's yellow rangefinder spot.

Excellent, affoardable rangefinder.
 
Sorry, Timothy. The Body is die-cast metal. Only the top and bottom plates are composite material.

Ted
 
11-21 Reading these posts did me in,I just put the check in the mail.Bessa R,35/2.5,silver,with case.I think what sold me was the double shutter,no more light leaks,and the meter.Hope it's here soon.........Robin
 
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