Bessa R Review

Bessa R Review

  • *

    Votes: 5 1.5%

  • **

    Votes: 6 1.8%

  • ***

    Votes: 60 17.8%

  • ****

    Votes: 155 45.9%

  • *****

    Votes: 112 33.1%
  • Total voters
    338
Hi everyone, first post 🙂

I ordered an R3 yesterday with the 40m 1.4 and I can't wait to receive it. My other camera is a D70 with a bunch of lenses and to be honest I am fed up with lugging everything around.

I haven't used a rangefinder for years (never used a 'serious' one before) so I'll be looking for some help 😉.....................

🙂

Alan
 
I currently have a Bessa R, having previously an R2 and R3a, both which I sold when I got my Leica M6. I then bought a Bessa R for backup, and to take if I am in a high crime area/flying where the loss of the camera would not be as great as my M6. It works well, has an accurate meter, and it got me re-introduced into rangefinder photograpy.
 
I've had my "R" for a few weeks, and haven't used my other cameras (Canon 300D, Canon 10s) since I got this one. I'm still getting used to the camera, the 35/2.5 and 75/2.5, and am trying out various films. There are a few pictures posted in my gallery, so you might get an idea of how I'm doing...

Regards!
Don
 
I paid $200 for mine, new, on eBay 2 or 3 years ago. Someone was liquidating a camera store. The only LTM rangefinders I find equally practical are the Canon rapid wind models from the late 50's and early 60's. While I am not a big fan of meters on cameras, the one on the Bessa-R is damn good. The whole thing works well, and the viewfinder is fabulous. It's a bargain in an arena of photography with few bargains.
 
Great reveiw Lars!
if i has some doubts about bessa-r you review help me to find the way!hahaha
i'll buy a bessa-r as soon as possible!

take care
 
In my 09-25-2006 post I complained about the camera when you tried to wind past the last frame, and I described the fix.

Well, the camera seems to have gotten over that quirk and works now just as it should.

Or, could it be that, because of the grip that attaches to the bottom plate, I wasn't pushing in the rewind release pin far enough? Duh.

Sinestin, you're gonna love the camera.

Ted
 
One of the strap lugs on my silver Bessa is starting to get loose; it wiggles a fair amount, so I no longer trust it. The lug seems to be anchored in place, but I just don't want to take a chance. This probably happened because I use wrist straps, but I use them heavily, not just as a backup measure.

When I have the strap around my wrist, and decide that I need my hand free - perhaps to get something from my bag or pocket - I simply open my hand and drop the camera. Likewise, when I'm tired of holding the camera but don't want to put it away, I'll just stick my hands in my pockets and let it dangle for a while. This behaviour probably constitues heavier-than-normal use, if not reckless endagerment!

I stand by my four-star rating. The Bessa R is an excellent camera.
 
Ran my first roll of film through my "new" Bessa R that I got from a member, came with Industar 61 and it is a gem, I agree. Nice bright viewfinder, got compromise between material and heft/weight that makes it easy to take anywhere. I like the sound of the shutter, where other find it too loud, but I don't do a lot of street photography.

Yes, the lugs could have been better placed, and the meter could be a little less picky, but overall, I think it's a 5 or a 4 1/2 in term of affordability and quality. A lot of bang for the buck. Now if my CV 35/2.5 would just arrive.....
 
januaryman, I'm glad to hear your liking the Bessa R. I'm actually having a little seller's remorse, it was such a nice camera. However, I think that will be cured when I receive some more OM lenses this week. Enjoy the Bessa!
 
Hi, I just got hold of an used Bessa R and wonder where I could download a manual.
The reason is I would like to double check on the ASA Guide on the shutter dial. As it only indicate the main ASA like 100,200, 400 & so on, I wante to know what the others "dots" indicate.
Is all these "dot" indicator are standard through all brand of camera?

Please advise, thank you
 
The dots indicate 1/3 ISO steps in between the numbered.. numebers.

For example there are two dots between 200 and 400 - the dot after 200 is 250 and the dot before 400 is 320.
 
80.5% of the responders have given the Bessa R a 4 or 5 star rating. I really think the R is a great camera, the Cosina Voigtlander homerun.
 
Bessa R Experience

Bessa R Experience

I've had my R for over a year, shot about 25 rolls (too many other cameras) and can report only the following problem. I have a soft release and an everready case. They don't mix. The top of the case pressed down on the release and drained the battery. Since using it as a half-case only, no problem. As with every one, I would prefer a different location of the eyes where the carrying strap mounts, but since I use Gordy's wrist strap, no problems.😀
 
Best way to solve the strap mount problem is to get the Voigtlander grip accessory. It has its own strap lug and this eliminates the camera tilt when using a neck strap. Also, with Gordy's wrist strap, the camera is hanging from the grip lug rather than the camera lug.

Ted
 
Old thread indeed, but it goes on to show how the original R carries on gaining friends.

I have both the R and the R2, and grab the R more often. Thinking about it, I suppose I have found why it appeals, even compared to the R2: the point is its "purity" as a picture-taking machine.

Sure enough the R2 has a lot of very appealing refinements and improvements: the splatter-finish black paint on magnesium body, the grippier covering, the steel back... all add up to a camera which appeals more to the senses. But the "purity" of the R is not only about the lack of these: it is also about the inherent ways the photographer interacts with subject through the camera.

Case in point: the exposure meters on the R and R2 work very differently. On the R, you press down the shutter release button and it goes on, and when you let go, it switches itself off after ten seconds, regardless of whether the shutter is tensioned or not. On the R2, the meter can only be switched on when the shutter is tensioned and switches itself off as soon as the shutter runs down.

For most people the revised meter system is a good thing, indicating if the shutter is tensioned or not, but sometimes I prefer to leave the shutter ran down and still use the meter, and more than often the shutter is tensioned anyway. The way I work, I personally favour the R's simplier approach, where I, the user, is in charge always.

By the way it looks, it will take a long long time before my R2 catches up with the amount of use I get out of the R.
 
I agree, Seele. For example, of all te cameras I've got and use, the three rolls I developed in my darkroom yesterday were all shot with a Bessa R. Different lenses: J8, Canon 50/1.8, 35/2.5 cv. I can't compare these lenses from a technical standpoint, but from a purely subjective take, the J8 has a sweet old-timey look with a nice gray scale, the Canon is sharp, and the Color Skopar is painfully sharp.

Ted
 
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