BESSA R2S, worth it?

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Gallo

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Hi to everyone! I`m on a tight budget right now, but want to buy a Bessa and one lens kit. I see The Bessa R2S with the 50 3.5 Heliar at a decent price on CQ site. Is it a good decision to buy a discontinued camera such as the R2s?

I understand that the R2s does not have auto exposure as the R2a, is this correct?

I don`t know too much about Nikon RF, is focusing and metering the same as on a Leica mount camera?

Thanks to everyone!!!

Santiago
 
Do you already have Nikon RF lenses or have a burning desire to get into Nikon RFs? If not, you're most likely better off going for the regular Leica-mount Bessas.

Otherwise, mechanically, the R2S basically works like the regular R2, only w/Nikon RF idiosyncrasies (opposite focus direction, focus wheel, etc.). You can learn more about Nikon RFs from the Classics section of Mr. Gandy's Cameraquest site (http://www.cameraquest.com/classics.htm).

Gallo said:
Hi to everyone! I`m on a tight budget right now, but want to buy a Bessa and one lens kit. I see The Bessa R2S with the 50 3.5 Heliar at a decent price on CQ site. Is it a good decision to buy a discontinued camera such as the R2s?

I understand that the R2s does not have auto exposure as the R2a, is this correct?

I don`t know too much about Nikon RF, is focusing and metering the same as on a Leica mount camera?

Thanks to everyone!!!

Santiago
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Thanks, guys. I do not own Nikon RF lenses, right now. Don`t own any RF lenses nor camera, indeed. What was tempting to start a Nikon mount RF kit was the price of R2S and 50 3.5 (around U$S 700).

Should I spend almost a grand on an M mount kit or go for the R2s?

Thanks!
 
I agree with the other posters. Unless you already know what lenses you plan to use on the Nikon S-mount Bessa R2S, I'd recommend getting an M-mount body to start out with. Even though there are some fine S-mount lenses available, the choices are somewhat limited. There's a much wider range of M-mount gear available, with better coverage on the "reasonably priced" end of the spectrum.

And this comment is from someone heavily invested in Nikon S-mount gear 😉
 
To parrot everyone else- if you don't have Nikon S lenses already then get a regular (Leica) mount Bessa. I have the R2C (because I have Contax and a few lenses) but if I was starting again might go with an R2A or R3A.
 
I think if you look around a bit, you can get an M mount kit for around $700, and I think if you're just getting into range finders, M mount makes a whole lot more sense.
 
Go for it. The Bessa R2S is a fine camera and there are great deals on the new-old-stock Voigtlander lenses for it. Finding lenses is not a big issue. The camera will increase in value too - it's rare.
 
Not sure if the R2S or R2C will increase in value, though they may hold their value better than the regular R2 cameras.

David Murphy said:
Go for it. The Bessa R2S is a fine camera and there are great deals on the new-old-stock Voigtlander lenses for it. Finding lenses is not a big issue. The camera will increase in value too - it's rare.
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furcafe said:
Not sure if the R2S or R2C will increase in value, though they may hold their value better than the regular R2 cameras.
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Sure there's no guarantee, but they've certainly been holding their own pretty well. I have the R2S, but I want to add an R2C as soon as I can so as not to worry about Nikon/Contax lens differences. I also own the Bessaflex TM SLR, and it's price most certainly has gone up and it's now rare. It's also a fine camera operationally.
 
If you're just starting out in rangefinders, it (IMO) doesn't make much sense to marry into a niche/dead/rare/whatever lens mount/system. I do think that you should listen to the posters above and get a Leica-mount camera.
I managed to get my R3A and 40 Nokton for only ~650 USD. Spend some time on Ebay and the classifieds here- deals can be had, and you'll be happier with a mainstream lens mount...
 
David Murphy said:
Go for it. The Bessa R2S is a fine camera and there are great deals on the new-old-stock Voigtlander lenses for it. Finding lenses is not a big issue. The camera will increase in value too - it's rare.
Click to expand...

The Bessa R2S is certainly rare, but the pool of users wanting to shoot them is also small. These days excellent condition used examples can be found in shops in Tokyo for around 30,000 yen (around $350) and they're a hard sell even at that price.
 
They cost more here. I'll have to stop by Tokyo the next time I get to Asia and check those places out - sounds like a dream place.

jonmanjiro said:
The Bessa R2S is certainly rare, but the pool of users wanting to shoot them is also small. These days excellent condition used examples can be found in shops in Tokyo for around 30,000 yen (around $350) and they're a hard sell even at that price.
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That was the point I was hinting @ above.

Scarcity & value are 2 separate things, i.e., just because something is rare in absolute terms doesn't make it particularly valuable if potential buyers are also rare.

To use other examples from my own experience, rare Zeiss Ikon Contax, Bell & Howell Foton, Kodak Ektra gear are all less expensive than comparatively rare Leica equipment because the user/buyer pool is smaller.

jonmanjiro said:
The Bessa R2S is certainly rare, but the pool of users wanting to shoot them is also small. These days excellent condition used examples can be found in shops in Tokyo for around 30,000 yen (around $350) and they're a hard sell even at that price.
Click to expand...
 
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Thanks, guys, finally I followed the majority advice and get a good deal at KEH: R4A and 21 f4 color skopar plus adapter. Later on I would go for a 35 or 50.

Thanks again to everyone who collaborated!
 
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