sockeyed
Well-known
My new Bessa R3A arrived from Cameraquest on the weekend (I’ve mated it with a 40/1.4 SC Nokton), and I’ve shot about 100 frames through it. I thought that I’d share my first impressions.
Feel: It’s certainly heavier and more solid-feeling than my Bessa R, not that the R feels bad. The R3A is not as burly as my Canon F-1 or the Leica M’s I’ve felt, but it does feel well made. The material is good to grip and marks less, and the crinkle paint is attractive. The winder feels kind of light on the stroke. The rewind knob is fine.
Shutter: the electronic shutter is quieter than the R’s mechanical one, and fires with a lighter touch. In fact, I fired it accidentally taking light readings a couple of times. A soft-release is almost too much. I like that the shutter locks, unlike on the R.
Finder and Framelines: The 1:1 finder is pretty amazing. With some practice, I think that I’ll be able to manage the both-eyes-open way of shooting. A lot of people complain that the 40mm framelines are hard to see. I agree, and I don’t even have glasses. I pretty well have to press my eyeball against the viewfinder to see all the lines. The framelines also tend not to have a bottom line, which I find a bit annoying. All this said, the viewfinder works wonderfully with 50mm and 75mm lenses. Another small complaint is that the shutter readout can be hard to see unless your eye is in just the right place. This will probably change with practice, though.
AE: It’s great to have aperture priority AE and gives me one less thing to worry about when shooting on the fly. The only complaint here is that the AE lock button does not turn on the meter; you have to press the shutter slightly to get a reading, and then press the AE lock.
The 40/1.4 Nokton: very nicely constructed, good focusing tab, nice tabs on the aperture ring, and cool bayonet-mount hood. Well-designed lens cap, too, which you can take on and off with the hood mounted. Focusing is a bit stiffer than my 35/2.5.
Things I really like: the construction, the bright finder, the M-mount system, and the aesthetics of the camera.
Not so hot about: the hard-to-see 40mm framelines, the shutter speed readout.
Feel: It’s certainly heavier and more solid-feeling than my Bessa R, not that the R feels bad. The R3A is not as burly as my Canon F-1 or the Leica M’s I’ve felt, but it does feel well made. The material is good to grip and marks less, and the crinkle paint is attractive. The winder feels kind of light on the stroke. The rewind knob is fine.
Shutter: the electronic shutter is quieter than the R’s mechanical one, and fires with a lighter touch. In fact, I fired it accidentally taking light readings a couple of times. A soft-release is almost too much. I like that the shutter locks, unlike on the R.
Finder and Framelines: The 1:1 finder is pretty amazing. With some practice, I think that I’ll be able to manage the both-eyes-open way of shooting. A lot of people complain that the 40mm framelines are hard to see. I agree, and I don’t even have glasses. I pretty well have to press my eyeball against the viewfinder to see all the lines. The framelines also tend not to have a bottom line, which I find a bit annoying. All this said, the viewfinder works wonderfully with 50mm and 75mm lenses. Another small complaint is that the shutter readout can be hard to see unless your eye is in just the right place. This will probably change with practice, though.
AE: It’s great to have aperture priority AE and gives me one less thing to worry about when shooting on the fly. The only complaint here is that the AE lock button does not turn on the meter; you have to press the shutter slightly to get a reading, and then press the AE lock.
The 40/1.4 Nokton: very nicely constructed, good focusing tab, nice tabs on the aperture ring, and cool bayonet-mount hood. Well-designed lens cap, too, which you can take on and off with the hood mounted. Focusing is a bit stiffer than my 35/2.5.
Things I really like: the construction, the bright finder, the M-mount system, and the aesthetics of the camera.
Not so hot about: the hard-to-see 40mm framelines, the shutter speed readout.
