bessa r3a minimal focusing distance - strange issue

[sarniak]

Hi,
I've just made test roll with my bessa r3a + summicron 40/2. I've owned my bessa for two months now, but I got the lens yesterday. Before I used some russian 50mm industar just to test the body, so I didn't really care about some trifles.

The issue is, that when focuing from beginning of the scale to about 0.9-1m, the rangefinder is not responding. When using industar, I thought it is the lens fault, but now with summicron it haven't changed.

Now I am little confused. I won't be shooting as close often, but still it's annoying, in the end I spent quite much money on this body.

I tried to figure something out without the lens mounted, and I found out that while pushing this little thing which steer rangfinder I feel resistance not from th beginning, but after some distance. On that distance rangefinder isn't responding, but frames are moving.

Bessa's minimum focusing distance is 0.7m, so I am quite sure there's something wrong with the rangefinder from 0,7 to 0,9-1m, but I don't know why... ;]

Did you have any similar problems?

 

[kmerenkov]

Hi,
The only rangefinder-related problem I had with my bessa is that rangefinder didn't respond close to infinity on Jupiter-8, but was fine on VC.

I would show your bessa to some repairman, since it is clearly a malfunction.

 

[sarniak]

In my country bessas are not popular and repairmans say something like "I could look at it, but I'm not familiar with bessa, so I can't say I'll help" 😉.

But I wrote to foto-mundus, were I bought my bessa, and they said 0.9m is correct and official for R3A.

It seems strange, cause on the internet it is 0.7m, but I think they don't have any reason for lieing, so maybe this 0.7m is copied mistake... as far as it works well over 0.9m I won't bother, I guess 🙂.

 

[kmerenkov]

If you can live with it - why not. 🙂
I am using bessa without working AE mode (it is broken on my model).
I am using leica with rangefinder a bit off vertically...

all depends on how much it bothers you

 

[Phantomas]

I've just checked it on my R3A with Nokton 40 attached which also has quoted minimum distance of 0.7m

The rangefinder patch start moving even after moving the lens 1mm from the 0.7 point. It responds flawlessly on mine. At any distance. So the rangefinder is capable of functioning very accurately.
I don't know if it's a lens/camera combo or what could be the cause. The most important is that the rangefinder is accurate and doesn't make you misfocus.
Probably missing 0.2m min distance is something you could live with, I know it's bearable in practical circumstances. Depends if it's new and you can easily switch it, do it, otherwise, oh well.

 

[CameraQuest]

The Leica CL lenses, the 40/2 and 90/4, don't have standard Leica focusing cams. Leica warned the CL lens cams could cause inaccurate focusing when using those lenses on Leica M bodies. Problems don't happen often, but it does happen. This is probably what you are encountering.

Stephen

 

[enochRoot]

the 40mm summicron is likely the limiting factor. it only focusses down to .8m.

 

[sarniak]

The Leica CL lenses, the 40/2 and 90/4, don't have standard Leica focusing cams. Leica warned the CL lens cams could cause inaccurate focusing when using those lenses on Leica M bodies. Problems don't happen often, but it does happen. This is probably what you are encountering.

Stephen

But does it mean, that there will be problem on bigger distance?

I think I will have to make some focus tests to be sure...