Buying a Bessa R?

luiman

luiman

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I must take an important decision: I could exchange my Zorki 4K, the Jupiter 12 and his viewfinder (most around $ 115) with a Bessa R (2001) to pair to my R2A.
It is in good conditions, only rangefinder has a (common?) vertical misalignment (slightly).
It's a fair exchange? Could possibly repair myself the rangefinder?
Please help me decide...:)

Cheers,
Luigi
 
If he is willing to trade you a Bessa R for the Zorki kit I'do it. You can sell the Bessa R for more than you could for the Zorki kit. From what I have read the adjustment in the rf isn't too hard.
 
I would say yes.

The R is great and you can easily learn to disregard the out-of-whack finder...

just make sure the top of the camera is level with the horizon.

Build quality is not up to the R2a, but more dependable than the Zorki 4K - IMO.

And you know any new ltm lenses you get can be fittted to the other camera with adapters.

Just forget about another J-12; it won't work on most Rs.
 
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Greg and Rick, many thanks for the encouraging responses! In fact I think that changing the kit Zorki 4K-Jupiter 12 with the Bessa R is still a good deal, although I still have to pay about $ 115. I already have the 35 Color Skopar pancake, and the Jupiter 12 is rather superfluous, if not for the difference in rendition compared to Voigtlander. Let me know something more...
 
Id go for the R without question. I liked the R series camera I had and as Rick said , the R will be a much more reliable camera than the Zorki. You'll also get a meter built in, seems like a no-brainer to me.
 
When I owned the R I did the RF adjustment several times myself. This is the how to that I used to figure it out.
http://photo.net/bboard/q-and-a-fetch-msg?msg_id=001NhD

Use this at your own peril, as a trained professional is always the best choice. Also, I don't remember if this was the case for me, there might be some differences in production and certain adjustments might not be the same as in the illustration.

I loved this camera very much, and with the side grip to cure the balance issue, it was a great camera. It ended up breaking though (I think now the complicated double shutter design is to blame, but who knows =\). I am the happy owner of a Canon P now =). Good luck with your trade!
 
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Thanks to domeed and Blind spark for other suggestions! My enthusiasm is somewhat diminished after seeing the pictures of the camera, in not exceptional conditions at all. While I propose to change a kit in good shape. I will post pictures here, but I don't know if it is right... This complicates my decision. Maybe I'll have to put an add to trade or buy on our forums to find a Bessa R in good cosmetic condition!:)
 
I almost decided to take the Bessa R, negotiating an exchange with my Zorki 4K, Jupiter 12 and viewfinder plus a contribution from me about $ 50 (instead of the $ 115 required).
The conditions are between EX and BGN (KEH grade range), with scratches on the back and some discolorations (finish loss) of the black paint under the top, but without dents or dings.
The owner assured me that the operation is impeccable and I can try to decide whether to keep or not it. I don't know if I did well because the cosmetical conditions are not the best, but the kit Zorki was redundant for me.
What do I do?
You have encouraged me. Please help me decide andI will let you know the rest of the story...:)
 
luiman said:
I must take an important decision: I could exchange my Zorki 4K, the Jupiter 12 and his viewfinder (most around $ 115) with a Bessa R (2001) to pair to my R2A.
It is in good conditions, only rangefinder has a (common?) vertical misalignment (slightly).
It's a fair exchange? Could possibly repair myself the rangefinder?
Please help me decide...:)

Cheers,
Luigi
Click to expand...

buy it

the vertical adjustement is easy to do :)
 
Get the bessa R, you won't regret it.
I bought one used in 2006 and still use it happily.
Ciao
 
Thanks to le vrai rdu and nico for the encouragement!
I would put photos of the camera that are on my computer, how can I do?
 
ca roule :D
si tu mets plus de 200 photos en compte pas payant, les plus ancienne disparaitront c'est tout :)
sinon tu peux t'acheter un nom de domaine et un espace mais c'est plus complexe a gérer
 
Bessa R, but I don't see the name "Voigtlander" on top...
What do you think?
 

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I read that there are different Bessa versions for rangefinder adjustment, but I've never seen a Bessa R with no name on top..:confused:
 
It's hard to tell from the low resolution, but it wouldn't be hard to rub the Voigtlander script off with something - it's only printed on after all.


Grab the Bessa if you haven't already. The Bessa R is a much nicer user than any of the Russian cameras based on viewfinder clarity, lightmeter, original build precision and reliability - imo.
 
@ tyrone.s: Yes, the Bessa R is a different world compared to Russian camera:)...
I decided to take it and yesterday Bessa R arrived.
The script on top is deleted, but the cosmetic conditions are better than what I expected. Now I try the camera with a Legacy Pro 400.
It seems that the camera works fine; the rangefinder is slightly misaligned, but nothing terrible; the rubber coating of the back a little damaged, but the half case covering it.
Thank you all for your encouragement! I will let you know when the film will be developed...
Luigi
 
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