comparing the Size of Bessa

[ltketch]

Hi everyone!

I have been tempted lately by rangefinders and am thinking about the Bessa R at the moment (can’t afford any of the newer/better ones). I have recently been using a Minolta 7SII which I really like because of its compactness. My question is then, knowing the Bessa’s are a little bigger body wise, does anyone have a comparative picture of one next to a camera the size of my Minolta? (QL17 Giii or Oly RD) It would be nice to know how much different it would be! Where I live there is 0% chance of being able to hold/caress one before I made a decision!

Thanks
​

 

[gb hill]

Compared to the Canonet, it's lighter. Some complain about the bessa being cheap feeling but to me it's a great feeling camera. It is a little larger than the canonet but the bessa is not akward feeling. The viewfinder will astound you so much after looking in the Canonet. I can't say about the Minolta, never have held one, but you'll forget about everything else and fall in love with it. What lenses do you plan to use on the R if you get one? I love the 35/2.5 color skopar with mine. BTW welcome.

Go to the bessa forum and click on the review on the bessa r by Lars at the top of the page. This will help.

Greg

 

[foto_fool]

I second the welcome Itketch. I have not ever held a Canonet, but of the interchangeable lens RF's I have used the Bessa is the smallest and smallest feeling - actually the Leica III series is physically smaller but heavier. I have an R3A that is a semi-permanent home for a CV 40mm/1.4. Try it - you'll like it.

- John

 

[ltketch]

Thanks for the welcome!

I have no real idea what lens I might want to use! Not being flush with funds means I need to be fairly careful with what I might be interested in, the 35/2.5 gets good reports! Bit that said, I feel I would need more than 1 lens, in my mind it defeats the purpose of lens “interchangeability” by not doing so, otherwise I might as well just get a fixed lens RF (and I already have the Minolta)!!! And I do see a few of you use the cheaper Russians on the R!

 

[fishtek]

Hi!

As it happens, I've got a Vivitar 35ES, which seems to be a clone of the Minolta 7SII (IIRC). I don't have a photo handy, but the comparative specs are:

Bessa R: 5.5" wide x 3.25" tall x 1.25" thick

vivitar 35ES: 4.5" wide x 3" tall x 1.25" thick (Body only)

With the 35/2.5 CV lens mounted, the Bessa R measures about 2.75" from the back of the camera to the front of the lens cover.

Hope this helps.

BTW, I really enjoy my Bessa R. I've got 21,35,50, and 75mm lenses.

Regards!
Don

 

[BrianPhotog]

As it happens, I've got a Vivitar 35ES, which seems to be a clone of the Minolta 7SII (IIRC).

I can almost gurantee that both were probably OEM'd by Cosina 😉

 

[fishtek]

Hi, Brian!

Hi, Brian!

I can almost gurantee that both were probably OEM'd by Cosina 😉

Yeah, I've heard that before....along with a couple other VERY similar cameras. It's a pretty neat box!

Regards!
Don

 

[payasam]

Absolute size, I have found, is of little consequence. The question to answer is, "Does it feel comfortable in my hands?" For that, I'm afraid you need to get your hands on whichever model it is.

 

[ISO]

If you can,try to get a R2 instead of the R. The built is much better and it is worth to pay the extra bucks. I do have a 7SII, too. You cannot really compare the cameras. The Bessa is bigger, but has a extremly nice VF and a top shutter speed of 1/2000. The R2 fells better and more solid than the R. For the first lens I would go for a Jupiter 8. That one you can get for $30 in very good condition, if you are lucky. It is LTM and fits to the R. For the R2 you need a LTM -> M-Mount adapter.

The 7SII has a nice lens, and I like to use it, too. The Bessa is still in another class.

 

[gb hill]

Absolute size, I have found, is of little consequence. The question to answer is, "Does it feel comfortable in my hands?" For that, I'm afraid you need to get your hands on whichever model it is.

I agree with Payasam 100%. You really not know until you put your hands on one, but since that impossable I can assure you that the Bessa R is a great feeling camera and I have small hands and fingers. About the lenses a good 50 & a 35mm should meet your needs, depending on what type of shooting you do.

 

[tedwhite]

I agree with Payasam as well. If it feels good in your hands you'll use it more often, I believe.

The other day a friend (desertshooter) bought a Bronice RF 645. I expected a big
clumsy thing, but when I picked it up it felt just right, whereas my hands never feel comfortable holding my Rolleiflex. My two favorites are the Bessa R and my old Asahi Pentax Spotmatic SP in terms of feeling very, very comfortable.

 

[ltketch]

Now I know the size of a Bessa

Now I know the size of a Bessa

Since I had no way of answering my initial question physically before the fact, in a moment of GAS madness I can now answer the question after the fact! Who knows, when I get sick of fiddling with it, I might even put in some film tomorrow!!!!!!!! 🙂

 

[tedwhite]

Itketch:

Got yourself a nice camera there, sir. I have a Bessa R and it's pretty much a daily carry. I am amazed at how much longer it is than your Hi-matic.

What lens is on the Bessa R? And, by the way, your Bessa looks like it's new.

I've been "way south of Mexico" - Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras, Nicaragua, and Costa Rica - but you are no doubt in South America. Is it Chile?

 

[ltketch]

Itketch:

Got yourself a nice camera there, sir. I have a Bessa R and it's pretty much a daily carry. I am amazed at how much longer it is than your Hi-matic.

Quite a bit isn't it, but I knew that to some extent, as a reference for others who might read this, the Minolta is near as dammit the same length of the Oly 35RD, both of which are just a tad shorter than the Canon QL17 GIII.

What lens is on the Bessa R? And, by the way, your Bessa looks like it's new.

The lens is the 35/2.5 Color-Skopar. Nope not new, bought it off a RFF'er here a couple of weeks ago. It had been used but also well looked after!

I've been "way south of Mexico" - Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras, Nicaragua, and Costa Rica - but you are no doubt in South America. Is it Chile?

Not quite! depends on how your looking at the world! Im in Australia! For me i'm to the left, for you looking down its probably to the right.

 

[payasam]

Is this thread turning into one on relativity? Congratulations, Itketch.

 

[wlewisiii]

Congratulations is right. Now you should pick up a nice inexpensive 50mm to complement a very fine 35mm lens. The Russian Jupiter 8 50/2 & the Industar 61 L/D 55/2.8 lenses are both very good, very cheap & have distinctly different "looks" to them. Either one would make a worthy companion for your R.

Good luck & good light!!

William

 

[ltketch]

I got bored at work today, and decided to weigh some of my cameras! Probably makes me a sad individual but I was REALLY REALLY bored! The results were:

Minolta 7SII

498 grams. This included a UV filter, a plastic lens cap and the half used film that is currently in it! (I weighed another film that I had and it was 18 grams)

Voigtlander Bessa R, with 35/2.5 Color-Skopar, its lens hood and a UV filter, but no film was 514 grams. The metal cap which was not part of this weight was 6 grams!

Totally useless info I know!