Considering getting bessa - What lenses

[foges]

Im considering getting a bessa as i currently have the canon GIII - QL17 and i love it. Anyway, my first question is, what is the difference between the r3a/r2a and the r4a (except for price)?

Secondly, i would also want to get a full set of lenses, i would deffenetally get the 40mm ƒ1.4, but i wan some thing around 20mm and something around 90mm (or longer if possible) as well, what are my choices, if i dont want to spend a ton of money?

 

[Terao]

If you definitely want the 40mm then you want the R3A as it has built-in framelines for that lens. The only difference between those cameras is the finder so your choice is based on what lenses you think you want to use with the camera.
As far as your other lens choices go I would go for the Voigtlander 21mm f/4 (older model as its cheaper) and the 90mm f/3.5. If you want anything longer there are options at 135mm on the used market. If you want to do it on the absolutely minimum budget then the Jupiter 8,9, and 11 Russian lenses will give you 50mm, 85mm, and 135mm lenses.

 

[yoyo22]

Anyway, my first question is, what is the difference between the r3a/r2a and the r4a (except for price)?

It's all in the second sticky from the top of this forum:
http://cameraquest.com/voigtchart2.htm

Secondly, i would also want to get a full set of lenses, i would deffenetally get the 40mm ƒ1.4, but i wan some thing around 20mm and something around 90mm (or longer if possible) as well, what are my choices, if i dont want to spend a ton of money?

For 20-90mm you will need two cameras, unless you settle with external viewfinders for the wide angle lenses: Wides + 40mm and longer = R3x + external viewfinders for the wides

 

[arnulf]

Check out one of Stephen Gandy's awesome comparition charts:

http://www.cameraquest.com/voigtchart2.htm

He also sells Voigtländer cameras. Great guy!

I used to have a Bessa R. A really great camera. I recommend it if you can get your hands on one. It's with screw mount, so the range of lenses is more limited than those with M mount, but there's lots of great lenses for this camera also. The Ultron 35mm 1.7 and Canon 50mm 1.4 were my lenses, and they really created great results. With an M mount, well, the possibilities are endless.

Enjoy your Bessa when you get one. I know I did.

Arnulf

 

[photobizzz]

I have an R3a and it is a great camera, I use a 40/2 M-Rokkor ($300) and Leica 90/2.8 Tele-Elmarit ($425) in the lens range you described. I did have the CV 21/4 and it is a fine lens, I sold it only because I dont shoot wide on my RF's much. The prices above are what I paid, and you may find cheaper in CV or other brands. I have owned the 21/4, 35/1.7, 50/1.5, and 75/2.5 CV lenses but find I prefer the Leica/Minolta/Canon offerings, but that is my taste. Check out the gallery by using google advanced search and you can find alot of photographs taken with practically every CV lens to see if you like the contrast/look/bokeh of the CV lenses.

 

[pevelg]

I own a Bessar R3M and though a great camera for the price, there is one thing that aggrivates me to the extreme. That is the film winder. The handle is extremely small and usually slips out of my hand when rewinding film. Also hurts my fingers. This is not a serious gripe though. The real problem lies when taking vertical shots. Occasionally, the winding lever will slightly lift, so when I wind the film, it jams up against the wall, making it impossible to finish winding for the next shot. You can quickly fix this by simply pushing the lever back in, but this results in a shot missed. And when a great shot can be lost due to such a malfunction, the problem is serious. Lastly, the effective base range is rather small compaired to the Leica's or the Zeiss Ikon. This makes focusing a little tougher with telephoto lenses like the 135mm. I usually can easily focus around the 85mm range though.

In conclusion, the Bessa is a great camera and for the price it can not be beat. I am going to be selling my R3M and replacing it with the Zeiss Ikon. As for the lense, I recommend the 40mm Nokton. It has a great apperature of 1.4 and is a decent quality lense. My R3M comes with 40mm frame lines, so this is a plus.

 

[GeneW]

I'd also suggest the R3A or R3M depending on whether you like fully manual or the option of using aperture-priority metering. And of course the CV 40/1.4 to go with it.

The CV 21/4 is a very compact, sharp WA and used ones come up with regularity.

Those two would take you far.

Gene

 

[maggieo]

Boy, if I were considering a Bessa, I'd sure take a long, hard look at the 250th Voigtlander Anniversary R2M/R3M Presentation Set with 50/2 Heliar.

I've got the 50/2 Heliar Classic (on my M8) and it is just one fantastic lens!

All of my Voigtländer lenses are great, but my favorites, in addition to the 50/2, are the 28mm 3.5 Color-Skopar and the 35mm 1.7 Ultron.

 

[eno]

I picked up a R3a with a 40mm/1.4 a couple of years ago from Cameraquest. It is a very nice camera. Don't even think about it twice, the 40mm takes beautiful available light images.

I also have a 15mm/4.5. That is quite a fun lens, it is worth thinking about.

Have fun, they are great cameras.

 

[feenej]

The 35mm Color Scopar is fab. Small, light, inexpensive, and very sharp imho.