Cosina Voigtlander Bessa R question

[Juergen F.]

Hi,

I'm thinking of buying a Voigtlander Bessa R + Color-Skopar 35mm f/2.5. What I'd like to kow is if the Bessa R is an all-metal construction or a metal/plastic combination and how the general 'feel' of this camera is. 🙂

 

[BillG]

I have an R and for me the general feel is solid, not at all flimsy. The viewfinder is excellent. the 35mm Classic f2.5 (LTM) lens is compact and sharp. I took a trip a couple of years ago and dragged along a Canon Elan 7E with some primes, and a Nikon 5700, as well as the R and the 35mm f2.5.....I found that the vast percentage of my shots that turned out best were with the R and 35. I found the Canon 28 f2.8 a little too wide. That trip included Harpers Ferry. In my opinion at the reduced price, the R and 35 are an unbeatable deal.

 

[BJ Bignell]

The camera is a plastic body over a metal frame. It feels good in my hand, and fits well, but I suppose that the feel you get from it would be relative to your own experience with other equipment, as well as what your expectations are.

You can read Stephen Gandy's writeup here: http://www.cameraquest.com/voigrf.htm

Do a search on this site here for "Bessa R feel". You'll find tons of information and opinions. One of the best threads is this one: http://www.rangefinderforum.com/forums/showthread.php?t=313

 

[FrankS]

The Bessa R definitely lacks ths solid, dense heft of a Leica, but that isn't totally a bad thing. If you are walking about with a Leica, you are almost always aware of it because it so heavy and expensive. If you are walking around with a Bessa R and small Cosina lens like the 35 classic, it does not demand nearly as much attention from you, yet is capable of pictures just as brilliant as the photographer is capable of.

Only the Leica though, would be bequeathed to your children to use for their lifetime as well as yours.

 

[Justin Low]

When I had the Bessa R, I felt that it's build was pretty much on par with most modern plastic cameras. The R2, however, is much improved and feels more solid than my FM3a.

I didn't quite like the feel of the controls on the R though—the shutter speed selector felt odd, as did the film advance. I didn't like the rubber coating on the film back either.

Another issue is the rewind crank, though this was not resolved on the R2. I find that it's a little too small for comfort. It's not really a big deal though, since you'd only rewind once every roll.

 

[tetrisattack]

The Bessa-R's got a fine weight and solid feeling to it, though I wouldn't drop it. The majority of the time your hands will be on the grip, lens, shutter speed dial, and film advance. The camera is covered in a solid rubbery substance on the back and front and feels nice. CV lenses have pretty nice build quality and won't disappoint. The shutter dial is my least favorite component, the tension is a little tougher than I prefer and is definitely made out of (hard) plastic. The film advance is fine and has a smooth throw but doesn't ratchet.

Another thing that contributes heavily to the tactile sensation of a camera is the shutter sound; if you've coming from beefy SLRs (girlfriend's juicy-sounding Nikomat comes to mind) the bessa's shutter release is hollow and insubstantial, just a quick "chick."

It's a good camera though and will probably stand up to anything you put it through, so long as you don't drop it on concrete. 🙂

 

[childers-jk]

I like the material and the feel. I don't know about a Lecia, but the Bessa is a great travel camera. The controls are quick and easy. I have the Jupiter 8 and with that and the Bessa R, I have some great shots. I have always heard great things about the Skopar lenses.

Jeff C.

 

[BJ Bignell]

It's a good camera though and will probably stand up to anything you put it through, so long as you don't drop it on concrete. 🙂

It might even survive that!

I had it around my neck when I was skateboarding (just going down the sidewalk, not doing anything fancy) and I bit it pretty hard. It hit the sidewalk, went flying, took some damage to the top plate (thanks to the clips on the strap), but I didn't even lose RF alignment. 😀

My right hand was injured in the same incident, and was bruised and hurt for over a month... 🙁

 

[Fred]

As Frank says, the R is a cracking camera. No it's not as solid as a Leica and might not last as long but the feel is fine. If your more used to the older type cameras (Nikon FM2 for example) you might prefer the R2 or the new 'a' cameras. These have a metal body and feel more substantial (but not like a Leica) with an M mount.

In use the R is a fine machine and can produce anything as good as you can point it at. You are reastricted to LTM lenses though but this isn't that much of a problem in reality unless you want to use expensive glass.

The 35 Skopar is very compact and much better made than you'd assume for the money.

 

[Aperture]

" The Bessa-R's got a fine weight and solid feeling to it, though I wouldn't drop it."

Ooopps, I already did....... and it's still working perfectly. Just a few scratches on the edges, but nothing happened to the rangefinder alignment. I can only urge you to join the R+35 club, look at it this way; now you'll have more many left to spend on sexy glass like the 21.
Anyway, I've had this camera since the start of the year, and the only photo's that came out wrong were either due to the amazing 2-day lab of @&!Mart or my lack of talent.
This combo is really good value for the cash, without compromising on quality.

 

[phototone]

The Bessa R definitely lacks ths solid, dense heft of a Leica, but that isn't totally a bad thing. If you are walking about with a Leica, you are almost always aware of it because it so heavy and expensive. If you are walking around with a Bessa R and small Cosina lens like the 35 classic, it does not demand nearly as much attention from you, yet is capable of pictures just as brilliant as the photographer is capable of.

Only the Leica though, would be bequeathed to your children to use for their lifetime as well as yours.

Yup, what he says. I got a Bessa R from Frank. Works like a charm. I have Leicas also, and the Leica DOES feel better when stroking it with my fingers, (RFDR Lust) but does it take better pic's? nah, unless I am in a situation where I need the longer RFDR base length to shoot a fast lens wide open. Put that LTM Summicron on the Bessa and I dare you to tell the difference in the images.