Godfrey
somewhat colored
The annual Italian car and motorcycle show in Alameda was yesterday. I took the Bessa III and some film in one bag, the Leica M9 and two lenses in another.
I loaded the Bessa III with ACROS 100 film, set for 6x6 format. I checked the meter reading against my Sekonic incident light meter and found it to be right on the money, so from that point on I just used the meter in the camera, setting exposure manually. Notes from the field, first shooting session:
- The viewfinder is a pleasure, the focusing fast and accurate.
- The shutter release sound is almost impossible to hear.
- The camera, although bulky, is nicely weighted and comfortable in my hands. I do wish it were the size of the Perkeo II (which is very very compact by comparison).
- I wish the aperture ring was a little easier to turn without jostling the focus ring.
- The lens hood goes on and comes off easily. I'll want two of them so I can have one pre-fitted with a filter and one clear.
- The film wind knob feels a little cheap compared to the rest of the camera, but wind gearing is nice and light.
- Loading film is easy compared to some other medium format cameras I've owned.
- Field of view is just right; i can also see why a wide version would be handy for some uses.
In short, nothing's perfect, but I like the Bessa III concept and found it to work nicely in the field. I stopped by the camera shop on the way home, they fired up their processor and handed me the negatives an hour and a half later.
- Every one of the exposures shows near perfect density for the contrasty daylight and the focus was right on the mark for what I was after. That's the most satisfying advantage to a modern shutter, metering system, and rangefinder I can think of: consistency and accuracy.
- The lens is to die for! Stunning, crisply detailed images, everywhere.
- This film is amazing ... beautiful densities and detailing into deep shadow, nearly invisible grain (at 12x magnification!), very nice highlight rolloff. Ah, the joy of medium format film!
I'm very pleased. Although expensive, I'm going to get a lot of use out of this camera. It is easy to live with and these results from a first test roll are very satisfying. And I love the shooting experience and look that comes from 6x6 film..
One happy camper.
I shot about half of a second roll, I'll take the next week to complete it and maybe even process it at home for the fun of that.
I loaded the Bessa III with ACROS 100 film, set for 6x6 format. I checked the meter reading against my Sekonic incident light meter and found it to be right on the money, so from that point on I just used the meter in the camera, setting exposure manually. Notes from the field, first shooting session:
- The viewfinder is a pleasure, the focusing fast and accurate.
- The shutter release sound is almost impossible to hear.
- The camera, although bulky, is nicely weighted and comfortable in my hands. I do wish it were the size of the Perkeo II (which is very very compact by comparison).
- I wish the aperture ring was a little easier to turn without jostling the focus ring.
- The lens hood goes on and comes off easily. I'll want two of them so I can have one pre-fitted with a filter and one clear.
- The film wind knob feels a little cheap compared to the rest of the camera, but wind gearing is nice and light.
- Loading film is easy compared to some other medium format cameras I've owned.
- Field of view is just right; i can also see why a wide version would be handy for some uses.
In short, nothing's perfect, but I like the Bessa III concept and found it to work nicely in the field. I stopped by the camera shop on the way home, they fired up their processor and handed me the negatives an hour and a half later.
- Every one of the exposures shows near perfect density for the contrasty daylight and the focus was right on the mark for what I was after. That's the most satisfying advantage to a modern shutter, metering system, and rangefinder I can think of: consistency and accuracy.
- The lens is to die for! Stunning, crisply detailed images, everywhere.
- This film is amazing ... beautiful densities and detailing into deep shadow, nearly invisible grain (at 12x magnification!), very nice highlight rolloff. Ah, the joy of medium format film!
I'm very pleased. Although expensive, I'm going to get a lot of use out of this camera. It is easy to live with and these results from a first test roll are very satisfying. And I love the shooting experience and look that comes from 6x6 film..
One happy camper.
I shot about half of a second roll, I'll take the next week to complete it and maybe even process it at home for the fun of that.
nlubis
Well-known
Thanks for sharing your experience. I've been thingking of getting the Fuji version, waiting for the right time.
angusparker
Newbie
Fuji version
Fuji version
Got my Fuji 670 from KEH.com second hand a month or two ago. Its simply a stunning camera - although the Bessa in black looks nicer, I'd rather have the extra money. KEH seems to get one every month or so - quite reasonable prices.
Fuji version
Got my Fuji 670 from KEH.com second hand a month or two ago. Its simply a stunning camera - although the Bessa in black looks nicer, I'd rather have the extra money. KEH seems to get one every month or so - quite reasonable prices.
kzphoto
Well-known
Angus, what did you spend on yours? I'm looking for one second hand at the moment.
Vickko
Veteran
Ebay prices indicate $1300 can get you a GF670. You need to go up to $1600 for a used Bessa III.
I'm still hesitating; the price is a bit steep, and I can get a GW690III and GSW690III for the price of a Bessa III, and end up with wide shooting and a larger negative. But, bigger camera.
I'm still hesitating; the price is a bit steep, and I can get a GW690III and GSW690III for the price of a Bessa III, and end up with wide shooting and a larger negative. But, bigger camera.
Godfrey
somewhat colored
Well, I went for the gusto and bought the Bessa III new; I'm completely happy with that. I was tempted by the wide version, but generally find the normal lens model more useful.
I saw a practically new Bessa III for just under $2000, but felt that for me a new one with warranty and such was worth the extra money.
I saw a practically new Bessa III for just under $2000, but felt that for me a new one with warranty and such was worth the extra money.
Dana B.
Well-known
Congratulations. Great to see another happy GF670 owner. I bought mine new and am very happy with it. There's very little chatter on this board. Please post some pics.