Help with Bessa R

[Boggiz248]

Hi I don't know if this is a appropriate question for the forum. I bought a Bessa R from the classifieds on this site. When the camera arrived it did not work, you could not depress the shutter button and the film advance lever did not engage. I contacted the seller. He told me there is a locking mechanism on the Bessa R and I need to move the film advance lever out from the camera about the thickness of a finger for the shutter work. My reply was that I own two Bessa L , one Bessa T, and two Bessa R and the Bessa R did not work that way. The seller then told me to send back the camera and he would figure out how I broken the camera and how much money he would send back to me. I am asking for all my money including shipping and paypal fees So here is a quote from the seller on how the camera works " Bessa R does not have racheted film advance so you have to fully advance the film in one swing before you can release. Also, it appears to have a locking feature where it locks the shutter unless the advancing lever is in the position before wind but pulled a bit from the body (your finger between the body and the lever)."
I would like if other users of the Bessa R could tell me how their camera works and if anyone knows of a shutter locking mechanism on the Bessa R. I just want to resolve the situation and will use the info to show the seller how the Bessa R works Thank you for any help

 

[gb hill]

I have both an R and a Bessa L. Only the L has the locking mechanism. A Bessa R will operate even without batteries.

 

[Dez]

No locking mechanism on my Bessa R. Sounds like the vendor may need some improvements in his business ethics.

Cheers,
Dez

 

[charjohncarter]

No locking on my 'R' either. But there is an internet 'fix' for this problem. It is simple but have to remove the bottom plate.

Also, I read, again on the IN, that you have to slowly advance film and NOT force the last frame on a roll to avoid this problem.

 

[RayK]

No locking mechanism. Sounds like it's locked in between shutter cycles. Here is a link which might give you some info: http://nelsonfoto.com/SMF/index.php?topic=17503.0

 

[vdonovan]

Bessa R owner here. Yes, no locking mechanism. There is no way you can break an R just by advancing the film.

There is a known vulnerability in the R, which is that the film advance linkage can pop off the spool. This happened in transit when I bought my Bessa R about five years ago. I was about to return it to the seller (who agreed to a full refund, BTW), when he suggested that I try the bottom plate fix. It worked and I kept both the camera and my good opinion of the seller.

I *had* a little photo essay of the bottom plate fix posted somewhere, but I can't find it. It's easy, anyway.

 

[eric rose]

That happened to me once when I was in a rush and depressed the shutter while winding. Jammed the R up solid. It's fairly easy to fix. I found a webpage that detailed exactly what to do.