How do you feel about your Bessa?

[traveler_101]

I have two Bessas - the R which is now my main camera and the T. I really like them and have been especially happy with my R. But I notice very little activity on this part of the forum and the decision by Cosina to discontinue the contemporary models has, surprisingly, taken some of the wind out of my CV sails. How do you feel about your Bessa now?

 

[robert blu]

I'm happy with my Bessa R.
robert

 

[charjohncarter]

Like Robert, I'm very happy with my R. I thought about an R2A and a screw mount adapter. I may do that. I'm carful using all my cameras, I'm very careful not to force anything with the R.

 

[Carriage]

Also happy with my Bessa R and it's my main camera now. It does what it's supposed to so there doesn't seem to be much to talk about it.

 

[mpaniagua]

Pretty happy with my R2. It gets along well with my m6.

 

[Doug]

I respect my Voigtlander Bessas for having gone the road less traveled in configuration. I have an L... without even a viewfinder never mind the RF. I have a T... weird, it has a rangefinder but no viewfinder! And I have an R4a, which is unique in having framelines for lenses as wide as 21mm as well as 50mm. Each is unusual or even unique while serving a useful purpose. Kudos to Cosina!

 

[f16sunshine]

I've tried all the models over the years.
The R2 in Olive color is the one I've gone back to.
Have one now and like it quite a bit. The CLE f2/40mm is mounted.
Never had any issues although the Rewind crank looks a bit suspect in the R/R2 models.
The R2 feels like a bit more solid build than the screw mount R.

The R#/a/m models felt a bit chunky by comparison although I really did love the R3a 1:1 VF 🙂

 

[rbsinto]

How do I use my Bessa now and in the future?
Well, let's see.
I currently use my R2S for taking photographs, and in future will use it the same way.
Robert

 

[traveler_101]

I've tried all the models over the years.
The R2 in Olive color is the one I've gone back to.
Have one now and like it quite a bit. The CLE f2/40mm is mounted.
Never had any issues although the Rewind crank looks a bit suspect in the R/R2 models.
The R2 feels like a bit more solid build than the screw mount R.

The R#/a/m models felt a bit chunky by comparison although I really did love the R3a 1:1 VF 🙂

Yes, the rather delicate looking rewind the crank on the R . . . The shaft seems to be metal but the handle is plastic and when it turns under pressure it feels like it could just snap. I take it easy. That is probably the worst part on the camera. On the other hand, the advance mechanism, of which I had read so many complaints, is smooth as butter (knock on wood).

Like Robert, I'm very happy with my R. I thought about an R2A and a screw mount adapter. I may do that. I'm carful using all my cameras, I'm very careful not to force anything with the R.

I hear you. I am careful with it too.

 

[Raoul_Volfoni]

How do you feel about your Bessa?

I own a Bessa R3m and I love it as well.
It is lightweight, does not feel too cheap though and the viewfinder is great (1:1 is my cup of tea).

One complaint I have is that the shutter mechanism locked a couple of times, the curtains remained open and the shutter release wouldn't work. I had to bring it to a skilled repairman who made it functional again but was unable to identify the source of the problem.

I heard that when you force the winding lever at the end of a roll that might happen. Unfortunately for me it happened in mid roll both times. I am a little afraid that will occur again every time I use it...

Still love the camera though. Cosina's decision to discontinue this product line is sad but I am guessing they will be plenty on the second hand market. Not a consolation, but that's something...

 

[film nut]

I had a Bessa R and still have an R3M. I sold the R because I wanted to use the R3m more often. I sold the R and two SLR's because I just had too many cameras and wasn't using them often enough. I still have a Nikon FE2, Voightlander Vitesse, Cannon Elan 7,the R3m and a Brownie that I made into a pin-hole camera I have film in all these cameras except the Brownie. Sometimes it's a curse; what to use today.

Mike

 

[_lou_]

I traded my Bessa for the better Zeiss Ikon, sometimes regetting the plain Voigtländer's no frills.

 

[lawrence]

I traded my Bessa for the better Zeiss Ikon, sometimes regetting the plain Voigtländer's no frills.

I did the same but no regrets as in many ways the Zeiss Ikon is the nicest film camera I have used. But of course it's really a Bessa under the hood...

 

[FrankS]

Over the years I've had a few R's, L's, and an R2. The R2 definitely felt more substantial. Currently I have just an L, dedicated to a CV 21f4 lens.

 

[taomei]

I started my M-mount collection with a R3A, great camera, but I found a Zeiss Ikon was better for general shooting with wider range of lenses. So I replaced it with a R4M which makes for a great secondary camera with the wider angle lenses (21-28) loaded with a different film stock.

 

[harpofreely]

My Bessa use fell off pretty sharply after I fell in love with my dual range 'cron, which fits neither the R3A I later sold, nor the T I still have. I've spent nearly a year now procrastinating on getting rid of either my M3 or my M6 TTL .85, plus I've got a good iiic w/ VC II meter, and the Bessa T just keeps getting dustier. Which is too bad, because Bessa T, SBOOI, and Summitar is a pretty great entry-level M setup.

 

[jamin-b]

I have the R3A (my first RF and serious film camera) and the R4A. Love them both for the autoexposure + AE lock, accurate metering and versatile framelines. For 40mm, I finf the R3A nearly as compact as the leica CL and much less tempermental. I also really dig the shutter lock feature - save me a few blank shots each roll and doesn't slow me down at all (though I know some feel differently about this) ...

 

[traveler_101]

My Bessa use fell off pretty sharply after I fell in love with my dual range 'cron, which fits neither the R3A I later sold, nor the T I still have. I've spent nearly a year now procrastinating on getting rid of either my M3 or my M6 TTL .85, plus I've got a good iiic w/ VC II meter, and the Bessa T just keeps getting dustier. Which is too bad, because Bessa T, SBOOI, and Summitar is a pretty great entry-level M setup.

Ah, the struggle to make use of the cameras we have. My problem with moving up to an M3 (which i would like for the high build quality and great .91 viewfinder) is losing the meter. I like having the built in meter. I also think about the extra weight.

p.s. What is a "dual range Summicron"?

 

[traveler_101]

I did the same but no regrets as in many ways the Zeiss Ikon is the nicest film camera I have used. But of course it's really a Bessa under the hood...

Is it the Ikon built around the same basic body as the Bessa series?

In looking for a replacement door for my R, I noticed that other manufacturers, notably Ricoh and Nikon, built SLR models around this same Cosina supplied frame. I once read someone banging on about how the Bessas were not real RFs because they were built on a SLR body frame in which the mirror had been stripped out. Hence they are fake.

For me they are light and durable, simple and yet modern (metered). Of course, I have been lucky thus far not to have the problems with jamming of the advance mechanism.

 

[taomei]

The Ikon has some similar dials / knob and film gate internals, but the shape is slightly different to account for the larger VF, wider RF base, and upside-down (on bottom) rewind knob, so it's not compatible with the same Bessa accessories (like the grip or trigger winder). It's super nice for the uncluttered framelines though, for shooting 28-35-50-85 (which I use to guesstimate a 90).