if I were to buy a Bessa again...

[Red Robin]

Get a Canon Model P and have $$ left over for some quality glass. Model Ps are cheap now and utterly reliable, but you'll need a meter. The Gossen Luna Pro is my choice, calibrated by Quality Metrics in Hollywood.

Got to agree with Bill . The Canon P is built strong to last long ,however sometimes it's hard to put my Bessa R down. Both using M-39 lenses keeps down the costs, A LOT.

 

[woodphoto]

I cannot agree with this. The Bessas are not bad at all. But if you prefer a Leica, and can see a difference in quality, you are a snob? How about factors like ergonomics, reliability, quality, materials used, etc? The Leica's are better built and feel like a very solid device. Ergonomically, many of us prefer Leicas because they feel good in your hand...better than anything else to us. That's not saying Bessas don't, just that there is a difference in quality that you don't need to be a snob to appreciate.

While lenses are very important, a body that feels right to the user is just as important IMO. To me, the Zeiss body is a great compromise between price and quality. (And yes, I've used Bessas).

I wasn't talking about the differences in quality or the appreciation factor, just pointing out that there people that will rip on bessa's simply because they are not Leicas.. and thats bull. And I stick with my statement that people are snobs when they do this.
My M6 is great, but my bessa is just as great for different reasons... its lighter, has a modern film door, and can offer things like faster shutter speeds and aperture priority...

I try my hardest to stay out of these debates... Leica vs everyone else, AK vs AR, and Cake vs Pie... there are no winners, just endless debate about something that shouldn't matter. This forum is here to help and inform about the science and art of capturing images with rangefinder cameras.

And to the OP... get what you can afford and shoot.


P.S. PIE RULES!

 

[ChrisPlatt]

I had a Canon P. Yes, it's smooth and solid, but the 35mm framelines frankly suck.
The Bessa R finder is far superior. And the built-in TTL meter is the icing on the cake.

Chris

 

[tyrone.s]

I try my hardest to stay out of these debates... Leica vs everyone else, AK vs AR, and Cake vs Pie... there are no winners, just endless debate about something that shouldn't matter. This forum is here to help and inform about the science and art of capturing images with rangefinder cameras.

And to the OP... get what you can afford and shoot.


P.S. PIE RULES!

Well said! Bessa = Pie right? 🙂 Nah, just kidding.


To the OP, ditto - get what you can afford and like. Perhaps you had bad luck or were just unlucky with regard to the dust.

Having a Bessa R first, then a Hexar RF and then a r2a (and I've kept all of them) I haven't felt that any were 'better' than the R. I used my R in the Australian outback for over a year in extremely harsh conditions and had no dust ingress at all. I find all my modern RF's much the same with variations in weight and having aperture priority or not. They certainly all have the same rangefinder limitations such as not being able to focus closer than 1m or so.

I really like my r2a but didn't love it when I grabbed it the other day and and then found that it had flat batteries (!) when I loaded it up in the field- never had that problem with my R! My fault, I should shoot more. Of course the r2a still had the higher quality metal case than my R's polycarbonate finish ...

 

[jsrockit]

I wasn't talking about the differences in quality or the appreciation factor, just pointing out that there people that will rip on bessa's simply because they are not Leicas.. and thats bull. And I stick with my statement that people are snobs when they do this.

Understood, and I'm in agreement.

My M6 is great, but my bessa is just as great for different reasons... its lighter, has a modern film door, and can offer things like faster shutter speeds and aperture priority...

True, very true. I still think about grabbing a R4m one day. That camera offers something that no Leica has...

 

[Steve M.]

I had an R2a, and it was one of the best cameras I've ever owned. The viewfinder problem you had was probably just your camera, as my viewfinder stayed bright and clean, and the camera was never in a case.

If I needed a metered M body I'd buy another one in a second. The only downsides were the usual Bessa ones: strap lugs were in the wrong place, shutter was a little loud, film advance not so smooth. But the positives far out weighed the negatives.

 

[rxmd]

The only downsides were the usual Bessa ones: strap lugs were in the wrong place, shutter was a little loud, film advance not so smooth.

The first two can be addressed by putting the Bessa in a $5 half-case from a Kiev 4, where the strap lugs are in the right place and the shutter sound is damped somewhat 😉

 

[woodphoto]

Understood, and I'm in agreement.



True, very true. I still think about grabbing a R4m one day. That camera offers something that no Leica has...

The R4M will probably my next rangefinder since I also want some wides to put on my M8.2. I'm not really fond of external viewfinders and think the 4 will be a good back up w/ wide option for my travels.

 

[meandihagee]

The only downsides were the usual Bessa ones: strap lugs were in the wrong place, shutter was a little loud, film advance not so smooth. But the positives far out weighed the negatives.

oh, and the strap lugs. it's really silly for this great camera to have such an obvious design flaw. it's really annoying when it hangs like this. i guess longer lenses would create a balance for the whole outfit, but i'm not sure...

does the ZI have this same problem?

 

[dyle]

oh, and the strap lugs. it's really silly for this great camera to have such an obvious design flaw. it's really annoying when it hangs like this. i guess longer lenses would create a balance for the whole outfit, but i'm not sure...

does the ZI have this same problem?

I have a R3M with a 40mm/f1.4 Nokton and had this problem with the strap lugs too. However, when I fitted the slotted hood on the Nokton, it has helped with the balance and now sits/hangs better for me so I can only guess that longer lenses would work too.