Just joined the Rangefinder world

[mrganderson]

Hello all.

Iv'e just joined the rangefinder world with the purchase of a Voitlenger Bessa R. with a voitlenger 50mm lense.

The camera arrived this morning just before i set out for work. Sadly the lense doesn't arrive until next week so i'll just have to pretend i'm HCB.

I have always owned Nikon SLR cameras and thought the build quality was very good . But when i held my new Voitlanger i was amazed. The quality is fantastic. It's a cross between a Swiss watch and a German tank.

I decided to buy a range finder as i missed working with film. Last year i bought a Nikon D50 (digital SLR) I have been very impressed with the camera and found i hadn't used my film SLR's since. It was a shame to see them sitting at the bottom of my camera bag doing nothing.
I finally made the decision to sell them and get myself a rangefinder. My areas of Photographic interests are street photography and portraits so a rangefinder is a must. Plus the two cameras are used for different styles and format sso i should always have a use for both cameras.

I hope i can make a valued contrbution to this forum and i look forward to getting to know some of you.

Regards Garreth Anderson

 

[ClaremontPhoto]

Hi Gareth. Have lots of enjoyment with the camera, and a little enjoyment in here. Jon

 

[Frank Granovski]

Welcome to Rangefinderforums, and enjoy your new Bessa R! 😎

 

[RML]

Welcome Garreth! Enjoy that Bessa.

 

[lido]

Bessa is a fine camera, you'll have lots of fun using it. Welcome to RFF, a fine place for people who like rangefinders and photography.

 

[Fred]

Welcome Garreth, the Bessa is an ideal instrument to get into the world of rangefinders.

Some things to remember though as all of us here have done at least one if not all of the following:

- Forget to focus, those AF SLRs do tend to spoil us a tad
- Leave the lense cap on when pressing the shutter, anyone who denies this may not be telling the whole truth
- Forget to change the frame lines for a different lens
- Forgetting to wind on and wondering why the shutter does not fire, to used to the motor winds on an SLR.

Have fun using the Bessa and post some images when you have time.

 

[lubitel]

welcome. Congrats on your bessa! too bad you dont have a lens right now, I would have burst with impatience. Cant you get a cheap russian one somewhere? Jupiter8 is a must have anyway and Industar 61 as well. 🙂 I am awaiting a Bessa R myself 😀 and my PaTiEnCe is rUnnInG LoW!

enjoy the forum.

 

[kmack]

Welcome and congrats!
I found your comment about the R as a "cross between a Swiss watch and a German Tank" interesting. I have never owned a Nikon, and with the exception of my Canon AE-1, I have only used rangefinder cameras. My R is still at the tender mercies of the Canadian and US postal systems so I keep shooting with my Zorki and Kiev. It will be interesting to compare my initial impression of the R with yours.

 

[wrenhunter]

Welcome, enjoy your Bessa.

 

[childers-jk]

Welcome, and enjoy the Bessa R. This was my second RF and I really enjoy shooting with it. I hope you get your lens soon, and I must second the purchase of a J-8. This is the combo I shoot with, and I am very happy with the results.

Enjoy and welcome.

 

[Rurouni]

Hi there, great choice in that Bessa R, I have one too 😀 No complaints from me so far, everything is well put together and feels robust... now to just fight off wanting to buy many many lenses : P

 

[mrganderson]

Hi Kmack. I would be interested in what your thoughts are when it arrives. I now have my lense and had a couple of days to play around. I'm just getting the hang of things at the moment I am finding it a very different experience fron using an SLR. I am enjoying the process of thinking and planning your shots more in advance. the empasiss is more on quality than quantity.

Good luck

 

[kmack]

My R arrived on Saturday, I got a used one from a member (Sockeyed), I have to say he takes very good care of his equipment, the R looks and operates like new.

1. Compared to my Kiev's and Zorki, it is not a tank. (Get your self a Kiev and you will see what I mean).
2. Compared to my Leica IIIF it is not a Swiss Watch.

That being said, I think the Bessa R and I will get along quite fine.
The finder is the best of all of my cameras, the controls are intelligently laid out. Film loading is as easy as any camera I have used. I was a pleasantly surprised at the size, shape and brightness of the rangefinder patch. I really like the bright line finder. I hope an on board light meter will not spoil me. I was just getting proficient at guesstimating light, but I know the meter will help me with transitional lighting situations.

Right now the Bessa is the only film camera I own that is less than 30 years old. Man, I did not know what I was missing! I love the sound of the Kiev 2 and it's heft and wide base, my IIIF is a jewel, quiet and classy, my Zorki 4 is a work horse (strong like tractor!). So far it looks like the Bessa will be my every day camera for a while.

I'm just getting the hang of things at the moment I am finding it a very different experience fron using an SLR. I am enjoying the process of thinking and planning your shots more in advance. the empasiss is more on quality than quantity.

It is a different paradyme, but once you get the hang of it you will wonder how you got along other wise.