Looking for Help

[iChrix]

Hello,

I am brand new here, and have been referred here by quite a few rangefinder people from other forums.

Here's my perdicament. I am taking a class in the fall that is basically going to do a lot of B&W processing, and we need our own cameras. This means that I can take out a student loan to pay for the camera/lens/film/etc... Of course, I went straight for the M7 but then stepped back and said to myself, "Self, how much debt do you want to be in when you graduate?" Well, to make a short story short, the answer was, "As little as possible."

So, I'm looking for a rangefinder that will do me well for quite a long time, at least until I get out of college and into the real world where I can buy something better. Right now I'm looking at the following:

Bessa-R ($299.95)
Voigtlander 35mm f/1.7 ($384.95)
$200 Film (Syllabus for class states this price)

Grand Total: $884.90

This is not a bad price, by any means. And it is certainly a lot better than the $5-10k setup the Leica was turning out to be.

My question is this, is this a good setup for the money?

Thanks,
chrix

 

[pesphoto]

BEssa R is a quality camera that will last you for quite a while. Stay away from the FSU's if you want longevity.

 

[FrankS]

Advice, so take it for what it's worth: The Bessa R with 35mm f2.5 package. Also, watch the RFF classifieds. A Bessa R with Jupiter 8 (50mm f2 FSU lens) just sold for $170! That would have been perfect for you.

 

[jaapv]

For your purpose: none better. There is very little photographically relevant for you you cant do with just that setup.The quality is pretty good as well. Only if you want to do portraits it might be wise to add a second-hand 90mm lens to it.

 

[iChrix]

BEssa R is a quality camera that will last you for quite a while. Stay away from the FSU's if you want longevity.

FSU's? Sorry, I'm not familiar.

 

[Pherdinand]

i am not sure you need the f/1.7 lens for that price. Are you?

 

[jaapv]

FSU's? Sorry, I'm not familiar.

Russian stuff

 

[iChrix]

For your purpose: none better. There is very little photographically relevant for you you cant do with just that setup.The quality is pretty good as well. Only if you want to do portraits it might be wise to add a second-hand 90mm lens to it.

Yes, I was thinking about adding on another longer lens. 75 f/2.5 perhaps?

 

[iChrix]

i am not sure you need the f/1.7 lens for that price. Are you?

Well, my style of shooting in digital usually involves very low light, so I'd be inclined to say that the 1.7 would suit me rather well 🙂

 

[jaapv]

Yes, I was thinking about adding on another longer lens. 75 f/2.5 perhaps?

For close portraits slightly longer might be better. But yes, the 75 would do.

 

[pesphoto]

Russian stuff

For Example:

http://home.att.net/~wayne.cornell/camera/fedlist.html

 

[kmack]

The Bessa R and 35mm is a great combo, I have one myself.
But....
Are you sure that a rangefinder camera is going to do the job for you in the class?

There are some things that are harder to do with a rangefinder (macro, closeup, zoom, telephoto). If the Bessa will be flexable enough for the class then by all means go for it.

If 35mm is not required then personally I would be using medium format.

 

[iChrix]

The syllabus just says, "Suitable 35mm adjustable camera and lens(es)."

 

[fgianni]

Stay away from the FSU's if you want longevity.

Maybe with the exception of an I-61 L/D?

I mean it is one of the best 50mm lenses ever, and it can be bought for peanuts!

 

[fgianni]

You could add a Fed 5 as a rear lens cap to the I-61 l/d, this way you also get a cheap spare body, and the whole thing should cost $50 or even less.

 

[kmack]

The syllabus just says, "Suitable 35mm adjustable camera and lens(es)."

The Bessa is a 35mm adjustable camera and you can get a lot of good lenses 🙂

Depending on the class assignments you should be OK. One suggestion for a lens. See if you can find a collapseable Fed or Zorki 50mm like the I-22. Most will collapse fine in the Bessa and it will give you a decent 50mm that will allow the Bessa to be a very compact, easy to pocket camera, for everyday use.

The I-61 L/D that Francesco suggested is also a good lens on the Bessa.

I have the I-61, a collapseable Fed 50/3.5 and a Jupiter 8 that I use with my R.

 

[iChrix]

The Bessa is a 35mm adjustable camera and you can get a lot of good lenses 🙂

Depending on the class assignments you should be OK. One suggestion for a lens. See if you can find a collapseable Fed or Zorki 50mm like the I-22. Most will collapse fine in the Bessa and it will give you a decent 50mm that will allow the Bessa to be a very compact, easy to pocket camera, for everyday use.

The I-61 L/D that Francesco suggested is also a good lens on the Bessa.

I have the I-61, a collapseable Fed 50/3.5 and a Jupiter 8 that I use with my R.

Thanks for the suggestions! This film stuff is a whole new world 🙂

 

[bob cole]

Looking for Help

iChrix, If I can assume that you're a beginner, I suggest you move down instead of up...If you live in an area where there are garage sales, buy yourself a cheap camera for no more than $25 usd and learn how to use it. Once you learn, you can get something better...If you already know the ropes, you might still find a decent used Leica with a decent lens for, say, $200 to $300 usd...If you spend $800 or so, you may find that you don't like what you bought in a hurry but can't get out without a big loss...regards, bob

 

[iChrix]

iChrix, If I can assume that you're a beginner, I suggest you move down instead of up...If you live in an area where there are garage sales, buy yourself a cheap camera for no more than $25 usd and learn how to use it. Once you learn, you can get something better...If you already know the ropes, you might still find a decent used Leica with a decent lens for, say, $200 to $300 usd...If you spend $800 or so, you may find that you don't like what you bought in a hurry but can't get out without a big loss...regards, bob

I'm not a beginner to photography, just to film. Therefore, the learning curve won't be quite as steep. I will consider your advice though.

 

[iChrix]

Wow, I was just looking at some of the images created by a Kiev-2A. It's MUCH cheaper, I might just have to get one of those based on the price alone! What type of restrictions (lens) are on a camera like this?

I'm sort of a neophyte at this stuff. I'm used to Nikon dSLR and using Nikon glass only, so this whole "3rd party" glass stuff is new to me.

EDIT: I'm going to keep looking into these Russian Rangefinders. These things look interesting. They also hold my attention as Russian is one of my majors 🙂