new guy here. help with first bessa.

[kev.yong]

Hey guys. I'm new to the forum. Very keen to get back shooting film after several years of digital stuff. I've never used a rangefinder before but have done a bit reading and narrowed my choice to a bessa.

My preferred FLs are 21, 24, 35/40, (and sometimes 75/90mm). 35mm is my favourite .

How much emphasis should I put on the R3 1:1 finder in making my purchase decision? Is it really that useful? Would I better off choosing a bessa that suits my focal length preferences in terms of frame lines - like the R4 which covers the 21 24 35 nicely. Is it possible to use a 75 or 90 with the R4 with acc vf?

Sorry for what may seem like simple questions to you guys but your help would be greatly appreciated.

 

[kmerenkov]

If you will be shooting 35 go for R2 or R4.
I own R3 and 1:1 is nice, but I'd like to exchange for R2 to be able to shoot 35 and 50 with frames.
You can shoot 35 on R3, some people do so and they say that whole viewfinder covers 35mm.

About 1:1:
First I taught myself to look through viewfinder with my right eye.
Then, when I started to save for another body (0.72) I taught myself to close my left eye while looking through viewfinder, so 1:1 is not useful for me at the moment.

Really good point about 1:1 - viewfinder is never dark - looking with both eyes open makes whole scene very bright and easy to focus/etc + you see much more around, just like a terminator, seeing framelines and stuff while watching normally (eh, I hope you get what I mean).

But I'd go for my fav FLs than for 1:1, that's how I see it now.

 

[squirrel$$$bandit]

If you like wides, the R4 is the camera for you. It would be a challenge to accurately focus long lenses on it, though. Some people don't even like focusing a 50 on it, but I happen to love it. Don't even need to put in my contacts to shoot with a 50--it's a cinch even with glasses.

 

[capitalK]

I wish I had bought the R4A, maybe if I choose to buy another body I will get it. 50mm is about as long as I'd want to go with a RF, I tried a 75mm and it wasn't for me.

I say go R4A if those are the lengths you'll be using most.

 

[kxl]

I have both an R4A and R3A (and R3M). With 25mm and wider, definitely go with an R4A.

For 35mm, an R4A is definiitely usable, but I typically use an R3A, and guesstimate using the entire frame for composition -- for most non-close up images, it's close enough. Any FL longer than 35, I use the R3A.

You can use an R3A for WA lenses -- they will focus, but you obviously won't be able to see the entire FOV of the WA lens. OTOH, you won't be able to accurately focus a long lens on an R4A when subject is close and/or DOF is minimal.

 

[oscroft]

I've got an R4, but it's definitely not what I'd choose as my only body if 35mm was my favourite (and 35mm is close to being my favourite). The reason is that, because the VF is wide enough to cover 21mm, the 35mm frame is really quite small and poky and it's hard to see the details of what's in the frame. It's certainly usable, but it really isn't up to regular shooting with a 35 (not for me, at least). And the very short effective baseline and low magnification won't make focusing with long lenses easy. My R4 gets used for lenses in the range 21-28 only, mostly a 21 (and I only use a 28 on it when I don't have something with a better 28 frameline).

I think in your position, if a 35 was the lens I'd be using the most, I'd go for an R2.

 

[filmfan]

I mainly shoot 35mm + 50mm focal lengths, so I bought the Bessa R2.

 

[kev.yong]

Thanks very much for the replies.

As a single camera, I think the R3 might be the way to go for me. I can add viewfinders if I am shooting wider. And it is possible to use a longer lens for those times I need one. I think 40mm is not too far from 35mm so I will be able to cope.

Also, if I want 35mm, I reckon i'll be happy to use the entire viewfinder to approximate the 35mm fov.

While the R4 will be nice for wides, I don't want to lose the ability to shoot 90mm first up. I can always add the R4 later as a dedicated wide camera if I find I am shooting lots of wide work.

Any futher thoughts are welcome.

Cheers
Kev.

 

[Tarzak]

Welcome to RFF, Kev.

Always nice to see another Aussie join up.