New to RF photography - Bessa or what?

Being an over thinker myself, one of the two I bet you know in your heart is the right one for you. If you don't choose that one, you won't be happy, or will always wonder.

Buy the one that is right for you.

That being said, you are over thinking this. They are the same camera, the R2a just has an electronic shutter and AE. If you don't need or want AE, get the R2, if you do...
 
Thanks, guys. And rover, that's kind of like the search for one's true self, right? If you hide it away, you will be unhappy until you bring it to life.

This all points towards the R2. I tried it, I like it. If it aint broken, don't fix it, etc...

I have PM:ed ddimaria re his R2 which is supposed to be FS.

It would feel a bit awkward to buy it at fullprice when an R2A is actually cheaper...

In the meantime, why doesn't kyle answer my PM re his Ultron 35 FS? 🙂
 
Wiechel:

I'd like to thank you for your questions - and for the many replies from these knowledgeable worthies - as together they have provided me with answers to many of my questions about which RF to buy. The Leica I'd be able to purchase would be an M2 or M3 - the M6TTL would be too expensive- and, aside from that, it would be nice to have a new camera for a change.

My choice would be the R2 or 2A as I want to fit the Ultron 35mm. 35mm seems to fit more closely to what I see when I'm street shooting. The difference between the two, as I understand it, is the R2 is Leica screw mount? And the 2A is bayonet? And is the Ultron available in both mounts?

Ted
 
tedwhite said:
My choice would be the R2 or 2A as I want to fit the Ultron 35mm. 35mm seems to fit more closely to what I see when I'm street shooting. The difference between the two, as I understand it, is the R2 is Leica screw mount? And the 2A is bayonet? And is the Ultron available in both mounts?

Ted
Click to expand...
Ted, the R2 is bayonet mount. The R is screw mount.

Gene
 
tedwhite said:
Wiechel:

I'd like to thank you for your questions - and for the many replies from these knowledgeable worthies - as together they have provided me with answers to many of my questions about which RF to buy. The Leica I'd be able to purchase would be an M2 or M3 - the M6TTL would be too expensive- and, aside from that, it would be nice to have a new camera for a change.

My choice would be the R2 or 2A as I want to fit the Ultron 35mm. 35mm seems to fit more closely to what I see when I'm street shooting. The difference between the two, as I understand it, is the R2 is Leica screw mount? And the 2A is bayonet? And is the Ultron available in both mounts?

Ted
Click to expand...
No, the difference is that R2A has AE and electronic shutter and a redesigned house. Check it out on http://www.cameraquest.com.
 
Ted, both the R2 and R2a have the same lens mount. Infact, you can think of them as the same camera (less a little refinement in the R2a) with the only difference being that the R2a has AE. They will mount all the same lenses.

The 35 Ultron is an LTM lens. That means, to be mounted on an M mount camera, the R2 or R2a for example, you will need an easily found adaptor.
 
rover said:
Ted, both the R2 and R2a have the same lens mount. Infact, you can think of them as the same camera (less a little refinement in the R2a) with the only difference being that the R2a has AE. They will mount all the same lenses.

The 35 Ultron is an LTM lens. That means, to be mounted on an M mount camera, the R2 or R2a for example, you will need an easily found adaptor.
Click to expand...
Well actually, when asking Stephan Gandy questions about the perceived few, but important, changes between the R2 and the R2a you actually get the answer that they are two completely different cameras.

It is a pity that we have yet to see a complete lowdown comparison between the two of them, a sort of headsup review for people like Ted and me.

ALthough I will try to buy an R2 if I get a good deal, it has still been quite a tough decision for me (overthinker or not) as you may or may not have noticed...
 
Wiechel said:
It is a pity that we have yet to see a complete lowdown comparison between the two of them, a sort of headsup review for people like Ted and me.QUOTE]

Karl, here are a few charts that offer point-by-point comparisons among a number of rangefinder cameras. The R3A is only on one of the 3 charts, the R2 is on two of them, & the R2A isn't on any of them. However, due to overlap among the 3 charts, you can come up with comparisons by overlapping them. And for comparison of the R2A, just use the R3A. They are the same camera except for the 40 mm framelines on the R3A replacing 35 mm framelines from the R2A & 1.0 magnification on the R3A replacing .68 magnification on the R2A. oddly enough, it is the Camera Quest site that has not yet updated its chart with R2A/R3A information.

www.photoethnography.com/equipment.html - On this site, you will need to go to the sidebar & click on "My Classic Camera Collection," then on this page, scroll down to "Great User Cameras for Advanced Amateurs" & under this heading, find "Konica Hexar RF" & click on it, then scroll down that page to "Technical Details," under which you will fing a chart comparing the Konica Hexar RF, the Bessa R3A, the Zeiss Ikon, & the Leica M7.

www.photozone.de/bindex2.html - On this site, find "Camera Feature Overviews - SLRs, Rangefinders, D-SLRs" & under it, click on "Rangefinder Cameras (Film)."

www.cameraquest.com/voigtchart.htm

You can also do a point-by-point comparison simply by comparing specs listed on the websites of any of the major dealers:

www.voigtlaender.de

www.bhphotovideo.com

www.adorama.com

Good luck with your decision & purchase. 😉

Huck
Click to expand...
 
Wiechel said:
Well actually, when asking Stephan Gandy questions about the perceived few, but important, changes between the R2 and the R2a you actually get the answer that they are two completely different cameras.

It is a pity that we have yet to see a complete lowdown comparison between the two of them, a sort of headsup review for people like Ted and me.

ALthough I will try to buy an R2 if I get a good deal, it has still been quite a tough decision for me (overthinker or not) as you may or may not have noticed...
Click to expand...

Steve is a salesman, and he currently doesn't have any R2s to sell. Though yes different cameras, the differences are clearly only refinements of the R2. Yes the R2a has a different shutter which allows for AE, but other than that they are functionally the same. (I did own an R2 and R3a at the same time) They also share the same strong point, which is that they are great affordable cameras which excel when used with normal or wide lenses. This matches very closely the strengths of RF photography in general, which makes the Bessas very attractive. Truth is that you can't go wrong buying either.
 
Rover, agreed that changes in the R2A are refinements to the basic R2. Here are the refinements that I know of in addition to AE:

- close focus distance improved from 3 feet to 0.7 meters
- ball bearings added to film advance mechanism
- round eyepiece replaces rectangular eyepiece
- stronger film re-wind mechanism
- film back release lever added

Any others?

Huck
 
There is a shutter lock too. The fucusing distance change is slight but worthy of consideration.

Oh, and the exposure lock button.
 
Thanx guys!

The closer distance RF coupling seems like the most valuable change to me (since I don't even really want AE), but seeing as the lenses I am planning to get are Ultron 35 and Heliar 75 to begin with (and they dont even focus closer than .9m) and maybe an ultrawide (for which you don't really need RF coupling at all), that doesn't really matter that much either. I might as well use an R2.
 
Karl, since you like the idea of being able to focus closer, have you considered the option of the Rollei 35 RF? It is essentially a special edition of the Bessa R2 at roughly the same price but with 40/50/80 mm frame lines & rangefinder coupling to 0.7 meters. Combined with the CV 40/1.4 Nokton, which has a minimum focus distance of 0.7 meters & is built in M-mount, you will gain more than half a stop of speed as well as the ability to focus 8 or 9 inches closer, and you will save money because the 40/1.4 is cheaper & doesn't require the extra expense of an adapter. The 75/2.5 is also very usable with the 80 mm frame lines. BTW, some of the ultra-wides are rangefinder coupled, although I agree that it certainly isn't a critical feature.
 
Huck Finn said:
Karl, since you like the idea of being able to focus closer, have you considered the option of the Rollei 35 RF? It is essentially a special edition of the Bessa R2 at roughly the same price but with 40/50/80 mm frame lines & rangefinder coupling to 0.7 meters. Combined with the CV 40/1.4 Nokton, which has a minimum focus distance of 0.7 meters & is built in M-mount, you will gain more than half a stop of speed as well as the ability to focus 8 or 9 inches closer, and you will save money because the 40/1.4 is cheaper & doesn't require the extra expense of an adapter. The 75/2.5 is also very usable with the 80 mm frame lines. BTW, some of the ultra-wides are rangefinder coupled, although I agree that it certainly isn't a critical feature.
Click to expand...
Yeah, but like I said, it really isn't that big an issue for me since the lenses I will be using don't focus that close anyway. And I don't really want to shoot 40. I bought a Leica CM recently, and I find the 40/2.4 Summarit on it, albeit an excellent performer, to be of a slightly less inspiring focal length than 35 lenses.

Moreover, from what I've heard, the Rollei is supposed to be more expensive than the R2, is it not? And finally, I find it ugly. 🙂
 
Yes, the Rollei is slightly more expensive than the R2. Adorama & B&H in New York both have it for $599, the same price as Stephen Gandy of Camera Quest sold the last of his R2's. Tamarkin in New York, one of the few places that still has any R2's left to sell, has it priced at $549.
 
Huck Finn said:
Yes, the Rollei is slightly more expensive than the R2. Adorama & B&H in New York both have it for $599, the same price as Stephen Gandy of Camera Quest sold the last of his R2's. Tamarkin in New York, one of the few places that still has any R2's left to sell, has it priced at $549.
Click to expand...
OK, but it's still downright ugly! 🙂
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

das
Ode to the Voigtlander Bessa R4 Series
Replies
17
Views
1K
Coldkennels
Coldkennels
A
Bessa RF 6x9 beam splitter replacement
Replies
7
Views
328
WoodallP
WoodallP
I
Arca Swiss compatible tripod plate for Bessa R2
Replies
2
Views
956
Godfrey
Godfrey
D
A Tale of Two Ultrons
2
Replies
20
Views
1K
boojum
boojum
V
First Rangefinder Suggestions
2 3 4
Replies
78
Views
6K
Godfrey
Godfrey
Back
Top Bottom