Old Question but will ask anyway, What is the good bad and ugly on the CV Bessa R

From what I recall, the R is a more cheaply made camera, with more plastic parts than the R2 and R2/3a. Also, though I'm sure you've thought of this, the M-mount is far more versatile, as even some of the nice new VC lenses are M-mount only. The extra bonuses of the R2a and R3a are the AE for when you're in a rush or feeling lazy, and a more sturdy film rewind lever.

Having said all that, if you can see the item for yourself, are happy with the build quality (there's nothing wrong with my Bessa L), and get a decent price, why not?

David
 
The good, it is a simple all manual RF camera. It has a big bright viewfinder which is worlds beyone that of a 1970s fixed lens RF, and at least in the neighborhood of Leica's. It is very light, ergonomicly well made, and accepts many excellent lenses. Oh, and the price.

The bad, perhaps better termed lesser points. The RF has a short base length making focusing faster longer lenses harder. Anything more than 50/2 requires more care to focus. It is not imposible to focus the 75/2.5 for instance, it just doesn't snap to focus like the 35/1.7 does. The body, though solid felling, is not metal. A knock? It just isn't like an R2, R2a/3a or Leica, again, a knock?

The ugly, I don't think there are any. It is what it is and a bargain at that.
 
Seeing that CameraQuest has a wonderful offer of $399 for a silver R with 35/2.5 Classic I wonder if that price can be beat at a fair. The R itself goes at CQ for $249, new!
 
I honestly can't find a reason not to like the Bessa R. I don't find the plastic build all that different from my Cannon F-1. It is a great travel camera, and I just absolutly love it. For the price, I got mine used on the bay for $200 US, you can't find a nicer all manual camera. I also have the Jupiter 8 50mm and love the combo. I can't say enough about this camera. I love the viewfinder. I love the weight when walking all day. And I love the picture quality. I have to agree that focusing the faster, longer lens is tough, but I shoot the J-8 and love the results.

I would say if you already have the lenes and are looking for a body, the Bessa R is a great deal.

PS Check out my gallery for some shots with the Bessa R from a trip to Italy.
 
Had my R for over a year. I note with some interest that most of the people who complain about 'build quality' of the R haven't got one. I dunno, maybe they sold it. Or maybe they're just repeating what they read online. I'm not accusing anyone of anything.

M lenses are great, no doubt. You can use LTM lenses with a simple and cheap adapter on any M body camera if you end up going that way in the future - but not vice-versa.

LTM lenses are not state-of-the art anymore, but they're really plentiful and cheap and they're only a notch or two below the latest greatest, IMHO.

Therefore, the Bessa R is about the cheapest way to get access to scads of less-expensive classic LTM lenses from various manufacturers from down through the decades AND have modern conveniences like TTL metering and 1/2000 second shutter speed.

The only other complaints I hear on a regular basis about the R:

* Loud shutter. Well, mine is acceptable, but depends on what is 'acceptable' to you. It ain't quiet, that's true.

* RF out of adjustment. As far as I can tell this was a problem VERY early in the production cycle and was rectified. But people keep flogging it - I guess those who hate the VC Bessas for whatever reason. As far as I know, no longer true.

* Can't focus long lenses due to short focal base. Well, I do focus my 135's with my Bessa R and seem to hit it right every time - including portraits. I did a test and posted a bunch of photos of my wife and various closeups, etc, some time ago. People can keep pretending that they didn't see them or maybe I'm lying or something, but I'm telling you I can focus a 135mm lens with the Bessa R with no problem, so anyone should be able to do it - I'm no eagle-eye. No, it does not 'snap in' like a 50, but what 135 on a RF does? Maybe a Contax.

I take my Bessa R just about everywhere - it's my favorite film camera. With a Canon 50mm f1.4, it's a great camera - fantastic images - and didn't cost me much ($160 body NIB, $85 lens on eBoy). Can anyone do better with that kind of money? I doubt it very much.

But hey, just my opinion! Cap'n Slack used my R for a day and bought a T. So it just goes to show...

Best Regards,

Bill Mattocks
 
The Bessa-R is a great camera; love it to little bits, so I can just list the gripes: not levelled at any particular specimen, but the camera as a whole:

LED exposure meter readout can feel too bright when shooting under low-light conditions; I am not sure if a circuit which adjusts the LED brightness in proportion to the brightness read by the meter sensor was incorporated, but it can be somewhat distracting at times.

For the black version: the black finish can rub off; would have been good to have a really nice stove enamel finish but that might need a metal shell, however, Minolta used Leica's "black chrome" finish on the XD series which also have plastics top and bottom covers and it lasts and lasts, but being an ally of Leica, Minolta was privy to that process anyway.

The front glass of the viewfinder can get smudged easily for it is almost flush with the front of the top housing.

No shutter release lock.

Obviously many (if not all) of these issues have been resolved in the later cameras, but there again, they do not detract the R's merits as a competent picture-taking machine, designed to excel within its specific parameters.
 
I like mine... it's got a good heft to it, not flimsy at all. I have numerous compact SLR's that are more lightweight. It reminds me of my Minolta XD-11 (cousin of the Leica R4) in both size, weight and feel.

While many of my FSU RF's are certainly solid metal the Bessa R doesn't feel any cheaper or less well built than any of those, with the exception of the Kiev's. But that speaks more of how well built the Kiev's are, rather than a shortcoming of the Bessa R.

I don't have any LTM lenses faster than f2 and my longest is a Elmar 90/4, so no problems here. The R doesn't have 135 framelines either, but I only have a 135 on my Kiev's. I think the toughest lense to focus will probably be the J9 85/2, but I don't have one of those yet, and it's also a hard to find a good LTM one... again, I have one for the Kiev's.

So my Bessa R kit is currently a 35/3.5, numerous 50's between f2-f3.5 and a 90/4. The next addition would likely be a 21/4 unless I snipe a cheap J3 first.
 
The Bessa R is the jewel of my RF collection. I use it with a 35mm Ultron most of the time, but also attach a CV 25/4, a Jupiter-8, and an Elmar 90/4 at times. I use the R in conjuction with a Zorki 3m -- leaving the CV25/4 and finder on the Zorki most of the time.

Gene
 
Definitely the meter range is not particularly extensive -- I am never quite certain when I start taking available light pictures whether things will be underexposed or not. Others haven't complained too much about this, though, so maybe my experience isn't typical.

The shutter noise is way overblown. It's not noisy. Certainly it's much noisier than a leaf shutter, but I really don't think it's significantly more intrusive than that of a Leica.

The finder is very nice indeed -- though only having 35mm as the widest framelines is a little limiting for me. The rangefinder patch is very bright and contrasty and focusing is quite easy.

Some have complained about the brightness of the meter LEDs in the finder, though I don't know why. They are fine, not distracting at all in lower light and perfectly visible outdoors.

Mechanically, it's maybe not the smoothest piece of equipment ever -- film advance, especially starting a roll, can be a little stiff. The rewind crank folds away very cleverly, but it can be a bit of a trick flipping it up to use it. (And you need to apply a little downward pressure on it to make sure it's rewinding the film correctly.) But these are not serious at all. I would have loved a simple shutter lock like what the L has.

The paint job is a little delicate -- get the chrome paint one if that's a concern rather than the black. But it's a very sturdy camera, though I'd avoid having the rangefinder mechanism get bumped around.
 
Elmar 35/3.5, super small and flat. It's smaller than a collapsed Elmar 50/3.5.
 
I should preface, I already have an M mount camera a Leica M3 two stroke, I have two lenses that are screw mount that I use adapters. Right now I am decided after trading in my Canon FD system so I just have a Nikon F and Pentax M42 lens system on the SLR front and I have the M mount, maybe I should just roll my nickels and dimes and get an R2a.

Bill
 
Remember that, as much as the R2a and R are great cameras, the M3 has a far longer baselength RF - so when CV come out with a 135mm f1.4, don't expect to focus it!

David
 
Hello All,
I'm new here, having lurked a bit. I have two R's, two L's, 12, 21, 25, 28/1.9, 35/1.7, 50/1.5, and 75mm CV lenses. I'm using mostly Fuji Press 800, and some Delta 3200.

I've run a couple of hundred rolls through the cameras, with very few underexposures, so I am overall very pleased with the cameras' light metering. I do think the build quality is very acceptable. I do wish the R had a lock, like the L, I have accidentally fired the body more than a few times!
 
Hi Uncle Bill! I have a Bessa R and like most others here, have concluded that it is not a Leica or even built like a Leica. However, for a modern version of a manual control RF with the benefit of TTL metering (when you want to use it), you just can't beat the little rascal!

I have an Industar 61 L/D 2.8 53mm on mine and it takes great pictures. I took it to Chicago recently and took some great pictures including some night shots, handheld through my hotel window no less, and they came out fantastic! For size, weight, portability and viewfinder brightness, I think you'd have to go a long way to beat the Bessa R for the money!

Just my 2 cents 😛

Mike 😀
 
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I think the Bessa R's build is not bad at all, for the money. My only gripes with it are that the film rewind lever is a little flimsy, and that the shutter is a little too loud to be truly discreet.

Jin
 
Dark days for my Leica...

Dark days for my Leica...

When I first got my M2, the Bessa-R sat on the book case with all the Canonets and Polaroids, looking sad and un-used. For last three months my M2 has been left on the shelf and the Bessa-R has been going everywhere.

She's light, the built in light meter is wonderful (and the batteries are cheap and can be found anywhere!), the viewfinder is brilliant (pun intended), simple to use... in short it's like having a inter-changible lens version of a Canonet QL17.

The only bad points about the camera are the so called purists who b*tch about the "feel" and shutter noise. It's a great camera and I'd but the Bessa R into my top five cameras of my time list. She feels no more or less plastic-like than any Canon EOS or newer Nikon I've used.
If you want camera to fondle; buy a Leica M3... In fact my Bessa-R is quiter than a R4, now go stick that in you pipe and smoke it you purist fascists.

Stu 🙂

PS. I back.... 😉
 
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