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

[tetrisattack]

I suppose I should plug my R kit up for sale in the 35mm classifieds section. 🙂

 

[Bertram2]

The Thornhill camera show is coming up and since I have two "Leica" screw mount lenses, I am tempted at finding a Bessa R. Should I, shouldn't I? What I want to know is the good bad and ugly plus what the market rate would be at a camera show for one of these little beasties in Canadian dollars.

Bill

$ 250 at CQ is a ridiculous price for this nice camera. No risk and not worth endless discussions. Just buy it and try it! I'll bet 99:1 you will keep it. I payed for mine more than the double price and still don't feel any regrets.! Same the L, both reliable tools, no complaints, huge worth for that money. Good things must not be expensive.
Bertram

 

[djon]

For better focusing accuracy with longer lenses there's Leica M, Canon P or 7, VT etc. I think R2/3 has the same base as ancient Leicas, the result of CV's use old Cosina (Argus, etc) body casting molds.

Leicas and Canons are MUCH heavier... Canon P are incredibly rugged, seemingly even beyond Leica M models...typically around $300 in excellent condition.

With Leica you have to spend 2X R2/3 and you lose the meter (unless M6)...which may not be much of a loss if you get a Gossen Digisix, which reads super-accurately down to EV1 (right now mine says Velvia 100 wants 1.4 @ 1/4 in dawn kitchen light 😉 EV 3

 

[John Robertson]

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 🙂

God! you do like to live dangerously!! You have just added another New Zealand extreme sport 😀
But I would agree the R is a super camera, I replaced mine with the R2 anly so I could also use a couple of M mount lenses I have. Mine focussed the 135mm Jupiter and 135mm Canon lenses I have just fine! 😛

 

[tedwhite]

I've been a photographer for four decades and of all the cameras I've owned I put my Bessa R in the top five (out of way too many). Sure, it's plastic, but so were my Maxxum 7 and 7000 series, both absolutely reliable and top notch cameras. I like the feel of the Bessa R and, after 40 rolls I may have gotten 3 or 4 under-exposed frames which were probably my fault anway.
I rate the R's meter excellent. I bought it from CameraQuest with the cv 35/2.5, a superb lens and very easy to use with its little focusing knob. Viewfinder is way better than my M3's, and with the built in meter you don't have to carry a handheld meter about as you do with the M3.

Need wider angle? I bought the Bessa L with the cv/25/4,. If I think I need a longer lens I drag my old black Spotmatic along with its Super Takumar 135/2.5. Probably not a better 135mm out there.


All three cameras fit nicely into a small kit bag, and what I like about the arrangement is that it eliminates changing lenses.

Also, I really like the looks of the Bessa R. Kinda resembles a Leica. Heresy, indeed.

I rate the Bessa R easier to use than an M3. Viewfinder is brighter, focusing faster, and it's got a meter.

Shutter noise? Blah. When you release the shutter on a Maxxum 7 birds in trees fifty yards away scatter thinking they'be been shot at.

Ted

 

[John Robertson]

Completely agree Ted! I bought the 15mm Heliar and 25mm Skopar way back in 1999, for my Leica CL. I then bought the R. It transformed my photography!! the camera just felt "right" Sure the meter is simple, no matrix or whatever, but I have had a 99% success rate with it. It is every bit as good if not better than the CL. I now have an olive R2 (for the M mount) and it is way better than the CL.

 

[jrong]

Not really a purist, but then when a rangefinder sounds about as loud as my SLR, then I think that's "too loud".... Having said that, the Bessa R is a lot of bang for the buck.

Jin

 

[RML]

Not really a purist, but then when a rangefinder sounds about as loud as my SLR, then I think that's "too loud".... Having said that, the Bessa R is a lot of bang for the buck.

Jin

I think it's been said before but "too loud" is just in one's head. As long as you act that you belong there doing your work, no-one will really notice you or your camera. People are very good at ignoring the obvious, while they pay lots of attention to the unusual. That's why tourists can shoot almost everywhere without problem and many locals find it hard to shoot in certain locales.

I'll shoot my Bessas, my R-D1, my Eos 300D and my M2 any time, any place, anywhere. Especially when I'm away from home. 😛

 

[jrong]

You may be right about the thing about tourists being ignored. I've been challenged and harangued for taking pictures at a street market before. And (see my post in the Discussions forum) some guy gave me hell for taking a picture in a cheap fish and chip joint. Sad to say but it has really put me off street photography.

I like the leaf shutter rangefinders - my cheapo Yashica Electro 35 is definitely far quieter than the Bessa R....😉

Jin

 

[Toby]

You may be right about the thing about tourists being ignored. I've been challenged and harangued for taking pictures at a street market before. And (see my post in the Discussions forum) some guy gave me hell for taking a picture in a cheap fish and chip joint. Sad to say but it has really put me off street photography.

I like the leaf shutter rangefinders - my cheapo Yashica Electro 35 is definitely far quieter than the Bessa R....😉

Jin

I think London is one of the worst places for being hassled in this way - its easier to take pictures on the west bank! I guess its the Princess Diana effect but it's much worse if you're using an Eos with a 2.8 zoom

 

[zuikologist]

London does seem to have an unfriendly reputation. I think sometimes it depends on how you approach things - if possible getting to know people in the area, explaining your intentions, even offering to send prints. Obviously this is not always possible.

I have found the Yashica leaf shutters (GSN, GX) are very quiet.

 

[Solinar]

The ability to turn on the charm goes a long way. Stilll I'd rather have a camera that is a bit less obvious in a small shop, either an Olympus XA or small RF with a leaf shutter.

 

[Solinar]

PS - The Bessa R is still a super performer in a lot of situations. The 35/2.5 Skopar and 75/2.5 Heliar make for straight forward, easy to use outfit..

 

[Richard Black]

My response to this is framed by my personal experiences. I don't think the Bessa R is loud at all. In comparison to a Pentacon or and Exakta, it is quiet. Compared to my Leica IIIc is is a bit noisier. I haven't found any "ugly" about it. Great cameras, compact, light, and the light meter in mine is spot on! I have the CV 28mm Color-Skopar lens with finder and am quite pleased.

 

[jon west]

i have had my bessa r for a few months, shot 20+ rolls with it, absolutly love it!!!

my only complaints are:
1. strap lug placement - doesnt hang flat. havent gotten around to buying a side grip yet, but that will help hopefully.
2. at the end of a roll, the film advance doesnt retract untill you rewind your film, not a big deal but worth mentioning.
3. rewind lever is pretty small, and it (mine anyways) feels very tight / difficult / awkward to rewind.


but the good far surpasses the bad!!!

 

[tedwhite]

1. I have Gordy's wrist strap. Works great. No more tilted camera.

2. You're right. Doesn't retract, but has no effect on anything as far as I can determine.

3. Rewind lever IS small, but on both my Bessa R and Bessa L rewind is smooth and easy.

Ted

 

[ZeissFan]

Good points:

-- Great viewfinder. All rangefinders should have such a big, clear bright viewfinder.

-- Nice ergonomics overall. Lightweight (maybe too light) so it's easy to hang from your neck all day. Controls are intuitive, especially for those who have used on SLRs. And I suppose the controls should be intuitive, as they're based on the SLR bodies that Cosina made for others.

-- Build quality is adequate for those who aren't rough with their gear.

Downers:

-- Build quality is inadequate for those ARE rought with their gear.

-- Paint-on markings can be rubbed off with surprising ease.

-- That little rewind lever is tough to pull up on the first, second or sometimes third try.

-- Non-ratcheted film advance. This really is inexcusable in the modern day.

That's about it. It otherwise is a fine camera for those wanting to use a new modern-day rangefinder but who aren't ready to jump into the deep end with Leica.

Shutter noise is fine for outdoors. Indoors, it's noisier than it needs to be although not as audibly or physically obtrusive as a mirror-slapping SLR with a needlessly huge zoom cranked on to the front.

Judging from the number of posts regarding misaligned viewfinders, I think Cosina continues to struggle to get it right consistently. Perhaps it should abandon mirrors and move to a prism approach. Or maybe it just needs to use sturdier parts under the top deck coupled with tighter quality control.

 

[o0dano0o]

The ugly: inevitable nose spot on the back...

 

[John Robertson]

1. I have Gordy's wrist strap. Works great. No more tilted camera.

2. You're right. Doesn't retract, but has no effect on anything as far as I can determine.

3. Rewind lever IS small, but on both my Bessa R and Bessa L rewind is smooth and easy.

Ted

I replaced mine with the R2, mainly so I could use a couple of M mount lenses I had. 1. it still doesn't hang right on the neck strap, 2. The wind now retracts 3. the rewind is a tiny bit larger but the one on the R was OK, I prefer it to the one on the T.
It also seems to be a tiny bit quieter, and feels much more robust.
However all my Bessas have been great cameras, some of the best I have owned in 50 years of photography.
Some people make an awful big thing about the noise, as I do mainly landscape its not a problem. Its a hell of a lot quieter than my digital with all its buzzes and beeps!!!

 

[John Robertson]

The ugly: inevitable nose spot on the back...

Its easier to wipe the nose grease off laquered metal than leathercloth. Could it be a size thing 😱