pros & cons of bessa L or T

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i'm looking for a bessa L to mount my cv 21 lens on to (more or less) permanently.
i thought about the T also, but if it's going to be a camera/lens match i dont really need to use the ltm adapter.
i have the 25 and 28 for m wides.

i would appreciate any comments from users on ease of use, quirks etc.

joe
 
Let me add to the question,

I too have considered an L for my CV 21,

So, how much bigger is the T compared to the L?

Build wise I imagine the L is like the R and T like the R2, any other considerable differences?
 
the t rangefinder is supposedly quite accurate (given it's properly aligned), so in theory you could use it with normal/longer lenses, without the guesswork or need to stop down. when i had one, i used it almost exclusively for wides though, probably because i had another body for a fifty at the time, and also because the vf that came with mine (the so called t-101 set) was close to useless because of zero eye relief. had i had a decent finder i might have used it differently but i didn't,.... it was an excellent w/a camera though, with a neat built in focus check:!

with an l you're pretty much stuck with a w/a, and that may well be fine of course, it sounds like that's what you want. i've never used one so i cannot comment on build quality etc... but bottom line, i really liked that "focus checker" on the t, for wide-open(ish)/close focus shooting

aren't they quite cheap btw..???
 
By 'focus checker', I think he is referring to the rangefinder.

The L and T are similar in terms of materials. The L is very plasticky and light, but is not unpleasant in the way it feels. The sidegrip is a nice addition to both in terms of adding a little heft and feel.

I don't think either of them have what I would call a quirk - if you have no need for a rangefinder and you don't want to spring for an M-adapter, I think you'll really enjoy the L. It's almost liberating to use - scale-focusing, very light, lots of fun.

The T is more versatile, a little more expensive and obviously requires adapters for the 25 and 21. The 21 is RF-coupled, so perhaps the ability to focus more accurately might be appealing.

I really regret selling my L and the 25/4. The Bessa T I replaced it with seized up and was a total loss after a few months of use and I never replaced it.

Size-wise, the two cameras are really close - maybe the T is slightly taller and about 60 grams heavier
 
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by focus checker i mean the rangefinder, which is NOT a combined range/viewfinder like on most rf's. it has quite high magnification, so focus accuracy should be good (and is, in my brief experience).
 
I've owned both the L and the T and now own neither. The L had a 15mm lens on it and it was perfect for that: why did I get rid of it? I must ask myself that two or three times a year about various cameras. It was noisy. But it had a meter, which is more than I can say for the IIIf. It is a perfect body for hiking or other activities (except, perhaps, scuba diving) where rough treatment may be expected.

The T was a nice camera, too, but I really didn't like the rangefinder spot. I guess I could have gotten used to it. It was magnified, so that made it more accurate than other rf's, but you had to center your eye to get it clear and I always seemed to have difficulty with it and my eyeglasses. The T is a neat looking camera, esp in black. WHy did I sell it! Either of these would be a great second body; the T has the advantage of a marginally quieter shutter, or so it seemed to me, and the rangefinder accuracy, but if you were going to put a lens of 25mm or wider on either camera, there's really not much need for a rangefinder.
 
i do have the adapters on all my lenses. i didn't realize that the T has a rangefinder. i thought both were the same save for the mounts.
i had not thought of using other lenses on the L, just the 21 with finder.
i don't think i'd mind the feel of the L and i mostly use the 21 with hyperfocal distance anyway.
 
Go for it, Joe. 🙂

I "L"ove my Bessa "L". It is the only film camera that I still use regularly. I use the L body with the CV 15mm and 25mm lenses (the 15 sees about twice as much use as the 25).

The only one thing I don't like about using the L is changing the VFs when I change lenses. Because of this I tend to mount one lens and stick with it until I run out of film. Obviously this won't be a problem for you.

I've traveled quite a bit with the camera and have not had any durability issues. It's also pretty small and quiet. During a trip to Europe I used it inside a few big churches and museums without incident. One of these days I will get around to scanning my Bessa L travel photos...🙁

Seeing Al Kaplan's wide-angle self portraits on pnet encouraged me to buy an L and learn to shoot WA . In addition to the camera's fun factor I find it useful for shooting in and around vehicles and in small rooms.
 
The bessa L is the last camera I thought I’d ever own, but I really wanted the 15mm Heliar. I managed to get a Heliar off ebay with the finder, and both were attached to a silver finish L with a soft release. Call me crazy, but I love the feel of this camera, it’s really small, it’s light… it is by no means a brick, but it feels incredibly solid with the Heliar on it… I even like the feel of the advance lever. It’s a set up that feels really none- threatening, and allows one to get really close to subjects like you need to do with super-wides.

I’ve found the meter to be very accurate and was skeptical at first based on the tricky nature of the ultra-wide’s fov. Call me REALLY crazy but I like the way this camera feels in my hands more so than my Zeiss Ikon… that small ridge on the film door back makes all the difference. Don’t get me wrong, the Ikon is great, I just love the backing on the L. 😀 The biggest downside you might find in the L is that the advance lever has to be slightly cocked for the camera to meter/fire. No big deal for me, but some might hate it. Plus side, the L has a built in self timer. For a dedicated wide-angle lens body I’d say go for it.
 
I bought my Bessa L from another RFFer a while ago and I've enjoyed using it. It feels good to hold even though it's quite plasticy -- JeffM is right, the ridge on the back makes a big difference. It feels better to hold than either of my other RFish cameras (QL17 & Yash GT). I also really like the shutter-release lock.

The meter is pretty good and I love the exposure guide -- very simple and you can set the exposure without looking through the VF. No complaints from me. Enjoy your Bessa L + 21 combo!
 
"T" Gas

"T" Gas

Geez. You've got pricing out a "T" on the Cameraquest site. I wonder it any black models are still available? 'Sleeping in the Jeep yet again. 😱
 
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