R3A dead or jammed.

[pvdhaar]

but i do think i need a back up rangefinder...so I was thinking about Bessa T. any thoughts? i use a 35mm Skopar with an external viewfinder and shoot mostly street stuff.

Great though it is, the Bessa-T isn't jam-proof either. The one I have needed a repair within a year of moderate use. The shutter and advance mechanisms got busted somehow. Halfway through a roll the shutter button couldn't be pushed anymore. I could continue advancing the film frame after frame, but there was no shutter action. After a couple of advances, the shutter clicked, jammed and the advance blocked completely.

It was fixed under garantuee, but took 11 weeks to get done through the official dealership.

 

[opendoorexit]

looks like b&h is going to take it back, although they're treating it like a return, requesting it be in mint condition, blah, blah, blah.

thanks for all the suggestions. i pretty tried everything suggested and nothing unlocked it. both curtains were fully down, so I'm not sure if it's jammed or if there's a problem with the electronics. i'm not too savy about the internal workings of the camera so didn't want to mess around too much. i'm just curious as to how b&h will handle the repair. i wonder if they'll try to get it fixed or just send a replacement. suppose it depends on the problem. we'll see...