Right angle finder for Bessa R?

[Swift1]

This will likely sound kinda odd to most of y'all...

Does anyone know of a right angle finder that will fit the eyepiece on the Bessa R, and if so, is the entire viewfinder viewable through the angle finder?
I have a Pentax Refconverter-A and it is slightly too small to fit the Bessa eyepiece.

Any help is appreciated.

Colton

 

[Robert Lai]

Nikon DR-3, made for the Nikon F, F2, and F3 non HP, FM, FE, FA, etc.

Or

Nikon DR-4 with the DK-13 adapter.
http://www.nikonusa.com/fileuploads/pdfs/RtAngleFind_050511.pdf

The beautiful thing about the Bessa R cameras is that they take the Nikon eyepieces, and hence the Nikon eyepiece attachments. This also works for the medium format cameras!
That is, the Voigtlander Bessa III / Fuji GF670, and Bessa IIIW (Fuji equivalent).

I don't know how much you're going to see, but since they are meant to show the entire SLR screen, you should see the entire viewfinder.

 

[Swift1]

Nikon DR-3, made for the Nikon F, F2, and F3 non HP, FM, FE, FA, etc.

Or

Nikon DR-4 with the DK-13 adapter.
http://www.nikonusa.com/fileuploads/pdfs/RtAngleFind_050511.pdf

The beautiful thing about the Bessa R cameras is that they take the Nikon eyepieces, and hence the Nikon eyepiece attachments. This also works for the medium format cameras!
That is, the Voigtlander Bessa III / Fuji GF670, and Bessa IIIW (Fuji equivalent).

I don't know how much you're going to see, but since they are meant to show the entire SLR screen, you should see the entire viewfinder.

The Bessa R doesn't have the round threaded eyepiece that the later Bessa cameras have.
Do you know if the Nikon DK-22 adapter will fit the Bessa R?

 

[B-9]

its likely any of the universal right angle finders meant for Pentax/Ricoh/Minolta will fit the bessa. Brands like Focal and Sears.

I bet the DK22 would work, if not a little sanding on the inner tabs might make it work. I would try it!

 

[Robert Lai]

Sorry Colton,
I've only got my Bessa IIIW to go on, here in Arkansas. I left my Bessa R in Chicago. However, I do use the Nikon DK-21M magnifying eyepiece on my Bessa R (gives 1.17X magnification).

This eyepiece was made for the D40... D600 series.
I see that the DK-22 adapter was also made for these same cameras, so it should fit the Bessa R. You can then screw in the DR-4 into the DK-22.


Another alternative you may want to try is the Seagull:
https://www.amazon.com/Seagull-Find...TF8&qid=1491874317&sr=1-2&keywords=nikon+dr-6

If it doesn't fit, you can always return it to Amazon.

 

[Swift1]

its likely any of the universal right angle finders meant for Pentax/Ricoh/Minolta will fit the bessa. Brands like Focal and Sears.

I bet the DK22 would work, if not a little sanding on the inner tabs might make it work. I would try it!

Sorry Colton,
I've only got my Bessa IIIW to go on, here in Arkansas. I left my Bessa R in Chicago. However, I do use the Nikon DK-21M magnifying eyepiece on my Bessa R (gives 1.17X magnification).

This eyepiece was made for the D40... D600 series.
So, by the handy Nikon chart that I gave you earlier, MAYBE the DR-6. However, that is a darned expensive item!

For less than half the price of the DR-6, you may want to try the Seagull:
https://www.amazon.com/Seagull-Find...TF8&qid=1491874317&sr=1-2&keywords=nikon+dr-6

If it doesn't fit, you can always return it to Amazon.

Thanks guys. Gives lots to think about 🙂
I like the low cost of the off brand universal finders, but worry about optical quality, especially viewing through the rangefinder/viewfinder.

 

[Sumarongi]

Nikon DR-3, made for the Nikon F, F2, and F3 non HP, FM, FE, FA, etc.
[...]
The beautiful thing about the Bessa R cameras is that they take the Nikon eyepieces, and hence the Nikon eyepiece attachments. This also works for the medium format cameras!
That is, the Voigtlander Bessa III / Fuji GF670, and Bessa IIIW (Fuji equivalent).

I don't know how much you're going to see, but since they are meant to show the entire SLR screen, you should see the entire viewfinder.

The Bessa R doesn't have the round threaded eyepiece that the later Bessa cameras have.
Do you know if the Nikon DK-22 adapter will fit the Bessa R?

Dear Colton, dear Robert, and dear all:

Did someone eventually try the combo Nikon DR-3 plus DK-22 adapter on a Bessa R or R2?

If yes: is the DK-22 adapter robust enough, or does one have to improvise?

 

[Swift1]

I never did try any right angle finder on my Bessa R. I just mostly use my wheelchair camera mount and either guess the framing, or if I have someone raise the mount, I can just barely get my eye on the finder. I probably should invest in an angle finder setup.

 

[Sumarongi]

I never did try any right angle finder on my Bessa R. I just mostly use my wheelchair camera mount and either guess the framing, or if I have someone raise the mount, I can just barely get my eye on the finder. I probably should invest in an angle finder setup.

Dear Colton,

I have an idea, and not too expensive I hope —— see here:
https://rangefinderforum.com/forums/showpost.php?p=2850996&postcount=40

🙂

 

[Sumarongi]

Dear Colton,

I have an idea, and not too expensive I hope —— see here:
https://rangefinderforum.com/forums/showpost.php?p=2850996&postcount=40

🙂

... I have to add: there are some good old (and quite weighty) right angle finders around, and can often be purchased really cheaply. Not kidding: these no name right angle finders like on the pictures in the other thread are of very very high quality, but: most sellers don't realise who the manufacturer/distributor was then in the 1970s ...

And they work on a rangefinder, particularly on my Bessa R2, like a charm! —— In my case with the original Voigtländer «Double Accessory Shoe, Type C», hence the question whether a 3 D print would be feasible...

 

[rfaspen]

There's a nicely priced Olympus angle finder at a local store. I will check and see if it fits my Bessa R.

 

[Swift1]

Dear Colton,

I have an idea, and not too expensive I hope —— see here:
https://rangefinderforum.com/forums/showpost.php?p=2850996&postcount=40

🙂

Very cool idea!

 

[Swift1]

There's a nicely priced Olympus angle finder at a local store. I will check and see if it fits my Bessa R.

Let me know.
My Pentax angle finder will fit the OM-1N I have, but won't fit my Bessa R.

 

[BillBingham2]

Do you need to focus vs just compose through the finder?

B2 (;->

 

[Swift1]

Do you need to focus vs just compose through the finder?

B2 (;->

Mostly just for composition.

 

[rfaspen]

Let me know.
My Pentax angle finder will fit the OM-1N I have, but won't fit my Bessa R.

Oh, that's not a good sign. I'll still check.

 

[BillBingham2]

Mostly just for composition.

Kodak and Leica made a couple different ones that were very cool. I think Nikon had one too.

You need to troll sites that don't know what they are selling all the time (e.g. ShopGoodWill.com) to find deals.

I went for sports finders some years back and found them.

Google right angle finders and look at images for examples. Kodak Ektra was one that I remember.

There are usable ones and others that are, well, less usable. To me the ones from the SLR world are not as usable, but that's me.

Hope this helps.

B2 (;->

 

[rfaspen]

Confirmed that the excellent Olympus right angle finder does not fit onto the Bessa R. Really too bad because that finder is really nice and bright and crisp.