Search for info on Bessa I

[Unregistered]

I wonder if anyone here can help me, I have just purchased a new (to me) camera and I am trying to find out a bit about it.

It is a Voigtlander Bessa I with a Vaskar F/4.5 105mm lens (apertures of f/4.5, f/5.6, f/8, f/11, f/16 and f/22).

It has a Prontor-SVS shutter (speeds of 1/300, 1/100, 1/50, 1/25, 1/10, 1/5, 1/2, 1 sec and B).

The underside of the lens has flash settings of M, X and V, but there doesn't appear to be a delayed timer lever.

There is a serial number (3763181), which appears on the top rim of the lens, so I don't know if it is for the camera or the lens!

Any information on this camera would be gratefully recieved as I can find no reference to this camera/shutter combination.

Thank you,

Nicola in London (UK)

 

[Doug]

Hi Nicola -- The "V" is the self-timer delay setting. Fixed-lens cameras don't usually have separate serial numbers for lens and body, so the one you see applies to the whole camera.

 

[Doug]

And here's some more, an article by RFF member Roger Hicks... http://www.shutterbug.net/columns/1003sb_classic/

 

[Nicola London]

Thank you all for your replies, I will check out your suggestions....I have now registered, so no doubt we'll chat again!

 

[Doug]

Welcome to RFF, Nicola! 🙂

 

[Nicola London]

Hello again, I have printed off the manual from www.marriottworld.com (thank you for the link Manolo!) and it will be a great help with using the camera the camera, I'd kind of got it figured out, but the manual confirmed a few things for me!

There is just one problem, the manual only covers the Prontor-S and a Prontor-SV shutters. My camera has the Prontor-SVS and it appears that the self-timer works differently, there is no lever. So once the camera is set to the 'V' setting what happens next?

I doubt I'll use it very often, but if anyone knows how it works I'd be grateful...I may need it one day and also, more importantly, I don't want to activate it in error and damage the shutter!

Thank you!

 

[atelier7]

try this: www.certo6.com/cameras.html

 

[Pherdinand]

Some leaf shutters (like some synchro-compurs) have the following mechanism: As ManGo says, the selftimer is always cocked when shutter is cocked. Moving the MXV lever to V lets you cock the shutter a bit FURTHER than normally, and this way it engages the delaying train of the self-timer mechanism. When you release shutter, it first releases the delaying mechanism, then bzzz ten seconds, then click etcetera.

Maybe it is the same with the prontor svs, i don't know, just an idea.

 

[Nicola London]

Thank you all for your help...I still haven't found any mention anywhere of a Bessa I with the Prontor-SVS shutter!, but at least I now know how it works!