Starting Bessa Kit?

[user237428934]

Wrong. I commented after other member's posting, who with reason tried to clarify to the OP member that AE was not a real advantage as a member said...

Good night,

Juan

I found out, that there are some photographers here who don't need AE but I think the majority appreciates such a function. So for the majority this is a real advantage.
I made the mistake that I bought a M6 years ago. Couldn't get used to the full manual mode, and missed a lot of photos because of that. (For the slow stuff it was wonderful). Finally sold it. But I would still own a M7 because it has AE.
And we are not talking about photography in controlled lighting conditions.

 

[cny3123]

Roger,
Honestly I wouldn't mind owning a FED, though I may be just simply delusional as of right now 😛
It looks like a very nice camera aesthetically and even if it doesn't work, I wouldn't mind have a cheap camera to take down and tinker with either. It could potentially be a great little summer project to mess around with 🙂

You are right however about just getting what I actually want. But I am not entirely convinced at this moment a Bessa R3 is even what I want for sure. So these are all considerations.

I honestly need to really think it all through and figure it out. I do know I enjoy shooting with old equipment every now and then, and have a Minolta SRT 101 which has been quite fun paired with the Rokkor 58 1.2, The Olympus SP has been fun to toy with, but I honestly am not enamored with it and the loose feel the focus ring has.

 

[funkpilz]

I'm surprised not more people are voting for the R3 + 40/1.4 combo. If 35/50 is your kind of thing, the 40 is a perfect first lens, and with a 1:1 finder, it'll be great for short teles like 75mm.

 

[gliderbee]

I'm surprised not more people are voting for the R3 + 40/1.4 combo. If 35/50 is your kind of thing, the 40 is a perfect first lens, and with a 1:1 finder, it'll be great for short teles like 75mm.

I'm with you on this one; I have the R3A and the R4A (and also a R2M, but not using it).

For general photography and for a beginner, I think the R3A with 40mm is unbeatable because of it's 1:1 viewfinder, that eases focussing.

Add to that the excellent VC 28/35 viewfinder for those occasions you need 28mm (for 35mm, just add a bit to the 40-frame or use the viewfinder). This viewfinder being so tiny, it can always have a place in your bag, and you're all set from 28mm up to 90mm with the best available focussing aid available (apart from the Canon IVSB that allows to have a bigger then 1:1 focussing patch, but it's viewfinder is not nearly so good as the one on the R3A).

Stefan.

 

[Leigh Youdale]

Think Twice, Act Once

Think Twice, Act Once

Roger,
Honestly I wouldn't mind owning a FED, though I may be just simply delusional as of right now 😛
It looks like a very nice camera aesthetically and even if it doesn't work, I wouldn't mind have a cheap camera to take down and tinker with either. It could potentially be a great little summer project to mess around with 🙂

You are right however about just getting what I actually want. But I am not entirely convinced at this moment a Bessa R3 is even what I want for sure. So these are all considerations.

I honestly need to really think it all through and figure it out. I do know I enjoy shooting with old equipment every now and then, and have a Minolta SRT 101 which has been quite fun paired with the Rokkor 58 1.2, The Olympus SP has been fun to toy with, but I honestly am not enamored with it and the loose feel the focus ring has.

Chris, I hear what you're saying, and it might well be the right answer for you, but let me recount my own experience over the last twelve months.
In addition to the Bessas I had two very nice Leica IIIf's with Leica glass and a VCII exposure meter to round out the kit. Lovely bits of engineering and as they'd been CLA'd by an expert they both worked perfectly well.
I ended up selling them both because, although I loved using them for the "feel" and the nostalgia, they were simply not as easy or convenient to use. The tiny viewfinder, the all-manual controls even with the accessory meter, the retractable lenses - it all added up to a process that wasn't as easy to take picture with as the Bessa, and I finally concluded that it was the picture that was important to me and not the emotional attachment to the old cameras. ( I had a number of old MF folders and they got sold for much the same reason, leaving only the Rolleiflex and I'm still considering letting that go in favour of a Bessa III).
If you buy as FED, or even an old Leica screw mount body I think that after a time you'll probably realise you've only put off what you should have done in the first place, end up a little dissatisfied with what you've got and eventually go for a Bessa (or whatever it is you decide on). Or you could just go straight to (say) the Bessa now and enjoy your picture taking without the compromises that an old camera involves.
Others here will have a different view, I know, and will doubtless recount their own experiences and viewpoint but, for what it's worth, that's what I've done.

 

[jiri_cisler]

Bessa!

Bessa!

hello Chris
my first film camera was Bessa R3A with VC 40/1.4. i have learned my technical way around the thing. AE and in body metering was actually a big help when i was trying to get that little thingy in the middle of viewfinder back in one image 🙂. actually i loved the experience, the framing exercise, aperture fiddling, film souping and so on. later on i got myself an M2 that i was scared of before, because i had my first steps secured by the aforementioned features. things are ok now, even with manual metering, filter factor calculating, it's getting better every single roll. and Bessa is still there. loaded with pushed ISO400 film, AE helps in light challenging situations. i don't think i would do any better choice in the beginning (yep. newbie hobbyist just can't justify M7 aquisition).
just my experience, doesn't have to be applied generally.
regards

 

[cny3123]

I completely understand what people are saying and quite probably it is the more logical choice. So I may skit the FED, still undecided. The way I see it, it may just be a fun little side/summer project to toy around with and fix up.