the Bessa L Rocks (and so does Gandy!)

[BrianPhotog]

I should have written this a couple weeks ago, but again time gets in the way.

I'd like to *publically* thank Stephen Gandy for getting me that Bessa L as fast as he did. Awesome & honest guy.

The Bessa L is a great camera and tons of fun to shoot with. With its going price of >US$100, it can't be beat by anything. Below are from my first 2 rolls of film through it. The first 2 images were shot with the 15mm Heliar, the last with the 25/4 Snapshot Skopar.

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Again, thanks Stephen 🙂

 

[ClaremontPhoto]

They look nice.

You shoot from the hip don't you?

 

[BrianPhotog]

You shoot from the hip don't you?

😛

The first 2, yeah. With the meter LEDs placed where they are and the huge hyperfocal range of the 15 @ f8 I couldn't resist it. Something else I never tried before getting the L 😀

 

[Theo-Prof]

I'm really going to have to break down and get the L with the 25/4. I need a second body and really want that 25/4.

Kevin

 

[dostacos]

I should have written this a couple weeks ago, but again time gets in the way.

I'd like to *publically* thank Stephen Gandy for getting me that Bessa L as fast as he did. Awesome & honest guy.

The Bessa L is a great camera and tons of fun to shoot with. With its going price of >US$100, it can't be beat by anything. Below are from my first 2 rolls of film through it. The first 2 images were shot with the 15mm Heliar, the last with the 25/4 Snapshot Skopar.

Again, thanks Stephen 🙂

well I agree with half of this, I don't have the L but Stephen is great to work with 😀

Theo-Prof:

yes get a 25/4! I was afraid of the non-coupled aspects but I bought one and shooting stopped down is FUN

 

[Bryan Lee]

It will be a sad day when I viset the CameraQuest sight and see the stocks have ran out on the T and on the L model Bessa bodies. I consider them both a fantastic value and the L without any glass accept for the lense is a great tropical camera and very strong. Maybe they will make them again if the price on Ebay starts going up like on the R2 another favorite of mine.

 

[BrianPhotog]

I'm really going to have to break down and get the L with the 25/4. I need a second body and really want that 25/4.

Kevin

The last shot is the 25/4. I pretty much keep it @f8 or smaller, one click in from infinity 😉

 

[suzums]

Very very nice Brian!

That man in the little bicycle makes me chuckle.

Is that one of your twins in the last photo?

 

[BrianPhotog]

Very very nice Brian!

That man in the little bicycle makes me chuckle.

Is that one of your twins in the last photo?

Hey Suzie 🙂

Yeah, that last one is of Aidan, the eldest twin. Believe it or not, they turn 1 year old tomorrow. 😀

 

[suzums]

Oh wow! Time flies!


Hehe, next thing you know they'll be picking up your cameras and playing with them! 😀

Anyways, its good to get a positive review on the Bessa L cause I've been quite drawn to it. Do you have a viewfinder for both the 15 and 25? I would what it would be like to shoot without the viewfinders at all!

 

[BrianPhotog]

Oh wow! Time flies!


Hehe, next thing you know they'll be picking up your cameras and playing with them! 😀

They already have a pair of Ficher Price "play" cameras 😛

Anyways, its good to get a positive review on the Bessa L cause I've been quite drawn to it. Do you have a viewfinder for both the 15 and 25? I would what it would be like to shoot without the viewfinders at all!

Get one quick...the deal /w/ a lens at CameraQuest is really good, especially now that you're in the States. Viewfinders come free with both the 15 & 25mm lenses, so no worries there. The first 2 were taken without the viewfinder, though...hip shots.

 

[darkkavenger]

Lovely shots, my congrats! 😀

 

[BrianPhotog]

Anyways, its good to get a positive review on the Bessa L cause I've been quite drawn to it. Do you have a viewfinder for both the 15 and 25? I would what it would be like to shoot without the viewfinders at all!

Suzie, a little bit more poison for you 😛

These were shot last weekend on the Mucha MRT line (the one that goes to the zoo) with my Bessa L & 25/4 Skopar 😉

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[Taipei-metro]

Brian,
Why are the pictures so contrasty? is it my monitor? or you're after Moriyama Diado's style?
Taipei Metro, that's my territory haha..would it be too young for your kids to go the zoo? Kids are treasures. Strangely, after my kid was born, I stop useing B&W films, I used to bulk load them w Agfapan or Neopan. I'm all print films now... I don't see B&W now.
My son poked a hole thru my F3's curtain when he was 5 1/2 yrs old. I did not get mad but asked him how did you know how to open the camera back?
I like Dan-suie to Hsin-dien line, either end has great spot for photo.
Or I stay at Taipei Train Station, the underground linked to the Metro, I hang out at the main loby try to do some people shooting.
28 is my favorite, lately, w Canon A-1 and Vivitar 28mm f2, what a great lens!
Have fun, time flies. I think that's why there is photography, to hold down Time.

 

[BrianPhotog]

Brian,
Why are the pictures so contrasty? is it my monitor? or you're after Moriyama Diado's style?
Taipei Metro, that's my territory haha..would it be too young for your kids to go the zoo? Kids are treasures. Strangely, after my kid was born, I stop useing B&W films, I used to bulk load them w Agfapan or Neopan. I'm all print films now... I don't see B&W now.
My son poked a hole thru my F3's curtain when he was 5 1/2 yrs old. I did not get mad but asked him how did you know how to open the camera back?
I like Dan-suie to Hsin-dien line, either end has great spot for photo.
Or I stay at Taipei Train Station, the underground linked to the Metro, I hang out at the main loby try to do some people shooting.
28 is my favorite, lately, w Canon A-1 and Vivitar 28mm f2, what a great lens!
Have fun, time flies. I think that's why there is photography, to hold down Time.

We're going to Danshue on Tuesday (Saturday - Monday will be at the mother-in-laws for CNY, of course. Lots of hong bao coming for the babies 😛 ). The contrastiness probably comes from a combination of scanning (generic lab machine) and selenium-toned negs.

The zoo was actually a fun trip for them. Ian (the younger one) loves animals and at the zoo couldn't stop squealing and pointing whenever he saw something furry. We have 2 dogs in the house (a small terrier and big lab/retriever mix) so both babies were brought up with "fur" around. The older one, Aidan, didn't respond as much to the animals as Ian did but really enjoys being outside and was hyper the whole time. The only things that were frustrating were the weather and the reconstruction going on, which closed down the petting zoo.

BTW, I went to the Poi Ai Rd. area yesterday to buy a new camera bag to replace my Minitreker and was shocked to find a store selling silver Bessa L bodies for NT$10,000 each! For those that don't know, that's about US$300. I took mine out of my bag and offered to sell it to them for a "cheap" NT$8000 😀 .

It was a store on Kei Feng Rd. (sp?) a couple shops before the "Ilford" store...they have a Leica display case in front. I told them that only a block away at JS Foto (end of Poi Ai) they sold Bessa L bodies for only NT$3500/each but they didn't believe me. Apparently, they think that they are the only store in Taiwan that carries Voigtlander products and that the Bessa L, being discontinued, is "rare". For their price I can get 2 from anywhere else on the planet and have enough cash left over to buy a couple bulk rolls of HP5+ to put through them.

Frustrating. :bang:

 

[Taipei-metro]

These stores, still holding on to their film cameras, they'll never be able to sell the L for $300.
I kinda like digital revolution right now, almost new stuff every day...
I borrowed a friend's M3 w a Canada Summicron 35/2. Comming from Eos elan 7, this M3 is just too bothersome to do photography for me. try a 120 style take-up spool for loading...
Got to go, Happy Chinese New Year to your lovely family!

 

[suzums]

Suzie, a little bit more poison for you 😛

These were shot last weekend on the Mucha MRT line (the one that goes to the zoo) with my Bessa L & 25/4 Skopar 😉

Hahaha I always appericiate some poison. I do love the contrast on the shots, the first shot works best for me, its the angle. What film did you use?!

Wow, I just read the stuff about the Bessa in Taipei. Haha, the prices are crazy. Some of the owners don't pay attention to other stores, just their own business. $350 is just ridiqulous.

The prices on CameraQuest are definitely tempting, but must resist! As my G1 still serves me well.

 

[BrianPhotog]

Hahaha I always appericiate some poison. I do love the contrast on the shots, the first shot works best for me, its the angle. What film did you use?!

Those are all TriX in Diafine, although I'm going back to HP5+ and just bought a bulk roll of it yesterday.

Wow, I just read the stuff about the Bessa in Taipei. Haha, the prices are crazy. Some of the owners don't pay attention to other stores, just their own business. $350 is just ridiqulous.

JS Foto (that store I intro'd you to) seems to match street prices well and some stores mark their prices up 20-30% simply because they know their customers will deal them down that much...but 350 bucks firm for a bessa L is ridiculous. The funny thing is last month I bought a new CV 90/3.5 at that same store for a very resonable price.

The prices on CameraQuest are definitely tempting, but must resist! As my G1 still serves me well.

Use student loan money! Write it off as an educational expense!!! 😉 😀

 

[suzums]

Those are all TriX in Diafine, although I'm going back to HP5+ and just bought a bulk roll of it yesterday.

Ah, the lovely Tri-X. I actually haven't used that for sometime now. And I have yet to try out the Diafine. Still have a packet of D76 to finish up before I order anything else!

JS Foto (that store I intro'd you to) seems to match street prices well and some stores mark their prices up 20-30% simply because they know their customers will deal them down that much...but 350 bucks firm for a bessa L is ridiculous. The funny thing is last month I bought a new CV 90/3.5 at that same store for a very resonable price.

Yea! Thanks to you, I found out about the store with the purple sign! I got my SLR fixed next door from there, and I don't remeber if I told you that I got my 28mm Biogon for my G1 from there. It was new, and a very good deal. A purchase that I'll never regret!

Use student loan money! Write it off as an educational expense!!! 😉 😀

See, problem there. They won't even let me get a loan here. Haha my parents are the one and only source right now.