The Bessa You Are Dreaming About

R

ruben

Guest
Since Mr K. has prooved to be a very dynamic personality in the camera industry, perhaps this thread may bring some ideas, hopefully of help.

I have not entered the Bessa stuff for a single reason. But before telling which one it is, I am ready to publicly reckognize I have a twisted mind and not necessarily represent "the market", nor I am aware of the difficulties and quirks of camera manufacturing.

Yet I am waiting for a specific Bessa to appear, and if it appears indeed, I will be going into serious trouble to refuse buying a pair of bodies. I want a silent TTL fully manual override Bessa.

I am ready to compromise for a fixed lens one, if it is the 40/1.4.

What will be the difference between it and a Canonet GIII, making me to pay the difference of over $1000 (for a pair)? Viewfinder, new and reliable camera and TTL spot metering.

Ok, this is me. What Bessa would you like to be manufactured ?

Cheers
Ruben
 
i would like even cheaper bessa r (they can make body entirely of plastic if it will lower the price) with framelines for 35 and 50 with contax mount and which accept jupiter 12. ttl would be nice help too. of course it would be nice to be mechanical shutter and thats all. (in fact i just want simple camera like my kievs and zorkis and fed but upgraded with framelines for 35 so i dont need to carry viewfinder for j12)
mr. k as you see i dont ask much please make this (only im afraid i would be the only buyer). :D
 
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Just redesign the rangefinder to lengthen the base length. I think the current Bessas are great, but an R2a with a longer true base length and therefore EBL would be great. Maybe increase the size of the VF to add 28mm framelines, but that is not a drop dead issue for me.
 
Ruben: it sounds like you want a ZI, Hexar or M7 with Voigtlander name on it,
except not pay their price.

Just get one (or two) of those, the fun will pay you back ...

The one thing that has bothered me more than anything with the
Bessas is the short EBL, and the sensitive RF mechanics.

Roland.
 
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maybe they could try longer rf length (and make it to be camera for low light) and make a camera a bit less high. from photos it looks a bit tall - i would like it to be in style of fed2 it would be more elegant. on bessa i dont like that part with rf/vf it looks too bulky.
 
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Am I allowed a full frame canon sensor?
:D

Rover; I find the R3a the easiest RF to focus I’ve ever had, I still don’t see what difference the EBL makes to the user
 
automatic framelines

automatic framelines

I would really like it if my R2 automatically changed the frames when I put a lens on. This hasn't been a problem yet (especially given that I have a 35 and 90, which are shown simultaneously; and for a 21 it makes no difference). And maybe have a 'lock' on the shutter release. Like the Nikon FM2, so that it only takes a pictures if the wind-on is not flush with the body (again, this hasn't been a problem for me, but hey :p ). I should add that I am right-eyed, but I trained myself to be that, precisely because of my FM2!

Other than that, the R2 is just fine for me.

Doctor Zero
 
I'm in line with Ruben : a more compact camera, with a leaf shutter in a fixed 1.4/40 would be great !
 
A digital R, raw capture only (post processing on a computer), small lcd for compactness, keep it simple in the camera, as few buttons and menu options, just like the R today only with digital capture. Really, I like my R quite a bit, just wanted to throw this into the mix. Most digital go over the top on complexity. Rangefinders epitomize simplicity.
 
rover said:
Just redesign the rangefinder to lengthen the base length. I think the current Bessas are great, but an R2a with a longer true base length and therefore EBL would be great. Maybe increase the size of the VF to add 28mm framelines, but that is not a drop dead issue for me.
Click to expand...
this is the first "probably not gonna happen" one i was waiting for. the reasons have already been given dozens of times in other threads.

the other one is "cheap digital".

Avotius said:
The cheap digital option: My bessa r2a with the sensor from my canon 20D and I would be a happy clam.
Click to expand...

yep. there it is.
 
ferider said:
Ruben: it sounds like you want a ZI, Hexar or M7 with Voigtlander name on it,
except not pay their price.

Just get one (or two) of those, the fun will pay you back ...

......
Roland.
Click to expand...


Ho Roland, you are smart indeed. Therefore I propose you to lend me the money and I will pay you back when i feel the fun, proportionally. Just remember that one of my rarities is that either I have 2 bodies of the same camera, or I have no camera.

Now I would offer you an easier exit. Could you tell me if it would be too risky, mechanically and therefore economically, to put that Heliar 40/1.4 on a Fed 2 via M mount adaptor to screw mount ?

Notice BTW that putting a 40 on a 50mm viewing window may solve automatically parallax issues.


:angel:

Cheers,
Ruben

PS
Nevertheless I do appreciate Mr K. manufacturing affordable cameras.
 
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adonf said:
I'm in line with Ruben : a more compact camera, with a leaf shutter in a fixed 1.4/40 would be great !
Click to expand...

It is in writting somewhere that I supported France at last World Cup.

Cheers,
Ruben
 
ferider said:
Ruben: it sounds like you want a ZI, Hexar or M7 with Voigtlander name on it,
except not pay their price.

Just get one (or two) of those, the fun will pay you back ...

The one thing that has bothered me more than anything with the
Bessas is the short EBL, and the sensitive RF mechanics.

Roland.
Click to expand...

Roland, I,m afraid that I didn't understood your post:confused:

... Ruben said:
quiet shutter - Is ZI with metal shutter quiet enuff ?- I have thoughts of many Leica users in my mind:
not dead quiet, but quiet enuff - yesterday I wached again Joel Meyerowitz video about street photography - it's clear what means quiet enuff.

one more vote for shutter replacement

Besides that problem,
this would be a perfect camera ;)
 
Two specific things have kept me from buying a Bessa:

- Unreliable shutter. I've seen many, many references to people who have had jammed shutters on their Bessa. This mystifies me, as metal focal plane shutters have been around for decades, you'd think all the bugs would be worked out by now.

- Hard to adjust rangefinder. I don't expect rangefinder mechanisms to stay calibrated forever, but it would be nice if the owner could calibrate it him/herself when it goes out of whack. I'm thinking that the "interface" to calibration could be more user friendly, like maybe a removable cap, with some clearly visible adjustment screws and a good manual to accompany it.
 
PetarDima.......... ... Ruben said: [I said:
quiet shutter[/I]
Click to expand...


And when Ruben speaks about a Fed 2, he means a Fed 2 silenced and softened to death by Oleg, God keep him close to his heart for centuries ahead.

Cheers,
Ruben
 
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It would be a R5X (A and M) that was able to focus a 105/2.5 or 135/2.8 REALLY CLOSE UP and wide open!

You would have an R4 for wides, R3 for normal and R5 for teles!!

I do not thing the auto frame lines is that critical because some of the users have but one LTM to M adapter. Also, what frame line do you pick for a 25 or a 21? Do they match the Leice/ZI standards?

B2 (;->
 
antiquark said:
Two specific things have kept me from buying a Bessa:

-- Hard to adjust rangefinder. I don't expect rangefinder mechanisms to stay calibrated forever, but it would be nice if the owner could calibrate it him/herself when it goes out of whack. I'm thinking that the "interface" to calibration could be more user friendly, like maybe a removable cap, with some clearly visible adjustment screws and a good manual to accompany it.
Click to expand...


I concur with this point. It scares the crap out of me to have to adjust this thing.

My .02. Put the strap lugs on the side of the body.
 
I just wish they would keep making the T, except this time put a viewfinder on it with selectable frame lines, keep the rangefinder separate. The R viewfinder along with the T rangefinder..
Putting meter LEDs on the outside of all the bessa bodies would be wonderful too.
 
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ruben said:
And when Ruben speaks about a Fed 2, he means a Fed 2 silenced and softened to death by Oleg, God keep him close to his heart for centuries ahead.

Cheers,
Ruben
Click to expand...

You forgot the "silent TTL, fully manual override" in your Fed2 spec.

ruben said:
Ho Roland, you are smart indeed. Therefore I propose you to lend me the money and I will pay you back when i feel the fun, proportionally. Just remember that one of my rarities is that either I have 2 bodies of the same camera, or I have no camera.

Now I would offer you an easier exit. Could you tell me if it would be too risky, mechanically and therefore economically, to put that Heliar 40/1.4 on a Fed 2 via M mount adaptor to screw mount ?

:angel:

Cheers,
Ruben

PS
Nevertheless I do appreciate Mr K. manufacturing affordable cameras.
Click to expand...

No fun in life without risk, Ruben. Got to carry some of that risk yourself.

I am wondering if you are paying your wife back proportionally, too.

And how about those two OM4Ti bodies and Zuiko lenses. Anything to trade ? :D
 
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