Used Bessa R?

Michael I.

Michael I.

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Hello!

I have some rf experience with a great zorki 4(CLA'd by Oleg Khalyavin)
a canonet(GONE) and a yashica lynx 14e(in repair).

I want to step up.

My budget is about 200$ for a used body only(to be used with russian lenses) - is a used bessa R an option? Are late j-12(smaller back element) mountable?

What are my other screwmount options for that budget?(I want a much better vf\rf then the zorki 4 - meter is not critical).

Thanks
Michael
 
Hi Michael,

you can get a Bessa R for $120 to $140 nowadays if you're willing to accept one that looks a bit beaten up cosmetically. The 35mm wideangle is a problem. Some J-12s might actually be mountable, but they're not useable as general-purpose lenses afterwards because they won't work at all distance settings (focus further than a certain distance and the rear element hits the shutter).

If you go the Bessa route (which I still recommend), maybe you should ask if you can have the $200 Bessa R2 from the classifieds separately, that way you can stick with the option of M lenses in the future.

Philipp
 
thanks for the advice - I dont mind how ugly a camera is as long as it is fully operational - does anyone have one for sale?
 
I think those prices that were quoted to you are a little low. I haven't seen a used R2 on this board for anything near $200. I think there is one in the classifieds now, but I believe that's $200 Euros. If what Philipp is quoting is in US currency, i'd probably add $30-50 to all those numbers.
 
Ok, so now I need to liquidate a couple of things - a pentax K1000 and a Oleg Khalyavin CLA'd early zorki 4 - do you have any idea how much should I charge?
 
Hey Michael - I got my Bessa R about a year ago for $185. I would think that with a $200 budget you should be OK. Of course, if you're interested in a R2 now, that would be a bit more I'd expect.

Good luck!
 
I got a Besssa R from someone on this forum, $250 with a perfect Industar 61. The kit was less than 6 mos. old. Keep your eyes open and you may find one. Shipping cost is usually the only miutigating factor in finding a REAL bargain.

BTW, stick with the R. That way you can get those nice, cheap (?) LTM lens without the bother of buying an adapter. I'm a real fan of the R.
 
I agree with Januaryman...look for an "R". I've found it to be a great little camera, and lenses are all over the place. You might want to place a WTB post and see who responds on this forum. Used lenses are up for sale regularly, too.

Regards!
Don
 
Hi,

AirTimid said:
I think those prices that were quoted to you are a little low. I haven't seen a used R2 on this board for anything near $200.
Click to expand...

This one is or rather was for $200 US.

I paid EUR 120 or so for a Bessa R here on RFF.

Philipp
 
Seller: I´m terribly unsure about prices, but this is how I´ve figured:


"Wow. If it's US dollars, people are getting steals!!"


These are the typical buying/selling points that I've noticed
Bessa R - about $175
Bessa R2 - about $300
 
When you consider a new Bessa R sells for about $250-$300 and a new R2 for around $459 or so at Cameraquest, then Frank's price observations, which I concur with, should be considered pretty good deals.
 
rxmd said:
Hi,



This one is or rather was for $200 US.

I paid EUR 120 or so for a Bessa R here on RFF.

Philipp
Click to expand...

$120 EUR is about $155US, which was around the lower limit of what I wrote. The prices Frank posted are pretty much the average. Some sell higher, some a little lower.
 
I was in similar situation in May last year. I had a Zorki 4 and Canonet. Then I bought my Bessa R from a RFF member in California. Together with a J-8, shipping and money order it was 220 USD.

The camera is a completely different tool than either Zorki or Canonet. The VF is pleasure - crisp, bright. The overall feel is a bit cheap. I mean it's not as solid as Zorki or Canonet. But if you take care of your cameras and don't throw them in backpacks without case, the Bessa will serve you for a long time.

I use mine with J-8 and J-9. I tried to use J-12, but it won't focus farther than 3m. And IMO it depends on the body, not the lens. AFAIK there are no J-12s with smaller rear element. All are the same. I doubt anyone at KMZ or LZOS would bother recalculating such a good design.
So for 35mm you better get a FED-2 and use it as a second body with J-12, or wait and buy a CV 35/2.5 later. That's what I did. I waited, saved some money and bought the CV 35/2.5 from another RFF member for 130 EUR.
 
You can get a new silver Bessa R for $250, Black for $300 from Stephen at Cameraquest. KEH has a used Bessa R Silver EX for $215, and used black EX+ for $254, keh has excellent ratings and a great return policy, but at Cameraquest's prices I think it's worth it to get one new with the full warranty. Stephens a great guy and at the $250 price I'm thinking of getting a new R myself to use with my J8.
 
Michael,
Send an email to Stephen at CQ and ask him what is the
best Bessa for the economy minded. If you've got your
heart set on the Bessa R, by all means... go for it.

It took me around a week to decide, after opening up a
Thread or two here, and I got tremendous support. I ordered
the Bessa T, M-mount. Of course, I've had 2 Leitz lenses for
over 30 years, and just got the CV 25/4 Skopar.

Whatever you decide, see it as part of a SYSTEM.
B'hatzlaha [good luck],
mike
 
Yeah, I know what you mean. A bessa R2 seems better but again,it's all a matter of budget.

I have something alont the lines of half the price for a R or third of a R2.
It all depends on me being able to sell some stuff.
 
I do not think a Bessa T would be a good option for me since the auxillary finders slow me down(one of the reasons I want to get a bessa instead of my zorki - framelines and a better,faster to work with finder).

Anyway, I am in no hurry, until I sell some stuff - I wont have the money.
 
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