What lens to buy?

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kennyg

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Hello all, I am a very new hobbiest and I am ready to buy a r/f camera. I have pretty much made up my mind to get the Bessa R. It's affordable and has the warranty. Just not sure what lenses to get. Cameraquest has the $399.00 kit with a 35/2.5 lens and another kit with a 25/4 lens. I am not sure which one to get but am leaning towards the 35 because it is a coupled r/f lens. I plan to take alot of pictures of my kids, and dog, frequently in low light (school functions, parties etc.). So, basically, alot of people, snapshot type photos. If I travelled alot to scenic places I might want the 25/4 but that's not the case for me. I also have enough cash for a 2nd lens, maybe a 75 or 85 mm for portraits of the kids, etc. I am open to suggestions. 50 mm lens also seems to be a good choice. Alas, too many good options.
 
35/75 and the bessa r is a great, very simple and easy to use kit.
i highly recommend it.

if a one lens outfit - then just the 35.

the 25 is a great lens to play with but i think it would be a poor choice for a one lens kit.

jmho
and welcome to the forum.
joe
 
Welcome. The Bessa R is certainly a great way to get into RF photography. The 35/2.5 is an excellent lens, though if you plan to take a lot of low light photos as you mentioned, you probably ought to consider the 35/1.7 as well. The 50/1.4 Ultron is also excellent. Both are bigger and heavier, though. Whichever you choose, I am sure you will not be disappointed.
 
If you look in the classifieds you'll see a few good options as well. I do have a nice user 50/1.8 listed there but there are others as well.

The CV 35/2.5 is an excellent lens; the combo is probably the best bang for buck in the whole of the photography industry.

William
 
I'd get the 1.7/35 Ultron instead of the slowish f/2.5. (Keep in mind how little the Olympus Stylus Epic/mju II costs.)

Also an M-mount camera (e.g. R2/2A/3A) is more flexible coz it can use both LTM and M mount lenses.
 
I have to second Joes' comments, The 35 /75 setup works for most events. This is what I use with my Bessa R (although I have the 37 1.7).

If you get a kit that includes the 35 2.5 I'd go for it for the following reasons:

- The kit price is a lot cheaper than getting the two items on there own
- The 35 f2.5 lens is very light and compact but well built also
- You'll get to see how you get on with the 35 with a smaller outlay.

For a third lens I'd consider the 21 (coupled) or the 25 (not coupled). At this FL coupling should not be a problem as the DOF will be big enough to to cope.

Oh and welcome 🙂
 
Welcome.

I agree with the folks here a 35/75 is a great match. I have a 35/75 kit for my son to learn with. I had a 35/1.7 for him, but I got an R as his camera to start with (even though I had an extra T).

My main Bessa kit is 15/40/105 (the 105 is a Nikkor). I carry a L 25/4 with me almost everywhere. While it's slower than I really like, it's very small.


While long term, I would bet that a R will not be your last RF camera. But it's a fine place to start. A 35/75 is a wonderful combination for the R. I thought that the 25/4 was too slow for me, but I have learned to work with it.

I think a lot of our suggestions are based upon how much we love RF, we are suggesting that you avoid some of the expenses we have done as we come to love RF. I'm not sure that is really possible as people like different focal lenghts and have different needs. Most of us shot existing light and like to have the exta speed of the 35/1.7.

$50 is $50 and it buys a lot of film and fun. It's also $50 closer to a 15mm!

Take the plunge and try it, you'll love it.

B2 (;->
 
If you are likely to want to switch lenses on a single body, then I'd strongly support the suggestion made above - to consider an M-body. Remember that LTM lenses can be fitted to M-bodies with an adapter. The reverse is not true.
OTOH, if you are the sort that will likely carry a body for each lens you expect to need, already mounted, then by all means stay with an LTM body. You can get more of the same type of body later as your lens count increases. You can be pretty sure it will 😉
However, there are some lenses that are only available in M-mount - mainly fast ones.
 
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😕 Here is another newbie question about Bessa R lenses. I know this is going to sound like chalk on a blackboard, but here goes. Will and what Russian lenseswill work? I just won an R on ebay and am trying to start out with a limited budget. Thanks is advance.
 
A 50 is a better lens for pics of wife and kids. The CV 50 1.5 is nice for low light. With a 35 you have to get right up close to fill the frame as you should.
At 5 or 6 feet you will get a lot of surroundngs with the 35. From one who has every concievqble lens.

35/75 or 35/90 are good combos. 35/50/90 is the classic trio for good reason.

Order the camera and work the frame selector to see what looks good to you. Remember to fill the frame with the subject.
 
Ronald M said:
A 50 is a better lens for pics of wife and kids. The CV 50 1.5 is nice for low light. With a 35 you have to get right up close to fill the frame as you should.
Click to expand...

I kinda disagree with this. I've been a longtime fan of the 35 focal length as an alternative to the 50, because it gives you that extra dimension, to include the environment and background of your subjects while not appearing unduly wide, and having no distortion. That said, I have a 50 Nokton (f/1.5) and I love it. However, for most photography, I will go slightly wider. Another choice is the bayonet M mount 40mm/1.4, which is smaller and lighter than the 50/1.5 and doesn't block any of the viewfinder, as the 50 does. It is a good compromise between the two.
 
WCOCHRAN said:
😕 Here is another newbie question about Bessa R lenses. I know this is going to sound like chalk on a blackboard, but here goes. Will and what Russian lenseswill work? I just won an R on ebay and am trying to start out with a limited budget. Thanks is advance.
Click to expand...

Everything except the Jupiter 12 35/2.8 because it's large rear interferes with the meter and shutter. All the others work just fine and a nice newer black Jupiter 8 50/2 is a very nice lens for an R.

William
 
An M body will indeed give you more versatility later on. The 35/1.7 Ultron is a very good lens (see RFF member Peter's gallery). Another relatively inexpensive and time-proven lens is the 40mm summicron-c or rokkor-m (for slightly faster speed than the 35/2.5).

As some body else suggested, keep an eye out for ads here at RFF and at photo.net, you will frequently get good deals, including kits.


good luck
 
Stephen originally recommended to me the Bessa L with a wide angle lens great for scenics and landscapes. So, I asked how about something for taking pictures of the kids. He said there was no way I could focus on the kids with the L. So he recommended the R2M with a 75 or 90 lens but higher price. I pestered him some more and he came back and said Bessa R with the 35 lens was the best value for the dollar at $399.00. Now I am left very confused. Why can't the L be used for focusing on the kids?
 
The L has no viewfinder or rangefinder built-in, it does have a meter which makes it a great camera for point and shoot photography. There are as many options as there are cameras out there. I use an L for shots of my family all the time. The 25/4 is a perfect blend of price, size and quality. You have to guess focus as there is no RF coupling (what connects the lens to the cameras rangefinder), but very rarely has this been a problem. The price is great but for some subjects there are better options.

If you want to do tighter portraits and head shots, the 75 is a great lens. There are as many different ways to build a system as there are lenses. I started back in RF with a 21/35/90 kit, moved to a 25/35/85, now I use a 15/40/105 with a 25 on a dedicated L body.

A lot depends upon how much you want to spend, what you want to do. You would not go wrong with a 25/75 kit on a R. An M body is great because it is faster to change lenses, but is price an issue to start off with, the lenses you buy for the R (LTM or Leica Screw Mount) can be adapted to the M with no loss of quality or functionality.

Bessas are the best place to start off. The R has a wonderful viewfinder, bright and clear. The special combo of an R and either a 25 or a 35 is a great price. Add the 75 to either and you are set for a while.

Stephen’s prices are as good as you can find, especially from someone who stands strongly behind what he sells. Our moderator is right. Go to Stephen’s site and read through the Bessa pages (start here http://www.cameraquest.com/classics.htm), you will find a lot of great info and realize there are about a billion ways to skin the cat here in RF land.

B2 (;->
 
THANKS FOR THE INFORMATION. I have checked out the Cameraquest website and they seem to be the gurus in the business. I hope to someday get some lenses and accesories from them. Do you know of any US dealers selling Russian lenses for Bessa?
 
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