Which Bessa is for you?

Which Bessa is for you?

  • L

    Votes: 43 4.2%

  • T

    Votes: 59 5.8%

  • R

    Votes: 142 14.0%

  • R2

    Votes: 73 7.2%

  • R2M (Jahre 250)

    Votes: 16 1.6%

  • R2M

    Votes: 53 5.2%

  • R2A

    Votes: 112 11.0%

  • R3M (Jahre 250)

    Votes: 40 3.9%

  • R3M

    Votes: 91 8.9%

  • R3A

    Votes: 157 15.4%

  • R4M

    Votes: 118 11.6%

  • R4A

    Votes: 113 11.1%
  • Total voters
    1,017
Just bought a used "R" on the net.
I've got a few FSU lenses that I love and the Bessa R looked like a logical choice.

I also have a small collection of FEDs that I use daily with great satisfaction, but I miss the additional times and synch of a more modern design.

I'm a bit worried about robustness, though. FEDs have really spoiled me in that regard.
 
The one I WANT is buried in Tom A.'s post -- The R2S. A modern camera for the Nikon lenses.... very appealing. Next i'd take the R4A for my 21, 28 and desired 25. When I came back to photography 4 years ago my first rangefinder was the R2. I really liked it. Eventually the collection grew and the R2 went in one of my regular "sweeps"-- I come at the closet every three months like a team of INS agents in a ghetto tenement.
 
I would like an updated model Bessa R. I have a bunch of old screwmount lenses, and can't afford M ones. If you are going to be a Luddite, at least you should do it properly, so it should be revised with better and more traditional materials. My old Bessa R works great, but is awfully plasticy beside something like, for example, a Contax IIIa.

Cheers,
Dez
 
I am thinking of purchasing a R2M...
after hours of research and "meditation" in order to take the Bessa decision I'll go for the puristic approach... (guiding meter instead of computer driven shutter)

I have run out of batteries many times while hiking (cold weather) and with R2M is possible to take pictures by using sunny-16* or even an exposure chart...

I suppose that the frame-lines 35/50/75/90 cover my needs in lenses.
...and it is easier to go wider with a viewfinder, as focusing is not that an issue in wide angles...

Thank you for reading my thoughts...
 
I have an M3 with a 21mm and 50mm lens. Which CV Bessa should I get to go with the M3 body? R4m for the 21? R3M for the 50? Bessa L? etc. Advise requested.
 
varchs said:
I am thinking of purchasing a R2M...
after hours of research and "meditation" in order to take the Bessa decision I'll go for the puristic approach... (guiding meter instead of computer driven shutter)

I have run out of batteries many times while hiking (cold weather) and with R2M is possible to take pictures by using sunny-16* or even an exposure chart...

I suppose that the frame-lines 35/50/75/90 cover my needs in lenses.
...and it is easier to go wider with a viewfinder, as focusing is not that an issue in wide angles...

Thank you for reading my thoughts...
Click to expand...

Then why not the R3M? That one gives you a 1:1viewfinder and the difference between the 35 and 40 framelines is neglible, imo.

Stefan.
 
I have a R4A, with my(now) almost perfect collection of skopar lenses. 21 35 an 50! I voted for the R4m though. I use my bessa in manual mode all the time, and i'd like to have the more precise meter readout.
 
R2s back-up camera

R2s back-up camera

_DSC0001-3_zpsec3adc45.jpg


Really like the framelines for 85 & 35mm in the R2S, they are my two favorite focal lengths.
 
Very happy with my R but I want M mount and better construction. The top plate is becoming "grey" and and the back is scratched. But I really want M mount, so I will look for a R2 (maybe the olive)
 
Had an R2a because it covered the 35/50 range with room to go a little longer if needed. At the time I thought I had to have AE because I was coming from matrix-metering SLRs and felt insecure in my ability to operate the camera quickly enough to keep up with my rug rats.

After owning a few meterless bodies (Rolleiflex, M4, Exacta), I no longer feel a need for AE, and think I could do very well with an R2M, especially for what seems to me as the best meter read-out pf all the metered M bodies.

Problem is, I like chrome, and the chrome R2M is very hard to come by!
 
Hey everyone, I have a quick question. I have a Bessa-R and the only thing I'm not fanatic about is the lightweight/plastic feel to it. That's just me, I like a solid, heavy object - whatever it may be. Do the latera cameras (R2M/R2A, R3M/R3A, R4M) have the same plasticky build quality? Or is there a metallic, heavy feel to it? I'm not fortunate to get my hands on either of those models.
 
Not light

Not light

I weighed my new to me R3A with 40 1.4 on a kitchen scale - 1 lb 8 oz.
My Nikon FE2 with 50 1.8 Series E weighs 1 lb 10 oz.

The R3A feels heavy and substantial.
 
But the Bessa R remains one hell of a good camera. I wasn't fond of the plastic feel, but it never failed to work and its meter was the best of any camera I've ever owned, and I've been around for awhile.
 
tedwhite said:
But the Bessa R remains one hell of a good camera. I wasn't fond of the plastic feel, but it never failed to work and its meter was the best of any camera I've ever owned, and I've been around for awhile.
Click to expand...
I've got a Bessa R and I absolutely love it. I knew of the plastic, lightweight feel before I bought it and had doubts about it, but I've grown to love it. It's much more sturdy than I thought it would be. Its lightweight nature is an advantage sometimes too, in my view.

The only thing that frustrates me about my Bessa R is the positioning of the strap lugs. But I can live with that.
 
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