which lenses will properly fit on Bessa T

[dailymephisto]

Dear and most knowledgeable forumers,
will try to be brief and quick with my questions.

Have just bought a Voigtlander Bessa T. Next step is to get a couple of lenses (wide + 50mm) to start playing with the camera a bit.

I've been trying, with a lot of confusion, to understand which kind of lenses will fit on my Bessa T so as to be able to get my first two lenses at reasonable prices.

Given that, after reading a few articles and with a bit of confusion in my mind, I came across CameraQuest (http://www.cameraquest.com/index.htm) website where they are selling lens adapters to m mounts, i haven't yet understood well how it works.

I understand that:

- on Bessa T camera all m mount lenses fit properly
- with CameraQuest Leica Screw Mount to M Bayonet Adapters I can use all 39mm Screw Mount Lenses on my Bessa T
- with CameraQuest SLR to M Rangefinder Coupled Adapters I can use different srl lenses on my Bessa T

what about other screw lenses with different registers? and what about old or new Canon FD lenses?


And, furthermore, I guess there are not only 42 and 39 screw lenses on the market and, probably, even with an adapter not all lenses wil work properly on Bessa T!

How does it really work?

Which are the best Wide Angle + 50mm lenses, given that i do not want to spend lots of money on Leica's?

Best Regards,
DM

 

[Richard Black]

DM,
You have asked an open ended question. What kind of photography do you like to shoot? Low light where you need a fast lens? Speed of lens is not important? Is this your first rangefinder? Which viewfinders do you have? I have the CV 28 3.5f Color Skopar with viewfinder and am pleased with it. Some love the CV 25 and its viewfinder. Extreme wideangle 12, 15, or 21 are available. Read Cameraquest about the CV lenses and find which one fits your view point.

 

[ClaremontPhoto]

Read Cameraquest about the CV lenses and find which one fits your view point.

Made me laugh out loud.

Good advice though.

 

[pvdhaar]

.
I understand that:
- on Bessa T camera all m mount lenses fit properly
- with CameraQuest Leica Screw Mount to M Bayonet Adapters I can use all 39mm Screw Mount Lenses on my Bessa T
- with CameraQuest SLR to M Rangefinder Coupled Adapters I can use different srl lenses on my Bessa T

Basically, you're right with a couple of caveats:

- Not all collapsible lenses (whichever mount), can be mounted or collapsed without damaging the camera

- Not all LTM mount wide angles (especially the Russian ones) can be mounted withough damaging the camera

- SLR lens mount adapters rarely ever provide rangefinder coupling for focussing

 

[laptoprob]

Besides, why would you want to use SLR lenses on a Bessa T?
Too big, no coupling, very different optical design (RF vs. SLR)

I also like my T a lot.

Rob

 

[Doug]

I'd suggest shopping for either 39mm Leica screw-mount lenses, which require the extra expense of the adaptor, or Leica-M bayonet lenses. Not necessarily Leica-brand, but made compatible with those Leica standards. Anything else gets messy. Because the Bessa-T has no built-in viewfinder (uniquely, just a rangefinder), you will also need an accessory viewfinder to match each focal length lens you get. Voigtlander lenses 25mm and wider automatically come with a matching viewfinder, so for other lenses they're sold separately. Cameraquest is a good place to shop, and it will help RFF if you get there by clicking the Cameraquest.com link near the upper left of this window.