Why Bessa?

21mm framelines on the R4A/R4M. My M3 is great, but cameras of that vintage are not without issues. Sometimes a modern camera with modern film loading, meter etc. is appealing.
 
Anyone who has used the internal metering system on the Bessa R3M knows that it is as good as it gets.

Voigt%20R2M%20LED.gif

This is the BEST Metered Manual LED exposure readout in any of the Voigtlander Bessa Cameras. The 9 LEDs at the bottom of the finder indicate over / under exposure in half stop increments over a two stop exposure range. I always liked the LED readout in the Nikon FM/FM2, but wanted more than Nikon's five LEDs for a full meter readout. Like the R2A/R3A, the metering range is EV1 to 19, or EI 100 f/1.4 at 1 second to 1/2000th at f/16. Film speed is manually set, with an ISO range of 25 to 3200. Left to Right, the red LED readout is -2 -1.5 -1 -.5 0 +.5 +1 +1.5 + 2

Rangefinder Baselength of 37mm: This translates to an effective rangefinder baselength of 37mm for the 1.0x magnification R3M, and 25.9 mm(37mm x .68 magnification) for the R2M. In other words, the R3M's rangefinder is 74% as long as the standard .72 Leica M finder, while the R2M's rangefinder is 52% as long as the standard .72 Leica M finder. "compliments to Cameraquest"
 
I have to respectfully disagree with "Anyone who has used the internal metering system on the Bessa R3M knows that it is as good as it gets."

I've used it and it is what it is - 1970s style "sort-of maybe bottom center weighted" metering that (when using E6 anyway) requires a correction for most any scene that's not filled with a grey exposure card.... A lot of folks might say the M5 or M6 have better metering as the pattern is much more clearly defined.

(Me - I'm too used to the evaluative metering in my modern Nikons, I guess.)

Agree that the display is excellent... unless you wear glasses and can't quite see it at the bottom edge of the VF.... :bang:

Obviously, that's my problem, not a valid criticism of the display....
 
Should I?

Should I?

I have a 95 % chance to get the long sought CV 15/4.5 LTM by Wednesday. It comes together with the according 15mm VF and... as a bonus, together with a near mint CV Bessa L body!
This for ~USD 485.

How do you rate the price tag, including all the above? I feel I should, but any advice would be useful.
 
I've held Leica M3's, M6's & Zeiss Ikon's. If I had to choose I'd take the Ikon. Has a better VF. But I like my Bessa R so much & it's a better VF than any of the Leica's I checked out I don't need anything else. It's lighter to carry all day & easier to load film. That's all I need.
 
dct said:
I have a 95 % chance to get the long sought CV 15/4.5 LTM by Wednesday. It comes together with the according 15mm VF and... as a bonus, together with a near mint CV Bessa L body!
This for ~USD 485.

How do you rate the price tag, including all the above? I feel I should, but any advice would be useful.
Click to expand...
Since now a new 15/4.5 sells for $499.00 & a Bessa L for around &100.00 yes it's a good deal. I have a Bessa L & 25/4. It's a fun camera to use & very lightweight. I love the positioning of the meter. Only drawback you'll need to get used to is the wind on lever has a locking device that keeps the shutter from misfiring. When you use the camera you have to set the lever back just a bit toward your face. I'm use to it now & think it was a good idea to include this feature. You might not like it, some don't.
 
I kinda like the look of the later Bessas like the R3a. Not as suave as an M3, but they look serious and well built and I love the machining. I had an R3a and am wondering if I should get one again.

Having just experienced the R-d1 and the Leica m8, I can say that I'm a solid fan of the 1:1 viewfinder. And just happens that 40mm is about where I'm comfortable most of the time. (Yep, I'm selling the M8 to go back to an R-D1, which of course is a digital Bessa...)
 
kshapero said:
Anyone who has used the internal metering system on the Bessa R3M knows that it is as good as it gets.

Voigt%20R2M%20LED.gif

This is the BEST Metered Manual LED exposure readout in any of the Voigtlander Bessa Cameras. The 9 LEDs at the bottom of the finder indicate over / under exposure in half stop increments over a two stop exposure range. I always liked the LED readout in the Nikon FM/FM2, but wanted more than Nikon's five LEDs for a full meter readout. Like the R2A/R3A, the metering range is EV1 to 19, or EI 100 f/1.4 at 1 second to 1/2000th at f/16. Film speed is manually set, with an ISO range of 25 to 3200. Left to Right, the red LED readout is -2 -1.5 -1 -.5 0 +.5 +1 +1.5 + 2

Rangefinder Baselength of 37mm: This translates to an effective rangefinder baselength of 37mm for the 1.0x magnification R3M, and 25.9 mm(37mm x .68 magnification) for the R2M. In other words, the R3M's rangefinder is 74% as long as the standard .72 Leica M finder, while the R2M's rangefinder is 52% as long as the standard .72 Leica M finder. "compliments to Cameraquest"
Click to expand...


actually one of the things i love about the bessa t is the meter on the outside, next to my eye, easily seen if i'm focusing or framing. i often shoot hyperfocally, so external meter is one less step.
 
Froyd: I agree with that, right now on the uk ebay market a Leica M plus lens goes for about £700 which is the same for a Bessa R plus lens. If ever given the chance I would love to own and us a Leica. Also I can imagine getting used to it but I don't see it ever being as convenient as a swing door loading in the middle of the high street.

Mugment: I can see your point, when someone buys a Leica it's like a sports car, they feel they must justify the reasons for buying it. When someone buys a DSLR they don't.

Rbelyell: That's a smart thing, I have to remind myself about the framelines all the time. Too used to SLRs I guess.

Juan: The R3a looks like a good all rounder. What's the Auto settings like? Is it fully auto or aperture/shutter priority?

Red Robin: From a quick search I saw that the Canon Ps are m39 mounts, which means you have a choice of Leica screw lenses, do you think the are better than the M mount ones? I'm not familiar with the Leica mounts.

Stillkicking: What do you mean buy "not as smooth as my M3"?

Dct: I've saw the Bessa T and it actually looks like a good thing, you only have a viewfinder for what you need.

Kshapero: That looks like a simple and effective display. Thanks for the info.

MazElmar: Definitely something to take note of, though I don't wear glasses when taking pics, but you never know.

Dreilly: The R-d1 looks like a great camera, sadly it's a bit dated and newer DSLRs have better sensors for a lot less. I really wish someone would bring out a decent digital rangefinder and knock Leica down a few pegs.
 
dct said:
I have a 95 % chance to get the long sought CV 15/4.5 LTM by Wednesday. It comes together with the according 15mm VF and... as a bonus, together with a near mint CV Bessa L body!
This for ~USD 485.

How do you rate the price tag, including all the above? I feel I should, but any advice would be useful.
Click to expand...

That can be a lot of fun for little money... The lens is great for f/8-f/11 use, prefocused at 1-2 meters... Sometimes it's great (and necessary) to compose with care through a finder, and some other times it's a pleasure to shoot without composing, and just play with near / distant subjects and see the results any other day... A really small set too, and totally unobtrusive without the finder... You should get it... In any case you can sell it in the future for more than you paid, but I'd say it's something to keep... Even while carrying another camera, it's a very light and small set to carry just in case, so you can have it loaded for instant ultrawide shooting anytime...

The price is very low: the other option, an R4M with the M version means spending $1400, three times the price you can get...

Cheers,

Juan
 
krazyklod said:
Juan: The R3a looks like a good all rounder. What's the Auto settings like? Is it fully auto or aperture/shutter priority?
Click to expand...

It's the best Auto IMO: aperture priority... Only then, it's you who can decide -for every frame- the f-stop and depth of field for selective focus or for general focus... The camera sets speeds, up to 1/2000th. And if you prefer, you can use it in manual, metered, if you don't want to just guess the light, which can be done too...

Cheers,

Juan
 
Got It!

Got It!

Thank you for all your advices. I just got it. This deal was an interesting coincidence. I was looking for a CV 15/4.5 only.

What I got:
- the CV 15/4.5 LTM complete with rear lens cap
- the 15mm CV viewer
- a CV Bessa-L camera complete with strap, battery and mount cap
- the according Bessa full case (can be detached to half case)
- a CV 35/135 LTM/M adapter

And all of this for under USD 500. 😎

Already made my 1st 15mm image with Fujicolor C200.

U41720I1327528544.SEQ.0.jpg


If I only would be so lucky every end of month, my GAS would remain reasonably low 😛
Oh, the funds... 😕 I forgot the money for the remaining 11 months 🙁

Edit: There was still more under the hood!
 
Last edited:
Sweet deal! (around the same price I paid for mine...😀)

Enjoy the Bessa-L and 15mm combo. I'm definitely a fan of the first few rolls that have gone through it and can now say that I really like this combo and won't be parting with it anytime soon.

The 21mm skopar pancakle can be found cheap too and is usable on the Bessa-L via the focus guesstimation method.

I'm personally looking for a cheap Bessa-T (can't afford an R3A - they go for over £650 on fleabay) next (but you have to factor the cost of a decent viewfinder in). Enjoy! 😀
 
Got a Bessa-T, which I bought about a year after I sold the Hexar-RF. I just couldn't get used to the mix of automated and manual functions on the Hexar-RF. However, the RF-bug was still biting, so I had a look at the options at the time: either Bessa-T, Bessa-R or Leica.
The R would have meant I'd have had to swap the 50mm-M-Hexanon for an LTM 50. Getting a new Leica was out of the question money-wise..

So I ended up with a Bessa-T, which proved to be a very capable camera..
 
Why not? Incredible value for money. But more money does get you a better camera (ZI or Leica). It just depends on whether the 'better camera' is worth the extra money to you. To some it is: to some, it isn't.

Cheers,

R.
 
i think 'better' is always considered a subjective term...i personally think my bessa t is a better camera than those without a 1.5x vf, but can certainly understand why others could disagree.
 
Because;
a) I wanted a new RF after getting fed up with messing around with old RFs, plus I wanted AE
b) I didn't want to splash out on an M7
c) I had never heard of Rangefinderforum at the time!

Since then I've had 6 years of happy snapping with an R2a and never felt the urge to get a Zeiss Ikon or M7.

I love my R2a, it has everything I need.
 
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