Without Comparing them to Leica, What is Your Experience with the Bessa Rangefinders?

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Kumachrome

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Hi everyone, wanted to know your own personal experiences with the Bessa rangefinders. I'm thinking about getting one. I'm considering the Bessa R, R2, R2A/M, etc. I've owned two Leicas in the past but the Leica magic has kind of worn off of me, but I do love rangefinders. So, without comparing the Bessas to a Leica (because the Bessas AREN'T Leicas, nor trying to be) what is your experience with them? Do you still have one? Did it ever break? Is it prone to certain mechanical failures? What do you use it for?
Thanks!
 
I have an R2 and have used it for years. Mine has the bottom lever winder on it and that's been the only problem. When I'm in a hurry and pull it too quickly after firing the shutter, it tends to overlap frames slightly. Other than that, it's an excellent camera; the manually selected frames are good and the viewfinder is bright. I do like the fact that two of the frames - I don't have the camera in front of me so I don't remember which ones - are the only ones in the finder so I don't have to deal with pairs of frames. The higher flash synch is also helpful at times.
 
My experience with my R is good. Not much bigger than my IIIf, and the R has a meter. I have been using it for ten years and still have film in it now. It has never broken, but I am very careful advancing film and not forcing it at the end of a roll. It is my daily 35mm user. I find the rangefinder very good and I get more in focus shots than with SLRs. My eyes are getting old so the rangefinder really helps.

The last roll I shot had something that looked like a light leak on 2 frames. I'm hoping this isn't my first problem. We will see.

If I were buying a Bessa now, even though I have LTM lenses, I would get the R2A. It is so nice to set the shutter on 'A' and shoot.
 
I found the rangefinder a bit delicate - prone to going out of whack and needing recalibration if the camera wasn't mollycoddled. Didn't like the knocks and vibration when travelling off-road in trucks, for example.
 
I just didn't like using my R3A. The meter read outs were hard to see unless your eye was perfectly placed, the rewind knob design seemed unnecessarily complicated and delicate, the shutter just felt clanky.
I actually did like that I had to set the frame lines manually. Because this meant I could use any ltm-m mount converter as it didn't matter as there was no auto indexing. I heard the RF mechanism was very delicate and easily knocked out, but mine was fine. Then again I baby my gear.

I tried it out of curiosity, used it, happily sold it on. It just made me wish I was using something else.
 
I have used the Bessa R, R2, and Bessa T extensively over a dozen years or so. They have been excellent shooters and very reliable. They are among my favorite cameras to shoot with. I don't think twice about taking them anywhere. The meters are very rudimentary compared to, say, a modern Nikon matrix meter. I think for this reason I personally would avoid the R2A and R3A. I had an R3A for a bit - it was well used - very worn actually - and it jammed once or twice. I returned it. I wear glasses and I found the 40mm frame lines - and the meter readout very difficult to see.

The lenses are great. I have mostly Voigtlander LTM lenses (I own several Leica LTM cameras) and they are a fantastic value. My lone M-mount lens is a CV 40/1.4 - again, a wonderful lens that seems to work fine with the 35mm frame lines on my R2. (I have a tendency to frame very loosely - the 40mm counteracts that!)
 
Bessa R and R2A experience. The R was crap, but already came with issues with rf alignment, which I tried to fix, however, previous owners had glued the adjustment screws, so I left it and got rid of it. R2A was as close as I could get to a great usable camera. It worked well, no issues. Felt much better designed than the R, minus the form factor I actually preferred on the R. Rubber grips eventually started to come off though.
Out of the whole rf experience I've had, the Minolta CLE was the ultimate bestest.
 
Bessa T and Bessa R2 myself. For Bessa T, I really like its size. For R2, viewfinder is one of the brightness I ever seen. Pretty reliable lightmeters, pretty wel made. No issues so far.

I used them even when I felt uncomfortable bringing my Leicas. Some people get bothered by the shutter noise, but I don't have a problem with that myself. If I want a silent shutter, I use a blade shutter camera, like a Rolleiflex, Yashica or if I need 35mm, a Solinette or Voigtländer Vitessa T or L.

Also, they come in green which I like :)

Best regards

Marcelo
 
being that the bessa cameras are inferior in just about every way to leica with the exception of price maybe.

They still hold up well. I've never had a bessa but I did have an RD1 for a while and it felt solid. Rangefinder was nice but still had the same flaw that bessas and ikons have. You have to have your eye perfectly centered within the frame in order to see the rangefinder patch accurately. Leica's don't have this problem is they are in perfect working order.

Shutter sound on the RD1 was actually better than the M8. No automatic recocking sound, more solid but higher pitched click and the shutter release being mechanical felt better.

Just my observations. But on film the leica shutters blew the bessa ones out of the water for sound. For reliability...
 
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Loved my R2A...until it got stolen. Very light weight, so easier on my neck than the other camera you asked us not to use a meter of comparison. I had the black paint version that seemed to wear very well in the 3 years I owned it. The viewfinder's size and brightness was a revelation, coming from SLRs. Really top notch and I never experienced the RF patch being misaligned.

I do agree that the rewind crank felt flimsy, but I do prefer it over the slanted M4-style rewind. My favorite solution here is the Ikon's rewind.

Losing the R2A led me on a Contax G > Zeiss Ikon > Leica M4 journey. I still haev the Leica and the Contax, but to the testament of the quality of the Bessa, the Ikon was sold because in the end I did not find it much better in use than the R2A.
 
I currently own and use C-V Bessa R and L models.
They are well thought out, well-made and easy to use.
Both have worked flawlessly in normal amateur use.

I wish Kobayashi-san was still making film cameras.

Chris
 
I had the Bessa T but could not get used to the separate RF and VF.

I had the Bessa L, which was fun as a P&S for wide angle lenses (just slap on your favorite WA lens and matching external viewfinder and off you go. I used a CV 15mm).

I had the Bessa R4M, which was nice for wide angle lenses, especially 21mm and 25mm.

I had the Bessa R3A, which was nice for its 1:1 magnification.

In the end, I sold all of them, bought a Zeiss ZI and never looked back. If I were to get another Bessa, it would be the R4A/M to use with a 21mm and 25mm.
 
Used the Epson RD1 for over a decade. Loved the ergonomics, which I assume are very similar to the Bessa Rs.
 
I had numerous Leica LTM, M film rangefinders and I had L, R, T.

R was my first not-FSU rangefinder. It was great step forward from FED-2, Keiv-4AM and Zorki. And from crapped out XA. It was cute, little camera. Feels simple and nice.
It was mint on purchase I used for couple of years issues free. It became trashed on exterior (due to paint over plastic and rubber) and shutter blades were also showing some worn. Sold it for twice less on RFF.

L has very loud and jamming shutter. Was also purchased as mint.

T was LNIB and on second roll VF holder became loose. Googled it and it was known issue and how to fix it.

Now I have R2M simply as backup for M4-2. This R2M was purchased new.
It needs to have half-case to avoid exterior to be worn out. With half-case it is even more tall. It has annoying tendency to turn around and have lens up to the sky, strap lugs are simply in the wrong place, if you like small and medium RF lenses. But should be great with big lenses and external viewfinders.
Speed dial is rough and film advance is just like in cheap SLRs.
And then you google why frames spacing is uneven it brings RFF thread with how gente you need to be on advancing.
Rewind back is not so easy, if you lose it, it rewinds film back.
Loading film is not just drop in, close and rewind.
Exposure meter is finicky, you need to guess it and have shutter speed, aperture close.
If it not close - exposure meter just keeps flashing.
For some reason some of my LTM to M adapters then in R2M lens mount are loose comparing to another cameras.
It is great with fast lenses, wide open and on sunny day. No clothes to burn.
After getting familiar with it you are realising what it is Cosina made SLR (economy, entry level) with RF added to it.
 
picked an LTM model with lenses up for sale six or seven years ago. I sold it on quickly, the plastic feel of it didn't entice me to keep and use it. The viewfinder was nice to look through but it still went out the door asap
 
I had the Bessa R and sold it. Nice camera, bright vf, but loud shutter and felt a little flimsy.

I had the Bessa R3A and sold it. Mine was one of the ones that had rf alignment issues, and it was difficult to fix. Also, the 40mm framelines were hard to see for someone like me who wears glasses. The camera otherwise felt very solid and the metering in A mode was excellent.

I have the Bessa T and love it. I've had this camera now for almost ten years. It's like a Barnack with mod cons. A great vacation travel and second camera body.

I have the Bessa R2A and love it. I bought this new, just after the announcement that production would cease. I think of it as a poor man's M7. The A priority mode is very good, the camera feels solid w/out being overly heavy, and I have had no rf alignment issues. It's also really nice to have a camera body with dedicated 75mm framelines.
 
I've owned an R2, had it for about a year and then sold it as I found the shutter fairly loud. I also later picked up a R2s and have been prety happy with it over using my Nikon S3 as they are just about as loud and R2s has a meter.
 
Kumachrome said:
without comparing the Bessas to a Leica (because the Bessas AREN'T Leicas, nor trying to be) what is your experience with them?
Click to expand...

I don't have a Leica (never even handled one) so I can easily avoid making a comparison! However, I have owned a Bessa R for about a year and a half, and I find it excellent, in use. I haven't had any problems with it, although I should mention that I don't use it a great deal - not because I don't like it, but because I have so many other cameras also demanding to be used. ;):rolleyes:

The Bessa R is, IMO, a rather pleasing camera to use. I can't explain this........ it just is. :)
 
I sometimes think of getting an R4A or an R4M. I like wide angle lenses, and it would be nice to shoot with the built-in wide angle finder.
 
Yes, the R4A/R4M is unique in the RF world, as are several other Bessas... :) Cosina has had a very good run with these.
 
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