Improving the Voigtlander Bessa R2 � Street photography perspective

mark_salkowitz · January 8, 2003

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Hello Everyone,<o:p>

</o:p>

I have the Bessa R2 and Ultron 35mm F1.7. I

love the camera

and lens combo, especially since I cannot afford a Leica. I consider

my outfit a

�poor man�s Leica�. But even an M7 has some things that I am not

particularly keen on, such as removing the bottom plate to change

film, to

mention something off the top of my head. As much as I love my

Voigtlander, I am

always thinking of how it could be improved. These thoughts are only

further

encouraged by talk of the C/V owner who has produced the Bessa and

lens series

as his �pet-project�.<o:p>

</o:p>

What I thought about was starting a discussion

of what

improvements other people have thought about that would turn their

excellent R2

into a truly great, even legendary, R3. Below are some of the things

I would

change in the idyllic world that exists in my head�<span style="mso-

spacerun:

yes"> Before I begin, I must preempt my list with the

disclosure

that what I do photographically is street photography. Hence, many

of my

�critiques� are slanted or biased toward inconspicuous street

shooting.

Perhaps a better name for the end product of my �changes� would not

be the

R3 but rather the �Street Shooter Special� :)<o:p>

</o:p>

Body:

<li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list:l0 level1 lfo1;tab-

stops:list .5in">Reduce

length by a centimeter or so</li>

<li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list:l0 level1 lfo1;tab-

stops:list .5in">Reduce

height by a centimeters or so</li>

<li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list:l0 level1 lfo1;tab-

stops:list .5in">Add

front grip of some sort (or slight raised rubber as in the back)

without the

added bulk that comes from the grip-attachment</li>

<li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list:l0 level1 lfo1;tab-

stops:list .5in">Rotate

eyelets 90 degrees so that the ringlets lay flat when held back

as opposed

to vertically</li>

<li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list:l0 level1 lfo1;tab-

stops:list .5in">Change

the swing door in the back from plastic to the same metal used

on the top

and bottom plates</li>

<li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list:l0 level1 lfo1;tab-

stops:list .5in">Make

the ISO setting larger or add a magnifying cover to it, its too

small and

hard to see in low light</li>

<li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list:l0 level1 lfo1;tab-

stops:list .5in">Make

the exposure counter larger or likewise add a magnifying cover

to it, it too

is too small to see in low light</li>

<li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list:l0 level1 lfo1;tab-

stops:list .5in">Remove

the red and white combo for the exposure counter, keep it all

white; the red

is hard to see while the white provides more contrast and is

thus easier to

see</li>

<li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list:l0 level1 lfo1;tab-

stops:list .5in">Provide

an eye cup accessory</li>

<li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list:l0 level1 lfo1;tab-

stops:list .5in">Add

an aperture priority shutter setting, not the most important

thing on the

list�</li>

<li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list:l0 level1 lfo1;tab-

stops:list .5in">With

the AE, no on/off switch, simply engage the battery for

metering, like now,

and when AE is selected on the dial if that�s possible</li>

<li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list:l0 level1 lfo1;tab-

stops:list .5in">Weatherproofing,

ok maybe that�s asking too much�</li>

<li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list:l0 level1 lfo1;tab-

stops:list .5in">Beef

up the metering system, it seems a bit indecisive</li>

<li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list:l0 level1 lfo1;tab-

stops:list .5in">Quieter,

quieter, quieter, and than just a little bit quieter. I�m not

saying I

want a cloth shutter, I�m just saying figure out what patent

Konica

infringed upon with their original Hexar and appease the patent

holder�

This is the one thing that I think would distinguish this camera

from just

another Leica copy to a real Leica alternative</li>

</ul>

<o:p>

</o:p>

Viewfinder:

<li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list:l2 level1 lfo2;tab-

stops:list .5in">Decrease

magnification</li>

<li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list:l2 level1 lfo2;tab-

stops:list .5in">Increase

base length, especially with a new 35mm 1.2 in the works</li>

<li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list:l2 level1 lfo2;tab-

stops:list .5in">Current

35mm frame lines are inaccurate, make them larger</li>

<li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list:l2 level1 lfo2;tab-

stops:list .5in">Make

frame lines for 35, 28, and 24 with no overlap or sharing</li>

</ul>

Lens:

<li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list:l1 level1 lfo3;tab-

stops:list .5in">Invert

location of DOF feet markings to meters and likewise change the

feet

markings to white. Ok so I�m a backwards American that does not

like to

use the metric system�</li>

<li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list:l1 level1 lfo3;tab-

stops:list .5in">Square

/ rectangular lens hood. The current one is too short and

subject to flare</li>

<li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list:l1 level1 lfo3;tab-

stops:list .5in">Focus

lever under the lens. Currently there is a screw thread but no

lever to

match or one that fits</li>

<li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list:l1 level1 lfo3;tab-

stops:list .5in">Make

it smaller if possible. I think I�d be willing to give up half a

stop if

it meant a significant reduction is size</li>

</ul>

Of all these changes the ones that are truly

most important

to me would be to make the shutter quieter, it really is too load.

Other than

that, reducing the magnification to allow for 28 frame lines would

be really

nice. There will always be Leica lenses so I can�t complain too much

here

other than for a bigger hood and a focus lever. The latter being

less of an

issue since a cable tie seems to do the trick�<o:p>

</o:p>

I hope to engage some talk of what you would

change on your

R2 outfit to make it a most perfect outfit for you. I really

nitpicked with my

changes but when cost/benefit does not directly influence my bottom

line,

sky�s the limit� If there are other street shooters out there, I

would love

to hear some of your feedback on the changes sighted above or others

that I have

not thought of. For those of you who do nothing of street

photography, tell me

what change I have made that you would not like� Simply, I am

curious about

how others with a similar outfit would improve upon, what we can all

agree is an

already great camera.<o:p>

</o:p>

Mark

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djphoto · January 8, 2003

Mark, try this forum:

http://www.topica.com/lists/CosVoigtUser/read

oliver_s. · January 8, 2003

It would be very hard to make the body smaller, and it's not economical for Cosina. (All Bessas are based on the same body shell and share the majority of their innards with a number of entry-level SLRs.) Also, adding a grip would counter the decrease in size.I use to check film speed on the film cassette via the back door viewing window.I can live without aperture priority. The more so as the Bessa works without batteries. "Beef[ing] up the metering system" would best be done by changing the metering pattern to selective. Well, I suppose an electronic shutter would be quieter...You can't decrease magnification without decreasing the rangefinder's effective base length. I'd rather have a high magnification viewfinder. Adding all the frame lines you suggested would make the viewfinder really cluttered.Remove all feet markings; OK, make a small series with them for the North American market :-)I'm afraid the current Bessas are close to the best compromise in terms of features and cost, especially from the manufacturer's viewpoint.Some weeks ago I committed the heresy of using an EOS for street shooting. It works! People mistake you for the average tourist with some SLR, if they notice you at all; the klk-whrr of modern EOSes isn't loud at all. If you know how to handle the AF, it allows fast focussing on the centre of interest. Oh yes, the Rebel 2k isn't large at all.

bobtodrick · January 8, 2003

Mark, the problem here is the same one Leica has. You've pointed out some interesting 'improvements' for street shooting. I use my Leica for environmental portraiture and if I used the R2 I'd like some of your improvements (I have used the camera for a weekend), but would suggest other changes that would suit me better. I imagine someone shooting landscapes would have other improvements in mind. Unfortunately neither Leica nor Cosina can afford to build custom 'one-offs' for everybody.

al_kaplan1 · January 8, 2003

I bought a Voigtlander 15mm lens shortly after introduction, along with a Bessa L body. It's a fantastic combo. A bit noisy by Leica standards, but the meter works quite well with the ultra wide lens and I have no trouble with the zone focus. What I'd like to see Voigtlander produce would be a Bessa L2 camera with a metal back and perhaps top and bottom, and an M bayonet lens mount so I could use my existing 21 and 35mm lenses on it. As it is I'm always developing partial rolls from the L. With the M bodies I can switch lenses around on bodies to maximize film use on an assignment. Even just offering the body as is with an M mount from the factory for an extra $25 or $50 would be fine.

john_morris4 · January 8, 2003

Al, doesn't a Bessa T do what you want? It's an L with an M mount and more metal bits. And they threw in a rangefinder, too. I think I saw that B&H or Adorama was selling Ts for about $300.

Mark, the Bessa R and R2 have the same eyepiece as a Nikon FM-10, so eyepiece accessories (cups, diopters, magnifiers) that fit the FM-10, N60, N70, or N80 (to name a few) should work.

I agree it would be nice to have a quieter Bessa. I wouldn't mind the shutter noise as much if the film wind didn't make that ratchety clicking sound, which lasts much longer than the shutter noise, and seems completely unnecessary. I used a Leica IIIa for a weekend, and its shutter wasn't any quieter than the Bessa's, but the silent film wind certainly made it seem quieter.

Comparison with the Hexar is a bit unfair, since the Hexar uses a leaf shutter in the lens, and not a large focal plane shutter.

djphoto · January 8, 2003

Rich Pinto at Photo Village is closing out the Bessa T for $200. Think I'll get one myself!

http://www.photovillage.com/html/voigtlander.html

joel_matherson · January 8, 2003

First I would improve paint quality, they simply wear far to easy. Some users have removed paint with sweaty fingers and left finger prints in the paint.

BTW The R2 already has a metal back door. The original R was plastic

paul_. · January 8, 2003

Unfortunately photovillage.com is sold out of the $200 Bessa T.

douglas_green1 · January 8, 2003

And well they should be - I consider it to be a better camera than the Bessa R2. I paid $269 for mine at Delta International, but they claim that they no longer stock it because the price went UP to around $400. I would have bought a 2nd one if I had found this $200 deal before they ran out.

al_kaplan1 · January 8, 2003

Any way you cut it the T is a lot more money than the L. Cosina badged L bodies have been as cheap as $75. Since my 15 spends most of it's life aboard the L I was just day dreaming. If I could get a bayonet mount L I'd also have to spring for another bayonet adapter.

douglas_green1 · January 8, 2003

But the T is a full fledged camera for any lens with the right finder. The L is basically a special purpose body for Super-wides. And at $75 (I paid $80 for mine) it's virtually a no brainer if one buys a Cosina Voigtlander 12mm or 15mm lens, since the LTM-M adapter alone would cost a minimum of $40, you might as well get the entire L body instead and dedicate it to the ultra-wide lens, so as to not have to muck around with swapping finders and mount-adapters.

I use the T as one of my main RF cameras, along with a Minolta CLE. With the Russian Contax-copy 5-Turret finder attached, it's a great body for ~ $300 new. And It LOOKS like something from Mars, and never fails to help me strike up a conversation with potential subjects. I also believe that it is the best-constructed of all the Voigtlander Bessa cameras, since they were highly conscious of build quality, knowing that it was their first M-mount camera and they would be compared directly to present-day Leicas.

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