Which Bessa?

[burrago]

<p>I don't know if I have chosen the correct forum here as this is my first post. I guess somebody will point me in the right direction.<br>

This could get a bit involved. I am looking at buying a Bessa and my first line of interest was a Bessa R - for no other reason than it was the first one I happened to read about when I started this. Price was also a factor. The more I looked the more confused I became.<br>

I have a few lenses which I may be able to utilise. A Voigtlander Color Ultron 50 f1.8 on a Voigtlander VSL 3-E.<br>

Three or four Nikkors , a 35 f2.8 , a couple of 50mm in f2.0 and a 50 f1.4 . These are on my Nikon F, F2 and Nikkormat.<br>

I have a couple of Super Takumars in 50 and 135mm<br>

A Rokkor MC 50mm f1.4 <br>

If it was possible I would prefer to utilise the Nikkors because of the selection I have. Which of the above lenses could I use? Which Bessa would best suit them ?<br>

What is involved in adapting them to a Bessa?<br>

Said it could get involved. I would appreciate any help thanks.<br>

Alan.</p>

<p> </p>

[SCL]

<p>The Bessa line bodies have either a Leica screw mount or Leica M mount. If your lenses are not in those mounts, you basically cannot effectively use them with these cameras. That is a qualified answer in that you may find adapters to use other lenses on the Leica M or screwmount bodies, BUT, the rangefinders will not be coupled...so you will only be able to focus by estimating the distance to your subject and dialing it in on your lens, going on the assumption that your lens distance ring is accurate and your capabiities of judging distances are accurate. Unless you significantly stop down those lenses so that you are certain your subject is within the depth of field, you will have a lot of poorly focussed shots. I speak from experience in that my first 35mm camera in the 1950s did not have a rangefinder nor a coupled lens...I quickly moved on to one with a rangefinder and coupled lens and my keepers jumped dramatically...lesson learned! If you choose to go the route of using adapters for your lenses to the Bessas, understand that basically you will have significantly greater success with wide angle lenses than normal focal length lenses, due to the increased DOF.</p>

[aplumpton]

<p>Provided it is possible to find 4 or 5 adapters for the several mounts you have, and that is not at all certain, you will have the problem mentioned by Stephen. The SLR optics and a rangefinder camera are not really compatible.</p>

<p>For the price of the adaptors and the cost of reduced functionality it would be better for you to sell some of your varied lenses that you need less and buy a Bessa R or later version of it, if you are interested in the rangefinder type of photography. You could then put your money into a few new or lightly used Voigtlander optics made for the Bessa models. Much less hassle and a likely much better combination of lens and body.</p>

[frederick_muller]

<p>VC produced a reflex camera called the Bessaflex in Pentax screw mount. This is now discontinued but might be found somewhere:</p>

<p>http://www.cameraquest.com/voigtFlexTM.htm</p>

<p>You might be able to use your Pentax lenses on this model if they are screw mount, or otherwise adapt others, though this is not certain.</p>

<p>Frankly, none of your lenses are easily adapted to the Leica screw or M mounts. The only SLR lenses I have ever adapted to Leica M mount are 24mm and 20mm wide-angle nikkors and this isn't really necessary because VC and Leica wides are so good and much more compact;</p>

<p>Your best bet is to go for a Bessa R2 or R2M in Leica M mount with one of the many excellent M-Mount 35, 40, or 50mm lenses. It sounds like you want to get into rangefinder photography, and the most satisfying way to do that is with a (relatively) low-cost plunge, for which the Bessa R2 would be an excellent choice. You won't get the same experience adapting SLR lenses to this platform, so go with an M lens. Good luck.</p>

<p> </p>

[frederick_muller]

<p>Btw there is also an adapter to mount Pentax-K mount lenses on an M body. But once again, you will find it's only useful for very wide angle lenses that you don't seem to have.</p>

[burrago]

<p>Thanks very much for the three responses. I have the answers that I think I was expecting.<br>

So would an" R" or one of the "R" versions be the way to go. I don't need anything that needs a lot of fiddling with to get a photo. I have an Electro 35 and a couple of Hi-Matics which I really enjoy using for their simplicity. The "R" would probably suit me as it seems to be similarly easy to use. It would be used mostly around cities and now and then for landscapes and people. <br>

With this in mind which mount should I go for and what length lens would be ideal? I like 35mm lenses on my SLRs around the city.<br>

Thanks again for the help.<br>

Alan. </p>

<p> </p>

[frederick_muller]

<p>Bessa R2 and 35mm lens</p>

[james_elwing]

<p>I am sure there are adaptors for all these SLR lenses to screw or bayonet Rangefinder mounts, but you could only really use those of 35mm or shorter focal length as they can be focused more accurately without a rangefinder, the wider the better. (have a look at map camera.com some of these Japanese companies have adaptors for everything)<br>

The new Leica M is the only one with the addition of live view, therefore the only one which could focus all those lenses. It is a bit expensive. Not practical, Im afraid.<br>

So second hand Leica / Canon or Voigtlander RF lenses are the best inexpensive option for film RF cameras. Not completely true, but mostly true.</p>

<p> </p>

[Alex_Es]

<p>Go mirrorless Alan. You can get adapters for all your lenses.</p>

[Lou_Meluso]

<p>I have the black Bessa R. I shot with Canon rangefinders for years and all my Canon LTM mount lenses work very well with it. It is quite light weight, that some feel is cheap feeling. I disagree and think the weight is a real feature. The bright finder and TTL meter are GREAT and, along with the featherweight, are the main reasons I got the camera. No exposure automation, however, which suits me but not everyone. It's the lowest price Bessa to boot.</p>

<p>LTM lenses are often found for less $$ than Leica M mount lenses. My favorite is the black, Canon 35mm f/2 which, admittedly, is at the higher end of the cost spectrum. The Canon LTM 50mm f/1.4 is an absolute GEM, but also at the upper price level but far less than Leica M equivalents. The older Canon 35mm f/2.8 and 50mm f/1.9 are quite good and reasonably priced as is the remarkable black barreled Canon LTM 100mm f/3.5. The 90mm framing lines on the Bessa work well enough for this focal length. </p>

 

[burrago]

<p>You people are a wealth of information! many thanks to you all.<br>

Louis, you may have put me on to something. I don't necessarily have to use the lenses that I have. They are all on cameras in my collection and get used regularly and I thought I may have been able to use them. In all honesty (if you have seen my photos) the best lens in the world will not make much difference to them. I take the photo, the camera just records it.<br>

Alan. <br>

</p>

[frederick_muller]

<p>I'll second Louis' remarks on the lenses. In fact, the Canon lenses, especially the 35mm f2 and 50mm f1.4 are SO good I often prefer them to Leica glass. They're not better in terms of clinical sharpness, but they are comparably sharp ... and have unique signatures that create great images.</p>

<p>I still encourage you to get the R2, though ... it may not be much more expensive than an R, and has the M mount in case you want to expand your lens set later. The screw mount lenses can be used on the R2 with inexpensive adapters.</p>

[frederick_muller]

<p>"In all honesty (if you have seen my photos) the best lens in the world will not make much difference to them. I take the photo, the camera just records it."</p>

<p>I digress, but that's a great statement. Leica's practically doubling the prices of their lenses over small improvements that would never be detected in practical shooting situations. </p>

[Uhooru]

<p>Or you could get the original, inexpensive CV Bessa R and the 35mm CV screw mount lens for not a lot of money relative to most other solutions and have a nice little walk around street kit for shooting film.</p>

[burrago]

<p>Whilst we are on the subject of the Bessa R - I have read a few articles where mention was made of the back film door becoming sticky with age. Is there anything that can be done to correct this apart from a new film door? I have a Nikon F70 which is the same.<br>

Again, thanks to everybody who contributed to this post re. the Bessa.</p>

 

[frederick_muller]

<p>Try 3-in-1.</p>

[ericd]

<p>I had an issue with sticky rubber on a Minolta Dynax 7 (Maxxum 7).<br />I cured it with toilet milk for babies.</p>