Bess l or Bessa R with wide lens

fralexis · Aug 27, 2014

I have several larger cameras but I would like one that is good for street shots as well as just plain fun. I have looked seriously at the Bessa L and Bessa R with either the 15/4.5 or the 21/4 Voigtlander lens. I want to be able to focus to near infinity and not have to worry with any further focus on the street. Does anyone have experience with these set ups and recommendations as to which set up would be best? Is the 15 just too wide for general street shooting? The 21 is over $200.00 cheaper. Thanks!

frank · Aug 27, 2014

Hi. I have the 21 and find it plenty wide enough for my street shooting. (I more often use 28mm.) It is wide enough so that zone focusing is no problem. I use it on several different bodies: Leica llla, Leica CL, leica M2, Hexar RF. With external finder of course.

Richard S. (rich815) · Aug 27, 2014

15 and 21 are way too wide for general street shooting IMO. Go 28.

summicron1 · Aug 27, 2014

Obviously, your results may vary, and everyone's experience/preference is different. I don't have a Bessa, but a coupla weeks ago I took my Leica CL out with a Voigtlander 15 and spent the day shooting up a roll.

Every tool has its uses, you just need to leave the other lenses at home and concentrate. You can see my results here:

http://charlestrentelman.blogspot.com/2014/08/one-day-one-roll-of-film-one-lens.html

a sample: 15mm voigtlander, Tri-x pushed to 1600.

fralexis · Aug 27, 2014

summicron1, did you find that there was no focusing...did you set the f stop at 8 or 11 and forget it? Great interesting photos!

Richard S. (rich815) · Aug 27, 2014

I've got that 15 and love it. Also have the Contax G 21, one of the best around. Both have their purposes but if I chose one lens for general street shooting, it would not be either of them. Though either would be great for some subjects and in some street shooting cases...

Richard S. (rich815) · Aug 27, 2014

summicron1 said:
View attachment 93574

Beautiful shot by the way.

Richard S. (rich815) · Aug 27, 2014

fralexis said:
summicron1, did you find that there was no focusing...did you set the f stop at 8 or 11 and forget it? Great interesting photos!

I know you asked summicron1 but just to jump in: I do that with both my 15 and 21, and my 28 too.

summicron1 · Aug 27, 2014

fralexis said:
summicron1, did you find that there was no focusing...did you set the f stop at 8 or 11 and forget it? Great interesting photos!

The lens does not couple to the rangefinder so I zone focus with it -- I am conscious of about where it is, just to make sure it doesn't accidentally get turned to focus at 2 feet or something, but I don't sweat it. You can set the lens at 10 feet at f-8 and pretty much forget it.

I have a 21 that I use on an old Leica with no rangefinder and do the same thing. You can set them at 10 feet and even wide-open, not worry about focusing very much. The bigger consideration for wide angle lenses like this is just finding subjects that work with such a wide angle of view.

ntenny · Aug 27, 2014

I've done a little street-ish shooting with the 21/4 on a Bessa-L (some examples at https://www.flickr.com/search/?w=67439103@N00&q=21%2F4; not the greatest photography ever, but they kind of show the behavior of the lens) and found it to be plenty wide enough for "set and forget" in daylight. At f/11 the hyperfocal distance is something like 2 meters.

Whether wider lenses are good is a matter of taste. The 21mm is about the widest I can use without it turning into a parlor trick, but some people get really nice results with ultrawides.

The Bessae are excellent at the price point, IMHO, but don't have the solidity of the later models. The -R is a fine general-use camera and was my go-to 35mm camera for a while---it's looking for a new home now, but it's because I decided to consolidate on Contax mount, not because of any failing of the camera. The three reasonable complaints about them, I think, are (1) the shutter is pretty loud for a rangefinder; (2) the bodies have a certain amount of "plasticky" feel about them; and (3) the RF base on the R is on the short side. None of those really bothered me, but they do bother some users.

-NT

fralexis · Aug 27, 2014

Many thanks to all who answered. I value you opinions. For my purposes it seems a Bessa body and perhaps a 21. Now I must search for this set up. Anybody have advice on where they might be for sale at a fair price other than the usual major internet outlets?

tony lockerbie · Aug 27, 2014

A Bessa L will serve you well, they are a bit plasticky but still work great. I will throw in a curve ball and recommend the 25mm Snapshot Skopar. This little lens was designed for the type of thing you are contemplating.
The first versions are not rangefinder coupled, later ones are, but they are really designed for rapid shooting at hyperfocals. It even has two indents to make the settings easier. I can't remember the exact distances these click stops are at as mine is packed away in a box due to a house move!
If you google it there will be lots of info on the net and the IQ is really excellent.

Newt_on_Swings · Aug 28, 2014

Do you have the funds for a Bessa R4? For wide angle shooting that built in finder makes it quite versatile and smaller than other cameras that require a accessory finder. And you can always use other lenses (ltm and M) on the camera as well.

Ko.Fe. · Aug 30, 2014

General street? Never meet one
Classic street is done with 28, 35 and 50mm.

hugopoon · Aug 31, 2014

The LTM Snapshot Skopar 25 is a lot of fun. I believe it's only the M mount that's RF-coupled and doesn't have the (really useful) click stops.

Why not get a Bessa T? Gives you more options regarding lenses and accurate focusing, for when you might need it.

Sent from my Nexus 5 using Tapatalk

froyd · Sep 1, 2014

fralexis said:
Many thanks to all who answered. I value you opinions. For my purposes it seems a Bessa body and perhaps a 21. Now I must search for this set up. Anybody have advice on where they might be for sale at a fair price other than the usual major internet outlets?

Try Fred Miranda and Rangefinder Forum. Perhaps GetDpi. For retailers, have you looked at Keh?

Also, sounds like you are having trouble getting the exact sense of the the Dof of a 15 and a 21. This site will help: http://www.dofmaster.com/dofjs.html but make sure you select 35mm as the film size. Even wide open (4.5) the 15mm will be pretty much ( 4' and out) in focus all the time, if you set the focus at 7 feet. By 5.6 you'll be able to cover a close focus of under 3' and go out to infinity with an hyperfocal point at 5.5'. What I'm trying to say is, it's fool poof .

The 21 is also extremely generous with DOF, but wide open and up-close. I prefer using it with zone focus: at 5.6, a turn of the focus tab to the left cover the really up-cose and personal stuff with 3' feet or so of DOF, and a quick flick to the right gets me anything in the 4' to further-than-I-care-to-record-on-film range. If I really needed EVERYTHING in somewhat acceptable focus, f11 would do the trick, with the sharpest focus being at 6' and the Dof covering under 3' to infinity.

fralexis · Sep 4, 2014

Thanks for the advice. I took the suggestion of a couple of you and bought the Bessa L and the 25/4 snapshot. I did some tests last evening and I must say even generic throw away shots are spectacularly sharp. I can't wait to take some real photos today and print them tomorrow. FYI I bought the Bessa from a private seller on ebay and it was in perfect, unused condition. I bought the lens from KEH. I have a feeling this set I will not sell down the road. It is really fun. I shot HP5 pushed to 1600 indoors in grocery stores and restaurants. There is some grain, but I don't mind grain. And, as I have read, the shutter really is loud. That doesn't bother me, but I can see situations where I would have to be careful with that. Thanks again!

Alexis

Richard S. (rich815) · Sep 4, 2014

Congrats and enjoy. Share some images later please!

fralexis · Sep 6, 2014

Thanks for all the advice. I have now shot two rolls and am very pleased with the results. My big problem is that I print photos in my darkroom and they look great. When I try to scan the negatives, they are very lackluster. Therefore, until I can get that technique worked out, it will be difficult to upload examples. If any one knows magic in this regard I would appreciate your advice.

ntenny · Sep 7, 2014

fralexis said:
Thanks for all the advice. I have now shot two rolls and am very pleased with the results. My big problem is that I print photos in my darkroom and they look great. When I try to scan the negatives, they are very lackluster. Therefore, until I can get that technique worked out, it will be difficult to upload examples. If any one knows magic in this regard I would appreciate your advice.

Why not scan the prints instead?

-NT

Bess l or Bessa R with wide lens

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