C/V 35mm Bessas - How are they holding up?

[horacekenneth]

So it's been a while since Cosina Voigtlander upgraded their plastic Bessa R model and introduced various metal frame rangefinders. It seems like the biggest con people bring up is the build quality but the most recent thread I can find mentioning that is a few years old. So how are they holding up?

 

[Xmas]

The bodies and lenses are very reliable.
The RD/1's can take out their PCB fuse fatally but are holding up their value very well for a dcam.

 

[Gerald C Koch]

I have 3 and have never had any problems.

 

[mnemosyne]

I owned a R2A and a R3A and used them both for about 3 years and would say there is nothing wrong with the build quality or reliability. If you are concerned about what happens to the camera in the long term, the biggest question mark for me would be lack of service/repair for these cameras in general. In the US there is at least Stephen Gandy (cameraquest) who repairs/services the camera he sells (he will not work on cameras not purchased through him, IIRC), but in my country the only option is to send the camera to the importer who will send it around half the world to Cosina in Japan.

 

[Ko.Fe.]

Same where I'm, no local service and nobody on the continent to support it. No spare parts available to buy, no service manuals.
This is why after R and L I went with M4-2 and it is opposite in terms of service. I could also use my goggled Summar and collapsible lenses on it as well as CV lenses.

 

[Terry Christian]

All the R models above the original R are solid magnesium-alloy bodies, not plastic. I have the R2 and it's built as well as any modern SLR/DSLR. I use it as a poor man's M6.