For Sale FS: Bessa RF with Skopar lens; needs help

[jhw]

Lots wrong with this one - which I'll go into below - but what's good is: lens and shutter are sweet, been recently serviced and CLA'd, and bellows are light-tight and been treated.

But...lots of things wrong here:
- the button that switches the viewfinder view from 6x9 to 6x 4.5 is jammed
- the body must have been dropped in water at some point, as there are pits and rough spots on all metal (except the shutter...which I took off another Bessa)
- focus doesn't work...you'll need to pop the top and reset the mirrors. Mirrors have lost silver all around the outside edges, but do leave a center area with silver.
- back is very hard to open; again, due to rough metal on the catch
- no blocking for the red windows
- focus track is rough, not smooth at all

So, heck, $70 including shipping?

 

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[Brian Legge]

Thats an awesome offer. I expect someone will pounce on this quickly.

 

[jhw]

$60 & free shipping, straight to your doorstep, is a body-challenged, lens-happy RF just looking for a little work under the hood...

 

[jhw]

$45 and a roll of film and it's yours...shipping free

 

[domaz]

PM Sent

 

[Argenticien]

But...lots of things wrong here:
- the button that switches the viewfinder view from 6x9 to 6x 4.5 is jammed

JHW (or your buyer, now that you look to have one), I'm not sure it's jammed. The Thing (scientifically speaking) that switches the viewfinder looks like it should be a button that depresses (like the one that unfolds the camera), but on my copy at least, it is not. It is a post that only rotates. It is very fiddly and is best turned with a fingernail in the small ridges atop it. Try that. If you've got corrosion all over this unit, you might need to try something more frictionful to get it unstuck initially. Perhaps cut a small (1 cm) square out of a very wide rubber-band, then press down and turn with that. You didn't mention whether the camera still has the film gate mask for 6x4.5; if not, you don't need this VF mask to work anyway!

- no blocking for the red windows

This could also be "working as designed." Mine (which is pre-war) has no little sliding metal covers or other provision, and there is no evidence that there ever were any. Apparently the slow film at the time didn't care. Numerous ways to manage this are all over the forums. I used stick-on Velcro. It's not sexy but it works and allows me to open & close coverage of the 6x9 window. (I have the 6x4.5 window covered all the time since I also lack the film gate mask.)

Hope this helps! Maybe two fewer things to fix...
--Dave

 

[jhw]

Argen - thanks for the tips; it's not that corroded, so I think you're input might do the trick...much appreciated.
sale pending...PM's for those in line if initial buyer falls through.
Thanks all!
john

 

[jhw]

sold
thnx