Maybe a Bessa L?

[Sewin]

Hi All,

I've sold a couple of cameras and will probably clear out a couple more and I quite fancy a Bessa L.

For some reason I now seem to struggle focusing SLR's,even the split screens, must be an age thing and I'm left eye dominant.

Even having a bit of trouble with my old rangefinders in the "wrong" light.

So zone focusing and a Helios or turret viewfinder is not too much of a problem, it's what I was brought up on before SLR's came my way and I like to keep things simple and bright in the viewfinder.

I've a few Industar and Jupiter lenses, not wide angle, just wondering if they will perform ok and not interfere with anything inside.

Is there anything I need to watch out for apart from jamming the shutter and would you recommend the L.

Thanks all.

 

[Gerald C Koch]

I have two Bessa L cameras. They really are intended for wide-angle lenses. To get adequate DOF for guess focusing you really need a 35mm or wider lens. Remember you will need a viewfinder for each focal length. I got a Russian made 35 mm one for $20.

 

[ruby.monkey]

Try one with a Voigtlander 25mm f/4 Snapshot-Skopar. With a little practice it makes a really fast and fun combination.

 

[frank]

Try one with a Voigtlander 25mm f/4 Snapshot-Skopar. With a little practice it makes a really fast and fun combination.

Yes, especially with the focus detents that lens has. Perfect combo.

 

[blockend]

Using a Bessa L and a 50mm lens is no different from the numerous viewfinder, point and shoot, folding and box cameras over the years. Zone focus, pick an appropriate shutter speed and fire away. It's as fast as any way of photographing.

 

[Ko.Fe.]

It will do the job with FSU 50mm LTM.

But I recommend matching LTM CV CS 35 2.5. More DOF for scale focusing. Not very expensive lens in LTM.

J-12 was blocking light meter on my L.

 

[Sewin]

Thanks All,

I've a Jupiter 8 plus a couple of Industars, perhaps the Jupiter will clash with something then.

But as said above the Soviet lenses and viewfinders are not too expensive.

I assume the original concept of the camera on its late release in the film market was for it to be used with extra wide lenses and sometimes not even with a viewfinder, as a sophisticated upmarket camera, for quick use by the more serious user.

 

[ruby.monkey]

A Jupiter-12 might be iffy on Cosina-Voigtlander bodies due to the deeply-intruding rear element, but a Jupiter-8 should mount safely. Whether or not the flange focal distances will match is another matter.

The Bessa L was originally intended as a cheapish-but-capable mount for Cosina's 12mm f/5.6 and 15mm f/4.5 screw-mount lenses with their matching viewfinders, where r/f focussing is pretty much unnecessary. Having said that, I prefer the Bessa T which is not much more expensive, offers the same low profile, and adds a coupled rangefinder to the mix. YMMV.

 

[gone]

I bought one once just because it was the cheapest camera I could find to screw my Summar lens onto. Mounted a cheapo Tele Wide finder from a Yashica camera just to know where to point the thing and scale focused it. Worked great. Later I bought a Bessa R, which I thought was the perfect camera for the Summar. These cameras have a plastic feel to them, but work fine.

One of my eyes (the one I shoot with) is quite a bit weaker than the other, so I have been using the good eye lately to focus with. It's really easy to train yourself to use your other eye, if that's what is affecting your focus. At first it feels odd, but not for long.

 

[blockend]

The Bessa L was originally intended as a cheapish-but-capable mount for Cosina's 12mm f/5.6 and 15mm f/4.5 screw-mount lenses with their matching viewfinders, where r/f focussing is pretty much unnecessary. Having said that, I prefer the Bessa T which is not much more expensive, offers the same low profile, and adds a coupled rangefinder to the mix. YMMV.

A Bessa L in excellent condition can be had for £60-70, a T runs over £200 in similar nick, often well over. Neither are bank breaking numbers compared to modern rangefinders, or even fancy P&S's. Bessas are built like other consumer cameras of their era, they're no Leica but sturdy enough, light and compact. The most common flaw is a delicate advance if not fully wound across, and re-wind can be fiddly depending which finder it carries. I like the top mounted meter but others might prefer something in the viewfinder.

Dedicated finders can be expensive. I looked in vain for a shoe mounted sportsfinder, which would be an ideal accompaniment to the Bessa L, and settled on a Kontur which matches the Industar focal length. I think they're too hardcore for most photographers, but if you're a zone focuser who wants speed above all things the L is a steal. Curiously, of my various film and digital cameras the hit rate from the Bessa L is highest, and FWIW, gets the most Explores.

 

[Sewin]

Thanks all.