Voigtlander Perkeo VS Bessa?

[steven_e007]

Just curious.

I've just won a perkeo on eBay and have a few quid riding on a Bessa 66.

I haven't got my hands on either Voigtlander camera before and the perkeo hasn't arrived yet.

I just wondered what the difference was?

Both cameras start at the bottom with simple lenses and shutters and go up through the range from Voigtgar to Vaskar to Skopar to Colour Skopar...

Both can have viewfinder variants at the top end (I think...)

The general layout and body design looks much the same. Take a Perkeo and a Bessa with the same film format size off 6 X 6 and the same lens / shutter combo and the eBay description and photographs would be almost indistinguishable.

Just wondered if anyone knew was defines a Perkeo as oppossed to a Bessa?
Is there some feature(s) I don't know about?

Thanks.

 

[Schlapp]

I have a Perkeo/Vaskar and love it. Great little camera and lens combo. As for the Bessa, no idea

 

[DWThomas]

I have a Perkeo II with the Color Skopar that I got from Certo6 last year. I have a lot of fun with it. It won't crowd the Bronica SQ-A out of the ultimately super serious work, but it does a creditable job, and is way less to cart around.

According to the camera database portion of PBase (whose accuracy I'm not 100% sure of), the Bessa 66 was made from 1930 to 1940 and the Perkeo models are in the 1950s, so it may be mostly just age and names. It might be unusual to find a coated lens before the mid-1940s though?

{edit} Hmm, more impressive sounding Bessa info on Camerapedia: Bessa 66

They don't have any info on the Perkeo. I notice the Bessa is "left handed," with the shutter tripped by a lever out of the door, like its big brothers, whereas the Perkeo is "right handed," operated by a button on the top. Not sure how that might affect your life.


DaveT

 

[steven_e007]

I notice the Bessa is "left handed," with the shutter tripped by a lever out of the door, like its big brothers, whereas the Perkeo is "right handed," operated by a button on the top. Not sure how that might affect your life.


DaveT

Yes, you are right. I never noticed that before, despite looking at the pics! The Bessa opens on the left, the Perkeo on the right...

Well, that's one difference!

I've got the excellent book by Ivor Matanle 'Classic Cameras' in which he says the Bessa was also produced after the war, alongside the Perkeo.

Oops... guess what? I've just googled for Bessa images to see if I noticed any other differences. The first image I found was of a Bessa that opened right handed and had a body release!!!!
AAARRRGGGHHHH!!!!!

http://www.manuals2go.com/manuals/voigtlander_bessa_one.jpg

 

[DWThomas]

Hmmm -- the Bessa I is a 6x9 cm format, but I'm thinking the just plain Bessa and Bessa II were 6x9s with left hand trigger, so it looks like it's really tough to sort all this stuff out. And it all came and mostly went pre-Internet, so it's not like "what's the difference between a 30D and a 40D" where you can learn more than you wanted to know (and probably still get conflicting information). I found free manuals for the Perkeo easily on the web, but none for the II. Finally through ePrey I got a CD ROM with scanned manuals for a whole slew of classic cameras that had it. I tediously spent way too much time extracting the one manual and printing it double-sided to stitch together almost like it came with the camera. So now I at least know how Voigtländer thought it worked.

Anyway, have fun with your new acquisitions.

DaveT

 

[Anastigmatic]

Steven, there are a lot of different model Bessa's. they began in the 1920's and were Voigtlanders first 'self erecting' roll film camera, over the years naturally they made changes, so their appearance and features changed somewhat.

the Bessa 66 (66 stands for 6x6 format.) they were also called baby bessa, because previous bessa's were all 6x9 format. the baby bessa (or Bessa 66) is most often found in two different variants, the base model with pop up frame finder, Prontor II shutter and Voigtar lens (their entry level lens). The other model has the optical finder and came with a wider choice of lenses, Voigtar, Scopar or Heliar, it also had the better Compur Rapid shutter..It came in three versions, basically it was the film counter that was different. by the last model the film counter was fully auto.

As you noticed the shutter trigger is on the front door/bed, just the same as the big Bessa's, some people dont like the shutter there but others do, i find it very easy to use depending on what year and model Bessa it is on, the early ones arnt quite as smooth as the late model Bessa's, there is a difference in the build and quality of the components in the base model Bessa's (6x9)trigger compared to the rangefinder model Bessa

the shutter on the Bessa 66 with the auto film counter system is not the best of the Bessa's (it is probably the worst). with this camera the shutter as it depressed also has to operate the system for the film counter which makes the camera trigger not as smooth and more prone to camera shake.

the Perkeo's come in 3 different models, the Perkeo I is most often found with Color Vaskar lens (the C/Vaskar replaced the Voigtar) but occasionaly found with C/Scopar. the perkeo II (much more common with c/scopar and 1/500 shutter now) now has the film counter (like perkeo I) and double exposure prevention. the perkeo 3 (E) is scarce but fwiw it has a built in rangefinder

if you had to choose between Perkeo I or II and Bessa 66, then the Perkeo is much nicer (more so with c/Scopar and synchro compur shutter--very sweet camera then) to use and gives better results. Only reason i would choose the Bessa 66 is if i was wanting the Heliar lens (not available on perkeo) or liked the built in yellow filters they have (for b&w), otherwise the Perkeo is much smoother, smaller, more functional and better quality design and results.

the Bessa I is Voigtlander's post war 6x9 camera, made at the time as the Perkeo and with simular features and lens options but otherwise not to be confused with each other or the Bessa 66

 

[JPD]

And there's also the Bessa 46.

And the first Perkeo 3x4 cm.

"Perkeo" was the nickname for a dwarf at the royal court of Karl III. Philipp von der Pfalz in the mid 1700's. One thing led to another, and...