Will
Well-known
Hello,
Any Bessa II user on RFF? Any recommendation and advices or simply sharing experiences?
Any Bessa II user on RFF? Any recommendation and advices or simply sharing experiences?
mbisc
Silver Halide User
Sure, I got one, and I love it!
I'm not totally familiar with all the versions of it, but mine is a 6x9 folder and has the 4-element Skopar lens. Great lens, and AFAIK the camera was built around 1954.
My recommendation is go out and take some pictures with it, and you will love it, too. Your profile says you are in HK, so my suggestion would be to take a couple of roles of TMax 100 and go to Po Lin to use them up
Any specific questions?
Enjoy!
Mike
I'm not totally familiar with all the versions of it, but mine is a 6x9 folder and has the 4-element Skopar lens. Great lens, and AFAIK the camera was built around 1954.
My recommendation is go out and take some pictures with it, and you will love it, too. Your profile says you are in HK, so my suggestion would be to take a couple of roles of TMax 100 and go to Po Lin to use them up
Any specific questions?
Enjoy!
Mike
Solinar
Analog Preferred
I just got one up and running, an early chrome top Bessa II. The focus gears were totally seized on this one. I must say, it is an interesting 6x9 folder.
I've only run a couple of rolls through the Bessa II and will soup them in Rodinal tonight.
Some observations:
First, I do recommend returning the focus dial back to the infinity position before closing the front platform.
Second, hand held shots under 1/100th of a second are problematic due to the large amount of travel of the left handed shutter release. The Record III shown below on the left and the Perkeo II in the foreground have a much smoother shutter action. The Record III is aided by a soft release button.
I definitely will find or make a bottom bracket that will center the camera on a tripod.
I've only run a couple of rolls through the Bessa II and will soup them in Rodinal tonight.
Some observations:
First, I do recommend returning the focus dial back to the infinity position before closing the front platform.
Second, hand held shots under 1/100th of a second are problematic due to the large amount of travel of the left handed shutter release. The Record III shown below on the left and the Perkeo II in the foreground have a much smoother shutter action. The Record III is aided by a soft release button.
I definitely will find or make a bottom bracket that will center the camera on a tripod.
Abbazz
6x9 and be there!
Nice picture, Solinar. Some day, I'll have to get me one of those Agfa Record III folders...
I just got a Bessa E (Bessa RF in English) the ancestor of the Bessa II. It has a coupled rangefinder but the viewfinder window is separate fron the rangefinder. From an image quality point of view, the Bessa E is the the best camera of my dozen 6x9 folders. Its uncoated Heliar lens is capable of wonderful results in terms of sharpness and OOF rendering. I like my Super Ikontas, but I have to admit that the Opton Tessar lags far behind the Heliar wide open and close up. The sleek design of the Bessa E with its profiled black lacquered cover looks great, even better than the Bessa II IMHO. And it is much cheaper too. You can find a good sample with Heliar lens for around $200. I paid $225 for mine, which has been recently CLA-ed and has a new bellows. A clean Bessa II with Heliar is 3 or 4 time more expensive.
Here are some links:
http://www.cosmonet.org/camera/bessa_e.htm
http://www.collection-appareils.com/voigtlander/html/voigtlander_bessa_rf.php
Cheers,
Abbazz
I just got a Bessa E (Bessa RF in English) the ancestor of the Bessa II. It has a coupled rangefinder but the viewfinder window is separate fron the rangefinder. From an image quality point of view, the Bessa E is the the best camera of my dozen 6x9 folders. Its uncoated Heliar lens is capable of wonderful results in terms of sharpness and OOF rendering. I like my Super Ikontas, but I have to admit that the Opton Tessar lags far behind the Heliar wide open and close up. The sleek design of the Bessa E with its profiled black lacquered cover looks great, even better than the Bessa II IMHO. And it is much cheaper too. You can find a good sample with Heliar lens for around $200. I paid $225 for mine, which has been recently CLA-ed and has a new bellows. A clean Bessa II with Heliar is 3 or 4 time more expensive.
Here are some links:
http://www.cosmonet.org/camera/bessa_e.htm
http://www.collection-appareils.com/voigtlander/html/voigtlander_bessa_rf.php
Cheers,
Abbazz