[Leica] First Impressions of My New Bessa L

["Robert E. Woods" <woorob@email.msn.com>]

After reading so much favorable commentary about the Voigtlander Bessa L, I
decided to get one for myself, in silver finish with the 15mm Heliar lens.
It arrived today.  Here are my first impressions:

The lens and finder appear really well constructed.  The finder is bright
and clear.  The lens focuses smoothly, and the f stops change easily but
with a nice detent.

The camera body is a bit smaller than an M6.  It seems nicely finished, but
would definitely feel better if the back were covered with leatherette or
similar covering.  There are metal rings on the strap lugs which are sure to
scratch.

The film advance feels rather cheap and the shutter is louder than I
expected.  My guess is that the shutter/advance mechanism is from a
budget-priced SLR.  The ASA is set by rotating a wheel located under the
film rewind crank.  There is no provision for locking this in place.

Three  LEDs situated just below and to the left of the finder serve as meter
readouts.  This is quite clever, because you can easily see the LEDs while
looking through the finder.

The camera's interior seems reasonably well finished but certainly not up to
Leica standards.

All in all, I am pleased.  The lens and finder have a real quality feel to
them.  The body, on the other hand, seems cruder but adequate.

I think it's a real shame Leica didn't think this up.  Voigtlander could
have become their least expensive brand (like Ford and Jaguar), stimulating
sales and creating demand for the more expensive line.  As it is, I think
the Voigtlander line will help Leica by regenerating interest in this type
of camera.

Now to shoot some pictures (on Kodachrome, of course!).

Bob Woods
St. Paul, Minnesota