[Leica] Bessa R - Part II

[TTAbrahams@aol.com]

I have now had my Bessa-R for a couple of weeks and I thought it would be a 
good time to give a further "user" report on it. Other tasks has kept me busy 
so I have only had a chance too shoot about 30-35 rolls with it, mainly with 
the 35/2,5, but also with the 50/1,5 Nokton and the 75/2,5 as well as with a 
50/2 Summar and a couple of Canon RF lenses (50/1,4 and 35/2 and 35/2,8).
 The more I use it, the more impressed I am with things like the finder, 
bright, snappy and very easy to see. I have gotten used to the fact that the 
rangefinder patch is easy to loose, unless your eye is centered in the 
finder. The 35 frames leaves plenty of room around it for judging what is 
going on and what is heading into the frame. I tried my 28/2,8 Ricoh on it 
and even without aux. Finder I could frame quite well. No rangefinder is 100% 
perfect for exact framing anyway and I rather have more on the neg. than in 
the finder. You can crop, but it is difficult to add to the image.
 The meter is remarkably precise, as good as the one in the M6 TTL's and, 
although the LED's are bright I have gotten used to them. The switch-able 
frames are easy to use, although one has to check that they are in the right 
setting after someone else has played with the camera!
 The filmadvance still has a "ratchy" sound to it - not a Leica smoothness, 
although it has quieted down a bit after the 30 or so rolls. The advance arm 
does not have a ratchet on it; you have to pull it fully to advance the film, 
no short, multiple stroke advances. It also stops in the "track" when you get 
to the end of the roll and only springs back to start position once the 
camera is unloaded. It is a minor point, but being used to M's I notice it 
every time I come to the end of a roll. 
 The camera is lighter than an M camera and I keep thinking that I have left 
something behind when I carry it. It does not feel flimsy, just lightweight.
 The release is a bit stiffer than the M-camera, but very predictable. The 
meter turns on after you press down about ½ way on the release and then you 
just push further for exposure. Very few unintentional exposures due to too 
much pressure, even by people who does not know how to use a shutter release 
activated meter. More people trigger the shutter on the M6 that way than the 
Bessa-R.
 You can feel the difference in material between the M-camera and the 
Bessa-R. The M's feel solid and substantial, the Bessa-R is lighter in the 
feel (but at 1/3 the price, that is to be expected). It couples nicely to any 
screwmount lens and the focus is precise, at least within the range of its 
short base rangefinder. The only 90 I have in 39mm screw is a 90/4 Elmar and 
that one works fine on it, but then f4 is slow enough to compensate for a 
short base finder.
 No noticeable drain on the battery, even after 35 rolls and innumerable 
applications of the meter by others and me who have played with the camera. 
The most interesting thing is letting a shooter, who is used to the M handle 
the Bessa-R. The first reaction is "What a nice finder" and the second is 
"How much and when can I get one!". None of them would give up the M-camera, 
but they regard the Bessa-R as a perfect  body for those screwmount lenses we 
tend to hoard. Next week I will put a 50/3,5 Elmar on it and try it with the 
classic Leica lens.
 The 35/2,5 is remarkably good, no, it is not a 35/2 Asph, but apart from 
some softness in the corners wide open, it is sharp and contrasty as well as 
flare-free (which is good, as my lens did not have a shade with it). 
Initially I thought it was a big lens, but now I have gotten used to it and 
it is comfortable to hold and use. Like any "short" lens, takes a while to 
get used to the aperture-ring and the focus-ring being so close. They are 
distinctly different in feel, but occasionally I have gripped one when I was 
looking for the other one. If this lens can come in at the price that I was 
told, about $275-300 it is a great deal, particularly if you have a IIIf or 
IIIC and need the 35 focal length. It is better than the 35/3,5 Summaron, the 
35/2,8 Canon and on par with the 35/2 Canon. I had to go back and look at my 
notes to check which roll was shot with the 3rd generation Summicron and the 
35/2,5 Skopar! Wide-open the 35/2 is better, but with Delta 100 in FX37 (not 
a developer known to "soften" the image), they are pretty much equal at 
4/5,6/8. Ergonomically the 35/2 is better, or it could be that after 40+ 
years of using it I am more used to it. But I am impressed with the 35/2,5 
and tomorrow I am putting it on a M2 to see what that combo feels like!
 The more I use the Bessa-R, the more I think it would make a terrific entry 
level M-camera. If it could be made and sold at $6-650, it would get a lot of 
people excited. It is all mechanical, it is small, it is cheap (relatively 
so) and it with a M-mount it would be a great 1st M-camera or a back-up for 
an already confirmed M shooter.

I like testing cameras; it gives me a great excuse for working around and 
shooting and still feel like I am doing something useful. The full report, 
with pictures, will be in the next issue of the LHSA "Viewfinder" and there 
will also be the information on the black paint LHSA Special Edition M6TTL.
All the best,
Tom A