Bessa users Unite!!!!

I have accumulated a lot of CV lenseswhich I use on my Bessa R and also on my M2. The R does feel a bit plasticky but works really well, especially the meter, and for the price who cares about a bit of plastic!
The lenses that I have are the 15mm, 21mm, 25mm, 35mm Ultron and Nokton, 50mm Nokton, 75mm and the 90mm. Yes, I know that I need to thin them out, but which ones!? Most used are the 35mm Nokton and the 75mm Heliar, but hey, they are all great lenses, especially for the price.

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Originally Posted by ntenny

I've been quite happy with the 21/4 and reasonably happy with the 75/2.5, but haven't had the opportunity to play with others, though I've seen results I liked from other people. I'm curious which lenses have been problematic for you.

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Perhaps this calls for a separate thread, but anyway, the Zeiss/CV lenses that I've tried (50 Sonnar, 35 2.8 Biogon, CV 21mm) are a step backwards for those who appreciate b&w tonality and shadow detail over high contrast and punchy colours. This is in comparison to the Contax G line and the Contax T2.

I won't even try to begin substantiate the above claims :D

Still love my R2A.

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Originally Posted by sandermarijn

Perhaps this calls for a separate thread, but anyway, the Zeiss/CV lenses that I've tried (50 Sonnar, 35 2.8 Biogon, CV 21mm) are a step backwards for those who appreciate b&w tonality and shadow detail over high contrast and punchy colours. This is in comparison to the Contax G line and the Contax T2.

I won't even try to begin substantiate the above claims :D

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'Tain't my experience of the CV 21/4, but I'm happy to differ as reasonable people. The others I haven't tried in screwmount (I have a Soviet Biogon copy, but it's nothing to write home about).

But then, I like focussing tabs too, so what do I know? :-)

-NT

Bessa R3 here with a nokton 40mm sc which i am quite happy.

Good to see that we are in the place :)

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I love shooting with my 3 Baby Bessas - 1930s, 40s and 50s. The action of the one from the 40s is my favorite; the lens from the 50s. And the bellows from the 50s which don't yet have any light leaks :)

R4A and 25mm Zeiss. Really nice combo - no external finder!

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Originally Posted by Red Robin

Anyone own and use Bessa's ? FYI there IS a Volk. group here.

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Here's the kit that I finally was able to put together.
I find that I prefer this to my SLR kit.

First I started off with a Black Contax G-2, with the
following Black lenses:
21 mm f 2.8 Biogon,
28 mm f 2.8 Biogon,
45 mm f 2.0 Planar,
90 mm f 2.8 Sonnar.

About the lenses: I'm not disappointed one bit with what they
do on b&w or colour film. They are everything I had hoped these
versions of the Contax G lenses would be. Tonality, shadow detail
& sharpness are way up there. The T* Coating is probably optimized
for colour, but seems to work well in B&W, as well.

I find that there is something VERY SPECIAL
about the Biogon lens design.

The 28 mm has a " stretch ", that makes it look like
a 24 mm SLR lens, but without the distortion &

The 21 mm has no " discernible " distortion at all.

I mention this here as a prelude because to augment,
this system I've added a Black Bessa L, ( labeled
Cosina 107 SW ), with the following Black lenses:

The 12 mm f 5.6 &
The 15 mm f 4.5 lenses.

Both of these appear to be Biogon designs as well.
While they don't have T* coatings, they are both
Apochromatic, so I know they are similar in sharpness.

With the Contax G-2 being AF & the Bessa L lenses
being Hyperfocal Focus, focusing is NOT an issue, not
like it was on my Old Minolta CLE w a 90 mm f 2.8
Summicron, the focusing window was so small, it
was difficult to focus at all & impossible to do fast.

I may add a Titanium G-2 with a 35 - 70 mm lens to
all of this someday.

Just in case you were wondering, I use a Sunpak 120 J
TTL & a Quantum X2 along with Stroboframe & Newton
Flash brackets for lighting, with these cameras.

Finally, the key to all of this is to build the kit slowly,
when the prices are right. Don't run out & spend top
dollar on this equipment, this is after all an investment,
not just photographically, but monetarily as well.

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Originally Posted by Vanishing Point Ent.

First I started off with a Black Contax G-2, with the
With my Old Minolta CLE w a 90 mm f 2.8
Summicron, the focusing window was so small, it
was difficult to focus at all & impossible to do fast.

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My Mistake, My Bad, my Leica 90 mm f 2.8 was a
Tele-Elmarit, not a Summicron.

The Summicron would have been an f 2.0 lens.
Which I tired once & found that it was way too
heavy for the light weight Minolta body.

P.S. The lens was impossible to focus sharply at
f 2.8. Leica says that the body was designed to
use an f 4.0 lens. I think that because of the
" Compact " size, the distance between the range-
finder windows was not wide enough.

It took me awhile to figure this out, but I figured
that the lens would be sharper 1 stop closed down
anyway.

The Contax having a similar focus window distance
but being AF, does not suffer from this problem &
I've shot many images wide open at f 2.8, with NO Problems.

Bessa R and elmar 50 or summaron 35 or jupiter 8 or industar 61 or elmar 135mm!

Bessa R & Bessa L shooter here. Using the R more, finally begining to come into one with it. :)