Bessa R

The Bessa R, now discontinued, was manufactured by Cosina under the Voigtländer name. It is an all manual rangefinder camera that uses the Leica screw mount. As such it can mount a wide variety of lenses by manufacturers as diverse as Voigtländer, Leica, Canon, Nikon and even cheap but often excellent Soviet lenses.

Cosina Voigtländer rangefinders use a double manual shutter which uses two curtains to prevent damage by the sun. Shutter speeds range from 1 to 1/2000s and bulb (B), with flash sync at 1/125s on hot-shoe or PC terminal.

Although considerably cheaper than a Leica M camera, it's viewfinder is comparable in function and feeling. It features movable frames for 35mm/90mm, 50mm, and 75mm lenses. The body, made of polycarbonate plastics, doesn't come close to being comparable to a Leica but is solid enough.

All in all it is an inexpensive, all-manual rangefinder with TTL metering at a significantly lower price than a comparably equipped Leica M camera.

Links

• CameraQuest's Bessa R page
• User reviews at PhotographyReview.com
• Sample photos at PBase