Bessa R4 use

Orio · Expire: 2012-12-04

Bessa R4 is tempting me because it has a reasonable price and viewfinder lines for wide angle lenses that do not require external viewfinders. I am not a tele lens shooter with rangefinder cameras. I am mostly a 35mm to 50mm shooter, who however would not disdain wider lenses when able to afford them.
I am a bit scared, however, by the .52x magnification of the viewfinder, as opposed to the .72x magnification of Leica M and Bessa R2 cameras. In particular, I'm afraid that shooting a 50mm lens on a R4 might result uncomfortable due to a small inner frame.
Has any of you taken photos with a Bessa R4 and a 50mm lens? How did it feel?

rbelyell · Expire: 2014-01-31

i know what you mean, as the WA framelines were attractive to me as well. i have a rollei 35rf which is the same as the bessa 3 except for 40mm frame lines vs bessa's 35. my rollei has a .7 vf, and i cannot imagine focusing a 50mm with less magnification than that. i think it would be a real problem for a 50. as it was i had close focus issues with the rollei.

as a side note, i recently bought a bessa T, which is comparatively about half the price of the B4. its magnification is 1.5! i can tell you from personal experience with it that i have been able to accurately close focus my leica summarit 50/1.5 to a degree i never could with my rollei. i have a universal tewe turret vf that i bought years ago for less than $100usd that is surprisingly small and fits well on the T.

what the T also does well is ultra WA, like 21 and 24, because it has a meter that is on the back of the camera, as opposed to in the vf. because these ultrawides all come with external vf, and mostly are shot hyperfocally, the external meter makes for very quick shooting. i personally really enjoy shooting the T and have gotten excellent results.

i know this didnt exactly address your question, but i hope it was helpful anyway!
tony

Orio · Expire: 2012-12-04

Thanks Tony, I used to have the Bessa T but I sold it because the need to always switch from rangefinder to view finder psyched me.
I think that the R3A could be the ideal camera for me if it wasn't for the fact that it goes down to 40mm only, so in theory I should use a separate viewfinder for a 35mm lens - although probably there's not too much difference from 40mm to 35mm and I could use the 40mm frame...

rbelyell · Expire: 2014-01-31

yes youre right, it does take getting used to! i mostly use the T with my cv snapshot skopar 25/4, and i just set it to f8 most of the time and i have no need for RF. its a different experience with my summicron 40 and summarit 50, but i,m getting used to it. my eyes really stink, so the 1.5 rf really is a godsend for me.

good luck, i know whatever you choose you will make work well.

interesting that you seem to much prefer 50mm to 40mm--is that true? i always find interesting the preferred FL of the individual. for myself i prefer 40 to 50, just suits my eye better, and my head tells me its not too wide and not too close...a 24 a 40 amd an 80 in my bag and i'm a happy guy!

Orio · Expire: 2012-12-04

F16SUNSHINE · Expire: 2011-11-18

Hello Orio

I did a trial with the R4 and found it did not suit my shooting style very well.
if you had a 25/28mm mounted as your primary lens it would be great but, I shoot with mostly a 35-50 often at 40.
The 35 lines to me felt like 75 lines feel in a .72 finder. The 50 was even further away.
Mostly though my subjects felt further away when looking through that finder. I prefer to use external finders for wider lenses.
So there you have my experience.

The 1:1 finder in the bess a R3 is fantastic. if you plan to use your Biogon primarily or a 50 mm I would not hesitate.
I'm Using the 40mm lines with a 35mm takes only a bit of getting used to. You will of course have a little freedom in composition (not that you want that).
It's better than working the other way. For example using 35mm Framelines for a 40mm on a .72 finder.
It's funny with the M8 I use the 35 lines with a 40mm and it's a perfect match.
With the M5 the 50mm lines seem to suit me better for the 40mm.
I realize it's off topic but the point I'm trying to make is, finder magnification can have a fair bit of impact on how one views a scene compared to a FL or rather FOV.
I guess there is a reason Leica sits with .72 as the standard . It is the best all around magnification for a finder.
I even cheat and use the 28mm lines on the .72 for my 25mm lens. It's fine having a bit extra but of course I'm not a purist about cropping images as needed.
Some others still might prefer t have an external in this case. Probably best just to try it out.
On the m8 Leica has a 25mm frame line set. I'm curious, did they do away with that on the M9?

Orio · Expire: 2012-12-04

Thanks Andy.
It was also my guess that the advantage of having a larger magnification for critical focusing could overcome the disadvantage of using a 35mm lens with a 40mm frame.
Another advantage, the R3 costs about 100 Euros less than a R4 Wink

F16SUNSHINE · Expire: 2011-11-18

Orio · Expire: 2012-12-04

F16SUNSHINE · Expire: 2011-11-18

From Leica yes. There is a 3rd party offering that is 95% the quality of the Leica models.

Leica one is like $400 the 3rd party one is around $150 (a bit less on ebay I think).

http://www.popflash.com/accessories/match-technical-e-clypse-34mm-1.25x-magnifier-new-for-all-leica-m-series-cameras/

Orio · Expire: 2012-12-04

ugh...

that's steep, also the 3rd party one.

F16SUNSHINE · Expire: 2011-11-18

Yeah, it's not a cheap item. More a long term investment and most useful for M8 users.
I tried a cheap one once (like a $70 ebay thing) it sucked.
For the M9 it's probably not so critical unless you want to shoot 75/90mm often.
With an M8 it turns the .58 finder into a .72 which becomes much more natural for 35/50/75.
So we can see again the .72 again is a very cozy spot when it comes to normal lens use.
I don't use the magnifier on my M5 although I will if I use 85mm or 90mm for a project in the future.
I found a mint Canon 85mm f1.5 a and would love to shoot a bw film set with one of my model friends soon.
For that set I may move the vf mag. over to the M5.

Orio · Expire: 2012-12-04

I think it can be useful on a M9 also, when you want to focus on a face for instance, but you are at a distance with a 35mm lens,
the face is very small and it's not easy to focus correctly on the eyes.

But alas, too expensive for an accessory, at least in my present situation.