6x9 Voigtlander Bessa Rangefinder

[Attila]

Click here to see on Ebay How about this kind of cameras ?

[Nesster]

That certainly is a beautiful specimen.

I'll make a couple of points and then get out of the way

I've wanted one of these messer Bessas for a while.

I have a Bessa 1 with a Vaskar 105 lens and the insert that lets me shoot either 6x9 or 6x4.5. This particular camera had been repaired by Mr. Kreckel (certo6) for the person I bought it from. The Bessa 1 doesn't have a range finder built in. It is from the early 50s.

I also have a Bessa 66, from 37-38. It has an uncoated Skopar, and is otherwise unrestored (now it needs repair).

On the side, I have a Certo Super Sport Dolly with a Ludwig-Dresden Victar 75mm 4.5, which I converted to pinhole after shooting a couple of rolls with the lens. And a pre-war Franka 6x4.5 whose lens is delightfully cloudy.

I peeked through a messer Bessa at my Russian camera guy's table at the last camera show. I was disappointed, with my glasses and all I couldn't really see diddly through the range finder window. Otherwise, a beautiful camera, that one had a super premium Heliar (I think... then again I wasn't thinking Helomar, it may have been one).


Long winded way to getting to my point.

One, though immensely alluring, a coupled rf on an early camera MAY not be practically usable, in that you have a hard time seeing through it. And you'll pay for the privilege.

Learn to guesstimate distance, or add an auxiliary rf.

Two, I find a huge difference between the Skopar and all of the triplet lenses on the other folders. You CAN get a good photo with a Vaskar, which as far as I can tell is similar to a Helomar. Then again my copy may be not so good, and the other two are distinctly low-end lenses, perhaps.

You definitely can get good photos with a triplet, but a Tessar such as the Skopar makes it all so much easier, and creamier. Next time I have to scratch the folder itch, I'd get one with a Skopar or equivalent.

And while talking along these lines, I'd want one that does frame auto-stop like my Bessa 66 does (some have it, some don't) rather than the red window thing. But I'd pick the lens over this feature.

[Attila]

Thank you for very informative post!

[Nesster]

LOL: I'm back. I was looking at my Bessa 66, and looks like this 6x9 is similarly left handed and left eyed.

The main viewfinder window is all the way on the right, and the shutter release is on the left, a trigger through the fold out part. I kind of like that, being left eyed and OK ambidextrously. It does make for a funny sequence when I haven't used the Bessa for a while - I mash it to my face and move it back and forth, up and down to find the damn hole. Then I take it off my face, look at it, and find the hole... and now gently raise up the camera to the left of my face.

You're entirely welcome, I'm glad to be able to return the favor every now and then. Mostly I'm absorbing your and the other's collected wisdom here.

[Attila]

[A G Photography]

I have a Bessa I with the Vaskar. The image quality isn't even comparable from far to what you can get from a Flek or a Biometar.

Scanned Bessa images are similar to 8-10 MP digital cameras, Flek/Biometar ones are from 18 to 26 MP, maybe even more with better scanners than my v700.

I also have a Mokcba III and its industar-tessar like produces better images but still in the 12-14 MP range.

[Attila]

So P6 !

[Katastrofo]

I have this same camera in the ebay auction above that is at certo6 for
complete overhaul, CLA plus new leather bellows and new leather covering.
I hope it works out OK, have heard some rather disturbing things about
this repairman, but will keep my fingers crossed. My messer has the
lowly Helomar lens, but I hope it's on par with Agfa's Apotar triplet.

Bill

[Attila]

Thanks Bill!

My testing order seems:

Some SLR film+slides
After I will try to get better quality with P6.

[A G Photography]

This is the Bessa I 6x9 with the Vaskar (and Velvia 50 that Vuescan didn't balance, so a bit of magenta cast)

[Katastrofo]

Alessandro, you and Orio are lucky to have such vistas! I found a grey
spot in the photo and set white balance to it, made the grass a little
greener, dunno if it's much improvement, and if you want, I can take this
down. I think this is a great result from a folder!

EDIT: Removed: Orio's version is much much better!

Bill

[Nesster]

Yes, that's a look I get with my Bessa 1 with the Vaskar as well.

For comparison, Bessa 66 with the Skopar:

[LucisPictor]

Last one (b&w) is great!

Now, that Attila has a good scanner, he will buy all the film cams he finds.

[Katastrofo]

Nesster, I like them both, great shots!

[Orio]

What about this balance?

[A G Photography]

A lot better! But still has some unbalanced colors

With Silverfast I now have many less problems as I learnt how to use the black, white and grey point inside it.
Yep, because scan light is slightly yellow colored and once you have casts removing them in PS is hard to impossible as 99%of the times it unbalances other colors.

[Schnauzer]

Because finding the right balance is one of my favorite things to do in PS, although I don't always get it right, how is this balance?

[Katastrofo]

Ron, you did a lot better job than I did, looks great!

[A G Photography]

Yep it's the one closer to reality.

[Laurence]

I had good results with the Tessar-clone Solinar lens on the old Agfa Isolette III. However, I do agree that it doesn't quite come up to something from a Flek for instance.

That said, there IS a certain "look and feel" that is pleasing to my visceral senses (however good they are ).

Here's a "first image" crop that I had saved from the Isolette, wide open (f:3.5):

[Orio]

In Ron's version I still see a lot of magenta but maybe it's me ?

[Farside]

Here's a comparison of some folder lenses - and a control sample from a Fuji GW670 III with 90mm lens.
http://photo.net/photodb/folder?folder_id=730969

The original post is here...
http://photo.net/classic-cameras-forum/00LIzI
Look for Tom Burke's two posts.

[Nesster]

Laurence, that's a gorgeous photo: it's clear why the Agfa folders have the rep they do... too bad their bellows don't last as well as the rest of the camera.

[Laurence]