Voigtlander Bessa II Folder Camera
Photo thanks to Sheldon
Cobweb Collectibles, 9 Walnut Avenue
Cranford, N.J 07016. (908) 272-5777
Email: [email protected]
Related Local Links:
Bessa Folder Camera
Bessa model 66 Folder Camera
Folder Camera FAQ Pages
Photo Notes (From ebay):
Jcoan posts :
Now that I own a functioning Voigtlander Bessa II camera, are there any
practical words of advice on maximizing those 8 pictures you get per
roll? Any things to watch out for? Also, I've noticed the shutter
takes extra force to move to the 1/500 sec position. Normal or not?
Should I worry about using 800 speed Fuji film with the red window
dealie?
Yo !! There's a small catch mechanism that shifts to
allow setting shutter to the 1/500th sec setting. Don't
force it, look closer. Due to being a rangefinder, rather
than a TTL SLR, bear DOF in mind -- use the DOF scale &
stop down to aid in achieving focus along w/ tighter aper-
tures than one might tend to use w/ a TTL 35mm SLR. At least
then your 8 frames have a better chance of having good focus.
Load it w/ Velvia & shoot it at f11-f16 on bulb at whatever it
takes for exposure -- don't forget your tripod :)
btw ; what did you have to pay/trade for yours ??
Bill
From: Mark Hubbard [email protected]
Subject: Response to Ideal Format for Landscapes
Date: 1998-05-22
Your question is not just, "What is the ideal format for landscapes?"
which is interesting in itself, but also, "What medium-format camera can I
pound, shake, rattle, bounce, jar, and bump for hours at a time that will
still give me decent landscapes when I arrive at my destination?"
Personally, I wouldn't subject any of the cameras named so far to that
sort of abuse. I would buy a Voigtlander Bessa II with the excellent 105mm
f3.5 Color Skopar lens. It's an older folding rangefinder camera that
takes 6x9 (or 645 with a simple insert). Excellent examples sell used for
$350 to $700. If you're willing to give up the rangefinder, a Bessa I with
the same superb lens will give you equally great pictures for about half
the price. If money is not an issue (but you feel still squeamish about
subjecting ultra-expensive, sensitive electronic camera equipment to all
that bouncing), then a Bessa II with the renowned Heliar or Apo-Lanthar
lens will set you back anywhere from $800-$1200, if you can find one. Good
luck with your adventure!
Date: Mon, 05 Oct 1998
From: John Coan [email protected]
To: [email protected]
Subject: Re: [Rollei] [Off Topic] Voigtlander Information
Well, as long as we're talking Voigtlander I have a question that I
posted last week on the MF news group which didn't get any replies at
all. I have a Bessa II. I finally found the cable release socket after
a thorough search! It's near the curved shutter release lever.
However, the "standard" cable release thread I use on my Rollei's did
not fit well. I got it stuck in enough to use, but it clearly didn't
mate well and I didn't want to force the threads. Does anyone know if
the Bessa II required a special adaptor for the cable release socket?
By the way, I like this camera a lot! It folds up real small but the
negative is half again as large as a Rolleiflex, if you can believe
that. The lens is a 105 mm f 3.5 Color Skopar, nicely sharp. Shutter
goes up to 1/300 sec only though. Still, it's a cool old camera for
experimenting with.
Bessa II folder camera (note 2 shutter variants!)
Special thanks to Harold M. Merklinger for sharing this photo!
[Ed. note: special thanks to Harold M. Merklinger for sharing these notes, photos, and observations...] Date: Mon, 14 Jan 2002 From: "Harold M. Merklinger" [email protected] To: Robert Monaghan [email protected] Subject: Ricohflex VII (35) and Bessas Bob, I have a Ricohflex VII set up for 35 mm film. I didn't see this option mentioned in any of your references. When I purchased this camera I thought it must have been made specifically for 35mm. The points that made me think this were: the leather case says "For 35 mm FILM", the wind knob has the necessary 35 mm exposure counter, the focusing hood has an (eyelevel) frame line for the 35mm format, the ground glass is marked for the 35mm format, and there's no typical (for many cameras - don't know about the Ricoh line) sticker saying to use 120 film. Closer inspection and consultation of your references suggests, however, that this camera could easily be converted back to 120 with the appropriate insert. I believe the wind knob would serve the purpose - the 35mm wind stop is in the insert. And I see the 35mm frame line in the hood is standard. One curious observation is that there is no factory-provided index marker on the body itself for the exposure counter, although there is on the leather case. A previous owner has scratched one on the edge of the back, though it's not in the same place as the index mark on the case. I'll probably put this on my "Unusual cameras" page, but I would welcome any comments before I do - I'm not all that familiar with the Ricoh line. I'll attach a composite photo of the camera, as well as photos of 2 Bessa IIs, (a Heliar and an Apo-Lanthar) a Bessa RF and a Perkeo E. There are 4 files: "BessaII.jpg", "BessaRF.jpg", "PerkeoE.jpg" and "RicohVII-35.jpg". (I know I'm not helping with your new 35 MB limit!) Regards! - Harold -- Harold M. Merklinger [email protected] Home phone: 902-461-1873 http://www.trenholm.org/hmmerk/
End of Page
