Poo-Poo Platter

3 Responses to “objects of desire”

1. 1 matildaben
   Dec 12th, 2006 at 9:23 am

   Tell me about the Bessa - what’s great about it? Jon Madison has one, doesn’t he?

2. 2 Danny
   Dec 12th, 2006 at 2:24 pm

   Yeah, Jon uses a Bessa R. I handled his briefly and was able to handle another one a while ago. I haven’t actually gone shooting with a Bessa yet, but here are some things that attract me to them:

   • I like rangefinder focusing. I use it on my Olympus XA compact rangefinder camera, and it’s a joy to use. I actually like it better than the split-screen focusing on SLRs.
   • Bessas are relatively inexpensive compared to the likes of Leica and Zeiss.
   • Bessas can use standard Leica M and screw mount lenses, which means access to lots of nice glass.
   • Bessas feel like solid, hefty cameras. I wouldn’t throw one across the room or anything, but I wouldn’t have a problem using one day-to-day and beating it up like I do with my current cameras (which, btw, are still functional despite rough handling).
   • Being a rangefinder camera, there is no mirror slap like on an SLR. That means I can hand-hold shots in lower light.
   • Without the need for a mirror, the body and lenses are smaller than SLR equivalents. I can actually carry a lens or two in my pockets. As much as I love my D70 DSLR, it’s still quite a bit of camera to carry around, especially when I have my super-wide.

   Basically, I want a Bessa, because I want manual controls in a moderately-sized body (not small like my Lomo and not huge like my DSLR) with access to some great wide and normal lenses. In particular, the Bessa R3A is at the top my list because of it’s support for both M and screw mount lenses (with an adapter), aperture priority option (what I normally use on my DSLR), full range of film speed support (much more than my Lomo), and its 1:1 viewfinder (which looks absolutely gargantuan compared to any of my other cameras’ viewfinders). Yes, it’s a whole ‘nother lens system to buy into, but it sure would be fun. :)

3. 3 jam
   Dec 26th, 2006 at 11:26 am

   Ive been saving and with christmas money presents, ive got enough to buy one…

   except im getting the R3M with the 40 (instead of the A), mainly because I like the idea of a full manual body (similar to the Leica MP), and it will make a good fully manual backup body for years and years in the future. They also have slightly quieter shutters than the A’s, as well as being a little bit cheaper. Also they are limited edition cameras, so i dont know, maybe will hold their value more in the future.

   Ordering mine next week - cant wait!