6x9 on the street

[River Dog]

The Bessa II is actually a pretty neat street camera, albeit a little different. A tiny viewfinder and a big set of bellows but a quiet shutter, massive resolution and bags of width. It's light too. 16x9 certainly offers a new perspective on the street; in tableau proportions.


Bessa II Color Skopar with Neopan 100, exposed at 200 and pushed in Rodinal

[jnoir]

I love my Bessa RF with Heliar, together with my Super Pontura and my newly acquired Plaubel Makina, are my 6x9 cameras of choice.

[Steve M.]

So much for the old wife's tale that 6x9 folders aren't able to hold the film flat. That big shot is sharp corner to corner!

I used to own several of the Bessas w/ Heliars, even an odd scale focus Inos w/ an uncoated 105 4.5 Heliar (it was sharper than my coated Bessa II, and like yours, sharp even at the edges). They take incredible photos, assuming they're properly aligned. Glad you're enjoying yours. Only the slow red window film advance bothered me, so I eventually went to an Autocord. The tiny peephole viewfinder I got used to, although photos were never quite what I saw in the finder. The Rokkor on the Autocord is another great lens, but it just isn't in the same league as a Heliar. But then, what is?

Oops, I now see that your Bessa has a Skopar lens. Well, you sure have a good sample. To my eyes, that big photo has Heliar written all over it.

[raytoei@gmail.com]

i am still stuggling...brought an early ikonta out today. Negatives are still out to dry... out of the 8 frames:

a. First frame accidentally confused shutter release with opening of the cover.
b. Second frame double exposure (doh)
c. The rest of the 6 frames looks okay...but i think my focusing has issues, it was in a shaded aread, and I used 1/50 and f4.5 on an iso 400 film, so not sure how it is going to turn out. In the past 1/50 and even 1/100 was a bit of a hit and miss due to hand shake.

raytoei

[River Dog]

Originally Posted by Steve M.

So much for the old wife's tale that 6x9 folders aren't able to hold the film flat. That big shot is sharp corner to corner!

I used to own several of the Bessas w/ Heliars, even an odd scale focus Inos w/ an uncoated 105 4.5 Heliar (it was sharper than my coated Bessa II, and like yours, sharp even at the edges). They take incredible photos, assuming they're properly aligned. Glad you're enjoying yours. Only the slow red window film advance bothered me, so I eventually went to an Autocord. The tiny peephole viewfinder I got used to, although photos were never quite what I saw in the finder. The Rokkor on the Autocord is another great lens, but it just isn't in the same league as a Heliar. But then, what is?

Oops, I now see that your Bessa has a Skopar lens. Well, you sure have a good sample. To my eyes, that big photo has Heliar written all over it.

It was stored, unused and folded from 1961-2011. The previous owner was a pro photographer who passed away. So basically, it is brand new, as he was ill for a some time before that. I found it through the classifieds for £200 GBP ($300 USD).

When I first used it, it was not flat across the frame, but it appears working the mechanism throughly, with a little lubricant, has now settled it into where it was intended.

The Skopar on this one does produce some very sharp images and delightful rendering. I think this image was at f5.6. Looking forward to putting some Ektar through it and trying some stopped down cityscapes.

[gdmcclintock]

Advancing the film just before exposure is recommended to help insure that the film stays flat.

[River Dog]

Originally Posted by gdmcclintock

Advancing the film just before exposure is recommended to help insure that the film stays flat.

Correct, I do that.

[kuzano]

If you advance the film and cock the shutter before closing the camera.... you may incur two problems with film flatness.

A) Opening the camera creates a vacuum in the bellows as it unfolds. This vacuum can pull the film away from the platen.
B) You then shoot without advancing the film and pulling the film flat across the film platen.

Best practice is to open the camera, advance the film and cock the shutter. This then pulls any curl or looseness out of the film before shooting the first shot after the camera is open.

So the rule is:
Open>advance film>shoot

Not:
Advance film>close camera

[graywolf]

Of course, that leaves you with a problem if you decide not to take that shot. Or, If you want to take a shot rather quickly. This in my opinion is another of those things that are more theoretical than real. I have done it both ways, and have never seen a problem either way.

There seems to be a hundred of these warnings that never have been a problem to me, like don't leave the shutter cocked because the springs will weaken. That may have been a problem in 1792, but spring steel since 1820, or so, has been better than that. Shutters do not slow down because the springs have weakened, they slow down because the oil has become tar.

Go out an take pictures, and don't worry about all the BS from people who do not use their cameras enough to have a valid opinion.

[shadowfox]

Originally Posted by River Dog

Bessa II Color Skopar with Neopan 100, exposed at 200 and pushed in Rodinal

A tableau indeed!
Beautiful.

When I shoot a roll with an old folder, I try to not fold it until I'm done with the roll (for reasons mentioned above), there's a compartment in my Domke F2 that I reserve to hold the folder in open position.

[SteveM]

River Dog: great photo. It makes me want to get my Ercona II out again. I use it infrequently enough that establishing some system of opening/advancing is important for another reason: just so you can remember whether you have wound the film on or not. Many folders have double exposure locks, but that doesn't prevent you from winding on an unexposed frame.

Steve

[kuzano]

Originally Posted by SteveM

River Dog: great photo. It makes me want to get my Ercona II out again. I use it infrequently enough that establishing some system of opening/advancing is important for another reason: just so you can remember whether you have wound the film on or not. Many folders have double exposure locks, but that doesn't prevent you from winding on an unexposed frame.

Steve

Here is my reason for NOT winding on closing the camera. I developed a habit of Opening>Winding on>focusing>shooting with folding camera.

I never advance or wind on any folder when I close it for storage.

Opening the bellows on some (many) folding cameras creates a vacuum on the film, pulling film away from the film platen. Then the act of winding on pulls the film through the camera re-seating it on the film platen, for flatter film performance.

Now, I've been here before on this discussion and know that some resist this argument... ie, "my camera don't work that way, duh!"

OK, fine. But I've convinced myself that folding camera's that exist with correction for this are few and far between and it's just as easy to develop a habit for Open>Advance/Cock>Focus>Shoot, for best IQ possible from any folding camera.

You'll not find any of my folding camera's put away at the end of the day, or a session, with the film advanced, or shutter cocked. Just as easy to remember that as anything else.

Oops.. did I just repeat myself. :>)

[veriwide]

Don't know about these folders but on my Brooks Plaubel Veriwide I lean on the film advance as I am shooting. This tightens up the film just enough to make a difference.

[DwF]

This is beautifully done River Dog. I have had a few folders gong back a few years (inlcuding the BessaII), and also liked to shoot in the street. The Skopar is plenty lens enough as you have shown here!

Makes me want to dig my Ikonta back out of the closet.

David

[fotomeow]

OP photo:
cool and gradual separation in tone and focus b/w front and rear