Elementary Bessa Folder Question

[Fausto]

I know, I only speak up when I have a problem!

My first folder showed up this morning, a Bessa. First 6x9, oldest camera yet (I think - the Leica II might be as old but it needs extensive repair)

I would try shooting with it today except that after opening and admiring it, I DON"T KNOW HOW TO CLOSE IT!!!

So while I'm scouring the web for instructions, if anybody wants to help out, it will be much appreciated!

[Fausto]

Clarification - this is the rangefinder Bessa, postwar I think.

[Chris B]

Just push upward on the struts closest to the camera body.

[Fausto]

Originally Posted by Chris B

Just push upward on the struts closest to the camera body.

The short bottom strut moves and releases the cover but the long top strut is not moving & looks like it will bend....

[fidget]

And press the button on the plate underneath the lens front to unlock the lens plate. For mine I press this button and lift the round shaped strut, it all collapses from there.

[Fausto]

The camera is variously referred to as Bessa, Bessa RF, Bessa E; it is apparently almost identical to the Bessa II but with separate view & rangefinders instead of the II's combined ones. Anyway there is a metal tab or key next to the lens which must be depressed in order to collapse the bellows. Moving the struts is not a good thing to do.

[Solinar]

On my Bessa II - I always set the lens back to the infinity position before closing the front platform. Does anyone else do this? Does it matter?

[chippy]

Originally Posted by Solinar

On my Bessa II - I always set the lens back to the infinity position before closing the front platform. Does anyone else do this? Does it matter?

hi Andrew in Texas....

i dont think it matters at all with the Bessa RF or the Bessa II.

actually its one thing is good about the bessa's. On occassion i use the rangefinder and set the distance before opening it for a quick snap shot so to speak. it closes no matter what the distance is. different to what you would be used to with a Super Isolette of course where the focus must be set to infinty before closing and the Weltur auto moves to infinity upon closing in contrast

[Solinar]

That's what I thought, but Super Isolette and Retina IIIc habits are difficult to shake off.

By the way, while the folks down under are enjoying their winter, it is has been getting to 38 degrees C almost every afternoon here in Texas. We call it a 100 to 102 degrees.

[chippy]

Originally Posted by Solinar

That's what I thought, but Super Isolette and Retina IIIc habits are difficult to shake off.

yeah i thought that would of been the cause...same thing happens to me when i've been using a camera with auto frame lock/double exposure prevention and then go back to red window counter cameras...i double expose and skip a frame for a while until i get in the habit again. btw all the retinas (including the pre-war) have that need to set to infinity before being able to close..for me i find it a real pain in the .......

Originally Posted by Solinar

By the way, while the folks down under are enjoying their winter, it is has been getting to 38 degrees C almost every afternoon here in Texas. We call it a 100 to 102 degrees.

we sure are shivering here, bloody freezin! for us anyway..getting down to 1-2 degrees C at night...i know how you feel with days over a hundred (we used to use that system yonks ago and some people still metion it when it gets to a 100). our last summer was a shocker...no rain at all for months and we had at least 2 weeks consecutive days up around 38-40-43, even a few 45 sheeze. luckly no bad fires though. i heard you had some very serious ones over there but they may not be near you i guess

[FallisPhoto]

Originally Posted by Fausto

The short bottom strut moves and releases the cover but the long top strut is not moving & looks like it will bend....

That's because you were given the instructions for closing a Bessa I instead of a Bessa II. There is a tab under the lens, where the front standard meets the rails; use that to release the standard and collapse the bellows. Just push the front standard and bellows back into the camera. THEN close the front of the camera.

[Argenticien]

Originally Posted by FallisPhoto

There is a tab under the lens, where the front standard meets the rails; use that...

Can I trouble any of you who actually own this beast, to post a picture pointing out that magic tab on the camera? I'm going to be potentially facing the same "new to Bessa RF" issues in a few days when mine arrives, and really don't want to bend any crucial bits. (Note my other thread in this forum about inability to find any documentation for this old model, so you can't just reply, "RTFM!!")

Cheers,
Dave

[FallisPhoto]

Originally Posted by Argenticien

Can I trouble any of you who actually own this beast, to post a picture pointing out that magic tab on the camera? I'm going to be potentially facing the same "new to Bessa RF" issues in a few days when mine arrives, and really don't want to bend any crucial bits. (Note my other thread in this forum about inability to find any documentation for this old model, so you can't just reply, "RTFM!!")

Cheers,
Dave

Here is a photo of a Bessa II with the tab in question indicated: http://fallisphoto.deviantart.com/art/Bessa-2-94558072

[chippy]

Dave the picture FallisPhoto shows is of course the Bessa II but it closes excactly the same as the (your soon to arrive) pre-war black Bessa E (RF) by pressing the tab that FPhoto has shown. However as you will soon find out the the front standard, bellows and lens does not need to first be pushed back into the camera before closing the front (possibly FPhoto was thinking of older cameras). with the bessa E and bessa II this happens all in the one movement by just depressing that tab and closing the front door.

as Fphoto mentions the confusion earlier is because someone was discribing the Bessa I which closes by slight upward pressure to a red circular point in the middle of the struts on each side of the bessa I. A completly different set up to the bessa E and II

the struts that can be bent (on the bessa E and II) if not carefull are those long chrome struts shown in the photo . see how one of them is slightly bent in relation to the other(in the other thread with the picture that abazz shown). sometimes they can be worse (always something i look for in relation to a bessa) and this can be the cause of the front standard and lens not alighning with the film plane correctly and sometime indicates that the front door is loose or wont close as snuggly as it should

[Argenticien]

Thanks guys. I see the tab there, and the similar one on the old Bessa RF/Bessa E picture that Abbazz posted. I might have even found that myself by trial and error, but this takes out, er, the error. I'll post a pic somewhere when the machine arrives.

[FallisPhoto]

Originally Posted by chippy

possibly FPhoto was thinking of older cameras

Could be. That sort of thing happens when you live with about 100 cameras.

[chubasco]

I have the same cam or close, pre-war, 1937. Messing with the big long top strut could potentially damage the coupled rangefinder, not a good thing. I don't have an instruction manual for mine, either, but figured the spring-loaded catch under the lens was for closing. Hope you get the cam up and running!

Bill