Arash
Established
Hello friends
Recently I received a generous gift of a Voigtlander Bessa I from it’s original owner and would appreciate some feedback about this camera from some of you who may have experience with one.
What I’ve noticed so far:
It has the Vaskar f/4.5 105mm lens
The bellows seem to be in good shape
The timer on the Prontor-s shutter is slow and sticky
The shutter itself sounds like it’s working OK
The focus ring moves ok
The tiny viewfinder is super dirty on the inside - almost not usable - I’m not sure if I can access it for cleaning.
That’s it! I’m looking forward to running some film through it for the first time in decades. The take-up reel in the camera is metal - that’s how long it’s been since it was last used!
Thanks
Arash
Recently I received a generous gift of a Voigtlander Bessa I from it’s original owner and would appreciate some feedback about this camera from some of you who may have experience with one.
What I’ve noticed so far:
It has the Vaskar f/4.5 105mm lens
The bellows seem to be in good shape
The timer on the Prontor-s shutter is slow and sticky
The shutter itself sounds like it’s working OK
The focus ring moves ok
The tiny viewfinder is super dirty on the inside - almost not usable - I’m not sure if I can access it for cleaning.
That’s it! I’m looking forward to running some film through it for the first time in decades. The take-up reel in the camera is metal - that’s how long it’s been since it was last used!
Thanks
Arash
ARCHIVIST
Well-known
G'day Arash,
The Bessa I came with a choice of two lenses. The Vaskar and the Color-Skopar.
Two shutter types were available the Prontor and the Synchro Compur.
The Vaskar was the 'base lens' but still a good lens. As the shutter sounds OK and I presume the slow speeds are working then the self timer may well come good with daily exercising. If not, and you are not a selfie taker, then this may well not be a major issue.
Cleaning the viewfinder window is not a major job and is not all that complicated. If you are not keen on doing this yourself then a good tech should not charge you the earth for a job that should take well less than an hour to do - my tech here in Australia took just under 30 minutes and we chatted while he did it and I was having a coffee!
Nice camera, and try not to shoot wide open with the Vaskar.
Cheers
Peter
The Bessa I came with a choice of two lenses. The Vaskar and the Color-Skopar.
Two shutter types were available the Prontor and the Synchro Compur.
The Vaskar was the 'base lens' but still a good lens. As the shutter sounds OK and I presume the slow speeds are working then the self timer may well come good with daily exercising. If not, and you are not a selfie taker, then this may well not be a major issue.
Cleaning the viewfinder window is not a major job and is not all that complicated. If you are not keen on doing this yourself then a good tech should not charge you the earth for a job that should take well less than an hour to do - my tech here in Australia took just under 30 minutes and we chatted while he did it and I was having a coffee!
Nice camera, and try not to shoot wide open with the Vaskar.
Cheers
Peter
largedrink
Down Under
They are fun cameras and produce nice results. It's fairly easy to remove the top plate and clean the viewfinder. I used to have one with a Vaskar lens but now have one with the Color-Skopar. Here are some example photos from the latter:
Street light by Hugh B, on Flickr
Houses, Aro Valley by Hugh B, on Flickr
Street light by Hugh B, on Flickr
Houses, Aro Valley by Hugh B, on Flickr
If it's in good repair you can expect surprisingly good results. The Vaskar is not a bad triplet though wide open it won't be up to a Color Skopar. Stop it down to f/8–11 and courtesy of that big 6x9 neg (as long as it's all plumb) you'll be surprised at the image quality you can get.
Self timers are quite handy devices in a leaf shutter camera. You can jerk a cable release if you're careless, but there is not a smoother way to trip a shutter, than via its timer. I would have it cleaned and oiled. An easy job on one of these.
I have two examples of the Bessa I here. One Vaskar, immaculate, one tidy Color Skopar. I am meant to be selling them for their owner. Problem is, I love classic Voigtländers, and they really aren't worth a lot of money at current prices. I want to keep them both, and possibly will...
Self timers are quite handy devices in a leaf shutter camera. You can jerk a cable release if you're careless, but there is not a smoother way to trip a shutter, than via its timer. I would have it cleaned and oiled. An easy job on one of these.
I have two examples of the Bessa I here. One Vaskar, immaculate, one tidy Color Skopar. I am meant to be selling them for their owner. Problem is, I love classic Voigtländers, and they really aren't worth a lot of money at current prices. I want to keep them both, and possibly will...
Arash
Established
Thank you for the replies and encouragement.
I’m yet to find a repair shop even remotely local (what a strange phrasing!)
The timer i can live without, even though I’d really like to have everything working just in principle. “Daily exercising” to loosen it worries me since when i did try it, the timer would just stick and i had to encourage it forward in fits and stops with some pressure
The viewfinder peep hole is more of a bother. I'm not averse to tackling a cleaning if I can have some idea of what to expect. I’d hate things get unsprung when the top is lifted.
I’ve looked for one of those shoe-mounted external view finders, but no luck so far.
Thanks for the info on the lens. I have the first roll ready and waiting for a plastic takeup reel before i give the camera its first light since the 60’s!
Cheers
I’m yet to find a repair shop even remotely local (what a strange phrasing!)
The timer i can live without, even though I’d really like to have everything working just in principle. “Daily exercising” to loosen it worries me since when i did try it, the timer would just stick and i had to encourage it forward in fits and stops with some pressure
The viewfinder peep hole is more of a bother. I'm not averse to tackling a cleaning if I can have some idea of what to expect. I’d hate things get unsprung when the top is lifted.
I’ve looked for one of those shoe-mounted external view finders, but no luck so far.
Thanks for the info on the lens. I have the first roll ready and waiting for a plastic takeup reel before i give the camera its first light since the 60’s!
Cheers
largedrink
Down Under
Looking forward to hearing how your first film goes Arash