Price, Ease of use especially for those who have used a Leica before,

Body not solid like the Leica, the "chrome" body looks kind of cheap looking, LTM screw mount instead of M mount

This is a very good camera for those who are new to rangefinders and want an affordable and competent body to try it out. It is cheaper than a mint used M3 or M6 although it comes with the LTM mount. It would be perfect if it comes with M mount. Overall you cannot fault the camera for the price you are paying. The bonus comes in the form of cheap and affordable lenses which are almost as good as the Leica and Contax counterparts. I recommend it for those who are new to rangefinders as well as as a second body to those who already own a Leica with LTM lenses.

Customer Service

Never used it.

Similar Products Used:

Contax G1, Leica M6, Canon EOS 50e

Cheap, easy to use, great finder.

It let you ENJOY your photography.

Cheap finish, lightweight, plastic parts. Meter overxpose by one f-stop (easy to work with this - just double ISO setting)

I love the camera, altough I'd have liked to pay 20% more for a better finished a strongly feeling metal camera. Let's say a camera which is on par with the (great) finish of lenses. It is not a Leica, but it is a wonderful piece to rediscover your LOVE for photography. I'm shoothing like a crazy and I am having FUN. I go into the streets, I shoot my kids, I feel like I'd continuosly like to click click and click. And the pictures turn out outstanding, really great glass (I come from Nikon AI - not bad stuff). It's a whole different feeling from SLR, and I love it. Focusing is odd at start if you are used to reflex, but the rangenfinder is bright and easy as any other rangefinder I tried. I am now completely used to it. The M3 I tried isn't better.
Try it, shoot with it, and have fun

Customer Service

Still did not try

Similar Products Used:

Leica III

Very well made.
Accurate rangefinder.
Bright viewfinder
Simple to operate.
TTL metering.
Superb lens line.

None

I have no problem with the rangefinder alignement. The viewfinder is very bright. The camera is a pleasure to use and makes a new feeling to photography.Buy it and happy shooting. Sorry about my English

Similar Products Used:

Canon EOS 50 (Elan)

Small quiet quality of
negs(b&W) comparable to Leica. Cool looking

rangefinder is harder to use than Leica.PC connection works sometimes.

I really love the camera and can overlook most shortcomings

Customer Service

good- I had to exchane a lense because of seperation of elements

Similar Products Used:

Leica

The rangefinder is very easy to use. Camera simplicity is also a strength. The price.

Only obvious rangefinder camera shortcomings.

I bought the camera for a personal use item. It's very light, easy to use. Refreshingly back to basics. I'd wish for a slightly sturdier feeling body but for the price I'm not complaining and the optics are superb. I bought the black one, the 35 mm f1.7 lens and the 75 mm lens. No complaints - maybe I'll buy a wide angle.

Customer Service

Haven't tried it.

Similar Products Used:

Various Fuji Rangefinders of different formats.

Very bright view finder. Nice sized RF patch. Outstanding price and quality.

Terrible spot for strap plugs. Rewind crank a little funky in design. Plastic/rubberized film door.Definitely doesn't have that indestructable feel like an M6 or F5 cameras do.

I have been a profesional photojournalist for over 5 years and recently (last year) had wanted to get into a rangefinder for various reasons. One of which is the fact that the RF is such an understated photographic tool. I work to take the most telling photos of people and to do so I must make myself as invisible as possible. Using large SLR outfits this is very hard. Despite how quiet the F5 is, it is still nowhere near as quiet as an RF, such as the Bessa-R. It is a great little camera with some small weaknesses (listed above). I have not used Leica M system before so I cannot attest to the religious experience that people claim to. All I know is that I have had the camera for a short time and I have taken to it fairly quickly and have already taken some very nice images while on assignment. The 35mm 2.5 is a sharp lens, and the fact that you can hand hold the camera and lens down to 1/2 sec. is outstanding and definitely makes up for the quarter stop or whatever it is between itself and the Leica 35mm f 2.
All and all a nice camera that can get you into the RF world, which is a very nice place to check out if you haven't already.
I didn't have the funds to get into an M6, and probably won't for quite awhile, this works extremely well for me now. I still use my Nikons for sports and things where I know I may need some longer glass, but other than that I'm using the R for alot of the rest.
I have checked out and will be getting the 50 F1.5 soon.

Customer Service

None yet

Similar Products Used:

Nikon F - F5

Voigtlander optics.
Bright viewfinder, good for glasses wearers.
Easy film loading.
Good value for money.
Mechanical shutter works even if batteries die.

Build quality not at top level (but Ok for the price)
Small Rangefinder base makes 75 and 90 mm focusing tricky.

The real value of this camera really is in its line of lenses, especially the extreme wide-angle 12 mm and 15 mm. I have a Nikkor 15 mm but I use it very seldom because if is very prone to flares: the rangefinder Voigtlander is much easier to use under all lighting situations. The quality of all the optics is very good, especially if you consider the price.
Obviously for focal lengths of 75 mm or longer a SLR is more practical and easier to focus, but this camera or its sister Bessa L is worth having even just for wide-angle photography. I always carry a Bessa L and 12 or 15 mm lens with my Nikon outfit.

Customer Service

Not tried yet.

Similar Products Used:

Contax G1&G2 (owned and sold)
Bessa L
Hexar RF (still have it)

Small, solid, excellent handling and nice viewfinder, precise metering, good controls, very good lenses.

Not very quet, film door can be scratched even by a nail (!?). Rangefinder alignment most likely need to be done. Doesn't feel reliable.

I really wanted to like that camera. Rangefinder is a very nice tool to use. I always wanted to own Leica, but traveling with $10000 of equipment in the bag? No, thanks... And Bessa-R seemed to be the one for me. But rangefinder camera is suppose to be a precise instrument that needs brains to be operated but rewards you with superb results, right? I tried two cameras and 15 and 75mm lenses. First body wouldn't operate at all. I took the demo and played with it for 2 weeks. I found a gross misalignment of rangefinder. It actually focuses half an inch past target at 1 meter. Not sure, but probably misses infinity as well, which is already a camera problem, not the rangefinder's. And that film door!!! Catches scratches from everything. I also compared my Nikon lenses (16mm, 20mm, and 85 1.4D). Sorry guy's... Nikon is better. So I am back to Nikon...

Customer Service

Haven't tried, but be ready to use one.

Similar Products Used:

Russian made FED and Zorky. Nikon F5, F80.

The optics are first class
Light and compact
Easy to use
Bright rangefinder
No battery dependency

Plastic body
Screw mount
Rangefinder sometimes not aligned
In camera meter not too realible
No winder option

This camera is great for value. At first it seems to be rather fragile with its plastic rubberized body, but that does not seem to be a problem on most modern SLR's. It is very light and compact, and is truly a great camera for travels. I have two body's with the 25, 35c and the 75 mm lenses. For me that covers most of the range that I use. I still use my large Canon F1 outfit though, but compared to the Bessa it seems like carrying a tank around. The Quality of the lenses is very impressive, and from what I have seen the are in no way second to Leica. One of the things I liked most was the discovery of an all mechanical shutter, because I am fed up with batteries failing. I was a little bit dissapointed with the sound of the shutter release, because I had expected it to be more quiet. First and foremost this camera is great value for money, and real fun to use.

Customer Service

Not tried

Similar Products Used:

Leica CL
Konica Hexar

fine optics

metering not accurate for low light conditions.
poor worksmanship in general. see summary for details.

I have a Bessa-R body and a Nokton 50 mm lens. I get fine pictures from this cute camera when it works the way a good camera is supposed to.

BUT, I have big beef with the worksmanship. Within a year, I have shipped both the camera body and lens back to the distributor because of:

(1) view finder is mis-aligned, a common problem reported by other owners.

(2) shutter blades fall apart.

Also, the camera case does not fit properly if you add a filter in front of the lens. Don't they test the camera out before putting into market? For the amount of money I have investment in this camera, I expect a lot more! In hindsight, I should have saved money for a Konica Hexar or a Leica.

Similar Products Used:

None