Question:
With all of this bickering going back and forth about the name, no one has mentioned any input as to the quality of the camera or the lenses. How about some opinions as to the product?
Response:
With all of this bickering going back and forth about the name, no one has mentioned any input as to the quality of the camera or the lenses. How about some opinions as to the product?
You can find some opinions at www.photographyreview.com. As to my personal view… This (Bessa-R) is my first rangefinder. The body has nice feel to it and is very light. The only thing that I do not like about it is that there is no shutter release lock (like Nikon FM2 has). Body has plastic top and bottom covers. It looks decent in black, but I certainly would not like it in "plastic silver". Oh, one more thing — film advance is not racheted, and I do not like how it feels at all. Yeah, it is no Leica. I bought Bessa-R to replace my Nikon FM2. I wear glasses and I need a high-eyepoint viewfinder. With 50mm lens (my most used lens) Voghtlander’s viewfinder is absolutely gorgeous. As to the lenses — I have 50/1.5 Nokton. Feel of the lens is absolutely outstanding. I would say it is almost as smooth as the feel of Leica lenses which I tried in local store. I cannot speak for optical qualities yet as I did not receive my slides back from Fuji yet. But you might want to check Erwin Puts’ findings: http://www.imx.nl/photosite/japan/voigtl01.html FWIW he rates Nokton higher then current Summilux-M. Alexander
Response:
With all of this bickering going back and forth about the name, no one has mentioned any input as to the quality of the camera or the lenses. How about some opinions as to the product?
I think that Voigtlander bodies are fair. For the most part they are not terribly complicated and consequently have little to go wrong. The rangefinder on Bessa-R is very good, but being the most sophisticated component is the likeliest to have problems. There have been many reports of vertical misalignment in the rangefinder. The Voigtlander lenses are very good. I like mine very much. In many cases they are not equal of comparable Leica lenses, but they cost a lot less. The two ultra-wides are exceptional. The build quality is excellent. I’m personally curious about the build quality on the new Voigtlander SLR lenses. With auto aperture, there are more things to go wrong. Cosina has also brought out many well thought out accessories. It seems they are building a whole sistem here. You can find a great deal of information here http://www.cameraquest.com/classics.htm.
Response:
The Voigtlander lenses are very good. I like mine very much. In many cases they are not equal of comparable Leica lenses, but they cost a lot less. The two ultra-wides are exceptional. The build quality is excellent. I’m personally curious about the build quality on the new Voigtlander SLR lenses. With auto aperture, there are more things to go wrong.
I tried the Voigtlander 75mm lens on a Nikon body. It was a good but unremarkable lens. Sharpness and contrast were good but not outstanding. I’ll stick with my 85mm f/1.8 AF Nikkor, which is in my opinion a great lens in this focal length range. — Tony Polson, North Yorkshire, UK
Response:
With all of this bickering going back and forth about the name, no one has mentioned any input as to the quality of the camera or the lenses. How about some opinions as to the product?
What I’m surprised about is that I never hear anyone mention anything about the little Voightlander meter that goes into the accessory shoe of rangefinder cameras that have no meter, such as all the Leica M’s except M5 & M6. I bought one and use it on my M2. Absolute little gem. Ilan
Response:
With all of this bickering going back and forth about the name, no one has mentioned any input as to the quality of the camera or the lenses. How about some opinions as to the product?
In general, the lenses are good, but the bodies are sometimes of questionable reliability. The Bessamatic is one of the best of the leaf-shutter SLR’s, and still is quite useable if you find a good example. Like others of its breed, it has limited lens interchangeability. IMO, Voigtlanders best effort. The Ultramatic is best avoided (except for showcase collecting), since it is notoriously unreliable and difficult to put in proper working order. (Also, it is somewhat rare and therefore very expensive.) The Vitos (fixed lens 35mm) can be nice, if simple cameras. Most lack a rangefinder, but you can apparently call it a rangefinder anyway, so no big deal. The Bessa folders are hard to find in good working order, and have prices inflated by collectors, but if you can find a good one it can make great photos. In general, the Voigtlander TLR’s are probably best avoided, too. Better to get a Rollei, or even an Ikoflex. Lenses: The Color-Skopar is a Tessar-type lens, and gives good results, especially stopped down to f/11 or f/16. The Color-Lanthar is not really very sharp, though. The Ultron is good if you can afford it. Bobke 
Response:
I tried the Voigtlander 75mm lens on a Nikon body. It was a good but unremarkable lens. Sharpness and contrast were good but not outstanding. I’ll stick with my 85mm f/1.8 AF Nikkor, which is in my opinion a great lens in this focal length range.
What is it like mechanically? Is it comparable to SLR lenses from late 70’s and early 80’s? Or does it feel like it’s going to fall apart at any moment (as is common with many bargain AF lenses)?
Response:
What I’m surprised about is that I never hear anyone mention anything about the little Voightlander meter that goes into the accessory shoe of rangefinder cameras that have no meter, such as all the Leica M’s except M5 & M6. I bought one and use it on my M2. Absolute little gem.
I’ve used it on Fuji 6X7 rangefinder. It is great. It can also be used on cameras with a dead meter. Cosina has put out many useful accessories that can be used on older cameras. The latest is the angle finder for Hasselblad SWC.
Response:
What I’m surprised about is that I never hear anyone mention anything about the little Voightlander meter that goes into the accessory shoe of rangefinder cameras that have no meter, such as all the Leica M’s except M5 & M6. I bought one and use it on my M2. Absolute little gem.
Yeah, the VC meters are terrific! I use ‘em on my Leicas and Contax IIa. I’m also using the 1-to-2 accessory shoe adapters and, with my 21 and 15mm lenses, the right-angle finder. I have the eyepiece pointing straight up so I can hold the camera at chest level. Doing this I feel less intrusive when street shooting, which has led IMO to better photos. As for the Bessa-R IMO the finder turns an average camera into a good and very useful one. Using the Voigt 35mm f/1.7 lens on this camera is a real pleasure for this eyeglasses wearer. -Dave-
Response:
I tried the Voigtlander 75mm lens on a Nikon body. It was a good but unremarkable lens. Sharpness and contrast were good but not outstanding. I’ll stick with my 85mm f/1.8 AF Nikkor, which is in my opinion a great lens in this focal length range. What is it like mechanically? Is it comparable to SLR lenses from late 70’s and early 80’s? Or does it feel like it’s going to fall apart at any moment (as is common with many bargain AF lenses)?
It’s beautifully made. The focusing and aperture rings are precise in operation and similar to pre-AI and early AI Nikon lenses in feel. It has a retro appearance, but it’s difficult to describe precisely what it harks back to. I can’t see it being a big seller to Nikon owners, as Nikon already have the short portrait focal length range well covered. — Tony Polson, North Yorkshire, UK
Response:
Here is another picky picky: It is by origin pronounced as follows: Voigtl
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