The Bessa R3M has been my latest addition to my stable of cameras. Honestly, having a camera collection is a terrible idea. It’s way too much money. But I suppose other people spend money on even dumber hobbies so there’s that (that’s what I tell myself to sleep at night). Someday I’ll get them all together for a group portrait.
Anyways, the R3M is a fancy lookin’ film camera. What? They still make film cameras? Yeah, they do, and this one is pretty awesome. Voigtlander is really a misnomer too, it’s not the Voigtlander of old times. But it’s cool to say that I’ve got a Voigtlander. Here’s some awesome stuff about the R3M:
- totally manual. Also, totally mechanical, you don’t need a battery to shoot.
- really fast rangefinding. The viewfinder is 1:1 and the little tab to focus moves like a dream.
- It’s pretty (so I’m a vain camera collector)
- you can use all sorts of awesome lenses on it (like Leica ones)
I’ve been using the Voigtlander 40mm f1.4 on it, which, according the internet, is the fastest 40mm lens ever made for a 35mm camera. Cool. It is fast, and a fantastic lens; the 40mm feels very natural, especially for snapshots. This camera is pretty much the ideal snapshot/street photography camera. I have pretty small hands and it feels really nice in my hands, but if you have larger hands, I can imagine it might be a little frustrating to wind the film back and some other bits and pieces that’s easier with smaller fingers. I have to say though, all in all, it has been a dream film camera. I like the ease of focus with the rangefinder, and the nice solid feel of the metal. Good camera.
Purchase from Amazon:
Here’s some sample pics for you. These were taken on Ektar 100.
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