Voigtlander Bessa 1 REVIEW and SHOOT - 6x9 medium format folding camera, definitely one to try!
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- čas přidán 30. 09. 2021
- Well, what a cracking camera! Lovely sharp lens (once you've removed the thick layer of fungus and 70 years of dirt), and just look at those massive negatives! I do love a 6x9 camera.
This was another one of my lucky finds... buried in a pile of cameras in an auction lot, not even mentioned on the lot listing. After a good thorough clean it's really in great condition. The shutter is firing close to accurately on the faster speeds. Slower speeds are sticky, as you might expect, but that's ok, I don't mind working around that.
It's not a small camera, by any means. For a 120 folder it's positively massive. But still fits comfortably in your bag when folded. Definitely less cumbersome and easier to pack away than a TLR. And 100 times lighter than the Bronica.
I headed off to Chepstow for this shoot, was planning on getting some quaint town shots. But I had no idea where I was going... just started walking... and I found Chepstow Castle. I say "found"... it's not like it's hidden. But I didn't know it was so green along that side. I've only ever seen it from the river before, didn't know what was the far side of it.
Very happy with the results. I still think the focus could do with some fine tuning. I also used an accessory rangefinder in the cold shoe, and I think that could do with some fine tuning as well!
All in all though, I really like this one. It offers something I don't have in my collection - a sharp, focus-able 6x9 camera. All the other 6x9s I have are box cameras, so this one is quite exciting. I'll definitely be keeping it, and taking it out a few more times, see just how good I can get these images.
Drop me a message with any thoughts, questions etc.!
Cracking episode lovely camera. The shots with folk walking past the castle work a treat. Ya honestly never realise how much of an historic engineering marvel those castles are until you live in a country without them. My old dad spent years shooting castles still does now between lock downs fuel shortages and plebs blocking roads🙄 great video mate cheers buddy
Thanks Paul! It’s terrible isn’t it, we don’t know how lucky we are! I went out yesterday to shoot down by the Wye river, maybe 20 mins drive from me, and wandered around the ruins of a church that was built in 1160! The walls are still standing, it’s amazing. But I’ve lived 20 mins away from it for nearly 8 years now, known it was there and never been before. Shameful really.
@@the120ist Madness eh mate I'm same here got sooooo many beaches within an hour but there's still a couple I've never been to. xxx. Our written history in NZ goes back 150 years or so, oral history maybe 700 but that's it, My fave subject at school was history, not sure today's kids are taught what an incredible place Britain was. Those old castles make awesome subjects.
Wow, lovely 6x9 images and what a clean, shiny lens indeed. Enjoyable content as usual and a chance to see a seventy year old camera preform. Hope my shutter doesn't start sticking when I reach seventy. And did I mention that shiny lens...lol Cheers from Canada Nick.
Ha ha thanks!! But seriously…. Did you see how shiny the lens was??
l enjoyed your video. It brought it all back for me. l am retired and and miss doing roll film photography. Back in the 80’s we had an antique shop and l sold quite a few older cameras like your Bessa. But, l tried out the interesting ones first! Some of the duo format cameras had an adjustment on the back to chose which one. And two red counter windows. I have made cardboard masks, also l was astonished when used 6x9 slides with an old manual operated projector at there sharpness.
I really enjoyed shooting with the Bessa, and was pretty pleased with the results. That must have been great, having an antique shop and getting to just try out whatever came through!
I bet the 6x9 slides are fantastic! When you get a MF camera that is functioning well, and with a good clear lens, the resolution available is huge.
Although I have to confess, I haven't ever used slide film, on account of not being able to develop at home. One day maybe.....
You know my feelings with regard to 6x9 format and ancient cameras Nick, MAGNIFICENT. Cheers and thanks for the video.
I genuinely had fun with this one, and I love the images. I think it's one to work with a bit and try to get really good with!
Beautiful photos mate!!! That camera has some soul ☀️🌻
Doesn’t it?! I like the camera. It’s just tricky enough to get right, and the images just rewarding enough, that I want to take it out again! A really interesting find. Worth a try!
I bought a Bessa 2 a while back and had no idea the 1 had some nifty features like parallax and double exposure prevention.
I absolutely love my Bessa 2. One of my fav cameras. Those 6x9 negatives are so good. It is a bit slow to compose carefully with since the viewfinder is small etc but hey. The portability and general image quality make up for it imo
Lovely pics in this video!
Thank you! Yeah I really enjoyed shooting with it. Same as you, I found the viewfinder small and a little tricky, but just as you say, the portability for a 6x9 camera more than makes up for it! Great camera.
Nice video. Picked one of these up in almost perfect condition at a flea market a little while back. I can’t wait to take it out and get some shots.
They're really nice cameras to shoot actually, I was pleasantly surprised! Have a bit of character, but also a nice crisp lens. Of all the older folders I've tried, this is up there with my faves! Enjoy!
Wow I got a jolt of a surprise near the end, with your announcement of the Rollei SLX ii, it be great to hear your take on this lovely camera. Loved the video, love the progress and direction you're heading. Thanks for sharing. Cheers from Canada.
On your recommendation! I left a message on the C330 video where we were talking about the SLX, saying that I had come across one quite by chance. I think I lucked out, yet to find any faults with the camera, three batteries which charge and hold their charge. And at current rates I could sell just the batteries and make my money back and some on what I paid for the whole lot!
Just waiting for the right shoot to give it a run out. Hopefully tomorrow!
@@the120ist Holey crap, yes you lucked out, with 3 batteries!!! Good for you, I'm really looking forward to that video, the SLX ii is right up there on my personal list of top 5 medium format 6x6's ever made. Its a giant of a camera, with a god thundering clunk when the shutter is fired, but what amazing photos it takes. I can't wait. Cheers mate.
Also if you break the SLX down it is a Hasselblad 500EL reconfigured and tuned to Rollei specs, all the electronics have been updated over the Hasselblad 500EL, but the glass in the lenses are exactly the same Carl Zeiss specs, with the exception of the HFT coating which has an orange tint. Yeah what a camera.
I thought I was familiar with the post-war Bessa folders, but the Bessa I here was my surprise, so I guess I'm not. The Bessa RF (pre-war) and its post-war successor, the Bessa II are fairly well known. It looks like the Bessa I was the post-war effort to make a budget version. The lens (Vaskar) is a triplet, significantly less optically corrected than the Bessa II lenses, which started with the Color-Skopar, a Tessar copy, the Heilar, a uniquely excellent 5-element lens, and a fairly rare Apo-Lanthar. A triplet on a camera of quality like the Bessa is not so odd, in that a 6x9cm negative, in the early 1950s, was nearly always contact printed, where the optical differences between any of these lenses were irrelevant. Shut down to f8.0, the Vaskar is going to look as good as the other lenses, even under enlargement.
Great video!
Thank you! 👍👍
Just clicked buy on what i believe is one of these models of Voightlanders for $60 U.S.. This will be my first venture into film for decades. Cautiously hopeful.
They're beautiful cameras, and take some really beautiful images. Plus the 6x9 frame size is actually not that easy to find on anything other than a box camera, or one of the more expensive cameras like a GW690. So this is a good affordable alternative.
Good luck with it, I hope the one you get is in decent condition. Sounds like you've got experience with film and similar cameras, but if there's anything I can help with just shout!
You're now making me regret selling my Mark 2 BUT it didn't have the parallax correction system in the viewfinder and, presumably, did not focus as close as yours. I am SO happy with my Bronica S2A though. I just wish my local lab (who do great work) scanned the edge of the negatives. I love seeing a slither of that when I print. Obviously, there are all kinds of cheat frames I can add but there is something about saying "yes, I shot this on film and did not crop it at all". Thanks again. Peter.
Given the choice between the S2A and the Bessa, I'd definitely choose the S2A! But those 6x9 negatives are great...
Have you tried DSLR scanning? I do all mine that way, and of course you can choose what you scan and how wide.
Definitely no added frames... feels wrong somehow!
Every used prontor shutter I've bought has benefited from being/needed to be submerged in kerosene for a day or two (minus the glass!), then with careful drying of the leaf shutter and iris (unless you tear it down to remove) over the course of a week. The slow shutter speeds have always been pretty accurate after this and stay that way.
This shutter would definitely benefit from that. But the faster shutter speeds were pretty accurate, I checked them carefully. So my feeling was that it was going to do what I wanted it to do, for now, so didn't need me tinkering! I'm also not super confident on shutters, so worried I might do more harm than good if I start taking that apart!
Just came across your channel, loved your presentation and the images you produced. I am a new armature collector and have just bought a Bessa 1, I absolutely love it. It is generally in good condition but does require some general cleaning, would you please be able to give me some advice as to how I can go about it, it’s been rather difficult to find information of how to do so.
I found it!
Glad you found it! I was watching your messages and before I could get a chance to respond, you'd sorted it out! Hope the vids helped!
Nice Cam, i think your photos could be even better if you used a lens hood!
There's always something I miss... it is a lovely camera though, I really enjoyed the results from that one.
6x9 is the same shape as 35mm
I have a Moskva 4 6x9 which is similar but has a coupled rangefinder for accurate focus
This one would definitely benefit from the coupled rangefinder. Interesting, I’ve not come across a Moskva 4, another one to look out for! Thanks 🙏
Amazing review this. I've got the JOBO developing drum, I think Ilford still does 120 film - but do they do PanF and the fine grain developing solution?
Also, I think I'll need an unusually large enlarger. My "pokey" Durst and Kaiser enlargers won't do 6x6/6×9. 😢
Anyone have ideas on stuff I need? 😊
I have the very same camera, was my grandfather's .
They're beautiful cameras aren't they? Is yours in good working order? Have you taken it out to shoot with it?
Very nice how that lens performs. That Camera shutter noise wise is the opposite of the bronica S2A. The people you used for the foreground probably haven't noticed the shutter. Great how a 65 year old camera still performs so well. Did you use a light meter or where you guessing the shutter speeds? Thanks for sharing
No guessing… I’m terrible for my reliance on a light meter. I meter every shot. I was really impressed with the lens, I thought it did a great job. I’m looking forward to taking the camera out again now that I’ve put a roll through it and learned a little more about it. I think it could produce some lovely images with a bit more time and patience!
How do you attach the film box end on the back of your camera? Just thought I saw a quick glimpse at about 6mins in
Sorry for the late reply! Do you mean the sticker on the back of the camera to remind me what's in there? It's masking tape with the film stock written on, not the box end. Is that what you meant?
I wonder if you, or anyone can help? I have a Bessa Rangefinder AND I recently acquired a 4.5 mask. My Bessa has the “wrong” pressure plate but I have a donor camera with the correct one. I’d like to swap the plates (not the doors) but don’t know how to remove them. Does anyone? I believe they may twist off but I don’t want to experiment! Grateful for any knowledge guidance.
I'm sorry, I don't know the answer... does anyone else? Internet? Come on, someone must know!
I definitely wouldn't start forcible twisting things until you can get an answer!
A nice clean Bessa 1, the same as yours, that I got of eBay arrived today for the grand total of £29 including p&p. 1 sec to 1/10 th sec are nowhere near where they should be and I might take of the clockwork housing cover and give it a clean and oil to see if it helps, and if it doesn't help I still can live with it. But like yours there's no 6x4.5 mask so I was going to have a go at making one, any ideas of what material I should use or do you know anyone who 3d prints them?
Wow, that's a great deal for a Bessa 1, nice work! Don't know about the masks I'm afraid, mine didn't come with one and I've never seen one, so can't tell you what they need to look like! I've never looked for one 3D printed, but Simon Forster might be able to help. Check out simonforsterphotgraphic.co.uk
@@the120ist thanks for that link, I'll check him out. But a update, I'm currently bidding on another bessa 1 and this one has the mask with it so if 🤞 I get it I'll have a template to work from even if the camera isn't the best.
Hi,
I'm looking for rangefinder viewfinder for this particular camera. Would you happen to know which type is suitable? THANKS
Hey, you can use any accessory rangefinder on this camera. It won't give you accurate framing for composition, but you can sit the rangefinder in the cold shoe on the top of the camera, get your distance to subject, and compose in the camera viewfinder. I don't know of anything that will do both range and accurate viewing angle.
In this vid I was using an Accurange finder, but I also have a Watameter rangefinder, a JL Truline rangefinder, any of which will do the job for you, if calibrated correctly.
@@the120ist Thank you 😊 I was browsing the web and came across watameter. Perhaps that's what I'll buy since I heard good reviews about them. Cheers much appreciate the info.
@@felixk1606 Yeah the Watameter is probably the best of the three that I have, brightest and easiest to read. You pay a premium for them, as you'll have seen, but they are good.
Good luck!
Nice video. I think your lens could use a little cla to clear up the haze. It's causing glowing pictures. I cleaned mine and it is creating crystal clear images.
I actually cleaned these lenses just before shooting this video! They were covered in fungus so I took the whole front section apart and cleaned them individually, check out my other videos, the whole process is there. But I agree, they don't seem totally clear. Probably my fault some how!
@@the120ist If it’s fungus that you cleaned then it has probably etched the glass therefore causing all the glowing effects in the final pictures. All the cleaning will not work especially after a lens with fungus.
@@the120ist I thought it was just the lighting on the day, looked to me a bit hazy.
@@AndrewHenderson It was a bit hazy that day, so the long shots of the castle, and the backgrounds when I had a foreground, were a bit hazy. I thought the glass was pretty clean!
@@the120ist I would like to see a follow up with different lighting conditions without the atmospheric haze. I have got myself a Bessa 1 arriving next week from that well known auction site, so looking forward to giving it a few rolls, it comes with the triplet Vasklar lens rather than the better Colar - Skopar, but I've heard there's not much between them.
No T setting?
No T setting on this one, just the timed releases and a bulb setting!
thanks for the reply. How many times do you have to wind the winding wheel to advance the film? In 6x9 mode?
I have a really specific particularly on my nessa that I can't find what ecxacly means. I would love showing you a video. Can I have your email ?
Hey, yes of course. Email is hello (at) the120.ist
I wanna show you my Bessa 1. How can I?
Hey, replied to your other comment, email address should be in the “about” section of my channel, it’s hello @ the120.ist, but without spaces of course. Send me the video, I want to see! 👍👍
@@the120ist yeah man I checked there but there's no email
Sorry. Tried watching your video but was getting seasick with you waving your video camera around. Possibly a different angle as well, not pleasant looking up your nose while you're walking along. Sorry to be critical but maybe it's something that you're not noticing.
Thanks for the comment. Sorry you didn’t like it 👍