Field report- Vöigtlander Bessa T

This is my journey from a Leica IIIa to a Bessa T, through a Bessa L. I just shot my first roll and wanted to share my experience.

After having used my Leica IIIa for a while (and sending it twice to repair) I yearned for an integrated light meter. I could use my Vöigtlander VCII light meter with my Leica but then I did not have a place to attach a viewfinder. I bought a cold shoe attachment that would give me two cold shoes, but then the camera became bulky.

This was until I found a Bessa L online, bundled with a Vöigtlander 15mm for a good price. Now I had a plastic Leica IIIa with a light meter. The light meter was though not in the viewfinder (because L does not have a viewfinder), which made it similar to having the Vöigtlander light meter but without it occupying my cold shoe. I used the L for a while, and bought 2-3 very descent Vöigtlander wide-angle lenses with L39 mount.

Then started my yearning for a rangefinder. After all, my Leica IIIa (now non-functional and sitting on a shelf) had a rangefinder. Although you can most of the time zone focus with wide-angle lenses, sometimes you need to fine-focus, for instance when using a Vöigtlander 35mm 1.4. To my amazement, Vöigtlander was ahead of me and had the solution, already 25 years ago: Bessa T! I went to the online auction site…

Vöigtlander Bessa T is a cool camera. It is, as you would have guessed, a Leica IIIa with a light meter and M-mount! Well, not completely. Leica IIIa has a viewfinder with 50mm frame lines. Bessa does not have any frame lines for any lenses, just a small rangefinder window that allows you to focus. After you have focused, you need to move your eye to the external viewfinder (of your choice, depending on which lens is attached to the camera) and frame your shot.

You might say “this is too much of a hassle.” But remember that this is exactly what I have to do when using my Leica M6 with wide lenses. I have to attach an external viewfinder, do the focusing in M6’s rangefinder window, and move my eye back to the external viewfinder to compose the shot. And remember that Bessa T costs one sixth of M6 and weights almost half, and its max shutter speed is 1/2000.

In other words, Bessa T is mainly for wide-angle shooters. If your widest lens is 28mm then Leica M6 is a much more user-friendly option (if you can afford it). If you shoot wider then Bessa T is a very attractive option for film. You have an M-mount body that can also take all L39 lenses on the market with a cheap adapter (you need only one adapter since there is no frame lines to switch on Bessa T). And, I have to say, this is a hell of a sexy looking camera!

So if you are using wide lenses with viewfinders, Bessa T is quite attractive as an alternative to Leica cameras, Barnack or not. This is a modern camera that will hopefully last a long time.

Shooting with Bessa T

Ironically, I shot my first roll with Bessa T using my my Vöigtlander Snapshot-Skopar lens, which is not rangefinder-coupled. This is a wonderful L39 lens that I have had for a while and I enjoy shooting because it is so easy to zone-focus with it. It also creates great shots (Note to self: Write a blog post about this lens). I used Foma 100 classic, which I normally use when I test new cameras. I had a yellow filter on for most of the shots.

I have to say I am not so happy with the results. I suspect my developer is expired, or something is wrong with my chemicals. The photos are dull and lack contrast. It might also be that I shot most of them in cloudy weather.

But the camera itself is quite fun to use. It is small, even with attached viewfinder. It is also quite light and therefore easy to carry with you. I had it in my backpack and took it out while on hiking tours or city walks.

I need to shoot more with this camera to know it better. For now, I think I will sell my Bessa L to the first willing buyer.