Voigtlander Bessa-T Review Let's start off with a quick explanation of what the Bessa-T is. In short, it's a Leica M bayonet mount camera with a rangefinder, but no viewfinder. Like the M6, it's all mechanical, using batteries only for metering. Sound odd? Well, it is a bit. The lack of a viewfinder means you have to buy accessory viewfinders to mount in the flash shoe to frame your shots. Annoying? It sounds that way, but in practice, it's not a big deal if you're working with slow moving subjects, which I often am. So why the Bessa-T? Well, when I finally decided to get one, here are the thoughts that ran through my head that contributed to the decision. First, the camera itself only costs about $300. With accessory finders for my 35mm Summicron and 50mm Noctilux, the total price rises to a meer $600. Less than half of what a new M6 would cost, and a good $400 less than my other option, a Konica Hexar RF (which I decided against because of the small rangefinder magnification and because it's not mechanical). Secondly, the rangefinder magnification is very high, meaning it will allow me to accurately focus my Noctilux. Thirdly, it's all mechanical, a quality I've come to love in my M6. Fourthly, it's got a really cool retro/classical look that I just think is neat. Fifthly, the Bessa will serve as a great platform for my 21mm Skopar, which I use with an external viewfinder already. Sixthly, the controls on the Bessa more or less mimic those on the M6, which means no new camera layout to learn. It'll also make switching between the two very easy. And finally, it makes a good backup for the M6. Now you know why I bought it. So, the important question: do I like it? In a word, yes. Although it has its shortcomings, there is plenty to like. So let's go through the pluses and minuses. For one, it's lite. The less weight I have to carry around, the happier I am. The camera feels like it weighs half of what the M6 does, although it probably isn't actually that lite. This is a good thing, because even with the Noctilux mounted, the weight around my neck isn't bad. The down side is that the build quality isn't up to par with Leica's, but for $350, what did you expect? This isn't to say quality is poor... things just aren't quite as amazingly well put together as they are on the M6. The rubberized outer casing is very nice, and makes gripping it quite easy. The accessory handgrip, which I also got, is a bit too small, but useful never the less. The shutter speed dial spins continually through 360 degrees of motion, unlike the M6. The dial is large and easy to read. You can indeed use the Abrahamsson Soft Release on the Bessa-T, and it makes things a little nicer when it comes to tripping the shutter. The shutter sound is a somewhat resounding metallic thunk, not the 'snick' made by the M6. The plus side of this is that you get and extra stop at 1/2000. The accessory finders are fantastic, my one qualm being that they don't project far enough back from the body of the camera, meaning you have to smush your face up a bit to get a full view. The one big complaint I have is with the rangefinder. Actually, I love it and I hate it. I love it because it's incredibly easy to focus with, and the magnification is enough to easily focus the Noctiux. My complaint is that, because of its positioning on the body, it's a little squinty. Otherwise, it's great. Most likely, this body will be the new home for my Noctilux. Since the Noct isn't meant for quick street shooting, nor is it very capable in that regard, the fact that you have to switch between the rangefinder and the viewfinder on the Bessa-T doesn't really slow the overall process down very much with the Noctilux. Plus, you get the added bonus of greater focussing accuracy, which at f/1 is more important to me anyway. I'll also use the Bessa-T for my 21mm Skopar, since focusing with this lens isn't really necessary in most cases. That means that my M6 will mount the 35mm Summicron most of the time, which is fine by me, seeing as how I love the lens, but haven't been using it as much as I'd like due to the fact that I'm very lazy when it comes to having to change lenses. Oh, one more complaint... the meter. I've gotten so used to the plain old 10% spot meter that the M6 has, that I'm not really sure what to do with the center weighted average meter on the Bessa. More to the point, I have no idea what the coverage of the meter is. Hey, Voigtlander... update your documentation! Not a big deal, but somewhat annoying. But on the bright side, because the meter is on the back of the body and not in the viewfinder, doing unobstrusive work with the 21mm just got a lot easier. I no longer have to bring the camera to my eye to take a meter reading. Overall, I have to say the Bessa-T fills a rather odd niche that was, until now, an empty corner of my camera bag. I honestly hadn't realized it was empty until after I got the Bessa. But I look forward to using it, as it seems very capable, and fits my needs quite well. And at less than half the cost of an M6, how could I possibly complain? My one word of warning to M users seeking to use this as a backup/additional camera for their current setup would be that if you've got lots of lenses, it's probably cheaper to just buy another M. The reason is that the external finders aren't cheap. Because I only use 3 focal lengths, and only had to buy two finders, it works for me. But if you've got 5 or 6 lenses... it might not be for you. In case there were any lingering doubts about focusing the Noctilux at f/1, at close focus, you can put them to rest: Here's another one, again with the Noctilux at f/1: **** Update 04/20/02 **** I've decided to sell this camera. Why, you ask? Well, I'm paring down my kit. I've unloaded the 90mm Elmarit, and so I've got some money. Always a bad thing. Every time I shoot with the M6 I feel like I'm operating a piece of precision machinery. When I use the Bessa I get a headache from squinting through the rangefinder. Solution? Buy another M6, sell the Bessa. It's definitely not a bad camera, it just doesn't make me happy. Sometimes that's important with a camera. Want to read some of my other Equipment Reviews?