Shrewd and capable indeed

The reason why Voigtlander is still alive is that it is smart not to directly compete for Leica users, but to make up for the low-end market that Leica does not want. Voigtlander is Leica’s entry-level product, because Leica itself does not produce entry-level products. Although many people say that second-hand Leica is the entry-level product for Leica, not everyone likes to buy second-hand lenses. After all, second-hand lenses may have unknown problems, and Voigtlander is targeting this market.

The parameters of the Voigtlander M-mount lens are close to those of Leica, but the price is one-tenth of Leica. In addition, Voigtländer Bessa also has many limited editions in special colors, which are very cute. Many people buy Voigtlander fuselage because of the colorful fuselage. My favorite is the gray painted version, because the Bessa’s leather trim is black, and it goes beautifully with the gray.

The German Voigtlander Bessa II was very successful back then, but unfortunately it gradually withdrew from the stage of history. The Voigtlander brand later changed hands to Japan several times. Today’s Japanese Voigtlander actually has nothing to do with the old German Voigtlander. They are all redesigned using Japanese technology.

The difference between Voigtländer Bessa R2a and Leica M

1. Wireframe. Leica’s viewfinder frame is controlled by complex and precise mechanical parts and can automatically select the frame according to the lens. Voigtlander cleverly uses manual selection and does not have automatic adjustment functions, which saves them a lot of costs.
2. Shutter speed. The Voigtlander’s maximum 1/2000 is twice as fast as the Leica’s 1/1000.
3. Shutter sound. The metal shutter used by Voigtlander is naturally louder.
   As for the problem that the focus baseline is shorter than that of the Leica and the accuracy is insufficient, it cannot be felt in actual use.

These Voigtlander Bessa cameras made in Japan can use Leica L39 lenses and M lenses. The specific models of these fuselages are as follows:
Bessa-L, Bessa-T, Bessa-R, Bessa-R2, Bessa-R2S, Bessa-R2C, BessaR2A, Bessa-R3A, Bessa-R2M, Bessa-R3M, Bessa-R4M, Bessa-R4A, Rollei 35RF.

From the naming, we can see the main features of the model. The one with A is an electronic shutter camera with A-speed aperture priority, and the one with M is a fully manual mechanical shutter camera. In addition, it can be deduced that as long as it does not have A, it is a fully manual mechanical shutter. Other features are as follows:
Bessa-L, no viewfinder, L39 port,
Bessa-T, no viewfinder, M mount,
Bessa-R, with viewfinder, L39 port, wire frame 35, 90, 50, 75
Bessa-R2, with viewfinder, M-mount, wireframe 35, 90, 50, 75
Rollei 35 RF, R2 Rollei version M port, wireframe 40, 50, 80
Bessa-R2S, Nikon s rangefinder version S-mount, wireframe 35, 50, 85
Bessa-R2C, Contax rangefinder version C-mount, wireframe 35, 50, 85
Bessa-R2A, with viewfinder, M-mount, wireframe 35, 90, 50, 75
Bessa-R3A, with viewfinder, M-mount, wireframe 45, 50, 75, 90
Bessa-R2M, with viewfinder, M-mount, wireframe 35, 90, 50, 75
Bessa-R3M, with viewfinder, M-mount, wireframe 45, 50, 75, 90
Bessa-R4A, with viewfinder, M-mount, wireframe 21, 25, 28, 35, 50
Bessa-R4M, with viewfinder, M-mount, wireframe 21, 25, 28, 35, 50
Summarize

Voigtlander is cheap and affordable, both the lens and the body are great.