The Voigtländer Bessamatic

Aim for the big and beautiful

The regal Voigtländer Bessamatic entered the SLR-throne room in 1959, but it was probably too late. This was in the early years of the single lens reflex cameras (the SLRs) where the photographer finally could see through the same lens that was recording the picture onto the film. WYSIWYG - What You See Is What You Get – would we call it today.  A technical engineering wonder, but would soon become the standard way of photographing. The old kings – the rangefinders like Leica and Contax – suddenly felt old fashioned and hopelessly outdated. SLR was the new kingmaker.

A fierce rivalry would now start between the Bessamatic and the other SLR players that already claimed their position in the marked. The KW Praktiflex, the Asahiflex (later Pentax), the Zeiss Ikon Contaflex and the Kodak Retina Reflex. In the end they would all have to surrender to the like of the Nikon F that also was introduced in 1959. But that is another story.

The Bessamatic is a mighty thing. It is heavy loaded with high quality metal parts put together with a beautiful craftsmanship. Not much modern ergonomics is added to the construction but still it feels perfect at home in your hands. It is a SLR with a leaf shutter and a DKL mount for intechangeable lenses. The mirror will not automatically return after a picture is taken, but will lower it self back to the viewing position when you wind the film advance lever to the next frame.

The first Bessamatic came in 1959, but featured here is an upgrade model from 1962 and onwards. The upgrade is a little window above the lens that makes it possible to read out the shutter speed and the aperture setting through the viewfinder. It is sometimes called the "de luxe model”, but I belive this was no an official designation. The frame counter must be manually reset.

My copy has a working meter. Yes, I am lucky!

The Bessamatic on the picture is fitted with the 2/50 mm Septon lens, witch is a very fine lens. Here flanked by the 3.4/35mm Skoparex, the 4/135mm Super-Dynarex, and the standard kit lens 2.8/50mm Color-Skopar. All lenses are fine, but I like the Septon in particular for its fabulous sharpness and good balanced contrast. It has a filter tread mount that fits the ubiquitous 52mm size too.

Lens change is easy. If you have any lenses to change, that is. The lenses that fit the Bessamatic is a rather scarce commodity. And there is not a big range to choose from either. You might end up buying Bessamatic houses to get the lenses that comes with them. The good thing is that they are all - with some exceptions - fairly cheap to buy.

Now I’m a sucker for prime lenses but zoom lens lovers should be aware of that the Voigtländer-Zoomar f.2.8/36-82mm was the first successful proper zoom lens in modern photography. And it came with the Bessamatic. This lens however commands quite high prices as it is sought after by collectors. Personally I don’t care much since I consider myself a classic camera shooter, not a collector. But of course one must recognize the historical significance of the Zoomar lens. And its said to be a pretty sharp lens too.

Shutter speeds (B, 1 – 1/500 sec) are selected on the barrel of the lens mount, and the aperture settings are done with the left hand knob, where you also set the ISO value and exposure compensation. All parts and functions on my kit works impressively smooth and easy.

It has an auxiliary clip-on cold shoe for flash attachment. However practical, this kind of ad-ons are often kind of ugly and ruins the visual beauty of a camera kit. I should have removed it before I took this picture but I forgot.

Pro:

• Easy to use, durable and good looking
• No batteries
• Not many quirks for a camera of this age and complexity
• Works fine outdoors in the low temperatures of the Scandinavian winter

Contra:

• The weight of quality can still be a burden
• Lenses and accessories may be hard to come by
• A selenium light meter will sooner or (hopefully) later inevitably die. Be prepared to use a hand held meter or a smart phone app to measure the light.

Verdict:

• A great early SLR camera capable of high quality pictures. Expect to pay 100-150 $ for a usable kit with the 2.8/50mm Color-Skopar lens. I think it is worth it. Above that price point you should demand an exceptionally mint camera body - or a Zoomar lens - or a Septon lens.

 

Here are some sample shots taken with the 2/50 Septon lens:









Picture sample from the 3.4/35mm Skoparex lens:

Picture sample from the f4/135mm Super-Dynarex lens:

Konica Autoreflex TC

It got the looks - but does it have the charm? 

The Konica Autoreflex TC (1976) often suffers from shrinking leatherettes that curls at the ends. It could have been a pretty and nicely designed little camera.

The electronically governed shutter inside the plastic body gives a statisfying ‘clunk’ when released. However it is the same sound and feeling at all the shutter speeds, which evoke the suspicion that it is the electronics who is the true master of the house, not you.

The metal bladed Copal square shutter is a mule, robust and trusty. You feel the vibrations in your finger tips as the shutter and the mirror perform their duty, but I have not had any problems with motion blur using a TC.

The TC requires the discontinued mercury batteries. I’ve used modern hearing aid batteries with 1,5V without problems. Maybe I should set the ISO speed to 300 with my Tri-X 400 film in the future, just to compensate? The pictures looks fine so I don't belive it to be necessary.

The meter seems accurate, but the ‘pointing finger’ on the right hand side only shows what the apperture setting SHOULD BE in manual mode, not what it actually is. That leads to a lot of gazing to and fro the viewfinder and the apperture ring.

In automatic mode however (you set ‘AE’ or 'EE' on the apperture ring on the lens) this system works just fine. A half pressed shutter button even serves as a exposure lock. Lovely! Shooting in auto mode - shutter priority that is - gives exposures with good accuracy. And the AR Hexanon lenses are usually pretty sharp. Great pictures, in other words.

Still I miss the dept of field preview and the mirror lock up function. This would really lift the TC a notch or two in my estimation. The mirror flips up however when shooting with the self timer. So it is an good idea to use the self timer for long exposures.

The camera house seems robust an sturdy. Still, there is a kind of plasticy feel to it. An early version had at least a bottom plate in metal. If that is important to you, look for a TC with the Konika logo on the front of the prism housing in capital letters only.

With less plastic body parts it would literally be among the top brass. The TC is great for holiday snaps, and will do a great job as an everyday shooter. But it lacks some of the features demanded by a film photo enthusiast. Some of the shortcommings of the TC would be taken care of by the more expensive and rare Konica Autoreflex T4 that in many ways is a more advanced edition of the TC.

"There was shrinkage!" 
The design and finish is an important aspect of a camera ownership to many customers. It is really a shame that the manufacturer has made the TC with a glue and leatherettes that drasticly degrade over time. Some TCs looks quite crappy today because of this. Sloppy finish devalues the value of owning a camera for many photographers, even though it has no direct impact to the performance. A handy person may fix the problems with a bit of effort. Personally I don't care.

Pro:

• Cool design in pitch black and red an white detailing
• Seems to be long lasting and durable 
• Light weight, nice size 
• Wind lever in stand of-position is ‘on’ - fast and easy
• The Copal Compact Shutter (CCS) is accurate and durable
• Many good and reasonably priced lenses to choose from 

Contra:

• The plasticy feel don’t provide confidence 
• Crappy production finish result in shrinking leatherettes over time on many TCs.
• It requires the discontinued PX625 mercury batteries (1,35V) 
• The meter is great for auto mode shooting, not so much when shooting in manual mode 
• Shutter priority only when using auto mode 

Verdict: 
It has a certain charm to it, but lacks the final touch. It must be the performance that makes the TC a keeper. Especially with a Hexanon lens fitted to that neat AR bayonet mount, there are few other SLRs at this price point that can beat the TC. Holiday shooters have a perfect partner in the TC, but the advanced enthusiast should maybe aim a bit higher.



Here is a few picture samples from the Konica Autoreflex TC:

Kodak Retinette II (type 160)

The pre-war people's pocket camera

The Retinette models from 1939 was Kodak's budget alternative to the Retinas. It had basically the same design as the concurrent Retina of its time, but there was some cost-cuts on the optics, the focusing mechanism and the shutter. The Retinette type 160 superseded the earlier (and very first Retinette) type 147, which I still don't own.

The two cameras on the main picture shares the same designation, but still got different specs.

The left one has the Kodak-Anastigmat 5cm/4.5 lens in a Gauthier shutter with speeds of 1/25 to 1/125 second plus B. This shutter is weak and flimsy, at least on my copy. I am not shure if a test with film will provide any results worth displaying.

The one on the right got the Kodak-Anastigmat 5cm/3.5 lens in a Compur shutter with speeds from 1 to 1/300 second plus B. On my camera this shutter and lens works very well.

Both these Retinettes are fitted with lenses with front cell focusing, while the Retinas from the same time period is focused with the hole lens unit in a helical mechanism.

Since I am positively biased towards most of the early Retinas, I find the Retinette II easy and fun to use, at least the one with the f3.5 lens and the Compur shutter. It is supposed to have a lesser lens, but I find the results to be on the same quality level as its four elements concurrent. A few things to remember though:

• There is no focusing aid, the distance must be estimated. However, if you are used to zone focusing, this should not be a problem
• The shutter must be cocked separately before shooting. If you forget it, you miss the shot
• This camera model is very robust, but check for light leaks in the bellows. If you buy one, clean it properly for paint flakes, dust and old dirt. Assume that a camera of this age probably need a professional service sooner or later
• The lens is uncoated. This means that the photographer should be careful with shooting against any strong light sources to avoid flare
• And a good advice: Use contrast filter (yellow/orange/red) when shooting b/w film outdoors in daylight. It improves the end result a lot.

Pros:

• A fun, small and easy to use camera that fits in your pocket
• Robust and durable
• A proper vintage camera with a reasonable price tag

Cons:

• Uncoated lenses are prone to flare
• The shutter probably needs service

Verdict:

Classic cameras of this age have their fair share of quirks and limitations. If you accept this, the Retinette II type 160 is a collectible vintage camera that possibly also could serve as an everyday shooter. And it is so good looking too...!

Here is a few sample shots from the Retinette with the f3.5 lens:

Nikkormat FTn

Looks like a brick - feels like a brick

The Nikkormat FTn (1967) is a continuation of the FT (1965) upgraded with an open TTL metering system with readout both in the viewfinder and on the top deck. Shutter speed is selected with a collar ring at the base of the F-mount in front. Once you get used to it, it works just perfect.

The camera weighs a ton, be sure to use a broad camera strap with it. Heavy and slightly cumbersome as it might be, this machine has grown to be one of my absolute favourites. Past on to me from my late father, it has a special place in my heart. But I’m not only sentimental. The old banger produces pictures of the highest quality.

The lens attatchment prosedure is a thing. Sett the apperture to f5.6 to match the pin (on the body) and the claw (on the lens). When the lens click into its place, twist the apperture ring to its maximum both ways to let the camera know what lens is attatched. Nikon called this lens fitting procedure «indexing». That's just a fancy word for fiddeling.

Strange, but since I’m used to the Nikkormat, I do this drill automatically without thinking with all my SLRs whatever brand and system. Its said that the Nikkormat is a nummer two camera for F2 users. Well, I have a Nikon F2 as well, but I’d rather take the Nikkormat to a photoshoot.

You can quick and easy check out the dept of field by pressing down the button next to the release button with your index finger. This will stop down the apperture to whatever setting you have selected on the lens. Such a genius feature should be mandadory by law!

 

Pro:

• A Nikkormat will probably outlive you
• It is tough as nails - impressive build quality
• The metal bladed shutter does the job - each and every time 
• Wide array of excelent Nikkor optics to choose from 
• Meter reading from the top deck

Contra:

• The weight of quality can still be a burdon
• The lens attatchment might be fiddly before getting used to 
• It requires the discontinued PX625 mercury batteries (1,35V)

Verdict:

If you accept the weight of a full metall quality camera body, you’ve got a friend for life. The Nikkormat is not ment for dust free camera collection cabinets, its made to be used and abused.

Sample pictures: