Big Dreams of Big Negs
I recently got a very unique camera, the Voightlander Bessa RF. I've shot a lot of medium format before, but never a negative that big. 6 x 9 is a HONKING negative. A single negative is over 5.5 times larger than a 35mm full frame shot. The trade-off is that each roll of 120 gets you 8 shots. Big oof.
This camera is also a folding camera, with a rangefinder focusing mechanism, and I'm glad to see that the focus is calibrated, there are no light leaks, and everything seems to work as it should.
In the hand, the camera takes a little getting used to. The focus and shutter trigger are both on the left side of the camera. Overall, it's just a slow camera. That's good though, because 8 shots can go quickly.
The lens is good too. Even wide open, the center is sharp. I think Voightlander had several different kinds of lenses that came with these, and mine is a Skopar. The bokeh is pretty nice too. The roll-off definitely has a special quality to it.
This is the 8th shot, so that's the whole roll. Economical? Certainly not. An absolute blast and a special shooting experience? Certainly.
Those are beautiful!
Quote from Justin Tung on March 28, 2022, 7:59 pmI recently got a very unique camera, the Voightlander Bessa RF. I've shot a lot of medium format before, but never a negative that big. 6 x 9 is a HONKING negative. A single negative is over 5.5 times larger than a 35mm full frame shot. The trade-off is that each roll of 120 gets you 8 shots. Big oof.
This camera is also a folding camera, with a rangefinder focusing mechanism, and I'm glad to see that the focus is calibrated, there are no light leaks, and everything seems to work as it should.
In the hand, the camera takes a little getting used to. The focus and shutter trigger are both on the left side of the camera. Overall, it's just a slow camera. That's good though, because 8 shots can go quickly.
The lens is good too. Even wide open, the center is sharp. I think Voightlander had several different kinds of lenses that came with these, and mine is a Skopar. The bokeh is pretty nice too. The roll-off definitely has a special quality to it.
This is the 8th shot, so that's the whole roll. Economical? Certainly not. An absolute blast and a special shooting experience? Certainly.
Yeah, I can't imagine handling a negative that size. I have never even seen one in person. Great shots! I had to google the camera to know what it looked like. It looks like a fun experience to shoot. I'm curious what drew you to get the camera?
Quote from James Warner on March 30, 2022, 12:58 amQuote from Justin Tung on March 28, 2022, 7:59 pmI recently got a very unique camera, the Voightlander Bessa RF. I've shot a lot of medium format before, but never a negative that big. 6 x 9 is a HONKING negative. A single negative is over 5.5 times larger than a 35mm full frame shot. The trade-off is that each roll of 120 gets you 8 shots. Big oof.
This camera is also a folding camera, with a rangefinder focusing mechanism, and I'm glad to see that the focus is calibrated, there are no light leaks, and everything seems to work as it should.
In the hand, the camera takes a little getting used to. The focus and shutter trigger are both on the left side of the camera. Overall, it's just a slow camera. That's good though, because 8 shots can go quickly.
The lens is good too. Even wide open, the center is sharp. I think Voightlander had several different kinds of lenses that came with these, and mine is a Skopar. The bokeh is pretty nice too. The roll-off definitely has a special quality to it.
This is the 8th shot, so that's the whole roll. Economical? Certainly not. An absolute blast and a special shooting experience? Certainly.
Yeah, I can't imagine handling a negative that size. I have never even seen one in person. Great shots! I had to google the camera to know what it looked like. It looks like a fun experience to shoot. I'm curious what drew you to get the camera?
I wanted to see what the larger negative looks like, and whether I'd get value out of having that much information in exchange for fewer shots. I also wanted to try out a medium format rangefinder, since I currently have an SLR and TLR. I was also attracted to the portability. Folded in, it's about the size of the body of the Canon AE-1P, and with a lens on the Canon, it's more portable!
Quote from Justin Tung on March 30, 2022, 3:08 pmQuote from James Warner on March 30, 2022, 12:58 amQuote from Justin Tung on March 28, 2022, 7:59 pmI recently got a very unique camera, the Voightlander Bessa RF. I've shot a lot of medium format before, but never a negative that big. 6 x 9 is a HONKING negative. A single negative is over 5.5 times larger than a 35mm full frame shot. The trade-off is that each roll of 120 gets you 8 shots. Big oof.
This camera is also a folding camera, with a rangefinder focusing mechanism, and I'm glad to see that the focus is calibrated, there are no light leaks, and everything seems to work as it should.
In the hand, the camera takes a little getting used to. The focus and shutter trigger are both on the left side of the camera. Overall, it's just a slow camera. That's good though, because 8 shots can go quickly.
The lens is good too. Even wide open, the center is sharp. I think Voightlander had several different kinds of lenses that came with these, and mine is a Skopar. The bokeh is pretty nice too. The roll-off definitely has a special quality to it.
This is the 8th shot, so that's the whole roll. Economical? Certainly not. An absolute blast and a special shooting experience? Certainly.
Yeah, I can't imagine handling a negative that size. I have never even seen one in person. Great shots! I had to google the camera to know what it looked like. It looks like a fun experience to shoot. I'm curious what drew you to get the camera?
I wanted to see what the larger negative looks like, and whether I'd get value out of having that much information in exchange for fewer shots. I also wanted to try out a medium format rangefinder, since I currently have an SLR and TLR. I was also attracted to the portability. Folded in, it's about the size of the body of the Canon AE-1P, and with a lens on the Canon, it's more portable!
Interesting! It looked much larger in the photos, even when folded down. I have had that same curiosity before (well medium format film, not specifically rangefinder, I haven't even used rangefinder 35mm). I don't know when I'll scratch that itch. Having a lot of fun in other areas and don't touch film much, though I have a few rolls I'm piling up to either develop myself sometime or more than likely decide I don't have time and send off 😛 On the Pentax MX and Pentax Z-1p right now.
Now that you've had the experience and time to think, do you think you will shoot it much? Do you have ideas for specific shots that you'd like to take with it over a smaller negative? Or will it be more of a novelty to bust out when you want to have fun/get inspired?
Quote from James Warner on March 31, 2022, 1:07 amQuote from Justin Tung on March 30, 2022, 3:08 pmQuote from James Warner on March 30, 2022, 12:58 amQuote from Justin Tung on March 28, 2022, 7:59 pmI recently got a very unique camera, the Voightlander Bessa RF. I've shot a lot of medium format before, but never a negative that big. 6 x 9 is a HONKING negative. A single negative is over 5.5 times larger than a 35mm full frame shot. The trade-off is that each roll of 120 gets you 8 shots. Big oof.
This camera is also a folding camera, with a rangefinder focusing mechanism, and I'm glad to see that the focus is calibrated, there are no light leaks, and everything seems to work as it should.
In the hand, the camera takes a little getting used to. The focus and shutter trigger are both on the left side of the camera. Overall, it's just a slow camera. That's good though, because 8 shots can go quickly.
The lens is good too. Even wide open, the center is sharp. I think Voightlander had several different kinds of lenses that came with these, and mine is a Skopar. The bokeh is pretty nice too. The roll-off definitely has a special quality to it.
This is the 8th shot, so that's the whole roll. Economical? Certainly not. An absolute blast and a special shooting experience? Certainly.
Yeah, I can't imagine handling a negative that size. I have never even seen one in person. Great shots! I had to google the camera to know what it looked like. It looks like a fun experience to shoot. I'm curious what drew you to get the camera?
I wanted to see what the larger negative looks like, and whether I'd get value out of having that much information in exchange for fewer shots. I also wanted to try out a medium format rangefinder, since I currently have an SLR and TLR. I was also attracted to the portability. Folded in, it's about the size of the body of the Canon AE-1P, and with a lens on the Canon, it's more portable!
Interesting! It looked much larger in the photos, even when folded down. I have had that same curiosity before (well medium format film, not specifically rangefinder, I haven't even used rangefinder 35mm). I don't know when I'll scratch that itch. Having a lot of fun in other areas and don't touch film much, though I have a few rolls I'm piling up to either develop myself sometime or more than likely decide I don't have time and send off 😛 On the Pentax MX and Pentax Z-1p right now.
Now that you've had the experience and time to think, do you think you will shoot it much? Do you have ideas for specific shots that you'd like to take with it over a smaller negative? Or will it be more of a novelty to bust out when you want to have fun/get inspired?
Hmm I'm on the edge. While it's certainly a more than capable camera, It's very much not economical to shoot all the time. It would come down to whether or not I want to shoot some slide film or something every once in a while. Maybe I'll hold onto it for a while and see if I reach for it, and if not, maybe let this one go!
