Voigtlander Bessaflex TM: A camera 10 years too soon?
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 3 ธ.ค. 2024
- The Voigtlander Bessaflex TM is a small, lightweight SLR for M42 lenses. Sounds like a blast from the 1970s? Wrong. This camera was released in 2003, just as digital cameras were taking over. Was it a case of 10 years too soon, rather than 30 years too late?
Filming and editing by John Johnston.
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#photography #camera #slr
Nice to see someone else using their bessaflex tm with a flektogon:)
Sweet piece of history. Thank you! Love the bright viewfinder, what I loved about the Olympus OM's.
there is nothing better than a bright optical viewfinder
I have thought (and have been saying on forums for awhile) that Cosina is the company best positioned to resume manufacturing of new film bodies to fill the rising demand in a market that, with rare exceptions, lacks new product. They were still producing them until around 2010, and they are still making wonderful lenses. How much they would have to charge to make it a worthwhile venture for them remains a question, as well as how well they could compete against the huge used inventory of affordable cameras. I don't think that their Voigtlander foray of the early 2000's was particularly profitable for them, it was more of a pet project of their CEO. Perhaps the recent resurgence in film photography would change that calculus, but, I'm not sure.
I believe that copal are no longer manufacturing shutters and that's why cosina stopped making their line of rangefinders. I'm open to correction on that.
Lovely tribute to the Bessaflex. Cosina certainly has a passion for the history of great gear. I agree that it’s too bad about the timing. It really reminds me of a Topcon camera even though it’s an M42 mount.
Thanks Andrew - you should see the silver model. That REALLY looks like a Topcon (it was based on the Beseler D).
I tried turning a German Rollei SL35 into my m42 camera. It’s got it’s own (QBM) bayonet mount but from conception were designed to use m42 lenses with a neat Rollei-made adapter allowing ‘auto’ stop-down with all m42 lenses. That is a premium feeling, highly engineered camera but I didn’t really like it. I found it slow to use. The Zeiss lenses are beautiful but mostly pretty stiff now and with a long focus throw. A Pentax SL (a Spotmatic without a light-meter) does that job now mostly with a Helios 44 f2 on it.
The more modern Cosina bodies are the opposite to the Rollei. They feel cheap but offer utility. I had a Cosina made OM2000 (for it’s easy/accurate multi-exposure ability) and used that a ton. Likewise the Bessa L.
that's very cool, i haven't heard about either the Bessaflex or the Reflex, but it was yesterday that i was thinking about a product like this, a solid brand new but bare bones mechanical camera for use with vintage lenses (as i'm currently getting into film; i got my hands on a barely used Minolta SRT but i can't use the lightmeter and until i develop my first roll i can't know how accurate the shutter is).
as for the different lens mounts, i was thinking you'd only need the (reasonably common) one with the lowest flange distance, as you could adapt all the other mounts to it. but it isn't that easy - the flange distances for the mounts you mentioned, in increasing order, are:
Canon FD 42mm
Minolta MD 43.5mm
M42 & Pentax K 45.46mm
Olympus OM 46mm
Nikon F 46.5mm
that's pretty close together. now for example the M42 mount is smaller than the inner diameter of the Minolta MD bayonet, so you can nestle one into the other and easily fit an adapter within the 2mm difference (i have one of those myself).
but that's not the case for some of the other combinations, the opposing male-female bayonets need to be butted against eachother so the minimum adapter thickness is considerably larger, sometimes larger than the flange distance difference, thus rendering adapting impossible (without optics of course, but that changes the image quality and character of the lens). there is no adapter from FD lenses to MD bodies for example, you can't fit it inside 1.5mm, but there is one from FD lenses to F bodies.
(mount swapping is also possible but beyond average user expertise i believe. it may also be invasive.)
so i guess you could reduce the number of necessary cameras like this but probably not by much.
so the best solution is probably an interchangeable mount module as with the Reflex, or a new proprietary mount (possibly more user friendly and/or foolproof), with a smaller flange distance than all the others, just big enough to accommodate the flipping mirror. you'd only need to get one adapter for each lens mount you own.
but if only one existing mount would need to be chosen, i think M42 is probably the best. it's not owned by anybody, and like you mentioned there are loads of both strictly M42 lenses, and lenses with M42 versions from many manufacturers, so it's as universal as you can get.
still, for 300 pounds it's more budget friendly to go through several old cameras, a few different mounts and even some duds. but that may be about to change because offer declines as they start degrading and demand rises.
anyway, that was my rant, for conversation's sake. thanks for the info. enjoying your channel and website.
Fantastic review! And yes released way too early. Now I’ll have to keep an eye out for one!
Good luck. They're not the most common model to find but I'm sure if you cast the net wide enough.
I'm lucky enough to have one and I call it a Spotmatic on steroids, with a brighter viewfinder, faster shutter speed with metal curtains, and modern touches like the film door window and use of LR44 batteries. It's a really nice blend of classic design and modern construction.
Now if I can only find the shoe adapter...
Interesting video, I didn't know their story. I got a Cosina CT1 for £20 from ebay a couple of years back and love it. Completely manual, no frills, small and light.
When I was introduced to and subsequently became obsessed with photography in the mid 70’s, proprietary bayonet mounts were already the new standard. Until you explained here what now only seems obvious about m42, I never understood then why people would ask if they could use one lens brand on another brands camera body. Being the young know-it-all camera nerd I was way back, it never dawned on me these people may have been used to the universal compatibility of m42. I shudder to think how many times I may have rolled my eyes at some old guy innocently asking the lens question. Being a teenager at the time with limited social experience, I’m sure I came off like a total dick every time I answered. It’s probably why my career in camera sales only lasted the one summer.
What a beauty that you have, John !
I find the stereo effect on your voice a bit annoying - louder on the left side and not synched :-( too bad because your tone is very nice !
Thanks. It seemed to be sounding OK when I listened back, but thanks for the feedback.
Yes, that's happening for me too!
Fascinating video. Never heard of this camera before. Wish an OM mount version had been processed.
The om 2000 may be a cosina made version
The mirror dampening isn’t as sweet as Olympus OMs but it basically a great camera. They used to be very cheap but seem to have risen in price a bit now.
Hmmmmm... Isn't Nikon FM-10 based on that camera? And Olympus OM2000 / OM2000 spot? As well as Canon T60? Just asking for a friend...
2:05 - big nope on this ) it was not being tweaked. the main point of Cosina camera business is using one generic "platform" for all.
cheap OEM bodies for other brands, SLR bodies for their own brands and even entire Bessa rangefinder lineup - it's all the same old Cosina CT inside. (same unreliable loud shutter included).
and this is very funny in historical perspective because all camera manufacturers done exactly opposite making their first SLRs from rangefinders by adding a mirror.
but decades past Cosina makes rangefinder cameras from SLR chassis with mirror removed ) and this is a shame because their optics department works just great making really awesome lenses.
I have a lovely Bessaflex TM too that I bought when new but unfortunately the shutter gets stuck open on lenses that have the aperture stop down button which is most of them. Only solution I found was to use older lenses without that feature.
Hmmm. Not an issue I've found but this can be a problem with certain lenses.
Great, now I have to buy another camera.
All part of the service, Derek!
I kinda disagree... I think if it came out today like 1/1/2024 ... It would resurge so hard... It would bait camera manufacturers to all jump back in. Maybe Ricoh would even revive the Cosina brand - a new "Voigtlander Bessa S" perhaps.
I am sure cosina contracted with olympus nikon and ricoh to make an om f and k mount camera. I have them and always noted how similar they are to each other but how it was not like the brand name. Olympus 2000 nikon fm 10 ricoh kr 5
I'd buy one new, but I wouldn't pay the asking prices on ebay out of principle, it's higher than what they used to sell for new.
Definitely not a common camera, and prices are rising I think on the back of the Bessa rangefinders.
What was the price when they were released?
Why on earth would Cosina not have a built on a hotshoe? The similar, older, Cosinas all had hotshoes. Odd omission. I own several Voigtlanders (by Cosina) and where as they are relatively well built, they are no where near as well built or engineered as similarly spec'd Pentax, Olympus or Nikon cameras.
I know what you men. It was offered as an accessory. As someone who never really uses flash I didn't miss it.