The Voigtländer Bessa R2C and 2 Lenses

What do you get when you take a reasonably well made camera body (some variants are better than others) and slap some really nice lenses on it? A great idea and way to sell a camera. The Voigtländer Bessa R2C and its siblings set out to revitalize the Voigtländer name, but not through the original company. It was in Japan that this idea came to be. This company made camera bodies that facilitated some of the best rangefinder glass available at the time.

*Scroll down to the bottom to watch my YouTube Video

Voigtländer Who?

The Voigtländer name goes all the way back to 1756 Vienna, Austria with the inventor and optician Johann Christoph Voigtländer. It had many changes and owners over the following centuries but 1925 is when Schering AG, a chemical company, bought a large share. From this, the popular cameras we know today were being created, including the first Bessa. Sadly, by 1971, the camera company closed its factories.

Many decades later in 1999 the Japanese optical company Cosina attempted to revive the Voigtländer name for manufacturing photographic products. Starting out in 1959 as Niko Co., Ltd, Cosina evolved over the decades as an optical company and created camera bodies for many reputable brands such as Nikon, Sony, and of course Voigtländer.

There are many Bessa 35mm film camera-body variants with different lens mounts that started with the Leica thread-mount and M mount. Then you come to the Bessa R2S and R2C introduced in 2002. The R2S had the Nikon S mount while the R2C sports the Zeiss Contax mount.

A Few Specs

The Voigtländer Bessa R2C is the camera I am sharing with you today. Here are a few of its features:

• A basic center weighted TTL meter with color diode lights to indicate over or under exposure
• Vertical metal focal plane shutter
• Metal body upgraded from the plastic of the Bessa R that came before it
• Mounts a wide variety of amazing Zeiss Contax glass
• Framelines for 35mm, 50mm and 85mm lenses
• Shutter speeds up to 1/2000th of a second

My Experience with the Voigtländer Bessa R2C

This is my first time shooting a Voigtländer Bessa, so I can’t compare it to previous variations. I can only give my real life experience with the camera after having it for almost a year now.

If you’ve read many of my reviews, you will know I have a weakness for the sound of a shutter click on some cameras like the Nikon F. The Bessa R2C definitely caters to that weakness. Despite it being a relatively newer camera, it doesn’t have that plastic cheap feel that many of the cameras at the time had. The metal body and shutter attribute to that.

The ergonomics of the camera are very comfortable, and the shape of it is similar to the Nikon S line of cameras. That is why Mike Eckman lent me this camera, because my grail is the Nikon SP. So he has lent me several similar cameras anytime he has had one available. Not unlike the Nikon S2, which I also borrowed from Mike a couple years ago, I found that I did not like using the focusing wheel at the top. I just used the ring on the lens.

Mike received the camera after his good friend, and beloved member of the film community, Kurt Ingham died. It was from his personal and extensive collection. It arrived to me in amazing condition with two lenses and its original box.

The Two Lenses

The 50mm f3.5 Heliar

This lens is the one of the two that I used the most while I had the camera. It had a bit of lens flare which was surprising for a 50. You can see that below. However, that would be the only thing I found to be negative with this lens.

It is very sharp, and renders black and white as well as color film with a nice amount of contrast.

I captured some of my favorite photos with this lens as well as with the 25mm.

The 25mm f4 SC Skopar

This is not a lens I would probably have ever chosen myself. Mike sent it to me as something new and fun for me to try out, and I’m so glad he did. The SC in the name means that this lens could be used for both the Nikon S mount and the classic Contax mount. This lens was a part of a series of wide angle lenses introduced in 2001 by Cosina for these rangefinders, a first in over 30 years.

I don’t normally like to shoot lenses wider than 35mm. Even that, for me, is a little too wide. However, I really enjoyed shooting with this lens. It helped me to produce photos that tell a little more story than the 50mm did in my opinion.

As you can see in these photos, this lens does produce some vignetting in the corners and is softer than the 50, but again, I think that adds to the story and character of the photo.

The double coating on the lens renders colors really nicely in my opinion, but you can see for yourself. I shot several film stocks with it.

Final Thoughts on the Voigtländer Bessa R2C

I really enjoyed having this camera for the time that I did. I want to thank Mike for giving me the opportunity to borrow it and to get to share my experience with you all. Because of my recent health issues, I had a long period of creative block, and this camera helped me limp my way out. Also, while I did not personally know Kurt, I now own a couple of his cameras from Mike, and after this experience with the Bessa, I hope he was looking down and enjoying my journey with one of his babies.

So what do you think of the Voigtländer Bessa R2C? Will you be picking one up? (if so I provided links below) Do you already have one? If so let me know your thoughts. You know I always love chatting with you all.

Until next time, stay motivated and keep shooting.

if you’d like to see more, check out the video below.

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Pick up a Voigtlander Bessa from KEH!
Buy a Bessa R2C from eBay
Get a lens for the Contax Rangefinder mount on eBay

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