Tom's
Abrahamsson on the Bessa R4's. Tom and Mr. K are the R4's
Conceptual Designers
I have the R4M and have had the pleasure of using it for the
last two weeks ( with the new 21/4P - the 21/4 in M-mount).
There are some cameras that are "moments of truth" in a photographers
life. the first time I held an m2 with the 35 on it, my first Nikon F
and the Leica MP with the 0,58 finder. The R4 falls into this category!
If you are a wide-angle shooter, it is an "epiphany" camera.
It just fits in your hand and view. For the trip to Japan I took a M2
with the VC 40/1,4 MC, a R3M with the 75/2 Summicron and as I knew that
I would get the R4M and the new 21/4P once I got there, it was an
unusually light travel pack for me. I did include a 12/5,6 for a
specific shot (the shattered dome at Hiroshima Peace Park). Of the 45+
rolls I shot, about 25 were shot with the R4M. It is a spectacular
finder! With the 21 I can see the framelines with glasses on. There is a
faint reflection of the frames off to the side of the finder but not
disturbingly so. Shutter noise and feel is the same as on any R3/R4
body. Slightly "clunky" release, which is a function of the shutter.
Advance is very smooth and rewind better than on my Zeiss Ikon? All of
this pales when looking through the finder - it is crisp, clear and sooo
wide! So far I have only been using it with the 21/4P ( Mt kobayashi
said, when he gave it to me" Oh, I hope you don't mind that it is a
pre-production lens! The full production run wont start until next
week!". No. I did not mind at all! It is the same formula as the
screw-mount version and as that is one of the best 21's that you can buy
- why change. The aperture ring has the "ears" of the 35/2,5 II on it
and it makes it easy to set and change aperture.
The 25/4P will be out in late April and I have been promised one of
these, once it is out. All in all, the R4 is all I expected it to be and
more! Combined with a R3 you are covered from 21 to 90 mm. I suspect
that my new travel pack will be the R4, a M2 ( still a great camera) and
a R3. the 21, the 28/3,5VC, the 40/1,4 and the 75/2 Summicron (best
finder for that lens is the R3M
The R4 finder is a very complex piece
of work! It is not just a lower magnification finder with some wide
frame lines stuck in it. In Rf designs it is a first of its kind and it
took almost three years to develop.
It is obviously designed for the wide angle user - the 50 finder is
small and "peepholish" and is more of an 'emergency" finder.
If you are a shooter who primarily uses 35/40/50/ and longer lenses it
is not for you. I am wide-angle shooter and the 35 is my normal and the
50 I treat as a short tele! The R4 is a dream come through - no more
top-mount finders to loose or snag in straps and a faster frame/focus
than with these finders. I have found that my "hit" rate (keepers) with
21/25 lenses has vastly increased with the R4. Shifting from one finder
for focus to another for framing breaks the concentration while shooting
and with the R4 i dont have that problem. The frame-lines are straight
and clearly defined though the 21 lines are right at the edge of vision
with glasses, but no more so than the 40 lines on the R3 or the 28 lines
of a 0,72 Leica M2. I am considering the R4 as a "mile-stone" camera,
right up there with the first M3/M2's with the bayonet lens-mount and
the Nikon F. I have had mine since mid-March and so far I have never
ventured outside without it! I usually match it with a M2 or R3 (and the
40/1,4).
For those of you who are waiting for your R4's - it is worth it
and for those of you who are wavering - if you like using 21/25/28 and
even 35's - just go for it!
