Voigtlander Besa R3A - NEAR MINT

This R3A is in NEAR-MINT condition. There are no signs of wear. It has been taken care of very well. Everything works perfectly. This is a rare find!

Includes:

• Voigtlander Besa R3A SN:0024061

Cologne Germany Photokina 2004: Cosina's President Mr. Kobayashi introduced his two new Voigtlander Bessa cameras, the R3A and R2A. Taking a new direction, these new cameras are Voigtlander's first Aperture Priority Leica M mount bodies. The R2A and R3A are Identical except for the finders, the R2A has a .7 magnification finder with 35/50/75/90 frame lines while the R3A has a 1:1 finder with 40/50/75/90 frame lines. The Bessa 3A is the first Leica M mount film camera with a life-size 1:1 finder! The life-size viewfinder allows photogs to shoot comfortably and effectively with both eyes open at the same time! The M mount was first introduced with the Leica M3 in 1953. It only took half a century and Mr. K (Mr. Rangefinder), to bring a 1:1 life-size finder to the M mount world. The R3A and R2A went on sale to the public on July 5, 2005.

What's aperture priority? The photog sets the lens aperture, the camera sets the shutter speed. These cameras join a shortlist of only 3 previous Leica M mount AE film cameras: Minolta CLE, Konica Hexar RF, and the current $3600 Leica M7. Metered manual exposure is also possible. Many photogs find AE exposure gives them faster shooting and more pics in fast-changing situations, such as events and street shoots.

Leica M mount Aperture Priority Rangefinder with 1:1 Finder, 40/50/75/90 Framelines, mounting the new Voigtlander 40/1.4 Nokton Classic M mount lens. With its large bright 1:1 VF/RF, an interesting argument can be made that the R3A has the best finder ever for 50, 75, and 90 frame lines amongst film cameras, as all the other 1:1 film rangefinder cameras have dimmer finders, bright lines, and RF focusing patches. This is not surprising, as all the other 1:1 RF film cameras were all designed four decades ago or more.