the unofficial Cosina-Voigtlander User Community

I am a complete novice when it comes to photography, I have a Casio point and shoot and am wanting to get into film photography. I really enjoy the classic style and durability that the Bessa R3A offers, such as metal casing and parts, mechanical operation etc... and I think it fits best into my price range. My question is what lenses, flashes etc... should I buy for this camera that will allow me to delve into the world of photography, also does anyone recommend any books to help me in my endavours. Thanks in advance!

Lens should depend on what type of photography you are primarily interested in and your budget.

Most people start with a "normal" lens, like 50mm, 40mm, or 35mm. With something like a 50mm lens you can cover most types of photography adequately (i.e. portraits, shots of the kids, street, architecture, etc...). They also tend to be less expensive and there are more to choose from, both new and used.

In terms of flashes, I rarely use one (I prefer medium-speed film and faster lenses) but when I don't have a choice I have an oldish Nikon SB-28 that works fine in "A" mode. I also have a Metz 32Z-2 but for some reason the foot doesn't fit the shoe of my Bessas.

I will probably shoot a little of everything; friends, family, nature, etc.. I live in Japan currently and I travel throughout Asia alot. I am tired of digital and I hate my point and shoot. I was looking at the Nokton 50mm lense, would this be a good buy for a newbie?

You said you don't use a flash, does the Bessa take good pictures without it? My point and shoot digital is terrible without one. Again I am a novice so my knowldege is slim.

My budget is about $900.00 to start off I figure I can get the Bessa R3A and a 50mm lense for this price and the rest I can pick up as I go. Thanks for your response!

Actually, part of the "point" of a rangefinder (IMHO) is to be able to utilize the ambient light and not need the "intrusiveness" of a flash. The CV 50/1.5 Nokton is great at this...it's sharp at/near wide-open.

This was shot at f1.5 with the 50 Nokton.

Thanks for the info, I don't know a whole lot about range finders, but from the information I was able to find about Range finders they are to my liking. Things such as; quiet shutter, ease of portability, metal case and mechanics, build quality, and a great street shooter and before SLR's they were the best camera around. So besides the Nokton 50mm Lense is there anything else you recommend for a newbie with a Bessa R3A? Any books or websites or gear that I should acquire?

For all things film, go to APUG. It's a huge community of film users, all types of cameras.