Voigtlander Bessa RF 6x9 format w/ f3.5 Helomar... Serviced of course!

Description

Excellent refurbished / CLA'd Voigtlander Bessa RF w/ f3.5 Helomar lens in Compur-Rapid shutter. NOT mint, but very nice indeed !! Serviced 18 July, 2021 !!
Voigtlander Bessa RF 6x9 format w/ f3.5 Helomar... Serviced of course!
Voigtlander Bessa RF 6x9 format w/ f3.5 Helomar... Serviced of course!
Click images to enlarge
Description
Please pardon this redundant introduction to my auctions, but the eBay experience dictates that I include it.........
Folks,
thanks to eBay
,
there is almost no such thing as
rare
anymore
... except for the more esoteric stuff that was rare even when new 50 years ago!
99% of cameras you see on eBay are
NOT
rare
!
WHAT IS RARE
...is a 70 to 50 year old camera that is
functioning properly
, not just as a decoration, or worse... a fleamarket orphan!
Please read the Description carefully and
completely
to fully understand what you are buying!!
Please note
, the item description may read
familiar to some... I do often "reuse" auction description for repeat auctions for offerings of the same models... you can only be creative about the the SAME thing ( model ) so many times! Whatever information that needs to be amended for each individual offering ( camera ) ...is amended / corrected for each new listing.
Thanks for your understanding.
If the following description is too long for you... Please note that EVERY classic folder I sell has been serviced ( CLA'd ) BEFORE you get it!!
___________________________________
2021 Addendum........
For those who have followed my auctions for renovated folders the past 23 years..., I no longer offer a continuous stream of folders on eBay as I am now concentrating on repairing folders sent to me
rather than
buying and then reselling those same
now
renovated
folders on eBay. I will very
occasionally
still list a refurbished / serviced folder on eBay.
So basically, I will
now primarily
service most any classic folder that others have sold on eBay's market place instead.
____________________
In
this
auction, the offer is for a
Voigtlander Bessa RF
, the predecessor to the fabled Bessa II. The
Bessa RF
first appeared during the mid 1930's to rival the Super Ikonta C. Like it, the
Bessa RF
has
a
coupled rangefinder
and was offered with a series of 3 excellent lenses.
The lenses available on the Bessa RF included the three element f3.5 / 105mm
Helomar
, the four element f3.5 / 105mm
Skopar
, and the five element f3.5 / 105mm
Heliar
lenses.. all set in
Compur-Rapid
shutters.
There were two finder windows on top... one for framing and one for focusing, both clearer brighter I might add than the Super Ikontas and even its successor, the Bessa II.
This
particular offering was made between 1936 and 1944. Therefore the lens is an
uncoated
f3.5 Helomar
, still one of the nicest three element lenses in folding cameras ! Lens is clean and clear...it needs to be, I only sell cameras to be used to take pictures!!
The shutter is a
Compur-Rapid
and it too has been
CLA
'd and all speeds are accurate... within industry tolerances...!
Rangefinder, as on most such equipped folders, was in need of
serious
cleaning and especially adjustment. In fact, this often takes a good third of the CLA time. Rangefinder is now correct at all distances and its mirrors are far far far brighter than the average Bessa RF rangefinder
!!!!
Should the rangefinder ever need readjustment, it is now modestly easy to do.
Very few people are aware that the
Bessa RF
and the Bessa II are structurally extremely similiar, in fact, mmany of the structural parts of one interchange with that of the other. The Bessa II is a modernized evolution of a design so well done, that the only significant difference between the two is the chrome top of the Bessa II, changing the rangefinder to a prism arrangement using ONE window for both viewing and focusing ( and thus dimmer than that of the RF !) , and moving the wind-up wheel from the bottom right of the camera ( Bessa RF ) to the top right ( Bessa II ). Everything else is mostly identical.
The
Bessa RF
on offer here is in
nice
cosmetic condition... but by
no
means
or pretense is it mint....
!!!
It shows its age, but is generally
still excellent
mechanical & optical condition. Cosmetically, it is
VERY NICE
. Its low price comes from the minor issue listed below. !!!!
In toto... it is in nice- used - condition. But it is an excellent functioning mechanical & optical Bessa RF .
a)
this is the last Bessa RF I will be offering as I am easing into
retirement from my "
eBay retirement hobby
". While I still have a
drawer full of Voigtlander Perkeo & Bessa RF & II parts, I will not be
buying and selling Bessa RFs. If you need parts, please let me know
what you may need..
b)
Focus wheel is just wee bit firm, but accurate
Original Bellows
are in extraordinarily excellent
condition... or else I would have exchanged them or simply not be listing the camera ( ! )... bellows are always guaranteed !
Basically again, on offer is a very nice classic
Bessa RF
... with all the attributes of a Bessa II, .... without the high price of a Bessa II !!
As the accompanying photos are an integral part of the item description, Please peruse the pictures at left for your own definitive cosmetic appraisal.
Thanks for looking and reading. Wishing you a Great Day !!!!
Attention:
All
YOUR
Questions should be answered below
In my auctions,"
what you see is what you get
"
(
EXCEPT
FOR OBVIOUS PROPS ! ). I may sometimes err on descriptions, but I always post the pictures of the item up for auction. Also, please note 99.99% of the items I sell are used - and VERY OLD - that means they are not new, they will show signs of previous ownership and use. Anything that is not at least excellent ( and that means "nice. I wouldn't mind having that!" ), I will either not sell or clearly state that it is not "pretty," shows scratches, etc. If your intent is to find a NEW item that is 20 - 40 years old, please don't hassle me about something so trivial as fingerprints or rub marks that naturally come from handling an item.
To cut to the chase, if you want a new 20 - 69 years old item for you to look at on your display shelf...
DO NOT BID!!
For more information on folding cameras, please go to my website certo6 . I do warrant my folders with
a repair or replace policy
. As these cameras are almost all 50 years or more old, they of course cannot be guaranteed... they are old, used, and stuff goes wrong...its that simple. However, out of courtesy, if a folder I sell needs further service (within a reasonable time of course!), just send it back and I'll take care of it.
Unless REALLY unusual circumstances, like War, Pestilence, Nuclear Holocaust, or the like... I do not give refunds...it is
replace or repair only!
For all other types ( non folding ) of cameras / items (they are all used!), I can only take responsibility for my description while the item was in my hands, not their continued longevity.
My first and foremost mission is to renovate these old classic cameras for a new generation of USERS / PHOTOGRAPHERS.... NOT for "collectors" to salivate over a "NEW" 70 year old camera!
However, I too am infallible and if there should be a problem with your camera, please contact me before you leave a malicious (
there are NOOTHERKINDS
) negative feedback.
People still email me to ask about fungus, mold, or what not on the lens... I throw such lenses away...I do NOT sell them on eBay! Some may question why my classic folding cameras cost more ( set reserve ) than the same ( Well, not really ) camera that sells on eBay or the local yard sale for ! Basically, to repeat...
I don't just take the yard sale folder , rush home and put it on eBay. About 20% I will simply throw away ( most of those bought off eBay ) or just use for parts, because they are pure junk...and the rest are literally renovated and prepared for their next owner who can now use it to actually take pictures instead of moaning about being ripped off again. So, obviously, my reserve has to be higher than the "junkyard dog" that is the too often offering on eBay. About 90% of reserve reflects cost, labor, and materials to renovate or CLA a folder. It's really that simple.
For those who didn't know, eBay does not provide a free service... they make plenty of money from each of my, and millions of others, on this web site. My average listing costs are from . to . per item... depending of final sale price of course. But, just to list an item costs between . to dollars, even if it doesn't sell! So, please, do not ask me for free shipping just because you did the Buy it Now thingy!!! eBay does not give me a break because you bought it "Now!" ( In fact every now and again I get a call from eBay telling me they'll give me special rates if I offer free shipping... when I tell them what my real shipping costs are, they are dumbfounded... they must think everybody on eBay sells baseball cards that ship for .44cents to Podunk, Alaska !!!
Please note, contrary to eBay's wishes, I simply can't afford to offer free shipping on all my offerings. However, as it turns out, I subsidize most of my shipping costs by about 10 to 20% out of pocket anyway!!
and 95% of the time I ship within one day as payment is received.
Shipping & Handling
to be paid by winning bidder, insurance included.
Shipping for most things in the
USA
will be between . to .
Foreign shipments for cameras to
Asia & Europe
average about . - . For
INSURED
POST
Un
insured First Class is about .
Canada
averages .(
Uninsured
FIRST CLASS ) > . (
Insured
Priority Post )
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