Voigtländer Bessa I (1951–1956)
A folding medium format camera offering 6×9 and 6×4.5 frame options on 120 film, with interchangeable lens and shutter combinations.
Overview
The Voigtländer Bessa I is a folding medium format camera made by Voigtländer from 1951 to 1956. It supports both 6×9 and 6×4.5 frame sizes on 120 roll film, making it adaptable for different composition preferences. Unlike the Bessa II, it lacks a coupled rangefinder, positioning it as a simpler alternative in the Bessa lineup. The camera features manual film advance, double exposure prevention, and two red window film counters on the back. It includes a thumb wheel to switch the viewfinder mask between formats and accounts for parallax error at close distances, with a 1m correction option for each format.
Specifications
| Film format | Shoots both 6×9 and 6×4.5 frames on 120 roll film. |
| Lens (example configuration) | Voigtländer Vaskar 105mm f/4.5 with the Prontor-S leaf shutter. |
| Lens design | The Vaskar is a triplet design. |
| Lens coating | Coated to reduce flare. |
| Focal length | 105mm |
| Aperture range | f/4.5 to f/22. |
| Minimum focus | 1m |
| Shutter type | Leaf shutter. |
| Shutter speed range | 1 second through to 1/250th, plus Bulb. |
| Viewfinder | Simple with no indicators. |
| Viewfinder feature | Has a thumb wheel to select viewfinder masking to match format (6x9 or 6x4.5). |
| Parallax correction | The framing accounts for parallax error for close focus with a further option of 1m (3ft) for each format. |
| Double exposure prevention | The camera has double exposure prevention. |
| Film advance | Manual wind. |
| Film counter windows | Two red round windows on the back for frame numbers. |
| Tripod mounts | The camera has two tripod threads, one of each of the common sizes. |
Design
The Bessa I is a folding camera with bellows construction, allowing it to collapse into a compact form. It was offered with multiple lens and shutter combinations: the Vaskar 105mm f/4.5 lens paired with Pronto, Prontor-S, or Prontor-SV shutters, or the Color-Skopar 105mm f/3.5 lens with Prontor-S, Prontor-SV, or Prontor-SVS shutters.
Context
The Bessa I was sold alongside the Bessa II, which featured a coupled rangefinder. It followed the Bessa RF, which was discontinued when both the Bessa I and II were introduced. Part of a folding Bessa line that began in 1929, the Bessa I occupies a mid-tier position among Voigtländer’s folding cameras. Approximately 80,000 units were sold during its production run.
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