C41
Kodak Portra 400
Kodak Portra 400 is a professional C-41 color negative film known for flexible exposure latitude, natural skin tones, and fine grain.
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The Voigtländer Bessa-R Anniversary is a limited-edition variant of the Bessa-R, released by Cosina in approximately 2003 to mark a Voigtländer company anniversary. The camera shares all mechanical and optical specifications with the standard Bessa-R: a 0.70x optical brightline viewfinder, Leica Thread Mount (M39 x 1mm) lens compatibility, fully mechanical shutter from 1s to 1/2000s, and a match-needle TTL meter powered by SR44 cells. The shutter functions across its full speed range without battery.
Reference
Recommended film stocks for the 35mm format your camera takes.
C41
Kodak Portra 400 is a professional C-41 color negative film known for flexible exposure latitude, natural skin tones, and fine grain.
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Ilford HP5 Plus is a flexible ISO 400 black-and-white film with classic grain and strong push-processing tolerance.
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Kodak Tri-X 400 is a classic black-and-white film known for strong tonality, visible grain, and documentary character.
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Before you buy used
About this camera
A dressed-up LTM rangefinder marking a Voigtländer centennial - the original Bessa-R in limited commemorative trim.
| Field | Value |
|---|
| Format | 35mm |
| Mount | Leica Thread Mount (M39 x 1mm) |
| Years | 2003 (limited edition) |
| Shutter | 1s - 1/2000s + B, vertical-travel metal blades |
| Flash sync | 1/125s |
| Meter | TTL SPD match-needle |
| Modes | Manual only |
| Viewfinder | Optical brightline, 0.70x; 28/35/50/75/90mm framelines |
| Mechanical fallback | Yes - full speed range without battery |
| Battery | 2x SR44 / LR44 (meter only) |
Cosina launched the Bessa-R in 1999 as the first camera in the Bessa revived line - an affordable, modern-manufacture LTM rangefinder aimed at photographers who wanted to use the vast stock of Leica screw-mount lenses without the expense of Leica M bodies. The Bessa-R was positively received: it offered a match-needle TTL meter and mechanical shutter in a compact, well-built body at a fraction of Leica pricing.
By 2003 the Bessa line had expanded to include the R2 (adding M-bayonet), and Cosina was establishing the practice of releasing commemorative editions alongside its core catalog. The Anniversary Bessa-R followed this pattern. The standard Bessa-R itself was discontinued sometime around 2002-2005 as the M-mount Bessa-R2 superseded it for most users; the Anniversary edition represents one of the final expressions of the LTM-mount Bessa body.
The Bessa-R's significance lies in what it made possible in 1999: affordable, TTL-metered, mechanically reliable LTM rangefinder shooting from a current manufacturer. Before Cosina's Bessa line, photographers wanting an LTM body faced the used market exclusively - Soviet Zorki and FED bodies of uncertain reliability, or expensive Leica screwmount bodies. The Bessa-R changed that calculus.
The Anniversary edition is a footnote to that story rather than a chapter in its own right. Its value to collectors is primarily the commemorative finish; its value to shooters is identical to a standard Bessa-R in equivalent condition. A photographer buying an Anniversary edition to shoot with is paying a cosmetic premium for the same camera.
Leica Thread Mount (M39 x 1mm). Compatible with Leica screwmount (Barnack-era) lenses, Soviet LTM lenses (FED, Zorki, Jupiter, Industar), Voigtländer LTM-mount lenses (Color-Skopar 35/2.5, 50/2.5; Nokton 50/1.5; Heliar 15/4.5 with accessory finder), Canon LTM lenses, and the broad LTM catalog from the 1930s-1960s. An M39-to-M adapter allows use of Leica M-bayonet lenses with correct registration distance.
Framelines in the finder: 28, 35, 50, 75, and 90mm. The 0.70x magnification suits wider framelines without excessive mask narrowing.
C41
Kodak Portra 160 is a professional C-41 color negative film with fine grain, soft contrast, and natural color.
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Kodak Gold 200 is a daylight-balanced C-41 color negative film with warm color, moderate grain, and a classic consumer-film look.
View profile →Voigtländer Bessa-R Anniversary
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