Voigtlander Bessa II Camera

Recent estate find. The top of the camera is marked Voigtlander Bessa II. The lens is marked Color-Heliar 1:3.5/105. The box is marked Voigtlander 1756-1956, Bessa II.

You are getting the camera, the case and the box. There are no manuals.

There is no buy-it-now price.

I am not a camera expert, nor am I a photographer. I have not field tested this camera. I did do some simple tests of functionality, such as…

I opened the front. I did notice that when the knob on top is at 60 (bellows turned in some) that the front opens and closes smoothly, but when the knob on top is at 3.5 (bellows turned out the farthest) that when I try to open the front, the top bar catches (doesn’t really want to open). I don’t know if this is normal or not, but I figured out rather quickly that I should only be opening the front if the knob was turned to 60.

The shutter releases with seemingly no problems that I can recognize. I released the shutter a few times. The back opens and closes with no problems.

I didn’t test anything else. I didn’t try to take any photos or anything of that nature.

I think it is a good-looking camera. Other than the bar catching sometimes when opening the front, my ignorant eyes didn’t recognize any obvious problems. With that said, I really don’t know anything. I assume the camera needs to be cleaned, and may need some level of service, before it is ready to use. I am only starting the camera at $99, so please leave a little wiggle room on your offer to cover any cleaning and/or service costs that may be necessary.

I just want the new owner to be happy with his or her purchase, so please offer conservatively to ensure that you are.

The lens is clear with no scratching. The lens is a little dusty, but I don’t recognize any fungus or anything of that sort. When I was studying the front lens, I did notice a tiny pinpoint bubble in the glass. After reviewing it with a magnifying loupe, the bubble seems to be in the glass and maker related, but I noticed it so I wanted to point it out.

I took a close-up photo of the lens with a glare to help show you the tiny bubble – you will also recognize the dustiness that is much more prominent as pictured than it is in person with a naked eye.

The front inside area of the camera as a whole is dusty and dirty, especially in the tight spots. The front interior definitely needs a detailed cleaning.

The black of the camera is worn and dulled some with slightly noticeable wear to the side edges. The center knob on back has prominent dirtiness and discoloration around it – the tight edges. The film knob on top has some sporadic but somewhat faint scratching to the inner gray area. The top area of the camera as a whole looks great with just a bit of faint or light scratching here and there – nothing major. The exterior of the camera has dirtiness to some of the tight spots, crevices and whatnot.

The leather case has wrinkling and creasing to all the areas that you would expect. There’s some scuffing and dullness. The blue material inside is badly worn, dulled and discolored. The strap is noticeably worn with fraying and irritation to the underside. The strap still functions with no tears and no thin areas. The buckle has some rusting.

When I stick my nose inside the case or the box, I do recognize a bit of what I do believe to be a basement type odor. It’s not overwhelming, but I do recognize something. The box has clearly spent at least some time in damp environment – the inside of the box has nasty staining and related discoloration (bleeding type wear).

The case and box may affect your allergies, depending on your sensitivity.

The blue of the lid has an awful amount of fading, dullness, discoloration, pressure marks, scuffing and all that sort of wear from being poorly stored. The bottom of the box has more staining, is pushed out some from the camera weighing down on it, and there’s some writing on the bottom as well. The bottom edges and top edges of the box have tearing and related heavy wear. The box is clearly beaten up and in rough condition.

Please help me out by closely reviewing the provided photos to best judge what you are offerding on.

Thank you so much for taking the time to peruse this listing.

I can almost always combine on shipping, so please do take the time to review my other listings.

SATISFACTION GUARANTEED!

If you are unhappy with your purchase, I will give you a full refund. All you have to do is send the item(s) back to me in the same condition as it was sent to you.

Domestic Shipping: You can use the provided calculator to determine your shipping cost. Please note that USPS Priority is often very quick, and USPS First Class, along with USPS Parcel, are often very slow.

International Shipping: You can use the provided calculator to determine your shipping cost. I only ship international items by way of USPS Priority.

International Buyers - Please Note:

• Import duties, taxes and charges are not included in the item price or shipping cost. These charges are the buyer\'s responsibility that will likely have to be paid upon receiving the package.
• Please check with your country\'s customs office to determine what these additional costs will be prior to offerding.
• I cannot mark international orders as a gift, nor can I lie about the value of the package.