Traduction de Sylvain Halgand.

Since the beginning of the 30's, Bessa are always there! Admittedly, they changed form well, passing from the folding camera camera to 24 X 36 telemetric.Their name is so “fourishing” that in spite of the disappearance of the company on the market of the camera, the name was taken again recently by Cosina. Bessa even had little brothers (poor!), Bessy and of the big brothers inflated with the amphetamines, Bessamatic. It is to say! For a little one would skid to the “Forsyte saga” (less than 40 years will have evil to understand.).

But let us return to the whole beginning of this saga, with one of the initial models. It is about one 6 X 9 cm adapted to the French market since the distance scale, graduated in meter and doubled by three red inscriptions “Paysage, Groupe and Portrait”. The shutter at three speeds (1/25, 1/50 and 1/100 second) and the time exposures B and T. It also has a retarder. The lens is an anastigmat Voigtar 1:6,3. That could have been also Skopar or Vaskar.
It has a framework finder and a finder with reflectors.

Although having reached the 70 years, this type of camera is still able to make honourable photographs. Olivier Jousseaume proves it to us by presenting some photographs taken with Bessa Voigtar 7,7.
“That is there! after long weeks of waiting, they are finally developed! Obviously the laboratories are not accustomed to treating this format and were a little disturbed! You wanted that I give my impressions to you, I can only say that the feelings to handle such a camera are enormous! A true return in time! In spite of the difficulty in regulating, to viewfinding, supreme satisfaction arrives with the agreement of the small click of the shutter release: this noise is quite simply single and indescribable! I put the photographs best successful to you. They all were not in particular made a success of the photographs of near because I do not know there large thing on the level of the setting of this camera. ”