Introduction
I have a confession. I lost half a roll of film…on purpose. All will be explained later in this review. In completely unrelated news, meet the Beier Beirette vsn, a very plastic viewfinder camera from Beier, released in 1974. I found this particular example for £5 at an antique centre; it was perhaps the worst looking item there.
Why did I buy it? Well firstly I love an underdog, no one else was going to buy this camera and show it any care. Secondly I was curious, having used lots of 50s and 60s German viewfinder cameras I wondered what the 1970s had to offer. Let’s find out together where my curiosity got me…
Disclaimer: As you will know from my introduction to this site this will not be a technical or scientific review. Just my genuine impressions of the experience of shooting with this camera, how it makes me feel as a photographer and how it is to live with.
For a history of the Beier Beiette vsm see: https://camera-wiki.org/wiki/Beirette_vsn
Appearance
“Cheap Plastic”. If you asked me in conversation how this camera looks, that’s what I’d say. This however is a review, so I’d better be a little more descriptive…
From a (really quite far) distance the Beirette vsn has a classic look silver top and bottom broken by central leatherette. Get closer however, and this looks like a poor imitation of the best of the ’50s viewfinder cameras.
Beier built the vsn from metal and plastic, but you can’t tell from looking at it. What metal there is has such a flat, matte finish and is so thin you could be forgiven for thinking it too is plastic.
That metal top plate contains a flash shoe, film advance lever and black-plastic film rewind. Moving down to the front we have a slightly off-centre viewfinder above the lens assembly dominated by toy-like line drawings of various weather conditions on the top. Next to that is the plastic front-mounted shutter release.
The back is simple with only the small viewfinder and tiny frame counter visible. Similarly the base plate is broken only by the tripod socket and the film-rewind release button. There’s also a subtle DDR imprint here reflecting the cameras East German origin.
In typical viewfinder camera style, the sides have the door hinge and release catch (an atypically weak and plastic set in this case)
It’s light too, worryingly light…with a new perspective, I feel bad for calling my lovely Agfa Isola “toy-like”, this Beirette could easily pass as a toy camera or prop.
Perhaps I’m being harsh, this is a classic design after all, and we love all cameras here, especially the unique ones that don’t spark a collector’s interest. The truth is though, this site was born out of a love for old school engineering, metal linkages, gears and levers. Everything that makes a photographer ‘feel‘ is missing here. There’s some nostalgia to be found for sure, but for me personally? Not a good kind.
Controls
Everything on the Beirette vsn is exactly where you’d expect, albeit with some “helpful” features added which the experienced photographer will likely find rather unhelpful.
From front to back on the lens assembly we have…
- A focus ring. with a huge ~270degree throw. My example is 2ft to infinity with a hard stop at infinity and a fair amount of movement past 2ft. My assumption is that the lens simply isn’t designed to focus well under 2ft.
- A shutter speed ring. Plastic, equipped with perhaps the most vague and unconvincing clicks I’ve experienced. It does select specific speeds, but would be all too easy to leave between speeds. You have 4 options (Bulb, 1/30 (with flash sync), 1/60, 1/125).
- An aperture selector, also plastic which turns with a different amount of resistance between each and every setting…this does not inspire confidence..
That all sounds straightforward to use but this is where Beier thought they would be helpful. This is the ’70s after all….the Kodak Instamatic was a great success, and people didn’t want to worry about understanding settings.
Beier’s solution? the aperture and shutter speed numbers are hiding away under the bottom left of the lens barrel…tiny and in the most awkward place possible to see. From the top of the camera what you do see is corresponding film ISO settings (for the shutter speed dial) and line drawings of weather (for the aperture dial). The idea is:
- Set the shutter speed fixed for the whole roll (1/125 for ISO 100-125)
- Set the aperture based on the weather (f/16 for full sun to f/5.6 for dark clouds)
Effectively this is the sunny 16 rule built into the camera. It’s an OK idea in principle, in practice it’s no easier than simply using sunny 16 with normal settings. When you sunny 16 can’t apply (e.g. indoors) it’s very frustrating to look under the lens.
The viewfinder is functional, but small and difficult to see the frame edges.
The film advance on the top plate and shutter button on the front are very cheap feeling but easy and functional. And that’s the real issue with all of these controls – everything works but everything feels awful to use.
That’s all there is to the vsn – no self-timer, no meter, no focus aid. Just the basics, made that little bit less basic.
Loading and Unloading
If you’ve read my other reviews, you’ll know how loading 35mm manual viewfinder cameras works by now. Open the back, insert the film under the rewind knob and put the film leader through the middle of the take up spool under the film advance lever. Once you’ve checked the film perforations have engaged the sprocket wheel in the middle, close the back and you’re ready to advance a couple of times and then go.
The vsn follows exactly that procedure – it’s simple and easy with perhaps just a little extra plastic in the mix.
Shooting Experience
Using the Beirette vsn was an experience of two halves. First the good – everything works exactly as you expect. If you’re happy to scale focus and meter on your phone you’ll be in a familiar rhythm.
set shutter — set aperture — wind on — focus — compose — release — repeat.
If we’ve learned anything by now though, it’s the subjective that matters. This is not an enjoyable camera to use. The plastic shutter release feels cheap and plastic, the lens dials more so. The film advance? I was genuinely concerned it might snap off in my hand.
None of this inspires you to take good photopgraphs. This is not a camera you will enjoy using. It will work without too much fuss and you’ll get decent results but in the world of forgotten cameras we can do better than that. The feeling of using a camera matters.
Gallery
Photos below taken with my Beier Beirette vsn.
Reliability
Disclaimer: Every vintage camera is different, and the condition of my specific example will likely differ from yours.
I think the Beirette vsn manual says a lot about both this camera, and the changing world in the 1970s. The 3rd paragraph reads…
“…you will not use any force; the camera would not take it kindly and we should be ever so sorry not to be in a position to honour your claims”
You can tell Beier really believed in their camera!
To its credit it does still work, just about. On mine the film counter is broken but otherwise everything that matters is functional.
The film advance, door hinge, shutter, settings dials – they all feel like they might snap clean off if you get a bit too enthusiastic. It feels like it could break at any moment; but it doesn’t. Just don’t drop this camera, I’m sure it “would not take it kindly“.
As is often the case on older cameras, a lack of features means less to go wrong and simplicity is probably the Beirette vsn’s saviour.
Lenses
The lens on the vsn is probably its best feature, 1970s technology probably helps even though this was (& is) a cheap camera. It’s also a difficult lens to review. With the right focus the corners on this Meritar 45mm f/2.8 are better than older budget triplets. It’s actually remarkably consistent across the frame.
That’s not to say it’s sharp, it isn’t. Some of the photos in the gallery above are out of focus (user error on my part) however even those in focus are consistently just-about-OK across the frame.
This wouldn’t be a camera for shallow depth of field without any focusing aids but I am intrigued what kind of effect the square(!) aperture would give to the bokeh.
There is vintage character here at least, warm colours and a softer contrast. If that’s the look you want, this lens does the job but there are far better choices out there.
Who’s It For
- People who want a new found appreciation for earlier German camera engineering
- People who want a very cheap manual camera that can give decent results
- People completing a collection, bridging the gap between classic viewfinder cameras and the modern day
Conclusion
I said in my intro I’d lost half a roll of film in this camera, about 20 photos into a roll of Portra I’d convinced myself the Beirette might not even be advancing the film. The cheap plastic film advance lever can certainly feel like it’s not attached to anything, such is the quality on offer here.
To be honest though, I think I convinced myself this was the case just so I could stop using it, deep down I knew the camera was technically working, I just wasn’t enjoying working with it…it fact it was making me want to switch to my phone. I don’t use my phone for photos.
So my verdict?
Objectively, as a photo-taking tool? This camera actually works quite well. All the functions operate reliably, it’s simple, compact and takes good photos. The lens is surprisingly good.
Subjectively, as a camera for a human being who loves photography? Quite the opposite. This is a camera that proves beyond any doubt that film isn’t always fun. Even compared to entry-level cameras in the ’50s, 20 years prior, we somehow went backwards.
Maybe it’s those indescribable subjective qualities we started to lose in the 1970s, and lost completely in the modern day. The very reasons we yearn for the metal, glass and clockwork cameras of old. Maybe this cameras best value is in showing us what we lost somewhere along the way.
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