Yeah I agree with this nothing faster on the fly. Otherwise my Fuji GA645 loads pretty quickly.
The Hasselblad is the fastest. You swap one back for the next back which you had already loaded.
By the way, after a while you learn load a roll of film quickly without swapping backs.
I have owned a Mamiya C330 and I have two Hasselblads. It is faster to swap backs on a Hasselblad than load a C330. Furthermore one can change film types mid-roll on a Hasselblad without wasting a frame or the rest of the roll. The Mamiyia C330 is much more fiddlely requiring flipping from one side to the other to set and cock some of the lenses. There is no such nonsense with a Hasselblad.
being left one-handd, this is an interesting subject to me. however, i'm afraidthe answer is 'digital!
Ralph:
I'm mostly left one-handed.
I have a bit of dexterity in my right hand (I can work the film crank on my cameras, but cannot accurately adjust shutter speeds or apertures).
A Mamiya C330 or 645 Pro with a left hand trigger grip works well for me.
Being able to focus with either the left or right focus knob probably works well for you, too.
For me, the mamiya 7 is the fastest non-interchangeable-back loading. Compared to other cameras I've used, the spools pop in and out very easily. If I'm out with the hasselblad and shoot multiple rolls of a couple of film types, I'm not going to carry multiple backs for each film, so eventually I'll have to reload a back, and it may not occur at the most opportune moment... So loading speed is still a factor for me.
You can't have everything, life is about compromise and you want the impossible, medium format photography is about a more leisurely and considered approach, you have a cannon not a machine gun, if 20 seconds is too long for you to reload and you need to reload M/F cameras far more times than 35mm ones and you don't want interchangeable backs then roll film isn't for you, I suggest you stay with 35 mm if you want to shoot film.Great responses.
About swapping out the backs. First, I would rather not have to buy extra backs. They're quite cheap, yes, but, many of one adds up. Seems like there are a few people on here who have ten lenses, five bodies, and all the trimmings--but that aint me.
Second, it certainly is fast to swap out the backs, but they have to be loaded sooner or later. And yes, 20 seconds IS a long time for me--as I suspect it is for many. It's not that I'm impatient, per se (I'll wait hours to get a shot), it's just that this is one area where I would rather be doing something else.
Third, those Hassy backs are bulky as all hell. I like to roll with just one camera, one lens.
It used to be quite important when I shot weddings!
The good thing about the Pentax 67 is that you don't have to take it off the tripod to load it.
I carry both black & white film backs and color film backs. Sometimes I will take a composition with both backs. I spent a week at Yosemite at the beginning of December one year. I was only planning of shooting color, but it had just snowed and after shooting a few scenes in color, I ended up shooting only black & white the rest of the time. I have some fantastic photographs from that trip. Be prepared for anything and wonderful opportunities arise.
Also when I am using the Hasselblad I already have the 50mm, 80mm, 150mm, 250mm lenses, the filters, close-up rings, 2X adapter and a 903 SWC available. How much more trouble does it take to have an extra film back too?
Rangefinders and the P67 have the distinct advantage of working like a 35mm SLR. You just swing open the back and do your thing; thus no removable parts that require another hand or pocket while reloading.
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