Looking for an decent entry into medium format. Thinking TLR

[Paul Howell]

Sometimes on Shopgood.com and local Crags list you can find Richoflex, Kowaflex, and a few other 60s vintage TLR, if in good working order both have good 4 element lens, solid build quality, what I really like my Yaschia 124 and D is the 2.8 focusing lens, makes for bright focusing screen.

 

[Dan Daniel]

I am still learning about all the variations and lenses and this is super educational.

If you are primarily a painter, one nice thing about TLRs is the large focus screen. It's sort of like looking at a (small) piece of paper already. And the screen reversal throws off the connection between the 'world' and the image on the screen in a subtle way.

I'll never understand it, but almost no one reacts to being photographed with a TLR on the street. Even if I use the magnifier and put the camera up to my face three feet in front of someone.

 

[Glausuche]

Sometimes on Shopgood.com and local Crags list you can find Richoflex, Kowaflex, and a few other 60s vintage TLR, if in good working order both have good 4 element lens, solid build quality, what I really like my Yaschia 124 and D is the 2.8 focusing lens, makes for bright focusing screen.

Yeah, the issue is finding someone who's reputable and honeat. Do you have experience with any ebay seller who is?

 

[Glausuche]

If you are primarily a painter, one nice thing about TLRs is the large focus screen. It's sort of like looking at a (small) piece of paper already. And the screen reversal throws off the connection between the 'world' and the image on the screen in a subtle way.

I'll never understand it, but almost no one reacts to being photographed with a TLR on the street. Even if I use the magnifier and put the camera up to my face three feet in front of someone.

Yes I love both of your points!
I'll be painting with light.
And back.in the day when living in NYC, if gotten good at shooting from.the waist with my 35mm to get people inconspicuously, but having that extra advantage is super sweet!

 

[Cholentpot]

Yeah, the issue is finding someone who's reputable and honeat. Do you have experience with any ebay seller who is?

I bought a few cameras on this here website. It's the best bet in my opinion.

 

[Paul Howell]

Goodwill is no returns, the trick is find a camera like a Kowaflex that is a not cult classic, find auctions that end in the middle of week, hopefully fewer buyers will be home to up the bidding, and if the camera is not working be prepared to lose money. I buy from KEH, Roberts, and Calagaz, price are decent, they take returns without much trouble. Yashica 124s and Minolta Autocords although really good cameras have achieved a cult like status and prices are beyond their true value as a shooter.

 

[Paul Howell]

Well so much for Kowaflex,

Extraordinary!! [Near MINT for this age w/box] Kowa KALLOVEX 6X6 75mm 3.5 JAPAN | eBay

[Near MINT w/box] Extraordinary! Kowa KALLOVEX 6X6 TLR Prominar 75mm 3.5 JAPAN #2000083200157. Near MINT For this age. The one with the box and case no longer appears. Box, Case, Cap. Beautiful condition.

www.ebay.com

 

[juan]

KEH has several TLRs for sale. They are a reputable seller - even bargain grade is good. I’ve shot TLRs for more than 50-years and if you can swing the price, the Mamiyas are the best. Rolleiflex is out of my price range.

Search results for: 'Tlr' at KEH Camera

www.keh.com

 

[Sirius Glass]

Yeah, the issue is finding someone who's reputable and honeat. Do you have experience with any ebay seller who is?

KEH.com, B&H, Adorama, Samy's Camera, ... for starters.

 

[markjwyatt]

The Mamiya C330 also really looks impressive in a self-portrait
(in this case, kitted out with a 135mm lens and a prism finder)

Me and my Mamiya by Mark Wyatt, on Flickr

ditto,

 

[RalphLambrecht]

Hi all. I have a holga 120 and an Ansco Viking Readyset and both work. I’ve been taking photos with them. I am a mixed media artist and I’ve loved photography since my pre-teens, back then with 35mm cameras and even doing some of my own developing.
I want to get a decent medium format camera but I’m on a tight budget. What do you suggest? I want something that is easy to carry around.
Street photography would probably be my primary focus, and landscape/nature come 2nd.

Oh yeah, I also would enjoy doing double exposures, so I want the ability to do that..

ß with today's prices on used equipment I would probably suggest to get into the hospital at 500 series of; they are extremely flexible and it's something you're probably gonna stick with for the rest of your life.

 

[Glausuche]

What are people’s thoughts on this one?
Minolta Autocord

Keh doesn’t have much in the way of TLRs. And I couldn’t find any at B&H or Adorama.

 

[Paul Howell]

Minolta made and still makes really good lens, in the 60s up until the 90s, and maybe still do, was one of few the lens makers that made their own glass. The 4 element Tessar lens is as good as a Rollie, the interior is flocked, good contrast. Many were used by news and wedding photographers, finding one in good condition may take time. Down side is that I think they have achieved cult status and are overpriced as is the Yaschica 124s. For the price of a Autocord you can get a Mamyia C220 with 80mm 2.8 which is a 5 elements in 3 groups Planar, as good as the Rolliflex 2.8 Planar.

 

[Glausuche]

Minolta made and still makes really good lens, in the 60s up until the 90s, and maybe still do, was one of few the lens makers that made their own glass. The 4 element Tessar lens is as good as a Rollie, the interior is flocked, good contrast. Many were used by news and wedding photographers, finding one in good condition may take time. Down side is that I think they have achieved cult status and are overpriced as is the Yaschica 124s. For the price of a Autocord you can get a Mamyia C220 with 80mm 2.8 which is a 5 elements in 3 groups Planar, as good as the Rolliflex 2.8 Planar.

Actually keh only has an “as-is” c220 and the C330 with the lens looks like this, and these are “bargain”

1. 
   
   Mamiya C330 F Medium Format TLR Camera Body - BGN
   Qty:1
   $217.85
2. 
   
   Mamiya 80mm F/2.8 Black TLR Lens {46} - BGN
   Qty:1
   $242.66

 

[Sirius Glass]

Minolta made and still makes really good lens, in the 60s up until the 90s, and maybe still do, was one of few the lens makers that made their own glass. The 4 element Tessar lens is as good as a Rollie, the interior is flocked, good contrast. Many were used by news and wedding photographers, finding one in good condition may take time. Down side is that I think they have achieved cult status and are overpriced as is the Yaschica 124s. For the price of a Autocord you can get a Mamyia C220 with 80mm 2.8 which is a 5 elements in 3 groups Planar, as good as the Rolliflex 2.8 Planar.

Minolta was brought out by Konica and Konica sold the camera business to Sony over a decade ago.

 

[Down Under]

Yaschica D with the 4 element Tessar taking lens and 2.8 viewing lens. The Shutter must be cocked before tripping the shutter and film manually wound allowing for easy multiple exposures. The D with 3 element taking lens and 3.5 is also good if want a bit of softness wide open. Also in the 3 element range was Yaschia A and C.

I second this!! My first TLR in 1962 was a Yashica D, bought new for the then-expensive price of $45. By chance it had the four-element lens and made very decent negatives. I processed everything in Kodak DK60a, which was far from the best film developer, but my surviving negatives still print well and show amazing definition.

I also had a Yashica A as a backup camera, but I never did bond with it and sold it quickly. In 1966 I bought my first Rolleiflex (a 3.5E2) and began my lifelong love affair with TLRs.

Others have written about all the good points of TLRs and I won't repeat anything - only to say, if you can afford it, go for a Rolleicord Vb, which will give you 6x6 (12 exposures), 4.5x5 (16 exposures) or 24 exposures (the latter two with Rollei accessory kits). A 35mm insert back is also available. You couldn't ask for better...

 

[BMbikerider]

Hi all. I have a holga 120 and an Ansco Viking Readyset and both work. I’ve been taking photos with them. I am a mixed media artist and I’ve loved photography since my pre-teens, back then with 35mm cameras and even doing some of my own developing.
I want to get a decent medium format camera but I’m on a tight budget. What do you suggest? I want something that is easy to carry around.
Street photography would probably be my primary focus, and landscape/nature come 2nd.

Oh yeah, I also would enjoy doing double exposures, so I want the ability to do that..

Twin lens reflexes are gaining in cost and lack of availability. Even the humble Yashicamat which used to be available for less than £100 a few years ago are selling for what is stupid money as much as £400. The cream of the crop being the Rollieflex but they are even more expensive. A well used Rollie 3.5T with a Tessar lens start at £400ish.
As was suggested earlier one of the early Zeiss folding cameras with a Tessar can be had for around £150. They will probably need a good CLA and being purely mechanical are usually repairable even though factory spares will have dried up many years ago. They usually have a double exposure facility as well with a little cocking lever on top of the lens.
A real bargain basement camera is one of the Russian copies of the Zeiss Super Ikonta, usually they have a rangefinder and a range of shutter speeds 1/300th to 1sec +B. I had one a while ago and gave what was to me, a huge negative 6x9cms. I paid only £75 and sold it for the same and they are available now for around £125-£150. Make no bones about it they are NOT a Zeiss with the same build quality but they function quite well.

 

[Dan Daniel]

1. 
   
   Mamiya C330 F Medium Format TLR Camera Body - BGN
   Qty:1
   $217.85
2. 
   
   Mamiya 80mm F/2.8 Black TLR Lens {46} - BGN
   Qty:1
   $242.66

You really should hold a Mamiya C series camera before buying one. And carry one in whatever bag you use. They are large objects. For street shooting, for carrying about in the course of other activities, or for travel, they require more of a commitment than small TLRs like the Yashicas, Autocords, Rolleicord, Rolleiflexes, etc. If you can't find on, look at the dimensions, make yourself a cardboard brick to size and see what you think. Make a YashicaMat brick. They are great cameras, but there are reasons you don't see them on the street very often, just like the Mamiya RB and RZ cameras.

I'd suggest being patient. You are seeing the prices, seeing the various options. Put a Wanted To Buy notice up in places like this and keep bumping it to the top every week. Learn how to identify good and bad sellers on Ebay. Expect that your first quality medium format camera will not be your last.

Arbus was a small woman, but it's still telling how big a C looks here-

 

[juan]

Look at usedphotopro.com

 

[rayban]

While I’d much rather buy from a classified ad on this site I can say I’ve had good experiences on the big auction site recently with a Zeiss folder 524/2 and a C330. (Bad GAS lately.) In each case I paid the premium for shipping from Japan but had good experience with the highly rated sellers. The actual price on both was not unreasonable - mostly because these cameras don’t yet have the cult following. The condition was as advertised or better. There are a few sellers that will accept returns.

I have an RZ67 kit which I love but for walking around the folder and TLR are much more versatile. Mirror slap on an SLR can be noticed when enlarged (at least for me and my Mamiya).

If you are going for high portability (for which you can’t beat a 6x6 Nettar) and can shoot at ‘f8 and be there’ (which you can for street and landscape) then a good Zeiss folder with a Novar Anastigmat or better Tessar is the way to go for your use case and budget. Many have double exposure prevention - bad for your use case - but an easy workaround is to trigger the shutter from the lens. If you get a 6x9 open the bellows slowly to avoid deforming the negative. A small TLR would be my second recommendation if that doesn’t work for you. The C330 is wonderful but it is ginormous.

Best of luck.

 

[busrider]

You want something like a Mamiya Automat. Looking down is a good way to get mugged. I wouldn't get a wedding shooters camera no matter how cheep, they are all beat to hell.

 

[Dan Daniel]

For example, this Yashica-D with Yashinon on Ebay. Low count seller but more than enough sales to have a record. So he isn't making a living but does enough to be proficient. Send him a message asking if the shutter fires and if the lens is clean. Part of this is strategy- if a seller says something in a message to you, and it turns out to be wrong, you can return it no matter claims of 'no returns' (but don't be a jerk, and don't use Ebay or anywhere else as some sort of lending library). I know nothing beyond what you can see on the site, no connection to seller, blah blah..

Yashica-D, TLR Camera, Medium Format 80mm f:3.5 Lens | eBay

Find many great new & used options and get the best deals for Yashica-D, TLR Camera, Medium Format 80mm f:3.5 Lens at the best online prices at eBay! Free shipping for many products!

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Patience. I waited and watched and found a clean Rolleicord Vb with a 16 frame kit installed on Ebay, just what I wanted, even a high-end Maxwell screen. Low count seller- 400 or so- no one wanted the 6x4.5 kit, and I have spare 12 frame counter dials. I bid the starting price, nothing more, $250. Seller was happy that it went so someone who was going to use it. I was surprised that no one else bid. Patience and look at people's feedback, sales histories.

 

[Paul Howell]

Minolta was brought out by Konica and Konica sold the camera business to Sony over a decade ago.

Konica merged with Minolta to become Konica Minolta, Konica Minolta sold the camera factory and patents to Sony but kept the lens factory. Konica Minolta makes all the Sony kit and G lens for Sony, all the patents are owned by Konica Minolta, that includes new E mount lens. In addition Konica Minolta makes industrial lens. Minolta fell behind in film and digital camera design and production after losing a 100,000,000 patent infringement suit to Honeywell over AF tech. Minolta never really recovered until it was too late.

 

[Paul Howell]

Actually keh only has an “as-is” c220 and the C330 with the lens looks like this, and these are “bargain”

1. 
   
   Mamiya C330 F Medium Format TLR Camera Body - BGN
   Qty:1
   $217.85
2. 
   
   Mamiya 80mm F/2.8 Black TLR Lens {46} - BGN
   Qty:1
   $242.66

You can find C220 on Ebay, most are from Japan.

 

[GregY]

The Mamiya C-220/330. is a real pro workhorse, (had several). If you need interchangeable lenses...
But it's worth saying that the size/bulk difference between them and a Rolleiflex/cord/Minolta Autocord/Yashicamat 124 is much like the pickup truck / sportscar comparison... if that's of concern to you.