Looking for my next system.

[jerrybro]

deleted

 

[removed account4]

I recently passed up the chance on local Graflex at a really good price that I really wanted because I thought there was no practical way to use it. Weird film size, as I recall

2x3 and 3x4 were the small ones. if you get the roll back you are golden !

 

[Wayne]

2x3 and 3x4 were the small ones. if you get the roll back you are golden !

I don't think it came with a roll back. It was a 3A

 

[removed account4]

you are right Wayne, it took 122 roll film ( post card format ).
it's not made anymore, but some folks convert them to 120
for panoramics. I have on, and either trim 2mm off the long edge of 5x7
paper and make perfect paper negatives that way or I roll my own spools
of rc paper negatives. either way it works, that said, the 3a is maybe 2x the size of a baby graphlex
same sort of camera but bigger negative, and usually much older camera ( from around ww1)

 

[Soeren]

The RZ67 is really a studio camera and works well on a tripod. You can also shoot hand held but you wouldn't want to backpack with the thing. Wide and long lenses are heavy too. RZ's with their reversible removable backs were very popular for portraiture.

The Pentax 6x7's handle like oversized 35mm cameras. They load like 35mm cameras too so there are no removable backs. They are very popular with landscape photographers.

Hasselblad is a great system but as you know expensive. If you are walking around with a camera hanging from your neck they sure beat the other 3 cameras.

I've never touched the Fuji GX680. I'm assuming it's a big heavy camera that you would always want to shoot on a tripod. Someone correct me if I'm wrong.

All four are great cameras. What are you going to shoot and how are you going to use the camera?

I must say backpacking the RZ is certainly doable. I went for a days photoshoot carrying the RZ67PROII with 127mm and my chamonix 45F1 +75mm and 150mm 10 4x5" DD's and 7 rolls 120. Not the exhausting experience I feared it would be

 

[Alan Gales]

I must say backpacking the RZ is certainly doable. I went for a days photoshoot carrying the RZ67PROII with 127mm and my chamonix 45F1 +75mm and 150mm 10 4x5" DD's and 7 rolls 120. Not the exhausting experience I feared it would be

Some people do it. It all depends upon how strong you are and what kind of shape you are in.

We are talking about Mamiya TLR's in another thread. A C220 weighs about the same as a Hasselblad but some seem to think that they are too heavy. We are all different.

 

[Soeren]

Some people do it. It all depends upon how strong you are and what kind of shape you are in.

We are talking about Mamiya TLR's in another thread. A C220 weighs about the same as a Hasselblad but some seem to think that they are too heavy. We are all different.

And the comfort factor of your backpack, my F-stop Tilopa scores very high in that category
At present Im actually not that strong and my shape is best descriped as round though I have plans about changing both

 

[FujiLove]

I've been using a Pentax 6x7 for a while and love it, but I've run into a few situations where I really wanted to change film and felt stuck because of the non-interchangeable back. I've also started projecting slide film and really need to stick to square format (6x7 projectors and mounts are hard to find and much more expensive than 6x6).

I also have a Mamiya 7ii which is outstanding, but again, I can't swap film. The other limitation with the rangefinders is the relative difficulty in using filters. Not a huge problem with negative film but tricky with slide film and grads.

I think the solution for me is a Hasselblad, but I'm still pondering...

Like others have said above, if you buy wisely, you can always sell on equipment you don't like or need for what you paid. It's like renting for the price of postage.

 

[cooltouch]

Actually, you can swap film right now. You have two 6x7 cameras -- the Pentax 6x7 and the Mamiya 7ii. Load one type of film in one of the cameras and another type in the other. I've seen pros who use the big Pentax shoot with more than one 6x7 body for this reason.