Medium Format Camera Buying Advice

JADoss23 · May 30, 2021

I am looking for advice on a great companion camera to my Rollei TLR. I had a Mamiya RB67 for years but just sold it as it was getting too cumbersome for carrying around often and I didn't use it often enough. I recently purchased a fuji gsw69 rangefinder but unsure if I love it. Looking for something with 6x7 or 6x8 or 6x9 that's compact but great for portraits and easier to carry around and use. Budget is USD 1000. Thanks for any help!

Dusty Negative · May 30, 2021

I only own the Beasts - Pentax 6x7 and Mamiya RB67, but I’ve always wondered about that Fuji GW690. Looks much more manageable.

mark · May 30, 2021

Based on recent experience, if you can get your hands on it before you buy it to make sure everything works DO IT! Sight unseen has bit me twice now.

Paul Howell · May 30, 2021

Other than a fixed lens folder MF tend to be heavy, just the nature of the beast. If you find one in good nick, Konica Omega Rapid, great lens, 6X7, fast to use which is the weakness, the ratchet advance may be worn. It is somewhat lighter than a Mamiya Press of Universal. Fixed lens Kodak Medalist, fixed lens 6X9, if you can find that has been converted to 120 film. Lots of folder out there, many with great lens, easy to carry. I have a Kodak Tourist, scale focus, 4 element lens, not bad as I use it for landscapes, harder to use for close up work. Have you thought of a 6 X 4.5?

Don_ih · May 30, 2021

The Mamiya Press is a nice camera, if you can handle the chunkiness of it. It's almost a cube of metal. But it takes several backs and has a bunch of accessories. It has the bonus appeal of not being very expensive, since people don't seem to know what it is. It even has bellows hidden inside it, that are practically impossible to use. It is primarily a rangefinder.

grat · May 30, 2021

Graflex Graphic 2x3, add the 120 film back of your choice for 6x6, 6x7 or 6x9.

You don't need a Speed, so century or crown should be fine-- but you do want graflok (twin chrome sliding bars on the back), and a rangefinder would be nice.

Dan Daniel · May 30, 2021

The Fuji GW6

JADoss23 said:
I am looking for advice on a great companion camera to my Rollei TLR. I had a Mamiya RB67 for years but just sold it as it was getting too cumbersome for carrying around often and I didn't use it often enough. I recently purchased a fuji gsw69 rangefinder but unsure if I love it. Looking for something with 6x7 or 6x8 or 6x9 that's compact but great for portraits and easier to carry around and use. Budget is USD 1000. Thanks for any help!

GW690/80/70 is probably your best bet. It is a 90mm lens, not 65 as on your GSW. Folders have their weaknesses and quirks. The Plaubel and Fuji GF670 are over your budget. The Kodak Medalist is actually lighter (by 2 ounces) and smaller than the Fuji GW series cameras, but even as someone who loves them, services them, and converts them to 120, I think that they take a commitment to use smoothly. When doing portraits, you want a camera that gets out of the way, like the Texas Leica with a 90mm lens.

Of course you can stick with the Rollei and get great results. There's something to be said to using one camera until it is second nature.

JADoss23 · May 30, 2021

My GSW actually has the 65mm lens. Was just curious if I would get more consistent results with a non rangefinder as can be hard to focus in lower light i feel.

Paul Howell · May 30, 2021

Non rangefinder? Not that many MF SLR that meet your need, compact for travel, a mirror adds weight and complexity. Other option is Konica Omega Flex, 6X7, not a true TLR, twin lens with direct view, there was a 45 degree attachment that sort of mimics a TRL. My parents bought me one when I graduated from college in 1970, great for portraits, not so good for landscapes, without a rotating back need to turn 90s degrees. I got my parents blessing and got a Mamiya C33 which I later sold and got a Yashicha 124G.

Alex Varas · May 31, 2021

6x9 and for portraits is Kodak Medalist II, Heliar type, sweet spot at f/4-f/5.6, focusing is using two images halves to match and very accurate, separated window doh.
6x7 Pentax 67 with the 105mm f/2.4 lens.

grain elevator · May 31, 2021

Can you be more specific what you want in the new camera that the Rollei doesn't do? More portable will be difficult. I think only folders are smaller and significantly lighter. Better for portraits depends on what type of portraits. Head and shoulders: an SLR might be better, or you could try a close-up gadget for the Rollei. The Fuji GSW is too wide for typical portraits, but could work for environmental ones. Focusing accuracy should not be an issue if it's in spec.

gone · May 31, 2021

I've always liked the looks of the little (for MF) Kowa cameras. The lenses are supposed to be top notch, and you would have a choice of lenses so you could do portraits. Other than that, MF cameras are just big. You're currently shooting one of the smallest 6x6 TLR's, and the MF cameras just get bigger and heavier from there unless you want to go the Medalist or Pentagon Six route.

Sirius Glass · May 31, 2021

Hasselblads without the electrical winder are smaller and lighter MF cameras. Rollei SLRs have additional features however bodies, lenses, parts and service are much more limited and they cost more than Hasselblads.

Alan9940 · May 31, 2021

MF, in general, is large(r) as others have already said. In 6x7 and up you're probably looking at MF folders for lightweight and portability or something like the Makina 67 (though you probably couldn't find one of these under $1K).

Paul Howell · May 31, 2021

momus said:
I've always liked the looks of the little (for MF) Kowa cameras. The lenses are supposed to be top notch, and you would have a choice of lenses so you could do portraits. Other than that, MF cameras are just big. You're currently shooting one of the smallest 6x6 TLR's, and the MF cameras just get bigger and heavier from there unless you want to go the Medalist or Pentagon Six route.

Kowa is 6X6, I have 2 a 6 and super 6, lens from 55 to 250, a few backs, hard to get serviced, prices have gone up in the past few years, I've seen bodies going for close to grand.

Paul Howell · May 31, 2021

Maybe the best bet is a Pentax 6X7, not a light weight, but more manageable that some of the others.

pbromaghin · May 31, 2021

A 6x9 SuperIkonta with coupled rangefinder would be lightweight, compact, really easy to carry around in a jacket pocket, and great for portraits. A 6x45 model is less in demand for collectors and so would be cheaper while being even smaller/lighter and very pocketable. For $1000 you could get both.

Kodachromeguy · May 31, 2021

Paul Howell said:
Non rangefinder? Not that many MF SLR that meet your need, compact for travel, a mirror adds weight and complexity. Other option is Konica Omega Flex, 6X7, not a true TLR, twin lens with direct view, there was a 45 degree attachment that sort of mimics a TRL. My parents bought me one when I graduated from college in 1970, great for portraits, not so good for landscapes, without a rotating back need to turn 90s degrees. I got my parents blessing and got a Mamiya C33 which I later sold and got a Yashicha 124G.

This is a fascinating camera. I have never seen this before; somehow I missed it over the years. But doesn't the film holder fit sideways so that it would be suitable for landscapes but tricky for portraits? Oh oh, now I have GAS.

Grim Tuesday · May 31, 2021

I've had just about all of them and the one I think is the perfect Rollei companion is the Pentax 6x7. It fills in everywhere the Rollei is weak, and is weak where the Rollei is strong. The rollei is silent, small and has superb image quality but only one focal length, and is much better for waist level viewing that eye-level. The Pentax 6x7 has a wide range of superb, reasonably priced lenses, is best for eye-level viewing and is big, heavy and loud. But you have the Rollei already and you won't be able to beat its image quality for anything lighter than it. So you're going to have to go heavier anyways. It also gives you the 6x7 ratio, a flat film path and auto exposure.

Paul Howell · May 31, 2021

Kodachromeguy said:
This is a fascinating camera. I have never seen this before; somehow I missed it over the years. But doesn't the film holder fit sideways so that it would be suitable for landscapes but tricky for portraits? Oh oh, now I have GAS.

Your right, 40 years does things to one's memories, got the back confused, don't know why, no way it could fit as in vertical orientation. The back is interchange and works with Konica Rapid.

mshchem · May 31, 2021

Paul Howell said:
Non rangefinder? Not that many MF SLR that meet your need, compact for travel, a mirror adds weight and complexity. Other option is Konica Omega Flex, 6X7, not a true TLR, twin lens with direct view, there was a 45 degree attachment that sort of mimics a TRL. My parents bought me one when I graduated from college in 1970, great for portraits, not so good for landscapes, without a rotating back need to turn 90s degrees. I got my parents blessing and got a Mamiya C33 which I later sold and got a Yashicha 124G.

What's this? I've had Koni Omegas but I've never seen one of these. I need more info.

Paul Howell · May 31, 2021

I had the 90mm normal lens, lens ranged from a 55 or was it a 58 wide to a 180 long. The lens could be changed midroll as the back has a dark slide. It was not really a TLR, not waist level, direct view. The image was upside down and backwards, there is a 45 degree angle attachment, never seen one. At the time I was shooting a Konica T3, my parents knew I really like Konica lens so they figured the Omega Flex would be a good match. While in the Air Force I shot with a Konica Omega Rapid, lens are very good, but the ratchet mechanism takes a lot of wear and tear.

Jeremy Mudd · Jun 2, 2021

Paul Howell said:
Kowa is 6X6, I have 2 a 6 and super 6, lens from 55 to 250, a few backs, hard to get serviced, prices have gone up in the past few years, I've seen bodies going for close to grand.

Yes, they are great when they are working! I have a few Six's and two Super 66's. I've repaired and sold several over the past year or so. Prices have nearly doubled since March 2020. I think with the uptick in all Medium Format gear they've recently been "discovered" and that has driven up prices.

Jeremy

johnha · Jun 5, 2021

Dusty Negative said:
I only own the Beasts - Pentax 6x7 and Mamiya RB67, but I’ve always wondered about that Fuji GW690. Looks much more manageable.

I have. Pentax 6x7 and looked at a Fuji G690 hoping for something smaller and lighter. It was slightly but not enough to buy it, especially as it has no meter. I also wouldn't have been as happy 'throwing it over my shoulder' as I am with the P6x7. I bought more P6x7 lenses instead. If I hadn't had the Pentax it might have been different.

Apparently there are common problems with the G690 dark curtains not opening or closing fully. I feel the later Fuji's with fixed lenses would be more awkward to haul about as you can't pack the body and lens separately.

macfred · Jun 5, 2021

Apart from the fact that it is also 6x6 format, a Tele Rolleiflex with Sonnar 135mm f/4 would be a good addition to your already existing Rolleiflex ...

Medium Format Camera Buying Advice

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