Medium Format camera -> start?

This must be the tenth post recently in the medium format section asking what amounts to the same question recently, I suggest the O.P. looks back at them for an answer.
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Okay all, I've been screening the net for people selling camera's in my country and countries near me.
at the moment I've got 2 - 4 options.

1. Fuji gs645s at 275 euro excl shipping
2. Yashica mat 124G 125-140 euro excl shipping
3. Mamiya 645 ( there are plenty selling online I don't know if its the J type) mostly +- 200-270 euro with one lens
4. Rolleicord (serial number: 2122498) at around 70-100 euro

Pricewise the rolleicord and the yashica are the most interesting cameras.
The rolleicord isn't in superior conditions and has some cosmetic damage.
the yashica seems almost mint, from the picture. Seller's saying he's 100% the yashica. I can test it before buying.
The fuji seems the coolest and most practical option but is a lot more expensive..
I'm leaning towards the yashica actually, I love the retro style. but then again what holds me is that I'm scared because of the fragility of a tlr..
I would be scared of using it...

Should I be or shouldn't I be? If not then I'll probably go for the yashica (OR the rolleicord ?)

Thanks ahead

(ps I'll read those threads you posted later on )

Add another 100 euro for CLA for Rolleicord. If you can find with Triotar , it will beat all other cameras.
Did you think to invest 20 or less dollars to register to APUG and buy from classifieds. Photographer to photographer and an old member is one generally highly care for his gear.

Before investing to a camera , have a look to classifieds archive.
If Rolleicord seems to you distance , Yashica is damn sharp and contrasty.

And you can visit the gallery , post there and get opinion .

... ...

hi maël

the tlr's aren't really fragile anymore than the rest of them.
but some of them don't have all the bells and whistles of a newer camera ( flash sync + timer( self portrait ) do-dad )
before you put the euros down on a new camera, make sure you have someone that you can send it to to have it worked on.

i am lucky enough to have trusted repair people near me that do great work ..
most recently zack's ( an apug advertiser ) did a cla, repaired the viewing hood ( made a new rivit & FIXED IT )
installed a new mirror, and fixed the advance/stop which advances+stops at the next frame on an ancient ( 1930s ) rollei.
the camera is old and warn, and looks like it is well used, but it's SOLID and i will now be able to use it well ...
(can't wait to process the film ! )

i wouldn't hesitate to get a rollei or the yashica, but if i didn't have someone nearby or that i knew of through others who have send gear to him/her
i might not get something more than a basic folder ( read --- >> cheap ! ).

have fun + good luck + belated welcome to apug!
john

My recommendation is that you will really not like the fixed normal lens of a TLR indoors. I would get something in the 35mm-equivalent focal length, as it can be used for environmental portraits as well as landscapes. The Fuji GS645S is really nice. Fuji makes great lenses, I have an original GS645 and the lens is quite good on that too. Their large format lenses are known to be sleepers as well. Just be careful with the lens mount - that cowbar is there for a reason. Try not to bump the actual barrel of the lens. The Mamiya 645 is a nice camera too, and the 80/1.9 is one of the fastest lenses around.

Don't be afraid of the fragility of a TLR, they are quite solid. They are more inconspicuous than a SLR, as you look down into them rather than pointing them at people. On the Yashica vs Rolleicord question, the Rollei may be softer especially in the edges wide open. On the other hand, it is a really good triplet so it may not be that far behind, and if the Yashica is miscalibrated or out of optical alignment, it's possible the triplet would win. Cleaning the mirror will help visibility either way.

Not all TLRs are fixed lens. The Mamiya TLRs have a variety of interchangeable lens groups and are awesome cameras.

That being said a fixed lens can instill discipline and increase creative thinking by reducing superfluous options.

clayne said:

Not all TLRs are fixed lens. The Mamiya TLRs have a variety of interchangeable lens groups and are awesome cameras.

That being said a fixed lens can instill discipline and increase creative thinking by reducing superfluous options.

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You eventually need to learn to use focal length to your advantage though. Without the option of perspective compression/distortion, your toolbox is not complete. I agree in principle on the single lens philosophy, but I think 35mm is a more useful range for a single lens than 50mm. You can still do environmental portraits, you have the option of a little perspective distortion, it's wide enough to use indoors, and it can do landscapes more easily. It's my usual one-lens kit.

PaulMD said:

You eventually need to learn to use focal length to your advantage though. Without the option of perspective compression/distortion, your toolbox is not complete. I agree in principle on the single lens philosophy, but I think 35mm is a more useful range for a single lens than 50mm. You can still do environmental portraits, you have the option of a little perspective distortion, it's wide enough to use indoors, and it can do landscapes more easily. It's my usual one-lens kit.

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Paul, well, personally I have no issues choosing a particular camera/lens combo based on what I anticipate. However, I am mostly versed with wide-angles and can adapt them to most situations when needed.

I couldn't imagine using a zoom-lens with any kind of seriousness. I just don't think that way, or have the desire to be flexible about FL - as I treat the lens in combination of "seeing" through that particular camera and pick a particular FL based on it's characteristics I desire.

I do not agree that a zoom lens is required in the toolbox and 1000s of classic photographs taken on prime lenses shows no huge bonus of zooms, so I don't miss them at all. Either way, it's not like there's a huge market for zooms on MF bodies anyways so if you weren't talking about zooms, my apologies.

Atleast with the Mamiya TLRs one can swap out lenses based on what they need to use for a particular roll and that makes it quite flexible in the FL department. They're also extremely quite and built well.

I was not, in fact, talking about zooms. There's very few available for medium format anyway. I meant that primes force you to think about what perspective you want and why. Given that this guy's budget and needs, I think a fixed slight-wide lens would be good for him.