Medium format for an SLR shooter

[nuckabean]

bronica sq series are dirt cheap on KEH

 

[olleorama]

ffordes.co.uk has reasonable prices IMO. You can sometimes score good deals on the swedish sites blocket.se, tradera.se or the photo forum fotosidan.se. As the danish krona is well above the swedish one, you can strike a real good deal if you're lucky and know how to haggle.

 

[Chazzy]

Before you settle on a 6x4.5 SLR, I think you should try to handle a 6x6 or 6x7 SLR. You might find it too heavy, but then again, you might not, and the bigger negative would definitely be a plus, except for getting fewer shots on a roll of film. Are there any APUG people in your vicinity who might let you handle some cameras and check out their size and weight?

 

[Pumal]

I found an RB6X7 Pro S with 5 lenses, an extension tube, a metered Prism and 4 Backs (counting the Polaroid) for around 400 bucks.

 

[dancqu]

What I Like About Square

The camera is always upright; hand held or
tripod mounted. In the enlarger the image
is always upright. Dan

 

[Q.G.]

I found an RB6X7 Pro S with 5 lenses, an extension tube, a metered Prism and 4 Backs (counting the Polaroid) for around 400 bucks.

I always keep reading things like this (and about Rolleiflexes too), but when i go looking for such great bargains, i never find any.

So where do you find these?

 

[Sirius Glass]

If you want a MF SLR camera that handles like a 35mm SLR, consider the Hasselblad 500 series with a 45) PME finder [includes a TTL meter] and a choice of 6x6 or 645 film backs. A bit more than a Mamiya or a Bronica but it is lighter and easier to use hand held.

Steve

 

[Rolleiflexible]

I suppose i have an unnatural hated of when the prints flop around in the little album sleeves. It bothers me far too much.

I shoot a lot of squares and print them
full-frame. I usually print them about
six inches square, centered onto 8x10
paper. The rest of the paper provides
a frame of sorts for the image. It's a
beautiful way to display your photos,
and there are plenty of 8x10 albums
if you want to assemble them that way
for display.

 

[Rolleiflexible]

I always keep reading things like this (and about Rolleiflexes too), but when i go looking for such great bargains, i never find any.

My recent experience is that the used
market for clean Rolleiflexes is off the
charts. You can find older Automats
with Tessar or Xenar lenses in good
shape for a few hundred dollars, maybe
less. But the newer models with Planars
and Xenotars are insane. Parts cameras
are trading up to US$400 on eBay.

 

[Marc Akemann]

I always keep reading things like this (and about Rolleiflexes too), but when i go looking for such great bargains, i never find any.

So where do you find these?

It takes time and luck.

 

[wiltw]

Well, it can be difficult to find 6 inch by 4.5 inch albums. Or anything other than 4x6, 5x7, or 8x10 really.

Huh, what?! 43mm x 55mm frame = 0.78 : 1, or very very close to 4:5, 8:10, 16:20 print (0.8 : 1) proportions

 

[c.w.]

Oh good grief... make a half joking comment that the printing at odd sizes can be a little frustrating and suddenly there's a flood of comments and suggestions.

Shows what i get for using a forum that actually has useful members.

 

[johnnywalker]

Does the RB67 pro s have an internal light meter? I've looked at the specifications and it's not mentioned, so I assume it does not.

 

[Nick Zentena]

No. Think of it more like a new Graflex 2x3.

 

[Necator]

Before you settle on a 6x4.5 SLR, I think you should try to handle a 6x6 or 6x7 SLR. You might find it too heavy, but then again, you might not, and the bigger negative would definitely be a plus, except for getting fewer shots on a roll of film. Are there any APUG people in your vicinity who might let you handle some cameras and check out their size and weight?

I am not sure, but I am going to ask in the regional (Scandinavia) forum later.

 

[polka]

Pentax 6x7 can be hand held too, if (and only if) you use the wooden left-handgrip to stabilize them. Of course, they are huge, they are heavy on the shoulder, but they are good shooters with an ergonomy and prism view finder analog to 35mm SLR. And the 6x7 format... speechless ! I use mine with a 75mm for landscape and general photography, and a 150mm for hand held portraits. It works.

Paul

 

[Soeren]

Pentax 6x7 can be hand held too, if (and only if) you use the wooden left-handgrip to stabilize them. <SNIP

Paul

WHAT??? I didn't know that!! From now on all my handheld shots will be ruined thanks to you
Well actually I do pretty fine without that grip with either the 45mm or 90mm on my 6X7. If I recall correctly the 165mm that broke worked fin too without using the extra grip.
Best regards

 

[Pumal]

I always keep reading things like this (and about Rolleiflexes too), but when i go looking for such great bargains, i never find any.

So where do you find these?

A friend in Chile

 

[Soeren]

A friend in Chile

Only catch is you have to take that other stuff in the package to some people, don't open it and don't ask questions sorry couldn't help it
Best regards

 

[faustotesta]

Few weeks ago i entered a shop (near Rome) with a lot of used gear. I saw a pentax 67 on the shelf and asked the man how much he wanted.
He offered a kit made of the pentax 67 body, 3 lenses (in good condition) and a prism finder (with a lightmeter inside).
All for 300 € (the gear was in good condition. Let's say a A-).
I must be honest in saying that i was thinking about it.
While thinking my wife (that was shopping nearby) came into the shop and took me away grabbing my neck.... .
Sometimes being married can be harmful

 

[JRJacobs]

Pentax 67 with a metered prism is more like a 35mm SLR than any other MF camera.

It is also much lighter than the RB67 and the GS-1.

 

[Colin Corneau]

I used SLR's for about 20 years professionally (still do, actually) and find my Bronica SQ-Ai with a 90-degree prism (non metered) along with the winder grip is pretty darn cozy feeling.

 

[Cliffy13]

From past experience the Bronica SQ range is great with some superb lenses but if you want more 35mm style handling then try the Mamiya 645 range

 

[Robert Budding]

The good thing about the 645 cameras is that they are compact and many handle much like a 35. But if you're looking for a big negative, the 645 neg does not give you very much over a 35. . .

That's just a silly statement. The 645 neg is 2.7x larger than 35mm. It's a huge improvement!

 

[Sirius Glass]

The good thing about the 645 cameras is that they are compact and many handle much like a 35.

So you are saying that a Hasselblad with a 6x6 back is harder to handle than the same Hasselblad with a 645 back, right?

That reminds me of a fellow worker who is 45, still single and dates a steady stream of 20-somethings. One very young 20-something asked him to go with her to buy a laptop computer. On the way there he asked what she was going to use the laptop for. She said that she would use Micro$oft Work, Excel and PowerPoint. He said those are powerful pieces of software and he said, "Wonder what the computer will weigh after you load those programs on it. I hope it will not be too heavy for you then."

They arrived at the store and he stood aside and watched. Soon she had a group of young salesmen around her trying to answer her questions, especially about what the computer would weigh after loading the software. He saw that she was getting more an more frustrated. After twenty minutes she stormed over to him and took his arm. As she led him out of the store she said, "These guys at XXX, don't know anything about computers!"

Steve