Medium Format Redux...Again

[mshchem]

As for buying from Japan, my experience is that for whatever reason shipping is cheaper and faster than from Europe. Also, Japanese seem to take better care of their equipment. Unfortunately, like the warnings on over the counter medicines, almost all descriptions of condition

I have had GREAT experience buying from Japan. Their postal system is fabulous. I've bought a NIB Leica M6ttl, lenses. I've had excellent service from Hong Kong, HK is a gold mine of cameras. I have a cousin who lived in Japan for years. In the region where she lived, there was in her English "bulky trash day" If something was defective or damaged citizens would put it out on the curb. In good Midwestern USA tradition, she and her husband would take the items back to their flat. . I'm sure that space to pile things is a huge factor.

 

[Paul Howell]

Thanks Paul. I think the drug store reading glasses may be worth another try. Maybe 5 years ago, I did try shooting with reading glasses on, and I can't recall the specific camera or result, other than the dealy in switching glasses. Most of my photography is "walking around on the streets and taking pictures I think will look interesting." (Carefull not to EVER say, "street photography" for fear of being mocked by the elite HCB purists). As such, fishing for a different set of glasses was a bit of a hassle. But for set shots, it was probably ok.

I don't really consider myself "low vision." Just a guy who has common refraction and astigmatism problems, wears glasses, and has had a lot of cameras with dull, dim, hard to see focus screens! Gotta say though, you guys are offering some great ideas.

You may need Rx reading glasses, over the counter readers are not corrected for astigmatism.

 

[Sirius Glass]

I do not need reading glasses either with or without the contact lenses. I just look though my glasses when I am not using the contact lenses.



.

 

[GLS]

I have had GREAT experience buying from Japan

Agreed. I bought my Pentax 6x7, 105mm and 55mm lenses from Japan. No problems at all.

 

[Paul Howell]

I do not need reading glasses either with or without the contact lenses. I just look though my glasses when I am not using the contact lenses.



.

I am near sighed, so I take my glasses off when focusing with any camera, if a person is far sighted then he/she will need readers when focusing.

 

[Alan Gales]

I've owned both the Pentax 645n and the 645nll. The main differences are that the nll has a mirror lock-up and a textured finish. The mirror lock-up was only done as a concession to people who kept asking for it. The 645n and nll mirrors are so well dampened that you don't need the mirror lock-up. The textured finish hides scratches but an unscratched n is prettier. The autofocus works well but slow compared to a modern DSLR. I shot people handheld no problem using autofocus. No sports though. The FA lenses are expensive. They went up in price after the 645D came out.

I really liked manual focussing with the RZ67 that I had. I also owned a Hasselblad 500/cm with a Beattie Intenscreen. It was nice too. The later Hasselblad Accumat screens are supposed to be better than the Beattie's.

That said, nothing is easier to focus than my 8x10 camera. That big 8x10 ground glass is something to see. Like jnanian says, a 4x5 is a lot nicer to focus with than a medium format camera.

 

[mshchem]

11 X14 too

That said, nothing is easier to focus than my 8x10 camera

 

[mshchem]

11 X14 too

That said, nothing is easier to focus than my 8x10 camera

 

[moto-uno]

^ I thought I'd heard references earlier to handheld ( easily done on 4x5 with a well adjusted Kalart ) Just sayin' . Peter

 

[MattKing]

Does anyone else read the thread title as "Medium Format Again ....Again"?
Pedants unite!

 

[Sirius Glass]

Does anyone else read the thread title as "Medium Format Again ....Again"?
Pedants unite!

I saw it and let it slide. I stored in the same file as "The City of Culver City Department of Redundancy and Do Overs".

 

[mshchem]

So Sorry

 

[mshchem]

Does anyone else read the thread title as "Medium Format Again ....Again"?
Pedants unite!

I learned a new word Pedant,a person who is excessively concerned with minor details and rules or with displaying academic learning.

Redux, I thought it was some sort of medical treatment for heartburn Redux/Reflux Meh.

 

[Alan Gales]

Does anyone else read the thread title as "Medium Format Again ....Again"?
Pedants unite!

Well, the OP did say that he loved the large size of medium format but he's tried over and over to find a medium format camera that will work. Large format is even larger and is easier to focus with. I just thought it might be another option to consider if he can't find a medium format camera that he is happy with.

So chew on that all you united pedants!

Oh, and thanks for teaching me a new word, Matt!

 

[ReginaldSMith]

Well, the OP did say that he loved the large size of medium format but he's tried over and over to find a medium format camera that will work. Large format is even larger and is easier to focus with. I just thought it might be another option to consider if he can't find a medium format camera that he is happy with.

So chew on that all you united pedants!

Oh, and thanks for teaching me a new word, Matt!

Ha ha...Alan, believe me I would LOVE to go bigger! But, realistically, I have some constraints physically about lugging around a field camera, tripod, and well, I don't know what. Just yestercday, in my local shop I was drooling over a Wista kit and a Crown sitting on the shelf. But, I live in a couple of tiny houses and I have to be sane about how much valuable space my photo gear consumes.

 

[removed account4]

Well, the OP did say that he loved the large size of medium format but he's tried over and over to find a medium format camera that will work. Large format is even larger and is easier to focus with. I just thought it might be another option to consider if he can't find a medium format camera that he is happy with.

uh huh that is why i suggestd it on page 2 LOL! great minds think alike alan

 

[fjpod]

All this talk about optometrists....makes me feel like I'm still at my office. Yup, an optometrist who is obsessed with imaging. I come here to get away from work.lol.

 

[Alan Gales]

uh huh that is why i suggestd it on page 2 LOL! great minds think alike alan

Yeah, John, I read what you wrote and I mentioned you on the last line in post #81. We do think alike.

 

[Alan Gales]

Ha ha...Alan, believe me I would LOVE to go bigger! But, realistically, I have some constraints physically about lugging around a field camera, tripod, and well, I don't know what. Just yestercday, in my local shop I was drooling over a Wista kit and a Crown sitting on the shelf. But, I live in a couple of tiny houses and I have to be sane about how much valuable space my photo gear consumes.

Then I would stay away from the RZ or RB67 cameras. I had a Crown once and it was more bulky than the RZ I had but lighter. The lenses for the Crown were way smaller and lighter than the RZ lenses.

If the price isn't too much, you may want to go with a later model Hasselblad 500 series with the acute matte screen. They are bright and easy to focus for most people. Our eyes are all different though. I definitely need a brighter focus screen than I used to when I was younger.

 

[ReginaldSMith]

Alan,
Thanks. As I posted yesterday, I have bought a 500C/M and I am now waiting for it to arrive. Should be here Wednesday! I am selling off my Bronica GS-1 to at least partially fund my Hasselblad.

I am hoping it's a better overall set of qualities that I need compared with the other 120 cameras I have owned (a lot of them). Almost all of them, with the exception of the Mamiya 6 (could kill myself for selling that one), were really hard for me to obtain sharp focus with regularity. Many of my favorite photographs, and best compositions, were "nicked" by lacking tack sharpness.

 

[Alan Gales]

Alan,
Thanks. As I posted yesterday, I have bought a 500C/M and I am now waiting for it to arrive. Should be here Wednesday! I am selling off my Bronica GS-1 to at least partially fund my Hasselblad.

I am hoping it's a better overall set of qualities that I need compared with the other 120 cameras I have owned (a lot of them). Almost all of them, with the exception of the Mamiya 6 (could kill myself for selling that one), were really hard for me to obtain sharp focus with regularity. Many of my favorite photographs, and best compositions, were "nicked" by lacking tack sharpness.

Congratulations! I think that you will like the Hasselblad. As you said, you will want the acute matte screen for it. I had a 500c/m with both the original screen and the Beattie Intenscreen. The Beattie was was a whole lot brighter than the original screen. I've never had the acute matte but people on here say it is even a little brighter than the Beattie and easier to focus.

The only negative I have to say about the Blad (besides cost ) is the focussing was a little stiff. Not bad but just a little. I prefer the Mamiya's bellows focussing. Of course that is nit picking and every camera has it's plusses and minuses. I'd love to try a Mamiya 6 or 7 but they are too pricey for me. That's why I sold the Hasselblad. I replaced it with a Mamiya C220f for a lot less money. I liked the Blad better though. I've put my money into the 8x10 so I have less for medium format. Unfortunately, I can't afford everything I like.

 

[ReginaldSMith]

....me neither (afford everything I like).

The Mamiya 6 was an extra cool camera. At a point where we were moving I had to relinquish a ton of photographic gear to keep the peace. In a dull moment I got an offer on the 6 and let it go along with a half dozen other cameras and all my developing apparatus. Anyway, I'm sure everyone has a similar story of letting go the wrong camera. I hope the Hasselblad is my permanent 120 camera. My stable will stabilize then to:
Yashica T3 Super D - point and shoot
Konica III w/48mm f/2 rangefinder
Minolta/Dynax alpha-9 SLR
Hasselblad 500 C/M
And a Fujifilm X-T2 for digital stuff.

 

[Alan Gales]

....me neither (afford everything I like).

The Mamiya 6 was an extra cool camera. At a point where we were moving I had to relinquish a ton of photographic gear to keep the peace. In a dull moment I got an offer on the 6 and let it go along with a half dozen other cameras and all my developing apparatus. Anyway, I'm sure everyone has a similar story of letting go the wrong camera. I hope the Hasselblad is my permanent 120 camera. My stable will stabilize then to:
Yashica T3 Super D - point and shoot
Konica III w/48mm f/2 rangefinder
Minolta/Dynax alpha-9 SLR
Hasselblad 500 C/M
And a Fujifilm X-T2 for digital stuff.

Sometimes I regret selling my RZ67 so I kind of know how you feel! I used to be an Ebay Seller of film gear so I've owned a lot of cameras. I took the Hasselblad in on trade and shot it for a year before I decided to sell it.

Right now my stable consists of:

35mm Stereo Realist
Mamiya C220f
Wehman 8x10
Fujifilm X100s digital

The used Nikon D800e's have really come down in price though!

 

[GLS]

The only negative I have to say about the Blad (besides cost ) is the focussing was a little stiff. Not bad but just a little

It can be with CF or older lenses. They upgraded the focusing mechanism in the CFi and CFE lenses, and they definitely have a smoother feel.

 

[Alan Gales]

It can be with CF or older lenses. They upgraded the focusing mechanism in the CFi and CFE lenses, and they definitely have a smoother feel.

Thanks GLS! That's good to know. I shot a Contax 139 with Zeiss lenses for many years. I was surprised that my Blad's CF lens seemed a little stiff. Again, it wasn't bad but not what I was used to with my 35mm Zeiss lenses.