MF AE RF Cameras - I know Mamiya & Bronica, any others?

[jamesgignac]

So, I'm very happy with my Bronica ETRSi and it's my main system for all of my work. For some time, however, I've been wanting a nice rangefinder for general, everyday shooting, and to have as an excellent secondary camera when I shoot events (weddings, etc.) where I could leave my ETRSi on its tripod and still have a great, quick-to-use camera for impromptu shots.

I've been looking at the Mamiya 6 and 7s for a while and like what I see. I've also looked hard at the harder to find Bronica 645 RF and, to be honest, would probably be happier with this model since it seems very portable and I'm not desperate for the 6x6 or 6x7 size (though the larger film sizes would be nice to work with as well - and I already have the neg. carriers for both for my Beseler 23

Anyhow, I was wondering if there's anything else out there that has, say, aperture priority auto exposure in a medium format RF? I haven't even looked into 35mm cams but I suppose that might be a smart way to go as well - faster lenses to allow for lower ISO keeping the photos nice and sharp at 11x14 (my main printing size). Would a 35mm cam be a smart idea here? Considering I've been looking at MF RFs costing $1200+ my budget is fairly loose - I'd just like to make sure I get something I can keep for a looong time and will put to frequent use.

Please, any suggestions would be very welcome. Again I'm primarily interested in MF, but portability and functionality come well ahead of my film-size preferences.

Thanks!

 

[Sirius Glass]

Have you considered the Hasselblad SWC?

Steve

 

[JasonC]

Fuji had rangefinders from 645 to 6x9. There is also a newly released Fuji 6x7 folder.

Jason.

 

[david b]

The Hasselblad SWC is not AE at all.

The only Fuji's that are, are the 6x4.5 cameras. The bigger 6x7, 6x8, and 6x9 are not.

Not sure about 35mm cameras but $1200 should certainly get you a Bessa

 

[dougjgreen]

Fuji had rangefinders from 645 to 6x9. There is also a newly released Fuji 6x7 folder.

Jason.

Which is also being sold in the U.S. as the Voigtlander Bessa III.

 

[Oren Grad]

Modern medium format rangefinders:

With aperture priority AE: Mamiya 6, 7, 7II; Bronica RF645; forthcoming Fuji GF670 / Voigtlander Bessa III; Fuji GA645 / 645i / 645W / 645Wi / 645Zi

With manual metering only: Plaubel Makina 67 / 670 / 67W; Fuji GS645 / GS645S / GS645W (the W is scale-focus only, no RF)

With no meter: Fuji G690 / G690BL / GL690 / GM670; Fuji GW690 / 690II / 690III; Fuji GSW690 / 690II / 690III; Fuji GW670 / 670II / 670III; Fuji GW680III; Fuji GSW 680III

That's all I can think of, off the top of my head...

 

[Oren Grad]

Would a 35mm cam be a smart idea here? Considering I've been looking at MF RFs costing $1200+ my budget is fairly loose - I'd just like to make sure I get something I can keep for a looong time and will put to frequent use.

Please, any suggestions would be very welcome. Again I'm primarily interested in MF, but portability and functionality come well ahead of my film-size preferences.

Leica M7, if you want a handy AE RF camera for frequent use over the looong run.

Zeiss Ikon if you want cheaper. Bessa R2/3/4 AE versions if you want a lot cheaper.

(Yes, I've owned / used several of the medium format cameras I just listed above.)

 

[P C Headland]

Just to further add to the list, there's also the Agfa Automatic 66, which is an older 6x6 folder.

Rather rare and expensive, and probably not the best choice for what you want!

 

[rootberry]

I'm really excited about the Bessa III.. Having never had a meter in camera, or one that I could hand hold for that matter, makes me even MORE eager to get a MF RF. Don't get me wrong, I love my hassy- but it can be a real pain to have the camera and a pentax spotmeter around your neck for a day!

Hmmm.. maybe the plaubel makina =)