try to test a mamiya super 23 with a ground glass back. Sweet setup for landscapes with the 100/3.5. 6x9 is also alot more negative real estate.
Thanks but they seem rare within a couple of hours drive of here.
At this point it looks like a no brainer, a 3 lens 2-back Mamiya RB67 kit though the Hasselblad is the classic and I have a line currently on a 6x6 enlarger with 80mm SC lens. If I go for 6x7 I'd be cropping or looking for another enlarger. The 6x7 enlarger I can find is a Vivitar with 75mm Nikkor lens which sounds worse? Can't see any 6x9 enlargers around.
Even a Holga can beat your Nikon? I find that surprising. By reputation their optics are poor but perhaps I've heard wrong. The price seems to be right. Which Holga do you have?
but I've never, ever worked with larger negatives so I may not know what I'm missing.
Thus I want to try 120 but I don't want to invest a lot because I don't want something that is an order of magnitude harder.
My take on the RB vs. Hasselblad is that the latter will hold it's resale value better so that, if you don't like it, you can probably sell it on in a year or two for a very similar price, assuming you haven't abused it. Thus, you are merely loaning the higher price -- to yourself. Not sure if you can say this about an RB.
My take on the RB vs. Hasselblad is that the latter will hold it's resale value better so that, if you don't like it, you can probably sell it on in a year or two for a very similar price, assuming you haven't abused it. Thus, you are merely loaning the higher price -- to yourself. Not sure if you can say this about an RB.
I KNOW you can't say this about the Bronica SQ-Ai I just sold for a loss, compared to a few years ago. Prices seem quite depressed in Bronica and other makes, with exceptions. One of those exceptions is Leica. I would expect another exception to be Hasselblad, regardless of whether either deserve the esteem!
This is how I looked at it when I bought an M4 a few months ago. Anybody disagree that Hasselblad is kind of the Leica of MF, in terms of value stability?
Prices on the SQ and other Bronicas have pretty well stabilized, along with the incredibly cheap RB's and others. I wouldn't worry about losing much if any now. My Bronica equipment has not devalued since I bought it used a year and a half ago. It's now possible to put together a kit for not much dosh. The Hasselblad bodies are cheap too-the lenses are most of the expense.I KNOW you can't say this about the Bronica SQ-Ai I just sold for a loss, compared to a few years ago. Prices seem quite depressed in Bronica and other makes, with exceptions. One of those exceptions is Leica. I would expect another exception to be Hasselblad, regardless of whether either deserve the esteem!
Thanks for all the suggestions everyone! Too bad I could just get one...
I picked up a Mamiya RB67 kit tonight with two 120 backs; a Polaroid back (with Polaroid film in it); 65mm, 90mm, 127mm and 180mm lenses; Flash Bracket RB; Prism finder; and some expired T-Max 100 and Kodak C41 which is probably fogged to heck but I can use it as practice in loading and running this camera before I get down to business with fresh film. I actually picked up a few rolls of Fuji and Kodak C41 expired 120 before I went for the same reason though it doesn't really look as difficult to load the film as I thought it would be. I'll need practice loading 120 reels at least. Must try that Polaroid back but I expect the film is probably dead...
Nice. Let me know if you need any help sorting it. I've gotten reasonably good at resealing backs--something yours might need if they're Pro or Pro S models.
Thanks for the offer. This is a Pro S. I'm going to run some of that expired film through it and see what I get. How do I know if a back needs resealing?
The thin foam strips at the hinge and clasp on the shell enclosing the film insert compress and melt. Same goes for the foam gasketing on the rotating back surface that mates with the back. Light leaks usually show up as vertical or horizontal streaks--try shooting both orientations in bright sun with no shadows on the camera. If they're leaky, you'll know.
You might want to get another 120 Pro S back--don't bother with the older Pro backs since you lose double exposure lock-out. The ability to swap film types mid-roll is possibly what you'll like the most about the RB67.
Yeah, the foam is pretty much shot on them as you predicted. I only have two 120 backs right now so I'll need to get them fixed one at a time unless I can do it myself. I just dropped off the first C41 roll off for processing since I don't have a 120 reel yet to process my TMAX 100 (ordered one but hasn't arrived, might have to pick up a plastic tank and reel at the store in the mean time).
I should pick up more backs for sure, I can see using even 5 backs at once (low, med high speed B&W, low and high speed color). It is nice to be able to swap different types and speeds of film at any time. With 35mm I use multiple camera bodies at times to do the same thing but it is simpler for sure to just change backs rather than having to swap bodies.
The rotating back is really cool! Just put it on a tripod and compose and rotate if needed. The double-exposure lockout and blank frame prevention is nice too as I've heard it was very easy to do both on the previous version. I guess the SD version is even better. So far it seems like the workflow is fairly simple, with the lockouts if you forget to do something then nothing happens and you have to think, "what did I miss?" Darkslide still in? Haven't wound the film? Haven't cocked the shutter?
For hand held use the flash bracket is really good too though it is kind of weird that it is left handed. In a way it is nice to be able to support most of the weight with the right hand though it is backwards compared to 35mm.
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