Most affordable 6x6 portable camera with multi coated lens?

halfaman · Monday at 6:14 AM

I have an Isolette III and I can't be more happy on the portable 6x6 category. Very compact and light, with an uncoupled rangefinder to help focusing and an excellent coated Solinar 75 mm f/3.5. All for €150-200 (mine for €190).

kingbuzzie · Monday at 10:03 AM

F4U said:
I would think a Mamiya 220. Mainly for the reason that it would be the most likely to have any kind of shutter accuracy after all these years. Those super old cameras from the 40's and 50's are most likely to have terrible shutter accuracy. Cost and shutter accuracy is what it's all about.

I would say "old junk" is a tad harsh!

Donald Qualls · Monday at 11:42 AM

If it weren't for 620, I'd call out a Kodak Reflex II for this one. Can't say for certain that the lens is "multicoated" but the Anastar surely is coated -- and outperforms a Tessar with only 4 elements in 4 groups. The camera was also one of the first with a Fresnel lens under the focusing screen; it's got a very bright viewfinder with magnifier and sight-through sportsfinder built in. They're inexpensive and have a mechanical frame counter (which can be left unset and the red window used as an alternative). Mine feeds from a trimmed 120 roll, but still requires a 620 spool for takeup.

Like any leaf shutter made in the 1950s, it'll need a shutter CLA and it probably wouldn't hurt to clean up the frame counter, as well -- but I have one (my second since about 1975) and I consider it completely worth keeping track of my 620 spools and trimming 120 rolls to feed it.

F4U · Monday at 12:01 PM

kingbuzzie said:
I would say "old junk" is a tad harsh!

I wouldn't. Until the shutters have been serviced, they're not a serious camera any more, for somebody interested in doing consistent work. Those old unserviced Compur shutters and the like are just not anywhere near accurate any more. Yes, most of them might still shoot and give negatives, but you'll be all over the place in the printing darkroom and never be able to pin down a consistent printing procedure. The OP stated budgeting AND a desire to do some good work. Some old unserviced Agfa or even Hasselblad, or Rolleiflex, or any of those are not going to be accurate or consistent without buying it and turning right back around and sending it off to a tech for god knows how long, before it can be used.
And those Mamiyas are getting old too. But they're still the best bet for actually getting out and using from day 1.

dokko · Monday at 12:17 PM

F4U said:
I wouldn't. Until the shutters have been serviced, they're not a serious camera any more, for somebody interested in doing consistent work.

This argument doesn't sound quite convincing to me. As you mention, even relatively modern camera will be of unknown precision until serviced/measured.

It would be relatively easy to make sure we get reliable exposure of one of these old cameras. Like:
- Have it serviced
- Get a cheap shutter tester
- Make a DIY measurement with a digital camera shooting through the old camera body
- Or simply do some test exposures using cheap film with different aperture/shutter speed combos.

What can't be solved is the color rendition and contrast. A lens from the 50s will never be able to get colors as vibrant as a modern one, and it can't be corrected for in post production.

In this respect the Mamiya C220, specially with the later lenses will give much superior results than a 50s folder, and be sharper too.
I used one for quite a while and the image quality is superb.

Donald Qualls · Monday at 2:30 PM

dokko said:
the Mamiya C220, specially with the later lenses will give much superior results than a 50s folder, and be sharper too.

The same is true of the better TLRs. I shot color from time to time (including Ektachrome) in my first Reflex II and had no complaints whatsoever about the results.

Then again, I got very good color from a Baby Brownie with Ektachrome, too. I mostly think the color rendition arguments are specious, as long as the lens has at least as much chromatic correction as a Cooke triplet or Tessar.

Paul Howell · Monday at 3:24 PM

C220 is not as heavy as a C33 or 330, uses same lens, has built in bellows with parralex compensation for close up work. TTL are easy to use the twin lens design with WLF are easy to carry, not too front end heavy until the 250mm tele, as there are 2 lens, it does get heavy.

GregY · Monday at 3:47 PM

While the Mamiya TLR is in fact a fine rig....IMO it fails to fulfill the portable part of the original question. In reality you can't have it all ....portable/cheap/multi coated lenses. I only work in BW so mc lenses aren't high on my list. The Fuji 645 and Mamiya 6 MF are winners when it comes to size....if i had to default to TLR I'd take the Rolleicord every time. Every MF camera is portable ...but the Mamiya TLRs & RB67 aren't most svelte of choices.

Paul Howell · Monday at 4:10 PM

OP wants inexpensive.

Dan Fromm · Monday at 4:14 PM

Paul Howell said:
OP wants inexpensive.

OP's requirements define the null set.

GregY · Monday at 4:20 PM

Paul Howell said:
OP wants inexpensive.

Paul, He's going to sacrifice something isn't he? What exactly is his priority list? ..... MC, small, or inexpensive?
If it's money...i'd take a Minolta Autocord, Yashicamat or Rolleicord....If you can live with a folder... a Zeiss Ikon Super Ikonta 533 or a Perkeo.
A budget figure would help. Are we talking $150? $500 ? under$1000?

Paul Howell · Monday at 5:16 PM

That is a good question.

Donald Qualls · Tuesday at 9:35 AM

Dan Fromm said:
OP's requirements define the null set.

OP wants multi-coated due to a misconception about color rendition. Most 1950s vintage TLRs will meet the requirement -- including the Reflex II if the OP is willing to trim 120 spools for supply and has a lab that will return the 620 spools. Those spools are readily available on eBay, albeit not free like the plastic 120 spools we wind up neck deep in...

Prest_400 · Tuesday at 9:50 AM

GregY said:
Paul, He's going to sacrifice something isn't he? What exactly is his priority list? ..... MC, small, or inexpensive?
If it's money...i'd take a Minolta Autocord, Yashicamat or Rolleicord....If you can live with a folder... a Zeiss Ikon Super Ikonta 533 or a Perkeo.
A budget figure would help. Are we talking $150? $500 ? under$1000?

That's actually very relevant and cuts off some of the options. Then also, on paper IMO the Mamiya 6 is the best, but also at $3K prices for a kit nowadays that pays for a lot other things and might be considered inexpensive to some.

GregY said:
While the Mamiya TLR is in fact a fine rig....IMO it fails to fulfill the portable part of the original question. In reality you can't have it all ....portable/cheap/multi coated lenses. I only work in BW so mc lenses aren't high on my list. The Fuji 645 and Mamiya 6 MF are winners when it comes to size....if i had to default to TLR I'd take the Rolleicord every time. Every MF camera is portable ...but the Mamiya TLRs & RB67 aren't most svelte of choices.

IMO the "multicoated" requirement will really cull most of the options to something modern, then portable is very relative. As a benchmark, for example, consider air travel where many airlines limit carry on weight to 8kg. Many Medium format cameras together with the film, and depending on the rest of items carried, will easily breach that limit.
Paraphrasing myself in a Fuji 645 thread, this envelope of compact MF cameras can also require some choices of which actually there aren't so many.

Dan Fromm · Tuesday at 12:00 PM

Donald Qualls said:
OP wants multi-coated due to a misconception about color rendition. Most 1950s vintage TLRs will meet the requirement -- including the Reflex II if the OP is willing to trim 120 spools for supply and has a lab that will return the 620 spools. Those spools are readily available on eBay, albeit not free like the plastic 120 spools we wind up neck deep in...

Agree completely. The drive for perfection is a curse.

John Wiegerink · Tuesday at 12:09 PM

Donald Qualls said:
OP wants multi-coated due to a misconception about color rendition. Most 1950s vintage TLRs will meet the requirement -- including the Reflex II if the OP is willing to trim 120 spools for supply and has a lab that will return the 620 spools. Those spools are readily available on eBay, albeit not free like the plastic 120 spools we wind up neck deep in...

I agree 100%! My old Kodak Medalist, Kodak Reflex 1A and Kodak Monitor 620 all have single coated lenses and I have shot Fuji Velvia in all of them and the results are as good as with any other camera I own.

Paul Howell · Tuesday at 2:04 PM

I have shot a fair amount of color with my Mamyia 6, 50s version, Yashica D with 4 element taking lens, single coated, and Kodak Tourist with 100mm Kodak lens, another 4 element design. Compared to late MC Mamyia Universal and Kowa SL66 MC lens, with a good lens shade and avoiding shooting into the sun the SC lens does as well with color, contrast does suffer a bit, not so much as make using a MC lens a must.

kingbuzzie · Tuesday at 9:45 PM

I really didn't want things to grow contentious over colour film and single coated lenses. You have to understand it's just a hobby for me, I constantly have to balance cost with precived benefit. My first medium format was a fuji GA645. I've used many 120 cameras since (single coated folders, a yashica tlr) and nothing has rendered colours nearly as well as the Fuji. Except... except my impulse buy lomo LCA-120. What do they have in common? Multi coated lenses.

Paul Howell · Tuesday at 10:21 PM

Fuji EBC coating are among the best, Contex T and Hasselblad have equally good coating, maybe a Fuji Super 66, last model, I believe it is MC but may not be an EBC. Maybe you will want to spend the money for a new Mamyia 6, comes with its own issues, repairs are hard to come by. Older Hasselblad C with later model lens.

halfaman · Wednesday at 5:24 AM

kingbuzzie said:
I really didn't want things to grow contentious over colour film and single coated lenses. You have to understand it's just a hobby for me, I constantly have to balance cost with precived benefit. My first medium format was a fuji GA645. I've used many 120 cameras since (single coated folders, a yashica tlr) and nothing has rendered colours nearly as well as the Fuji. Except... except my impulse buy lomo LCA-120. What do they have in common? Multi coated lenses.

In case nobody mentioned it already, a Pentacon Six is the closest thing to fulfill all the requirements. It depends on the lens you use to be portable and reliability is so-so. The CZ Jena Biometar 80 mm f/2.8 MC is a small and excellent lens, my favourite of the whole system. The Flektogon 50 mm f/4 MC was another good one, but big.

MattKing · Wednesday at 1:53 PM

kingbuzzie said:
I really didn't want things to grow contentious over colour film and single coated lenses. You have to understand it's just a hobby for me, I constantly have to balance cost with precived benefit. My first medium format was a fuji GA645. I've used many 120 cameras since (single coated folders, a yashica tlr) and nothing has rendered colours nearly as well as the Fuji. Except... except my impulse buy lomo LCA-120. What do they have in common? Multi coated lenses.

That may have more to do with the design parameters employed with relatively modern Fuji lenses than with the multi-coating itself - the sort of differences respecting the balancing job done by lens engineers respecting contrast, resolution, flat field performance, size, weight, filter size, speed and aberration (coma, spherical, chromatic, etc.) control.
The sorts of things that lead to people preferring one brand - Fuji, Mamiya, Hasselblad, Bronica - over others.
It probably is important that your lens preference relates to a camera that is not an SLR - likely not a retro-focus design.

flavio81 · 2025-08-22T19:51:40-0400

loccdor said:
Super Fujica Six?

GregY said:
Voigtlander Perkeo ll, Color Skopar....

None of those cameras have multicoated lenses.

But, you don't need multicoated lenses, though.

Ray Van Nes · 2025-08-22T21:10:24-0400

kingbuzzie said:
What are some cameras on the lower cost end that have multi coated lens or exchangeable multi coated lens 6x6 that are on the portable size? I have a lca-120, I'm not sure how I feel about this camera though. It's tough to get the focus correct and it seems biased to fast film and wide open f-stops.

The best bang for your buck is an Agfa Isolette III, which has a coated lens and they are not very expensive. Another alternative that many do not think about is the little Graflex Century 2 x3. Not very expensive and the lenses are small. Whole rig is very light. I have travelled the world with mind.

RalphLambrecht · 2025-08-22T22:10:18-0400

afaik single-coated glass is a majr improvement over uncoated.Jumping to multi-coated is another, but smaller improvement. So, don't rule single-coated out before trying it.

Sanug · 2025-08-23T05:36:59-0400

In my experience, there is not much visible difference between single and multi coating. I use both lens types for b/w and colour film photography and could not tell afterwards which lens it was.

I don't miss anything with the pictures taken with a single coated lens. However, if you insist on multicoating and medium format for a low price, I can recommend the Pentacon Six or Kiev 60 with MC Zeiss Jena Biometar 2.8/80, too.

Canon 7s
Leitz Elmar 1:4/9cm (1951, single coated)
Kodak Gold 200
Adox C-Tec Kit C-41
Plustek Opticfilm 7300, Vuescan

Most affordable 6x6 portable camera with multi coated lens?

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