So far barely mentioned: A Voigtlander Perkeo with a Skopar lens. Small, elegant, pocketable.
My preference is the Rolleicord but it's not fitting in my pocket. The OP wants a camera to carry around. A lot of the cameras advocated above (Hasselblad really?) are too big and too heavy to fit that bill. A Rolleicord is a lot lighter and more compact, but still not a trifle to carry. A Perkeo (or other MF folder) can live unobtrusively in a pocket or a glove box.
I was about to say that the YashicaMat is always the answer
Super lightweight with usually superb optics.
Et Salut à toi!
The P67 is heavy and it will stop working in cold weather (it was -15C mind you). But the lenses are really good and there are many! Handling is pretty good with a right-hand grip. I have tried M645 and SQ-A and the Pentax is the one that's left.
PS. I also tried an RB67, you can't really use it hand-held
You're right on many points Steve, but since the OP already has both a Mamiya 645 system and a Bronica SQ.....how is a Hasselblad not just further duplicating what he's got?
I think 6x6 has advantages vs 6x4.5 if you like the square format, you want to be able to project transparencies, or you wish to use a waist-level finder and avoid the inconvenience of rotating the camera when shooting vertical compositions. Otherwise, they are pretty much the same thing, IMO.
Larger formats: Have gotten very satisfying results from a Fuji GSW690 III - when I held the camera really steady! These big cameras were once a ubiquitous sight in Japan, where they were used to photograph groups of tourists at scenic locations. But the cameras were generally mounted atop a tripod. But for mixed shooting styles, where there might be some camera shake, I’d prefer the more economical 6x4.5 format.
Another advantage of the Hasselblad, is the interchangable backs, which can give you no only 6*6cm but also 6*4.5, 4*4, 35mm with adapters, and the 6cm long panoramic with the use of a 6*6 CM back, that has a (IIRC) single gear change and, if wanted, a window templet that lies between body and magazine.
Do no think you can no put the camera on its side to grab a vertical, a monopod or tripod makes this a good option, even when "square" is your main focus.
Use a mask with the 35mm adapters too.
I believe elsewhere in this site, someone found a premade gear to make that happen.
The savings are self-evident in most of these magazines, which wind on the appropriate lenght of film, ie. the 4*4cm back allows for 16 exposures instead of the standard 12 frames of the 6*6.
Hasselblad or third party masks are available for these formats to keep excess image areas 'clean' of light marks, which is nice, too.
With a grip you CAN use the RB67 handheld, but not so much carry it very far. My RZ is lighter and I sure wouldn't want to carry it much, but I have used it handheld - briefly.
I was going to say to just hire a porter to carry it and get an RB67, or maybe a GX680.
Or just get a Speed or Crown graphic with a rollfilm back. They were actually designed to be used handheld, in the days when people were more up to challengesand give you the option of 4x5 sheet film, and for that matter different negative sizes in the rollfilm backs. Of course there are always the "baby" MF versions. Not really a "carry anywhere" but I guess you can carry a refrigerator if you're strong enough and determined enough.
Of course I'm being silly but the thread left the silly station some time back.
I am fond of TLRs, but I don't have a problem with the reversed view in a WLF and I don't usually get along well with rangefinders. Much of this is a matter of taste, including how big and heavy a camera one is willing to "carry around all the time."
Never seen a interchangeable back on a Mamiya C series, Mamiya 67, Pentax 67, or RB67.
And spend the rest of his life missing having a Hasselblad while always just making do with what he has.
What we have here is an untapped market for jackets and pants with extra large reinforced pockets
Wait, you like Hasselblad cameras? I had no idea!
They’re good system cameras and flexible if you buy the right accessories, but they’re loaded with compromises and complexity that some people people don’t want or need. Mine is in the shop now getting fixed, and I don’t miss it one little bit. If I had the OP’s needs (and I often do) a Hasselblad wouldn’t be under consideration at all.
What we have here is an untapped market for jackets and pants with extra large reinforced pockets.
Agreed! Rugged Plus you have front rise and indirect tilt! A variety of backs work - 645, 6x6, 6x7, 6x9, 35mm adapters, Sheet film holders, Grafmatics etc.Century Graphic 2x3 with roll film adapters are fun to carry around. Not easily though but easier than a 4x5.
To what compromises in a Hasselblad 500 camera, do you refer?
Agreed! Rugged Plus you have front rise and indirect tilt! A variety of backs work - 645, 6x6, 6x7, 6x9, 35mm adapters, Sheet film holders, Grafmatics etc.
Fuji made a couple lightweight cameras with non-changeable lenses in formats 6x7 ad 6x9. They make good travel cameras.
There are adapters to allow you to use 35mm film in 6x7 backs. Mercury Camera Co. sells a kit that includes the adapters and a replacement 24x 67 "plate" for a Mamiya RB 220 back.I have 6x7 and 6x9 for my century. Didn't know there was a 35mm. Now I have to look for one.
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