Searching for the best (?) carry everywhere MF camera

[Sirius Glass]

RBs and RZs have interchangeable backs. So, for that matter, does my M645 Pro though the earlier 645 versions didn't. Much as I enjoy shooting with my TLRs if I could keep only one camera across all formats that would be it, because it does it all for me. It's almost as good as 35mm at "35mm style stuff" just bigger and heavier, and that not even much or at all compared to the largest 35mm SLRs but there isn't the huge choice of lenses. Most of the time I end up cropping my 6x6 negatives to 6x4.5ish anyway (not always, but probably 60-70% are cropped, some I do print square.) My RZ and 4x5 I'd vastly prefer when working off a tripod for stationary subjects but again that's not everything. The 645 can do it all at least passably well for me. But more often I end up picking one of the other cameras for more specific reasons.

Hence my recommendation to move to Hasselblad to have the selection of lenses and end the frustration.

 

[Sirius Glass]

All of them.

Listed where?
Are these Operator Assisted Failures, also known a OAFS?

 

[warden]

Listed where?
Are these Operator Assisted Failures, also known a OAFS?

I haven't said anything about failures.

Compromises are present with any camera choice. Surely this is not news? Hasselblad are great, and also a pain in the ass, depending on how you're using them.

Assume a photographer really likes "the folder way" of living with an every day camera and they value lightness, quiet operation, slimness for ease of carry, the ergonomics of a viewfinder held at the eye, etc. Assume they like the bigger-than-35mm negatives and are perfectly happy with the results they would get from a technical standpoint, and that one lens is enough for them. This photographer is not a unicorn: they exist. But instead of getting a folder they get a Hasselblad. Now they will have to compromise in a few key areas:

- Hasselblad are loud. Many folders are so quiet that you almost can't hear them.
- Hasselblad have a bulky SLR box design that reverses the image. Not so with folders. You can "fix" the reversed image on a Hasselblad by adding money, bulk, and weight to the camera with an accessory viewfinder. I did that.
- Hasselblad are heavier than folders
- Lenses can jam on the camera, and no it's not a RTFM issue. I've been using mine for years and it still happens, albeit infrequently.
- Film magazine adds weight and bulk that folders don't have and are unnecessary if you don't value switching backs. I got an extra magazine for my Hasselblad thinking it would be great and I use it exactly never.
- Mirror lockup jams. No mirror on a folder, so no jams.
- Dark slides are fiddly and just suck.
- No aperture priority auto exposure which you can get it on say a Fuji folder, neat-o.

Folders have compromises too, just like the Hasselblad way of doing things. But if you're a folder type looking for an almost-pocketable camera there is no reason to waste time and money on a Hassy. They're not for everyone and every purpose.

 

[Sirius Glass]

I haven't said anything about failures.

Compromises are present with any camera choice. Surely this is not news? Hasselblad are great, and also a pain in the ass, depending on how you're using them.

Assume a photographer really likes "the folder way" of living with an every day camera and they value lightness, quiet operation, slimness for ease of carry, the ergonomics of a viewfinder held at the eye, etc. Assume they like the bigger-than-35mm negatives and are perfectly happy with the results they would get from a technical standpoint, and that one lens is enough for them. This photographer is not a unicorn: they exist. But instead of getting a folder they get a Hasselblad. Now they will have to compromise in a few key areas:

- Hasselblad are loud. Many folders are so quiet that you almost can't hear them.
- Hasselblad have a bulky SLR box design that reverses the image. Not so with folders. You can "fix" the reversed image on a Hasselblad by adding money, bulk, and weight to the camera with an accessory viewfinder. I did that.
- Hasselblad are heavier than folders
- Lenses can jam on the camera, and no it's not a RTFM issue. I've been using mine for years and it still happens, albeit infrequently.
- Film magazine adds weight and bulk that folders don't have and are unnecessary if you don't value switching backs. I got an extra magazine for my Hasselblad thinking it would be great and I use it exactly never.
- Mirror lockup jams. No mirror on a folder, so no jams.
- Dark slides are fiddly and just suck.
- No aperture priority auto exposure which you can get it on say a Fuji folder, neat-o.

Folders have compromises too, just like the Hasselblad way of doing things. But if you're a folder type looking for an almost-pocketable camera there is no reason to waste time and money on a Hassy. They're not for everyone and every purpose.

I tried folders. Nice but no lens changing.
- Hasselblad are loud. Many folders are so quiet that you almost can't hear them. I love the loud shutter shutter announcing that I have arrive.
- Hasselblad have a bulky SLR box design that reverses the image. From the start I got rid of the left right reversal with a prism. Not so with folders. You can "fix" the reversed image on a Hasselblad by adding money, bulk, and weight to the camera with an accessory viewfinder. I did that.
- Hasselblad are heavier than folders Not that much heavier. That never bothered me.
- Lenses can jam on the camera, and no it's not a RTFM issue. I've been using mine for years and it still happens, albeit infrequently. RTFM and follow the steps. Problem solved. If a lens off the camera fires itself, it probably needs some adjustment.
- Film magazine adds weight and bulk that folders don't have and are unnecessary if you don't value switching backs. I got an extra magazine for my Hasselblad thinking it would be great and I use it exactly never. Film backs allow me to switch at the end of the roll if I do not have time to load a new roll, but more often I use it to change between color and black & white, or change film speed.
- Mirror lockup jams. No mirror on a folder, so no jams. New had a problem with that see a repairman or it may be an OAF.
- Dark slides are fiddly and just suck. Keep you dark slides clean and straight. Slide them in, not jam them. You may need to evaluate each dark slide for possible replacement.
- No aperture priority auto exposure which you can get it on say a Fuji folder, neat-o. Much rather have the flexibilty of the EV system and choose the aperture-speed combination that suits each exposure. Not a real thought intensive operation.

 

[Roger Cole]

Hasselblads are finely made hammers, but not ever problem is a nail.

 

[Roger Cole]

Hence my recommendation to move to Hasselblad to have the selection of lenses and end the frustration.

I'm not frustrated.

 

[cliveh]

The Color Skopar is a killer lens! View attachment 334804

What a great image. Do all Color Skopar lenses have that colour tint?

 

[reddesert]

What a great image. Do all Color Skopar lenses have that colour tint?

There's a yellow filter on the front. Some cameras of that era came with one. And, I should let Greg speak for himself, but IME if you take a lot of B+W photos at high altitude a yellow filter is helpful - there's more UV/blue light.

 

[abruzzi]

I tried folders. Nice but no lens changing.
[--snip--]

I think you missed @warden 's point. i.e. EVERY camer ever made is a bundle of compromises. If they didn't make compromises, you could shoot 8x10 in your Hasselblad, and it would fit in that little useless pocket inside the right front pocket on your jeans. It would have all modes--P, A, S, M--and not require batteries. The lenses would all go down for ƒ0.5, and would weigh nothing due to encapsulated helium.

 

[Paul Howell]

For fixed lens, my vote is a Mamiya 6 folder, somewhat fiddley to use, the lens is very sharp, the manner in which focuses with the moving film plane keeps in in alinement. Once folded it will fit into a large cargo style pocket or very large jacket pocket.

 

[warden]

I tried folders. Nice but no lens changing.

You don't seem to get that my post wasn't about you. The paragraph that starts with "Assume a photographer really likes 'the folder way' of living with an every day camera..." should have made that clear I think. No lens changing is a bug for you and a feature for others. Are we communicating?

I'm not trying to make anyone love their Hasselblad less by pointing out some simple and I would think fairly obvious tradeoffs involved in using them. I simply responded to the OP with some advice that they asked for.

Enjoy your camera. When they're set up just right they're fun.

 

[Melvin J Bramley]

For fixed lens, my vote is a Mamiya 6 folder, somewhat fiddley to use, the lens is very sharp, the manner in which focuses with the moving film plane keeps in in alinement. Once folded it will fit into a large cargo style pocket or very large jacket pocket.

I still have focus issues with my Mamiya 6 automat. Any suggestions? It's been out twice for repair but the focus is unreliable.
How far should the film back move during focusing?
Maybe it's just me!
I really like the concept of the folder and my example is almost mint.

 

[GregY]

What a great image. Do all Color Skopar lenses have that colour tint?

It's got a yellow filter on it.... i use yellow & orange filters for images with lots of sky &/or snow

 

[Radost]

Voigtlander perkeo 1 2 E
Its early 50s but great quality and pocketable

 

[GregY]

Voigtlander perkeo 1 2 E
Its early 50s but great quality and pocketable

Beautiful lens character w the Color-Skopar
8x8" image. very first test roll before the CLA, print on Ilford Classic FB

 

[eli griggs]

Been there, done that..... they are light but huge....no longer my first choice....

Are there allowances for masks for 6 x 6 or 4 x4 CM images for these camera?

 

[GregY]

Are there allowances for masks for 6 x 6 or 4 x4 CM images for these camera?

not as far as i know.

 

[4season]

I still have focus issues with my Mamiya 6 automat. Any suggestions? It's been out twice for repair but the focus is unreliable.

Is the pressure plate installed correctly? There should also be some pressure being exerted by the pressure plate’s springs onto the film.

 

[Rolleiflexible]

The Perkeo is a sweet little folder but there are tons of great 6x6 folders that work well for walkaround cameras. I used to carry an obscure camera called a Hapo 66, made by Balda for a Nuremburg camera retailer, Hans Porst (hence the name). It lived in my briefcase and got used for impromptu portraits. The Certo6 website is a great resource for folders and has a write-up about the Hapo 66:

Balda Hapo 66 – Certo6

I'm attaching an example I shot with the Hapo 66 in an alleyway in Lower Manhattan at midday -- crappy light but it worked well enough for the moment.

 

[GregY]

Could make do with this MF, anytime anywhere

 

[eli griggs]

The Perkeo is a sweet little folder but there are tons of great 6x6 folders that work well for walkaround cameras. I used to carry an obscure camera called a Hapo 66, made by Balda for a Nuremburg camera retailer, Hans Porst (hence the name). It lived in my briefcase and got used for impromptu portraits. The Certo6 website is a great resource for folders and has a write-up about the Hapo 66:

Balda Hapo 66 – Certo6

I'm attaching an example I shot with the Hapo 66 in an alleyway in Lower Manhattan at midday -- crappy light but it worked well enough for the moment.

A very successful photograph.

Is the 'witch's broom' there by design or happy circumstance?

 

[Hassasin]

The Perkeo is a sweet little folder but there are tons of great 6x6 folders that work well for walkaround cameras. I used to carry an obscure camera called a Hapo 66, made by Balda for a Nuremburg camera retailer, Hans Porst (hence the name). It lived in my briefcase and got used for impromptu portraits. The Certo6 website is a great resource for folders and has a write-up about the Hapo 66:

Balda Hapo 66 – Certo6

I'm attaching an example I shot with the Hapo 66 in an alleyway in Lower Manhattan at midday -- crappy light but it worked well enough for the moment.

Great image, but she looks pissed Happo was used not a Hasselblad

 

[Bill Burk]

I’ve got a Bessa II with Color Skopar. The lens is interesting for color pictures, you’ll want a lens hood to reduce flare in backlit scenes.

 

[madNbad]

Looks like we lost the OP about three pages back.

 

[Rolleiflexible]

Great image, but she looks pissed Hapo was used not a Hasselblad

A Hasselblad wouldn't fit in my briefcase.

Looks like we lost the OP about three pages back.

Please try to stay on-topic.