Thinking of Medium Format

Greg Campbell · Feb 6, 2010

PaulW128 said:
Greg;

Thanks so much for those mf links. The articles therein are some of the most interesting and comprehensive mf articles I've ever read.

I'm in a similar situations to the OP David. Been thinking about mf on and off for awhile. I'm drawn to the Mamiya 7 but I'm so accustomed to slr's, a rangefinder might be a problem. I think (with the help of those links) I've narrowed my choices down to the 645 format, probably the Mamiya 645 Pro. They are just so damn cheap these days!!

My biggest challenge will be to convince my wife I need another camera......but one step at a time

Thanks again to all, great thread, lots of useful information!

Best
Paul

Glad the links are of some help!
The last one seems to have died - let me throw in one more good site to 'replace' it. http://www.jafaphotography.com/index.html

If I may, let me squeeze in one 'IMO!'
6x4.5 is a nice step up from 35mm, but I just don't see it as the leap required to justify a whole new setup. I'm no pixel peeper, but I do appreciate a large negative.

Whichever format you wind up with (barring the big Pano cameras), you can get a whole kit for the price of one modern (dslr) uber-zoom lens. Wifey will be fine when you show her the big bag of goodies you bought for well under a thousand bucks.

PaulW128 · Feb 6, 2010

Thank you Greg for that additional link, also very informative. I hear what you're saying regarding choice of format. I'm still not 100% decided. The last thing I want to do is buy a 645 kit and realize 6 months later that it was a stop-gap measure and what I really want is a Mamiya 7 (or another 6x7 camera)

I'm not too far from the big camera shops in Manhattan, I just might rent a Mamiya 7 for a weekend to really get a feel for the camera before making any decisions.

And when it comes time to pull the trigger, I may need to put you on the phone with wifey and set her straight!!

Thanks again
Paul

RamonT · Feb 8, 2010

just joined this site and like what I see - long live film! I have a Rolleiflex, Yashica EM but my favourites are the Mamita TLR's. Have two C220's, one C330F and my pride and joy the latest model made the C330S. Love the flexibility of these cameras. Great set of interchangeable lenses. They are a bit weighty but that adds to their charm. And what do you know - not a battery in sight! There is a lot of choice in the 6 X 6 field which is a great format for cropping etc if you have to. Check out what you want - the format and budget etc. Enjoy!

Chazzy · Feb 9, 2010

RamonT said:
just joined this site and like what I see - long live film! I have a Rolleiflex, Yashica EM but my favourites are the Mamita TLR's. Have two C220's, one C330F and my pride and joy the latest model made the C330S. Love the flexibility of these cameras. Great set of interchangeable lenses. They are a bit weighty but that adds to their charm. And what do you know - not a battery in sight! There is a lot of choice in the 6 X 6 field which is a great format for cropping etc if you have to. Check out what you want - the format and budget etc. Enjoy!

Welcome to APUG, Ramon. If you care to introduce yourself in the introductions thread, I'm sure that others would like to welcome you as well.

paul_c5x4 · Feb 9, 2010

weldong said:
From a Automat RF111a Tessar 75mm :

I love that shot - Having been down there myself and poked a camera at the exact same log. Probably not the best place to take a camera due to the amount of fine sand blowing around, but I sure would like to go back with a 5x4 as well as a 6x6.

weldong · Feb 9, 2010

Lower Antelope Canyon

paul_c5x4 said:
I love that shot - Having been down there myself and poked a camera at the exact same log. Probably not the best place to take a camera due to the amount of fine sand blowing around, but I sure would like to go back with a 5x4 as well as a 6x6.

Thanks! we were lucky, no sand blowing around when we were there. Temp inside was around 80 I think, outside was 108 (and mid-May no less).

stillsilver · Feb 17, 2010

Hi David, welcome to APUG.

Skip the MF and go straight to LF, youll end up there anyway.

I started MF with a 124G. Upgraded to a Bronica for the interchangeable lenses. (The Bronica was a great deal.) If you go the TLR route, get a Rolli or a Mamiya so you can have interchangeable lenses.

Mike

photoncatcher · Feb 17, 2010

I love my RB67, and thanks to time, and "the bay" I have more lenses for it than I ever though I'd be able to afford. There are times though when I want MF, but don't reallt want to schleppe (sp) 40 lbs. of equipment around. I'm not getting any younger. That's when I reach for either my Zeiss Ikon folder (fits in a jacket pocket), or my Koni Omega Rapid. They're both awesome cameras, and have their own unique look to the photos. The Zeiss gives me a beautiful old world look with soft contrastdue to the uncoated lens while still maintaining the sharpness of the Zeiss glass. The Koni is tack sharp, with really crisp contrast, and since I also have the 58mm lens, a little more flexibility in a relatively compact package. The Koni is also 6x7 format so for me at least, the composition is easier.

warden · Feb 17, 2010

Steve Smith said:
I suggest reading this thread: (there was a url link here which no longer exists)

Steve.

Thanks very much for that, Steve. Great thread.

Thinking of Medium Format

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