Travel MF Recommendations

CropDusterMan said:

Fuji 6x9 with 90mm.

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+ 1 !
If I only could choose one camera, I would take my Fuji GW670iii.

As much as I like folders, I dont think I would rely on one as my main camera on a trip.. You only get ONE chance!
If you are using digital or 35mm as your main and want a 'fun' camera to take along as well.. then sure go with a folder like an Ikonta or Perkeo.
The Fuji 6x9 III's are lightweight, take fantastic images. They are quite big though.. almost clownish.
The Fuji 645 with zoom lens I think will be much more versitile.
My other choice would be a rollei or yashica TLR. You can get the wide and tele addons but really, just stick with one camera.

Woo hoo! Travel and cameras! Rarely does it happen, but this time I agree with just about everything said by everyone. To each their own. A chacun son gout. Different strokes. Whatever. Endless choice prevails. Basically it's a mix n' match. One digital, one film. Which cameras?

I travel a lot, and carry cameras everywhere. Am away now, to Southeast Asia again. With a Nikon D700 and four lenses and a Fuji GA645Wi. Digital for color, 120 roll for film. UV filters and lens hoods for each. No tripod this time. I'm in Surabaya, and I found a small Gitzo on sale at a department store for Rp189,000 (A$19). Of course I got it! But it will stay at home, usually.

Oddly, 120 film is available almost everywhere, even in Indonesia (35mm in Bali, 120 in Jakarta but I have to order OL). Prices are way way way better than in Australia, but nowadays this is the case almost everywhere, sadly. The 70 US cent South Pacific Peso that the OzBuck has become doesn't buy much back home any more. Fomapan film at ten bucks a roll just doesn't cut it with me, sorry! Best prices out of Singapore, altho OL suppliers in Jakarta try hard to match them, but with more limited stocks. OK, gripe finished.

In my time I have travelled with Nikon SLRs, Rolleis, Leica Ms and even a Linhof Teknica 6x9 with lenses and roll film backs. Never again, ever. With old age and its less charming 'offsets' just round the corner for me, if/when I'm ever forced to go minimal for weight restrictions, I will take a small digi unit and one roll film camera in one carry bag like a LowePro. In fact, later this year I plan to downsize the D700 gear to something smaller, with two or at most three lenses. For film, my choices could and would vary, with so much on offer nowadays at such good prices.

The Fuji GA645Wi is a beaut, but distorts verticals if I forget to be cautious. I shoot mostly architecture, so it's a hindrance. The GA645 (I also have one) is a big improvement, but doesn't give me the extra width I sometimes need. There being no such thing as Perfection, I make do.

A Rolleiflex T with a 16 exposure kit would be my second choice. In fact, Itook one globetrotting for 20+ years. Not once did it ever let me down. Superb images, within the limitations of the Tessar lenses, which are easy to live with. Enlargements to 11x14, no problem, beyond that the corners go a little soft. Shooting at f/11 or f/16 in Asian sunlight is easy, low light times less so. Limitations...

To go super light, a Perkeo 1 with lens hood and a UV filter. As someone said, this could be risky.

Always, always take lens hoods and UV filters with you to Asia. Also a polariser, if you shoot on beaches and in mountains.

We hear too little about minimalist photography, and when we do, it's usually shots of spider webs and electricity poles. Nice, but not for me. The concept of minimalism is an entire lifestyle. If you can't carry it all with you when you fly, well, then maybe you shouldn't take any of it...

Tho I would hate to be forced to shoot entirely with a Canon G10 for the rest of my life. I have one, and it's a challenge on other than ideally sunny day, tho I did do Ankor Wat with mine, and got entirely useable (and saleable) results. Never again, tho...

In my trips to Europe with 135 format, I found I was never satisfied with 28mm FL, but 24mm kept me happy. 24mm FL on a frame which is 24mm tall.

So if bringing medium format, I would bring 40mm lens for my 42mm tall frame of the Bronica ETRSi. Same vertical FOV from same location.

But if you are driven by the overlong 135 frame aspect ratio for its horizontal FOV, 36mm Horiz. frame size = 1.5 * Vertical, so you need 32mm lens on the 55mm wide frame of 645 to get comparable horizontal FOV.

darinwc said:

The Fuji 6x9 III's are lightweight, take fantastic images. They are quite big though.. almost clownish.

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Clownish? Hardly...it's a little bigger, but definitely not "clownish". Anyone who has one will attest to
it's brilliance...and it's light.

I have a Fuji 6x7 so that is what I would actually take.

However a Mamiya 7 II would be my recommendation.

TheFlyingCamera said:

Rolleiflex. I was a skeptic of the "but it only has one lens!" variety before trying it one year. Before that I used to travel with a whole kit worth of stuff, either my Hasselblad with four lenses, or my Contax G series with five lenses, or even my Canham 5x7 with five lenses. Then I took my Rolleiflex to Paris and had a revelation. Having just the one lens makes me concentrate more on crafting the image in the viewfinder instead of worrying about which lens I have on the camera, and I came away with so many more good images as a result. A TLR may not be your thing, but as someone who has used SLRs, TLRs, rangefinders and view cameras, I've found the TLR to be a natural fit for street photography and travel work because it is lightweight, compact, and very quiet to operate. If you want to see some results, go take a wander through my portfolio here on APUG, and look for the images of Paris, Rome, and Florence.

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TheFlyingCamera said:

I'm also a fan of the square for travel photos - one less decision you have to make at the moment of shooting - if something needs cropped later, it's easy to do. If you're not rotating the camera to see what makes a better composition, you're more likely to get the shot at the time.

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exactly what he said !

there is something to keeping everything simple.

Fuji 645 or 690.

If old-school in a mechanical compact package is your thing, the Perkeo II is champ. Scale focus and external light meter mean you are an integral part of the process.

CropDusterMan said:

Clownish? Hardly...it's a little bigger, but definitely not "clownish". Anyone who has one will attest to
it's brilliance...and it's light.

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It is actually quite big, but compared to pro 35mm (D)SLR's it is not that big, considering the neg size. Probably it is the form factor of an RF that makes it seem larger. I haven't compared closely with a Pentax 67 and the latter is not mocked for size as often.

Coming down to it it is quite convenient. 6x9, RF that handles like a 35mm. With more Budget I'd like to try a Mamiya 6 or 7, but the price of these can get you both a Fuji 690 and a 645.

Any old folder in good nick is fine. The Franka Solidas from the 50s are not too expensive and usually have nice, comparatively fast, coated lenses. The one I have now is a 6x9, which I prefer, with a wonderful Rodenstock Triotar lens.

Prest_400 said:

It is actually quite big, but compared to pro 35mm (D)SLR's it is not that big, considering the neg size.

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Size is relative.

Rangefinder vs. SLR by Narsuitus, on Flickr

What do you photograph ? Any subject matter in particular ?

dodphotography said:

Hey all, I was wondering if everyone could toss their 2 cents in regarding their best suggestion for a travel oriented MF camera.

I have experience shooting MF through 8x10 and in the past made the natural MF progression from the RB67, through the C330's of the world, to a 503CW. All of which were sold for various reasons, upgrades, etc etc etc.

I am heading on a massive road trip with my wife and will not have access to electricity for large portions so I don't want to have to worry about charging batteries for my digital camera. I also want to avoid my tripod and large format gear, for the sake of not driving my wife insane with the "slow look".

I initially was thinking a MF RF, something like a Bronica 645RF but would love your insight. As of now the budget is really unclear, but under 1500 bucks helps.

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In the studio,I love my Hasselblad set up but whilw travelling nothing beats my Mamiya 6 in flexibility, low weight and quality

Peter Rockstroh01 said:

What do you photograph ? Any subject matter in particular ?

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This would be to make quick work, those fleeting moments traveling with my wife. I already have plenty of formal photographic tools, 4x5, 8x10, etc etc etc.

Pretty much life captured in a 35mm focal length, wide enough to have everything fit but not with the "wide" distortion that comes along with 28mm and below.

I should add...

This is basically like wanting to make pictures without the heachache (and complaining) of stopping, setting up my tripod, watching light, metering for the zone system 3-4 times, waiting for the perfect light... you catch my drift.

Mamyia 7.

This is basically like wanting to make pictures without the heachache (and complaining) of stopping, setting up my tripod, watching light, metering for the zone system 3-4 times, waiting for the perfect light... you catch my drift.

Hmm, I'm always pondering this, and over the last decade of trips to Europe or SE Asia have tested the following:
Rolleiflex - quiet, square, handy periscope, frees you from lens choices and is 'friendly'
Fuji GW680III - great rangefinder for quick focus, sharp lens, nice big negative
Fuji GA645ZI - really quick and auto everything
Mamiya 645 Super - with metering prism, quick and the bonus of lens choices - the 35mm is a great wide angle for urban street photography , and the 80mm f/1.9 is great for less than awesome lighting situations...

My summary? I love them all (damn!!), and they all have pros and cons :-( This year I'll probably take the Mamiya and two lenses (and the Wista 5x4" because I'll be in the mountains for a week!!)

Marc!

Count me in for the GW690iii and the GF670. That covers 6x6, 6x7, and 6x9.
Cheers,
Mike

A lot of great cameras suggested here, but if you want compactness with a very good lens, a Voigtlander Perkeo I or II with a Color Skopar lens will fit the bill.

One more piece of travel photography advice - don't bring multi-systems with you. Bring your film camera, or bring your digital, but don't bring a 35mm-esque digital and a medium format film camera. I'm not saying you CAN'T switch back and forth between them successfully, but switching between a 2:3 ratio ( or 4:3) and a square, one set of controls and another, is asking for trouble. Invariably you'll miss a shot because you have the other camera than the one you want in hand at the time and your mindset will be on the wrong camera.

I prefer later Rolleicords Va->Vb and they have bright/uniform screens. They are light, easy to handle and plenty of accessories available for cheaper price.

For me this the answer to this question would depend on where -- and how -- (and even with whom) -- I'm traveling. On a sort of family vacation with extra guests I find photography suffers in general, and simple, light, quick to use gear is good. I did a chaotic week in London a few years back with 3 other adults besides my wife and used a DSLR with one zoom, and my Perkeo II. If I'm doing a road trip in the car with just My Faire Spouse, I may equip myself with a solid tripod and at least a subset of my Bronica gear. My last couple of domestic excursions were with a Yashica 124G and my Canon G15 (a high end P&S bit-zapper).

This spring I acquired a sling bag to cart the TLR and some other goodies on a wild rail trip to a major city for a few days where I figured to travel light with some street shooting. Alas the trip was canceled! (So I have all sorts of GAS satisfied.)

I'm contemplating a major loop out to some of the southwest this summer, but that will be by car and I will probably take the Bronica with the Perkeo as backup, along with some "other stuff." There is also an Ercona II 6x9 folder here that is quite respectable, but bigger and heavier and only gets eight shots on a roll, so I often lean toward the old friendly 6x6 square.

stay at home or take no cameras along

dodphotography said:

I should add...

This is basically like wanting to make pictures without the heachache (and complaining) of stopping, setting up my tripod, watching light, metering for the zone system 3-4 times, waiting for the perfect light... you catch my drift.

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Any of the Fujifilm 645 automatic cameras will suit you perfectly. You cant imagine how fast and easy these cameras work.