Want to Learn

Hello everyone!
My name is Lawrence and I am a Chicago based largely self-taught part-time freelance shooter. I shoot mainly digital (don't throw stones yet). But I would like to learn medium and large format photography. I have had little success finding photographers willing to help, so I decided I would buy a medium format camera and teach myself as I did with 35mm and digital. On a scale of 1 to 10, I think my work is a 2, and really believe that the discipline required in medium format (from what I have read), will move me up. I have also noticed that ad agencies rely on photographers with medium and large format knowledge even if they are shooting digital. I am looking at purchasing either Mamiya, Rollie, or Blad-but I am on a budget. I am mainly a portrait shooter, but would like to expand into product. My work can be viewed at www.blophoto.com. I would appreciate if any of you know any willing photographers in the Chicago area that will teach (I photo assist) and what your experience is or what you recommend in the way of equipment. I dont have a lot of money, so I will have to but stuff as I go along...this site is pretty amazing-glad I found you guys.

Welcome from Sydney, Australia.
Sounds like most of your MF work will be indoors in a studio? If so a modular MF system with interchangeable backs for using multiple films might be worth thinking about. It's not my area of expertise but I'm sure others will help you out.

Welcome from Melbourne, Australia. Further to what Tony suggested, I can personally recommend an old Hasselblad, such as a 500 C/M. That may not put too much of a hole in your budget.

The Bronicas and the Mamiya C series offer good value for the money, as do most of the fixed lens TLRs. I would advise a leaf shutter for fill flash options and other than that keep things pretty simple.

Hello Lawrence

I shoot mostly LF and recently purchased a MF setup (Hasselblad 500CM). I agree with your assumption that shooting LF and/or MF will help your 35mm or digital images - I find that the LF imposes a rigor and critical view on me that never naturally developed over tens of thousands of 35mm images.

I looked at a lot of different MF systems and settled on the Hasselblad for the following reasons:
I like the square format.
I like the breadth of the system.
The camera has a very solid feel to it.
It is (at least for the time being) relatively easy to rent components for the system.

Welcome to APUG, and mf gear can be bought for a bargain these days! Check out KEH.com, you can get there through the APUG sponsors page. And you'll learn lots by reading the forums! Good luck!!

Kevin Caulfield said:

Welcome from Melbourne, Australia. Further to what Tony suggested, I can personally recommend an old Hasselblad, such as a 500 C/M. That may not put too much of a hole in your budget.

Click to expand...

There are a number of good examples in great shape for <$800 (Saw one at Jack's camera in Muncie,IN for appx $700 rated "8+")

Of course I'd recommend Mamiya ... :rolleyes:
An RB or RZ ideally, but the 645AF or Super/ProTL is a fun tool as well. Helix and Calumet generally have an ample supply of used Mamiya goodies waranted to be in working order

There's a Chicago group called the 'United Professional Photographers Association' that meets every second Tuesday of the month that'd be of help to you as well.

Welcome! I haven't been here long but have already gotten quite a lot out of it, I am sure you will too.

I would say go for a mamiya rb67 pro sd. I don't think you can beat the bang for the buck, these are really ideal studio cameras with which you can shoot everything from 645 to 6x8cm to polaroid; they are bellows focusing and the backs rotate. They are extremely solid in construct and virtually unjammable. When I went for a MF slr, I was considering the hassies and the mamiyas and the latter won out due to lens selection / cost. The rb can even take a 100-200mm zoom, which would be very nice in the studio. Other niceties about the rbs: there are soft focus lenses, fisheyes, long lenses (up to 500mm), good tcs, perspective control lenses, macro tubes.... and they are all affordable and excellent. I really don't think there is a more versatile studio camera. The only drawback is that they have quite some heft so this probably isn't someting you'd cart around on the street!

Lawrence-

Welcome to APUG! I'll put in another vote for Hasselblad, since the system has been around forever, there are TONS of accessories for it, and with few exceptions, everything is backwards and forwards compatible. The camera itself is lightweight, very comfortable to hand-hold (I can get acceptably sharp exposures hand-holding to 1/15th of a second with mine), has a range of lenses from 38mm super-wide and 30mm fisheye to 500mm telephoto, and there is a zoom for the Hasselblads too- a 140-280 F5.6 zoom. Big beast of a lens though. The biggest determinant of if you like a Hasselblad or not though is the square format. If you like shooting squares, you will LOVE the Hassy. If you prefer rectangles, then an RB or RZ would be the better choice. If you go down the Hasselblad route, avoid the older chrome C lenses and the 500 C bodies, as they are now 35+ years old, and repair parts for the C lenses are harder to come by, and the C bodies are also at the end of the factory parts supply line. The black C lenses are ok, as they are generally newer, and so in better condition, but keep them in line for focal lengths you won't shoot as much, like a 250 or 350. Stick to 500 CM bodies and CF lenses and you can put together a very nice kit for reasonable money. Watch out for any camera that was used professionally by a previous owner. Especially if the seller mentions the words "Wedding Photographer" in conjunction with the camera in the same sentence. Run as far away from that example as you can, as fast as you can.

TheFlyingCamera said:

Welcome to APUG! I'll put in another vote for Hasselblad, since the system has been around forever, there are TONS of accessories for it, and with few exceptions, everything is backwards and forwards compatible.

Click to expand...

Everything Scott says is true, but there are some better reasons for me:

1) The 5xxC(x)(x) system is one of the finest mechanical systems ever engineered. Its ergonomics are impeccable, refined over many years of professional feedback.

2) The quality of manufacture is peerless, both as to optics and to the mechanism.

Only Rollei compares as to quality in a medium format camera, but I find their cameras awkward to use. Hasselblad is simply as FINE a camera as they come.