What Medium Format Cameras Are Members Here Using?

[ags2mikon]

@abruzzi Same here. I have too darn many 35mm cameras and I just can't bring myself to sell them. My MF cameras do see the tripod now and again but mostly are hand held. I use my Horseman cameras a lot and if the time ever came to only have one system left that would be it. I have been playing with handheld 4x5 a little and it is interesting. But tripod is best. I have used tripods with my 4x5 press cameras but used the rangefinder/viewfinder and got good results.

 

[abruzzi]

@abruzzi Same here. I have too darn many 35mm cameras and I just can't bring myself to sell them. My MF cameras do see the tripod now and again but mostly are hand held. I use my Horseman cameras a lot and if the time ever came to only have one system left that would be it. I have been playing with handheld 4x5 a little and it is interesting. But tripod is best. I have used tripods with my 4x5 press cameras but used the rangefinder/viewfinder and got good results.

My travel camera is usually a Bronica SQ-A or an ETRSi. The SQ-A a bit larger/heavier than the ETRSi but square means I can crop landscape or portrait and I can stick with the lighter WLF. I have a great setup for the ETRSi with a prism and a pistol grip, but it involves carrying the camera upside down, and my current ETRSi body doesn't seem to like that, so I need to do some more testing (I hate the side grip for the ETRSi because it makes the camera too bulky.)

 

[frost242]

Using the Rolleifix, the Rolleiflex felt secure on the tripod. On a trip to Japan two years ago, I did have issues with the back of the Rolleicord flexing while carrying it on the tripod and had some light leaks.

For your Rolleicord, you may get the old-style Panorama head. Expect the very early models, this head usually fits the older and newer anchors on the Rolleiflex and are a good Rolleifix alternative.

 

[Jarno]

Fujifilm and Fujica GW690 (III) and GSW690 (I), and DIY camera with a large format lens on the front and a graflok back (with 6x9 and 6x12 horseman backs).

 

[Vaughn]

For your Rolleicord, you may get the old-style Panorama head. Expect the very early models, this head usually fits the older and newer anchors on the Rolleiflex and are a good Rolleifix alternative.

I am not familiar with that particular head. I was using a quick release with the Rolleicord which acted as a pivot point on the camera back…making one of the few design weaknesses of a TLR worse ( most TLR cameras are designed to attach a tripod to its flexible camera back/bottom rather than its chassis.)

I did limit the time I walked around with the Rolleiflex on the tripod this trip, even with the Rolleifix, but a camera out and ready to use does seem to get used more.

I still have the 8 rolls of 120 to develop from my recent Japan visit… still working on the 4x5s.

 

[ChrisGalway]

I routinely shoot stereo with my Ikonta 523/16 by stepping slightly to the left to take the second shot. I have three of them, and might someday make a mount for two of them to be used with a tripod. A really under rated camera - coated Tessar in a Synchro Compur, with zone focusing.

Yes, that's a really nice camera and I've thought about mounting a pair of them "bottom to bottom" but haven't the mechanical skills or means to do that. Do you make colour stereo slides ... or B&W stereo prints?

 

[Dave Lusby]

I have a very old stereo viewer that used 3X3 prints mounted on card stock. I contact print the 6X6 negatives, cut out the adjacent images, and view them on the stereo viewer. The spacing is perfect but the images are small.

 

[ChrisGalway]

Here's another medium format stereo setup. It's quite ergonomic use to despite the weight (2.3kg, 5pounds) which is taken up using the leather strap, left hand holds the black grip, right hand on the metal bar with fingers on the cable release. The stereo baseline is a bit large, 11cm, so stereo effects are slightly exaggerated. Only used once but the results were great, I need to use it again!

 

[choiliefan]

I used to have a pair of Ikofex tlr's mounted to a plate similar to the 'cords in the above picture.
Worked really well and shot quite a few portraits of family members with it. Someone on one of the old photo message boards pointed out that the increased distance between the taking lenses gave what he called iirc a hyper-stereo effect. Whatever, the printed pairs easily draw one's eyes in on the magic of 3D photography.

 

[ChrisGalway]

I used to have a pair of Ikofex tlr's mounted to a plate similar to the 'cords in the above picture.
Worked really well and shot quite a few portraits of family members with it. Someone on one of the old photo message boards pointed out that the increased distance between the taking lenses gave what he called iirc a hyper-stereo effect. Whatever, the printed pairs easily draw one's eyes in on the magic of 3D photography.

Ikoflex's are nice cameras, I might have used them but I already had a Rolleicord Va II so I got a second one. The "normal" separation for stereo is around 6.5cm (separation of the eyes) and anything larger is called hyperstereo. Both have Xenar f/3.5. Stereo is great fun, and medium format stereo can give amazing results.

 

[Disconnekt]

I have a Kodak Monitor 616 being CLA'ed & new bellows installed (found the replacement bellows for it on ebay), will be getting it back in the next couple weeks or so, I got some 120 film in the freezer to shoot in it & have the Camerahack FAK616 adapter for it.

 

[wiltw]

How I wish that European airlines were not so rigid now about carry-on weight limits (7.5kg), or I would want to take my Bronica ETRSi kit with me during travel abroad on holidays.

 

[Stolk]

* Koni Omegaflex (Twin-lens.)
* Voigtlaender Bessa II (Rangefinder.)
* GW690 (Rangefinder - about to shoot first roll.)
* Musashino Kōki Rittreck 6x9 Model 1 (SLR. needs repair before I can shoot the first roll.)

 

[ChrisGalway]

How I wish that European airlines were not so rigid now about carry-on weight limits (7.5kg), or I would want to take my Bronica ETRSi kit with me during travel abroad on holidays.

That’s unusual, Ryanair and the other airlines I travel with in Europe have a 10kg limit for cabin bags … but often you have to pay for this when booking. You are also permitted an under-seat bag, often the weight limit is not specified on that! I travel frequently in Europe with 3-4 cameras (at least one MF) in one 10kg + one under-seat bag.

 

[Chromium VI]

Currently, my go-to MF camera is an old Walzflex iiia, I also use a Agfa Isoly iii, clack and Isolette i. Recently I boght a Adox Golf (w/ a Will Wetzlar lens) working for 15eur and a Bilora Bella for 2,5. I used at school a 500cm but apart from the glass, I don't like it much.

 

[Arghgee]

Wow - I had to check. Then, of course, there's what lenses (other than fixed lenses) for each camera!

Mamiya RB67 ProS. My favourite clunky, heavy, manual, versatile MF camera! Many 6x7 film holders (incl. 220) but also have a 4.5x6 (rarely used). Lenses for the RB67 are 50, 90, 127, 180, 250, 360 plus 2X converter and 45mm & 82mm extension tubes. Virtually a complete package.
Rollei 6006. I love its very accurate light-metering system and I use it mainly for transparency film. 50mm Distagon, 80mm Planar.
Zeiss-Ikon Super Ikonta 532/16. Fixed 80mm Tessar.
Mamiya C220. 80mm Sekor.
Zeiss-Ikon Nettar. Fixed 75mm Novar.
Then there's my Sinar Zoom roll film back for my Chamonix and Sinar P2 LF cameras.

 

[Alan Edward Klein]

Here's one of the medium format cameras I use, it's a Mercury Stereo 12 with Mamiya (TLR) 65mm lenses and a DaYi 120 back and a Mamiya viewfinder (masked to 6x6), total about 2kg. Takes lovely medium format stereo photos on Fuji Provia 100f colour transparency film.
View attachment 417657

How do you view the results?

 

[ChrisGalway]

ChrisGalway said:
Here's one of the medium format cameras I use, it's a Mercury Stereo 12 with Mamiya (TLR) 65mm lenses and a DaYi 120 back and a Mamiya viewfinder (masked to 6x6), total about 2kg. Takes lovely medium format stereo photos on Fuji Provia 100f colour transparency film.
View attachment 417657

How do you view the results?

With an optical viewer, like the one shown. It has achromatic doublet lenses (not actually visible if this photo), and an LED illuminated back that has variable intensity. The results are amazing, even with my non-existent artistic skills, no digital display comes close! It's as though you are standing in the exact place you took the photo, and can look around the scene ... I think the trendy term is "immersive"!

 

[Stackingblock]

P67
Brooks Veriwide
Xpan
Rolleiflex

 

[BachaChi]

I do mostly landscapes and nature photography; was lucky enough to be gifted a Mamiya 7, but otherwise have had some interest in looking for a P67

 

[Alan Edward Klein]

ChrisGalway said:
Here's one of the medium format cameras I use, it's a Mercury Stereo 12 with Mamiya (TLR) 65mm lenses and a DaYi 120 back and a Mamiya viewfinder (masked to 6x6), total about 2kg. Takes lovely medium format stereo photos on Fuji Provia 100f colour transparency film.
View attachment 417657


With an optical viewer, like the one shown. It has achromatic doublet lenses (not actually visible if this photo), and an LED illuminated back that has variable intensity. The results are amazing, even with my non-existent artistic skills, no digital display comes close! It's as though you are standing in the exact place you took the photo, and can look around the scene ... I think the trendy term is "immersive"!

View attachment 418356

How does it work? Do you put the film strip into it and slide from one frame to the next? Is there an advance switch to do that?

 

[ChrisGalway]

How does it work? Do you put the film strip into it and slide from one frame to the next? Is there an advance switch to do that?

It's totally non-automated. You insert a slide like the one attached, view it, and then replace it by another slide. The two images in the slides are mounted carefully, usually so that the nearest object appears to lie in the plane of the slide, and more distant objects beyond the slide ... like looking through a window.

Medium format stereoscopy is a wonderful hobby but I've got to admit it's pretty expensive, both for the initial equipment and then the running costs (6 stereo-pairs per 120 colour transparency film, say $5-$6 per stereo pair.

 

[Craig S.....]

Wow - I had to check. Then, of course, there's what lenses (other than fixed lenses) for each camera!

Mamiya RB67 ProS. My favourite clunky, heavy, manual, versatile MF camera! Many 6x7 film holders (incl. 220) but also have a 4.5x6 (rarely used). Lenses for the RB67 are 50, 90, 127, 180, 250, 360 plus 2X converter and 45mm & 82mm extension tubes. Virtually a complete package.
Rollei 6006. I love its very accurate light-metering system and I use it mainly for transparency film. 50mm Distagon, 80mm Planar.
Zeiss-Ikon Super Ikonta 532/16. Fixed 80mm Tessar.
Mamiya C220. 80mm Sekor.
Zeiss-Ikon Nettar. Fixed 75mm Novar.
Then there's my Sinar Zoom roll film back for my Chamonix and Sinar P2 LF cameras.

I also have a RB67 Pro S, started out with a Mamiya C3 and three lenses which I purchased from a Vinnies store where I was volunteering at, this was nice and I liked the 6x6 format but in Tasmania where I live I prefer landscapes. so I purchsed a Mamiya 645 Pro TL and lenses. I then purchased a RB67 Pro S thinking I could fit a 6x9 Press 23 back on it but 6x7 was the limit so I purchase a Mamiya universal camera and lens to use the 6x9 back. My collection has grown to include more Mamiya cameras, lens, backs and accessories. The joy of not having an ex-wife around to restrict my collection and use.

 

[loccdor]

Now I am primarily using medium format 6x9 cameras, a homemade one and a Horseman 970 with 3 lenses. I'll be using the Mamiya 645 more when the weather warms up, the battery cameras aren't great during the winter.

 

[Alan Edward Klein]

It's totally non-automated. You insert a slide like the one attached, view it, and then replace it by another slide. The two images in the slides are mounted carefully, usually so that the nearest object appears to lie in the plane of the slide, and more distant objects beyond the slide ... like looking through a window.

Medium format stereoscopy is a wonderful hobby but I've got to admit it's pretty expensive, both for the initial equipment and then the running costs (6 stereo-pairs per 120 colour transparency film, say $5-$6 per stereo pair.

View attachment 418402

That's pretty neat. At that size, can the eye notice a difference between MF and 35mm 3D images?