What's the best buy in used MF? Moving up from a Yashica 124

John Wiegerink · Mar 19, 2010

Yes, the C330F is a very fine machne and one that's very dependable. Another cheap system that has very, very good lenses is the Koni-Omega cameras. I almost forgot about them. Very cheap and very good. I had a Rapid 200 along time ago and tested the 90mm Hex against my 90mm on my Fuji rangefinder and I'd take the 90mm Hex over the Fuji. Yes, my copy was sharper. JohnW

Hikingman · Mar 19, 2010

The Mamiya cameras have lots of fans!

agphotography · Mar 20, 2010

Hikingman said:
The Mamiya cameras have lots of fans!

It's rightly deserved, my old RZ67 kit was just flat out amazing. (I had the very first model not the ProII or ProIID) Those negatives were just outstanding.

If I remember correctly, I bought the base of my kit (the Body, WLF, 90mm f/3.5, 2 film backs) for under $500 on eBay back in 2004. I purchased an additional back and other things as well for cheap on eBay as well.

I cant wait to run some film through my new, to me, Bronica though. I'm very excited with how compact it is! It will be so easy to carry around.

Plus, for what I paid I don't mind shooting 645.

imokruok · Mar 20, 2010

John Wiegerink said:
Please don't rule out a good Mamiya C220 or C330 as a near perfect walk-about professional camera. I think the C330 Professional is an OUTSTANDING camera for the money.

Fully agree that the C330 is a wonderful camera. I love the occasional macro shot, and the camera makes it possible where others don't. Calling it a walk-about though is a stretch. It's more like a drag-about. Significantly bigger than the Yashica.

As for the light leak on the Yashica, I just developed two rolls of 120 from my 124G tonight. They were both rolls of night shots. (Sorry, haven't scanned them yet.) What looks like a light leak on two of the shots is just how the camera deals with bright light at the edge of the frame. It's not a nice defined star pattern, but more of a random star pattern or a streaky smear. It definitely does look a little like a light leak, but no problems on any of my other shots.

I know the OP was looking for 6x6, but the Mamiya 645 cameras are great too, and a superb deal right now for all of the manual focus models.

imokruok · Mar 20, 2010

Let me just add, I think you are on the right track with MF. About the 124G rolls I developed tonight, I have some cityscape shots of LA on them, about one minute nighttime exposures on T64 film. I took a shot of Century City from probably about 1/3 of a mile away, and in my loupe I can make out individual people in the thousands of office building windows. Film sometimes has just ridiculous resolving power, and the more film for an image, the better!

2F/2F · Mar 20, 2010

Mamiya C-series TLR, or Mamiya M645. They sell for cheap and are outstanding.

Voyager13b · Mar 20, 2010

I prefer the RZ over the RB for someone starting from scratch, but I have nothing bad to say about the the RB at all. Both are cheap today, as is the very fine Bronica SQ series. Here is a pic of two of my favorite Medium Format micro-budget mega-warriors........ At least they start out as micro-budget. Don't ask where it all leads.....

P C Headland · Mar 20, 2010

janezek said:
Pentacon Six might not be the best decision. Most of these cameras were manufactured in East Germany before 1989 and unfortunately have not good reputation for being very reliable. There were a lot of reports about problems with fim transport (among other problems).

The only real "problem" with them is the film transport - it's perhaps not as robust as it could be, but as long as you don't let the wind lever snap back, you should be fine. The frame spacing problems are largely due to not loading the camera properly. As with any camera that age, a CLA can be worthwhile.

Having said that, and actually liking them, there are many other options out there - the Bronica SQ series and Mamiya RB/RZ systems representing very good value for money. Another option is the Mamiya Press range, which will give you access to a wider range of film formats.

BTW, I have found that my YashicaMat LM benefits more from a lens hood that just about any of my other cameras.

bagdad child · Mar 20, 2010

I took these photos with the Pentax 67 on a recent trip to Turkey:

http://www.rangefinderforum.com/forums/showthread.php?t=87218

Some of them were taken hand-held at the so often discussed "critical shutter speeds". It's a myth that the Pentax 67 can't be shot hand-held and produce sharp negs.

2F/2F · Mar 20, 2010

bagdad child said:
I took these photos with the Pentax 67 on a recent trip to Turkey:

http://www.rangefinderforum.com/forums/showthread.php?t=87218

Some of them were taken hand-held at the so often discussed "critical shutter speeds". It's a myth that the Pentax 67 can't be shot hand-held and produce sharp negs.

Some nice pix there.

bagdad child · Mar 20, 2010

2F/2F said:
Some nice pix there.

Thanks! Glad you like them

Sully75 · Mar 20, 2010

Yeah, just beautiful.

For the record, what are the critical shutter speeds? Can you handhold at 1/30?

Sully75 · Mar 20, 2010

ps your website doesn't seem to be working. Really loved the pictures.

asp.artist · Mar 20, 2010

Just a thought. The problem I first had with my Yashica D was making sure the small post that you pull out for the take up spool was all the way in when I replaced the spool. Had to play with it to make sure. Doing that took care of my "lens flare". Didn't make close up shots any easier, but my pictures were a lot better.

Anne

jamesgignac · Mar 20, 2010

P C Headland said:
The only real "problem" with them is the film transport - it's perhaps not as robust as it could be, but as long as you don't let the wind lever snap back, you should be fine. The frame spacing problems are largely due to not loading the camera properly. As with any camera that age, a CLA can be worthwhile.

As I stated before I haven't used a Pentacon Six, however I heard good things and they really are quite cheap with apparently decent Zeiss lenses...I really don't know much about them at all besides hearsay.

What I DO know is that I've had both a Bronica SQAi system and a Mamiya C330 and have adored them both. I bought the C330 first, then decided upon the Bronica which ended up being pretty much the only thing I used for a year. Evidently I found the Bronica to be useful in more situations, and I might even say it was my most verstile camera system ever, and then it met a sad end (theft) and now I have a Hass 503cx for my square format. I do not recommend the Hasselblad for anyone who wants to stay on a budget - things just wind up buying themselves...with your money...

I do, however, stick to my thesis that the Pentacon is a thrifty option - cheap, quality lenses can't be a bad thing. I'm thinking of buying one myself (a shop in town just put one in the window) just for snapshots, scouting, and stuff.

Happy hunting!

jamesgignac · Mar 20, 2010

bagdad child said:
I took these photos with the Pentax 67 on a recent trip to Turkey:

http://www.rangefinderforum.com/forums/showthread.php?t=87218

Some of them were taken hand-held at the so often discussed "critical shutter speeds". It's a myth that the Pentax 67 can't be shot hand-held and produce sharp negs.

Beautiful, by the way! I desperately wanted a Pentax 67 but I tend to want a lot of lenses and found them to be more costly than my meagre pockets could afford.

Really, really nice images!

bagdad child · Mar 20, 2010

Sully75 said:
Yeah, just beautiful.

For the record, what are the critical shutter speeds? Can you handhold at 1/30?

Thanks for the kind comment! I believe those shutter speeds are supposed to be between 1/15 and 1/60 but I haven't noticed any problem at 1/30 even without using mirror lock up. Most important is to have a good hand-holding technique. The weight of the camera is actually an advantage in that respect. I press my upper left arm firmly against the side of my chest so that the elbow is touching the lowermost ribs, my left hand firmly under the camera allowing the fingers of the left hand to focus and set the aperture while I trip the shutter with my right thumb by means of short cable release kept between my index finger and my middle finger. The right middle, ring and little fingers are gripping loosely around the camera and they can also control mirror lock-up if desired. The lowermost area of my right palm also supports the lower right edge of the camera. My upper right arm also presses against the side of my chest. I believe this technique offers much better support than using the accessory left-hand wooden grip. It works equally well with both the waistlevel finder, prisms or chimney finder, but critical focusing is harder with the prisms. Finally exhale and trip the shutter!

bagdad child · Mar 20, 2010

Sully75 said:
ps your website doesn't seem to be working. Really loved the pictures.

Yes youre right! Under re-construction again...
I plan to get it up very soon

bagdad child · Mar 20, 2010

jamesgignac said:
Beautiful, by the way! I desperately wanted a Pentax 67 but I tend to want a lot of lenses and found them to be more costly than my meagre pockets could afford.

Really, really nice images!

Thanks James! Really glad to read your comment! The lenses are costly but the prices of all Pentax 6x7 bodies and lenses have dropped a lot over the last few years so I hope they'll soon be affordable to you! I recently saw a classifieds ads in Sweden for a very nice looking Pentax 67II with auto exposure prism and 105mm lens, all for 380 Euros. I found myself a spare 6x7 MLU body plus the 90mm lens for 100 Euros. It seems nobody wants the P67 here so people are selling them for "peanuts".

photomat- · Mar 20, 2010

Some of the Turkey pics in that link are really good. Especially like the one of the faucet with the blurry figure in the background.

Mamiya 645, Bronica ETRSi and Bronica SQ can be picked up cheaply and produce great results. I have used the ETR and SQ system and personally prefer the 6x6 format. Both of the Bronicas are easy to use and accessories and lenses can be had for a song on KEH.com.

Ektagraphic · Mar 20, 2010

Mamiya M645 system is totally amazing!!!

Leighgion · Mar 20, 2010

If you absolutely must have 6x6, then it's hard to find an interchangeable lens system cheaper than Pentacon Sixes. I have no user experience with them, but I don't think you can pay less in the category.

agphotography · Mar 20, 2010

bagdad child said:
I took these photos with the Pentax 67 on a recent trip to Turkey:

http://www.rangefinderforum.com/forums/showthread.php?t=87218

Some of them were taken hand-held at the so often discussed "critical shutter speeds". It's a myth that the Pentax 67 can't be shot hand-held and produce sharp negs.

These are just outstanding photos! I would love to do some travel shots with my new Bronica system, but flying with film is just such a bad memory for me haha! The last time I flew with a MF system was when I had my RZ, I flew to New York and they ruined all my film because they refused to hand-check it.

johnnywalker · Mar 20, 2010

How long ago was that? The x-rays used currently in airports for carry-on luggage shouldn't affect your film unless it's over iso 400. I've had mine x-rayed up to five times with no ill effects. The x-ray used on the check-in luggage is a different story however.

bagdad child · Mar 21, 2010

agphotography said:
These are just outstanding photos! I would love to do some travel shots with my new Bronica system, but flying with film is just such a bad memory for me haha! The last time I flew with a MF system was when I had my RZ, I flew to New York and they ruined all my film because they refused to hand-check it.

Thanks so much! I am sorry about your experience. In theory it should be pretty safe to travel with at least 400 speed film. Mine was scanned twice upon departure from Istanbul and fortunately there was no damage. The problem is that the operator may increase the power of the radiation without noone realizing. Sometimes the bags go back and forth in the x-ray machine as if the operator missed something and wants a better look. You may have been unlucky. I have also carried the film rolls in my trouser pockets walking through the metal detector instead of having the film x-rayed. Noone ever noticed.

What's the best buy in used MF? Moving up from a Yashica 124

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