What's your favourite MF camera or alternative?

PB001 · Apr 11, 2005

Nicole Boenig-McGrade said:
Hi everyone, I'd love to know what your favourite MF cameras are and why?

And is there a MF out that's not quite so big and bulky?

Thank you for sharing.
Kind regards,
Nicole

Hi Nicole,

My favourite MF camera is a Mamiya C330 pro...sadly I have only had the oppurtunity to use one two or three times, as I have never owned one. I currently use a couple of Bronica ETRSi's which I find equally good and a whole lot more practical in terms of ease of use, handlebility & flexibility. However being rather an old fashioned dude I do enjoy useing TLR's when I get the chance!

P.Berry

agfa100 · Apr 11, 2005

Well after using alot of MF cameras my current list is as follows
Linhof 220 6x7 rf
Fuji GS645s 6x4.5
Fuji GS645w 6x4.5
Rapid Omega 100
Rapid Omega 200
Moskva 5

My most used are the Linhof 220 and the Rapid Omega 100 but at this time I will have to pick the Linhof 220 camera, a beast to carry around but wonderful to take pictures with....
bill

narsuitus · Dec 2, 2005

In the past, I have used the Yashica TLR and the Mamiya C3, C22, and C220 TLR. I prefer the square format so that I dont have to consider landscape or portrait (horizontal or vertical) orientation while I am shooting. If Mamiya had continued to support their interchangeable TLR system, I would still be shooting with it.

I am now using Fuji 6x7cm and Fuji 6x9cm rangefinders for my medium format work. I prefer to shoot medium format with rangefinder or TLR cameras because I dont care for the loud noise produced by the medium format SLR cameras.

stark raving · Dec 5, 2005

Nicole,

If you don't need to change lenses, then a classic Rollei 3.5 TLR (Automat or non-metered 3.5E). Reasons: 1) relatively light and compact (for MF), 2) very quiet, 3) excellent Zeiss or Schneider lens, 4) sturdy and reliable once CLA'd. If you stay with the Automat X / MX / MX-EVS models, you can do this for a couple hundred US dollars to acquire the camera, and probably another couple hundred for a CLA and focusing screen upgrade (advisable over the long run.) You'll get a camera that will serve you for the rest of your life.

Jonathan

Snapperlondon · Dec 5, 2005

My favourite camera is my Rolleiflex 3.5F, despite the fact it cost considerably less than my Bronica SQ-Ai outfit...I think in part it is because it is actually older than me but still works perfectly!

However I am currenly eyeing-up a Mamiya 7II after making the mistake of trying one at a camera fair! It's so light for a 6x7 and the shutter is whisper quiet! Now to find the money to buy it!

Dave Wooten · Dec 5, 2005

bronica 645 and the 65 mm lens...vertical format....if you just hold one in your hands you justs might get the wants.....optics are excellent....wish i had purchased another body for each of the lenses

Richard Wasserman · Dec 5, 2005

I have 3 favorites, but they all do different things. At the top of my list is a Hasselblad SWC-great, great lens and really fun to use. I consider it a 6x6 point and shoot. Second is a Rollei 3.5F-also a wonderful lens and lightweight and discreet to use. Most people don't seem to know or care what I am doing when I use it, except for those who approach me to tell me that their grandfather had one. Last and certainly not least is a Bronica RF645 that I use primarily as a travel camera. I concur with what eveyone else has said about it, it's a brilliant camera.

Richard Wasserman

Charles Webb · Dec 5, 2005

I have Hasselblad, Rollie TLR, and Pentaxll 6x7. The Pentax is by far my favorite and I don't think I could live without it. Though I have used the 6x6 format for more than fifty years, I hate the square format! I will be looking for a 6x7 or 6x9 rangefinder in the near future simply for a "plinker".
Most likely will try to buy used, as the cost on most of them are so high new. I will probably hang on to my three blads because I have all the lensesand lots of backs, but might take advantge of dumping them in favor of a rectangular frame camera and a couple of lenses if a good opportunity came up. The best & sharpest negatives I have ever made are with my Rollie 2.8 E and 3.5. I like the looks of the Fuji 690GSW III, but would prefer it in 6x7. Charlie..............

Simonpg · Dec 5, 2005

Hassy 503CW and XPan II

My favourite MF camera overall is my 503CW with its CW winder and the PM45 prism finder. I just adore using this baby - even in the street!

When size is an issue (not so "bulky"), my 501CM with the WLF and the CFE 80mm lens is superbly compact (yes, compact!) and a joy to handle and use with passion. Part of Victor Hasselblad's mastery was enabling these 6x6 machines to remain relatively compact. I "cut my MF teeth" for 15 years with a Bronica SQA. Since Tamron totally waster money buying Bronica only to do nothing with a very fine camera maker, I am releived I moved to Hasselblad; although I nearly bought an ETRSi, which is a wonderful MF camera. Alas I prefer 6x6.

My favourite "alternative" MF camera is the Hassy XPan II. With the 45mm and 90mm lenses it's all one could ever need - a superb MF panoramic camera and a convenient conventional 135 format top quality RF camera all in one!

BUT, many (like I was initially) are "put off" the XPan because they misunderstand what this wonderful piece of engineering really is. No, it is not a 135 format RF camera with bigger and slow lenses. It IS is an MF camera providing 6x7 frames horizontally cropped to a panoramic image. It happens to use 135 film and offer convenience of a conventional 135 frame as well. A 2 week "play" with a loaner made me "see the light".

I personally never use it in conventional 135 format mode.

So, my XPan II is the perfect complement to my Hassey 6x6 kit - for the wide angle images I see and far prefer to capture as a panorama.

It is also a perfect complement to my Leica M7 for when I want to shoot wide angle, which I discovered some time ago I "see" as a panorama and all my M7 wide angle images ended up being "cropped" horizontally, leaving me very little film frame to make useful top quality prints.

So, that's my story! And it's one of my first postings on this wonderful site; well done APUG.

elekm · Dec 5, 2005

I might already have answered this, but my favorite medium format camera is an old Super Ikonta 530/2 (6x9) -- an uncoated lens. Great lens, great camera.

kunihiko · Dec 5, 2005

I love my Hasselblad 500C/M. Unlike my TOYO45G, hassy is easy to carry on my Kawasaki ZRX even with a good tripod. 6x6 is good enough for 12x12 inch and 12x12 is good enough for me.
Though my hassy is nice, I would like to have less bulky one for street work. Bronica RF645 sounds good.

eumenius · Dec 6, 2005

I love my Mamiya C330 TLR - I can't live and work without it, it's already a part of my body (though a bit overly bulky and solid, oops) I love everything about it, and I have all the lenses and many many things from the system. The optics give me the picture I want, and it's so easy to operate... I also love my Iskra for backpacking, a Kowa Kalloflex for street photography - and Fujica G690 for nature, yes

Robert Budding · Dec 6, 2005

Dave Wooten said:
bronica 645 and the 65 mm lens...vertical format....if you just hold one in your hands you justs might get the wants.....optics are excellent....wish i had purchased another body for each of the lenses

I'll agree with you on this one - the Bronica RF645 is an outstanding camera.

Robert

Gay Larson · Dec 6, 2005

Well I read the whole thread and no one said my mf camera which is a Pentax 645. I really love it but wish it had interchangeable backs. Only drawback.

Tom Hoskinson · Dec 7, 2005

Love my Fuji 645 Rangefinder camera (also love my Fuji 690-III Rangefinder camera). The lenses on bothe cameras are outstanding!

antielectrons · Dec 7, 2005

Rolleiflex 2.8f - best camera I have ever owned. An obsession.

nick mulder · Dec 7, 2005

RZ - cos I got one (;

and you can use RB lenses on it too

Phillip P. Dimor · Dec 7, 2005

I like the Pentax 645, too. The 75mm lens is outstanding in every way, from the build quality to it's optical performance.

I miss interchangeable backs and finders.. Other than that it is a workhorse.
The meter is great, the finder is bright..

Drew B. · Dec 14, 2005

Nicole, in case you are still checking this thread...I use the Mamiya 645 super..and have carried it all around Belgium, Germany and the Netherlands. with the grip, its easy to flip to the vertical and back. In fact, Sean has one for sale..with several lenses.

drew

sajianphotos · Dec 19, 2005

#1 - Kiev 60 'cause it was cheap and carrying it awhile makes me feel like a real man.
#2 - Yashica Mat 'cause it was cheap and it makes me feel like a pro.
#3 - Zeiss nettar 'cause it was cheap.
They all have been very dependable and are still beyond my photog capabilities.

nworth · Dec 20, 2005

I mostly use my pair of Fujis (690GW and 690GSW) with their outstanding optics. But I really like the convenience of my Pentax 645, although the glass is not as good and the negative is smaller. An SLR allows you to use polarizers and grad filters easily and reliably, which you can't do with a rangefinder. It's also quicker and easier to use. From time to time I hate each of my cameras for some inconvenience or idiosyncracy. I simply have to choose whatever I think will do the job best and live with it.

avandesande · Dec 20, 2005

I just got my RB yesterday. Not sure if it is my favorite medium format, it's my only rollfilm camera.
A few observations--

'RB' has nothing to do with rotating backs, it stands for 'Really Big'
There is more than a passing resemblance to the BFG in the videogame 'quake'
If I get attacked by a mountain lion i could easily brain the poor creature

cvik · Dec 20, 2005

The only MF cameras I ever had are the ones I still have...
* Pentacon Six TL (overlapping frames from time to time)
* Pentacon Six (broken)
* Rolleiflex 6008 Integral

The pentacons are cool in their own way.. with cheap yet superb lenses!
but.. the Rolleiflex?
it just kicks ass!

It has two problems though... 1) it's noisy, 2) it makes me trigger-happy and i waste a lot of film with it.

The MF camera in my dreams? Alpa 12 SWA!

Craig · Dec 20, 2005

I've got a Pentax 67II and Fuji 690III, and I much prefer the Fuji. It's quiet, light and the lens is very sharp. In comparison, the Pentax's lens (admittedly an older 105) is noticably softer and less contrasty, and its a beast. The Fuji I can carry for an extended length of time, and I wouldn't want to do that with the Pentax.

As others have noticed the mirror slap is an issue with the Pentax, and its pretty loud. I was out photographing trains with a friend, and he was standing on the other side of the tracks from me, and he could still hear the shutter firing over the noise of 3 locomotives!

Chuck_P · Dec 20, 2005

avandesande said:
I just got my RB yesterday. Not sure if it is my favorite medium format, it's my only rollfilm camera.
A few observations--

'RB' has nothing to do with rotating backs, it stands for 'Really Big'
There is more than a passing resemblance to the BFG in the videogame 'quake'
If I get attacked by a mountain lion i could easily brain the poor creature

That's funny
When I got my RB ProS, it only had the prism finder and not the waist level finder. That prism finder is remarkably heavy in relation to the RB itself. Just taking it off relieves a considerable amount of weight, I think I'll have to get me a waist levelfinder, but I'll have to get used to things being backward in the viewfinder.

Chuck

What's your favourite MF camera or alternative?

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