Your FIRST Medium Format Camera

about to extinct

D
about to extinct

  • 2
  • 0
  • 95
Fantasyland!

D
Fantasyland!

  • 9
  • 2
  • 132
perfect cirkel

D
perfect cirkel

  • 2
  • 1
  • 130

Recent Classifieds

Forum statistics

Threads
198,750
Messages
2,780,367
Members
99,697
Latest member
Fedia
Recent bookmarks
6

PRB

Member
Joined
Mar 3, 2005
Messages
22
Location
Portland, OR
Format
Medium Format
The day I began my first newspaper job (reporter) in 1968, they handed me a Minolta Autocord TLR and a flash. The flash had a rechargable battery pack about the size of a kid's lunch box. They taught me the Sunny F16 rule and gave me the aperture/exposure setting for using the flash. Shazam, I was a newspaper photographer! This story drives photojournalism students nuts.

Paul
 

Zathras

Subscriber
Joined
Nov 9, 2004
Messages
819
Location
SF Bay Area
Format
Multi Format
My first MF was a Yashica Mat EM. I got it at a garage sale when I was 13. I used it all through high school, shooting for the yearbook and school newspaper. I loved that camera. Unfortunately she got ripped off a few years later. About 4 years ago, wishing I still had one, I got another one through eBay. This is just as nice as the one I had before and it is loads of fun to shoot with. It lives on a steady diet of Verichrome Pan and the occasional roll of APX 25. When my stash of these films runs out, I guess I'll have to do some testing to find replacements for them since the boobs at AGFA and Kodak decided to discontinue them.

Mike Sullivan
 

DKT

Member
Joined
Sep 19, 2002
Messages
498
mine was a rolleiflex 3.5E that I paid $40 for in 1983. I was working at a newspaper as a stringer, and the paper cleared out it's equipment every year for taxes. every year I managed to pick up some piece of equipment, usually pretty worn out, for dirt cheap. This Rollei was in great shape but cosmetically a little ugly--had a custom bracket machined into the left side around the focus knob, to take a graflex mount speedlight. I was torn between it and this bronica SQA system, that was a little bit more, but had a few lenses and backs. In the end, I got the Rollei--and I still have it. The bracket is great--I've used Norman 200Bs, q-flashes etc on it, and it's perfect.... you can wrap your hand around it and still focus with your finger tips. It's like having a potato masher strobe welded onto the body. ugly as hell, but works like a charm.

I remember having that E with me though, once when I wasn't working, and I came upon this spot news accident--I jumped out and ran over and shot it, and went back and ran the film, and they ran one of the pictures. you used to take the prints and run them through a selectric and type the cutline on the back--so I was doing that, and stamping my name on it and all that, and this old timer was sitting at a table near by & we were talking. I said, "Can you believe I shot this on that?", pointing to the rollei. The guy just snorted, and said, "that's all I ever used..." looking at me like I was a total dumbass or something. Oh well, I'll be that way one of these days at the rate things are going....

fwiw--I have a few more rolleis now, but that camera is about the best deal I've ever gotten on a used piece of equipment. I've had it CLA twice, and bot times the repair guys tried to buy it. great mechanical shape, and has had a ton of film put through it, but it's an ugly duckling for sure.
 

jjstafford

Member
Joined
Feb 11, 2004
Messages
731
Location
Minnesota Tr
Format
Multi Format
Asking about "Your first (whatever camera)" is like asking about your first sex experience; it is something you won't appreciate for twenty years, and you did it alone, and then another twenty years later you are over it.

So get over it.
 

rogueish

Member
Joined
Apr 30, 2004
Messages
876
Location
3rd Rock
Format
Multi Format
First MF camera?
Yashica C TLR I picked up locally off ebay. Not a bad deal (IMO) either.
With so many people here talking about how much better potential a larger negative has, I had to try one myself. Already had a 6x6 neg carrier that came with the enlarger, so I figured, "why not?"
Took some getting used to. In the end I wanted to be able to change lenses. The TLR has a non-interchangeable 80mm. In the end I bought a Mamiya RB and haven't looked back. The Yashica sits on the shelf now, :sad: looking all lonely...
 
OP
OP
Michel Hardy-Vallée

Michel Hardy-Vallée

Membership Council
Subscriber
Joined
Apr 2, 2005
Messages
4,793
Location
Montréal, QC
Format
Multi Format
jjstafford said:
Asking about "Your first (whatever camera)" is like asking about your first sex experience; it is something you won't appreciate for twenty years, and you did it alone, and then another twenty years later you are over it.

So get over it.


Nah, I don't agree. Having your first camera is not like scoring for the first time. It's more like falling in love for the first time. It can end up miserably, but you will have a more interesting story than "well, it was over in five minutes".
 

pgomena

Member
Joined
Jun 25, 2003
Messages
1,391
Location
Portland, Or
My first MF camera is/was a Rollei 2.8C TLR purchased "new" at a camera store. It actually had come from someone's collection, so even though a 1953 model, it was in mint condition in 1980 when I purchased it. I bought it to give myself a larger-negative option for the newspaper work I was then doing. (Plus, it was beautiful and a whole lot cheaper than a Hasselblad at the time.)

It is not in mint condition now, but it performs today as it did then - flawlessly- a good many rolls of film later.

I recently purchased a gently-used Hasselblad from an old friend, and I am torn over whether to keep the Rollei or not. It hasn't seen much use over the past few years, and the Hassy is more in step with my needs. I don't collect cameras, so it needs to be used by someone. The kids are a bit young yet.

On the other hand, it's a compact package and makes a good backup in case of Hasselblad meltdown . . .

Emotional attachment to a piece of metal and glass? Not me . . .

Peter Gomena
 

removed account4

Subscriber
Joined
Jun 21, 2003
Messages
29,832
Format
Hybrid
it was a kodak twin lens reflex camera borrowed from my uncle.
unless a 127 format camera is considered medium format - - if that is the case it was my mom's kodak flasfun, when i was about 5 years old ... :smile:
 
Last edited by a moderator:

rst

Member
Joined
Jul 30, 2004
Messages
1,154
Location
Germany
Format
Pinhole
My first MF camera was an AGFA Isolette II which I bought very cheap on ebay just to try MF. Then I made the fault to look through the waste level finder of a Hasselblad 500. So the first MF camera that I really use is a Rollei SL 66 (with CZ Planar 80mm, CZ Distagon 50mm and CZ Sonnar 150mm) which I got accidently via ebay. In my opinion I could not have done a better choice.

ciao
-- Ruediger
 

ChrisC

Member
Joined
Sep 22, 2004
Messages
399
Location
Wellington,
Format
4x5 Format
It was a Yashica 635, around 9 months ago.

I'd just got back from a trip to Europe where I had shot all digital (I didn't own a film camera at the time), and was pleased with some of my shots, but I had way too many wasted shots. I decided I wanted something to slow me down, and thought MF was the way to go. I put several rolls through, and my hit rate of good shots tripled. I was so pleased with both the style of shooting, and the results I got with film, I bought a 4x5 and haven't looked back.
 

athanasius80

Member
Joined
Dec 22, 2004
Messages
645
Location
Huntington B
Format
Multi Format
My late Grandmother's folding Kodak Junior Six-20 from about 1937. She was an Alzheimer's victim, and Dad stole the camera from her bedroom for me one day. I also rescued hundreds of negatives in a shoebox in her garage.

First medium format camera that I bought with my own money... a Brownie Hawkeye of course!

Chris
 

Adrian Twiss

Member
Joined
Jan 19, 2004
Messages
618
Location
Wigan (oop N
Format
Multi Format
My first MF camera was a Yashicamat (I don't remember the model). I then progessed to a Minolta autocord which IMO had a better lens. My worst MF camera was a mamiyaflex C2. Nothing long with the lens but the winding gears were made of a very soft metal and wore out very quickly. After 3 repairs I decided to wind on using the little window on the back. I now use an Exacta 66 and modified Pentacon Six
 

Jerevan

Member
Joined
Nov 19, 2004
Messages
2,258
Location
Germany/Sweden
Format
Large Format
Cords. Cords!

First MF camera was a Rolleicord Vb in mintish condition. It was actually my first "real" camera. I travelled to a shop some 300 km away (in an another country) to get it. I can't remember how or why I got the idea to buy a Rollei. Sadly I was forced to sell it a year down the road, due to financial reasons. I have had several 'cords since then (think I am on my 6th one now) but this was THE one, really sweet camera. I still dream of finding another one in good shape.
 

gnashings

Member
Joined
Apr 6, 2005
Messages
1,376
Location
Oshawa, Onta
Format
Multi Format
My first camera that was truly my own was a Lubitel. I was 10 I think, and my dad bought it to keep me away from his Zenit which I was monopolizing. I absolutely fell in love with that little camera! Unfortunately, I think I only shot a couple of rolls of film through it and my family moved to Canada. The little Lubitel got lost somewhere along the way, although I still have the first negative from it!
Many cameras came and went, dad eventually gave up the fight for the Zenit, and it became mine... I didn't even think you could buy a Lubitel here in North America. I can tell you I was moved to tears when I opened a birthday present from a dear friend last year and found a Lubitel!!! Just like my old one! He heard me talking about it for so many years - the big roll film and TLR configuration made a hell of an impression on me when I was a young lad! I considerd putting it on a shelf just as a piece of memorabilia, but realized I like it too much. It gets used regularly and to pleasing results.

And Mr Stafford, I can tell you that if my friend brings the first "victim" of my sexual urges to me after 20 years... I think the reaction would be different and not nearly as warm fuzzy as the one I got from the Lubitel reunion. Besides, my wife didn't feel inclined to scratch out the Lubitel's lenses :wink:
 

Woolliscroft

Member
Joined
Oct 22, 2004
Messages
726
Format
Multi Format
As a child I used an old Ensign 6x6 TLR of my mother's (I think she still has it). I can't remember a model name/number. It had a fixed aperture and shutter speed (except for a "T" setting) and focus by guess. The first medium format I actually owned came much later and was a Mamiya RB67, and I have since bought a Pentax 67II, which I use for most of my outdoor MF work.

David.
 

benjiboy

Subscriber
Joined
Apr 18, 2005
Messages
11,970
Location
U.K.
Format
35mm
My first MF camera is a Mamiya C330F " Poor man's Hasselblad" I bought it second hand, together with the 55, 80, and 135mm lense pairs, this was about twenty years ago, and although it was much more than I could afford, I had just been made redundant and needed to make some money,twenty years ago nobody did weddings or portraits in 35mm. The equipment paid for itself within a short time, which tided me over until I got another job. I still have the gear, and although I could now afford to buy a more expensive MF outfit now, I consider it's still better equipment than I'm photographer.
Ben.
 
Joined
Mar 21, 2005
Messages
984
Location
Athens
Format
Medium Format
Hasselblad 500ELM. Bought it second hand from a guy who gave up photography to start a digital video processing business (I think he's out of business now)...
 

skahde

Member
Joined
Feb 16, 2004
Messages
494
Location
Germany
Format
Multi Format
Ole said:
Lubitel 166U (don't laugh!)... Sold for two beers in a local bar, replaced by a Zeiss Ikon folder. What a step up!
Reminds me of the Seagull 4B-1 I gave away in exchange for a cheese-cake. Thought it was good deal and still do! :D
 

BradS

Member
Joined
Sep 28, 2004
Messages
8,120
Location
Soulsbyville, California
Format
35mm
My first MF camera was a...

Kodak Brownie Hawkeye...followed closely by a Mamiya 23 Standard press camera. Have also owned and dumped a Mamiya Rb-67 and a C330s. All of them are gone now. The only MF camera I have today is a broken Ciro-Flex that sits on my bookshelf as a reminder of why I should really avoid looking at equipment on e-bay.
 

medform-norm

Member
Joined
Dec 5, 2004
Messages
859
Location
Netherlands
Format
Multi Format
BradS said:
The only MF camera I have today is a broken Ciro-Flex that sits on my bookshelf as a reminder of why I should really avoid looking at equipment on e-bay.

And, pray tell us, does it help?
 

titrisol

Subscriber
Joined
Aug 2, 2004
Messages
2,071
Location
UIO/ RDU / RTM/ POZ / GRU
Format
Multi Format
The first one I tried was my uncle's Rolleicord in the mid 80s.

the one I loved was a pentax 645 that a photographer I worked for had. That and a Rolleiflex SL66!

My first personal MF camera was a Flexaret IV
 

harveyje

Subscriber
Joined
Jul 28, 2003
Messages
166
Location
Colorado Spr
Format
Medium Format
First was a Brownie 6-20 in the early fifties. Next came a Yashica C while in high school and college (I still kick myself for giving it up!). Then an RB67 in the early seventies which I eventually (late nineties) gave up for a Hasselblad (which was smaller and lighter).
 
Last edited by a moderator:

Helen B

Member
Joined
Jul 1, 2004
Messages
1,590
Location
Hell's Kitch
Format
Multi Format
A box Brownie. When I got my first job, the boss provided me with a Hasselblad 500 and an SWC. Later I bought a Ross Ensign 820 6x9 folder for myself, then things got a little out of hand over the years.

Best,
Helen
 
Photrio.com contains affiliate links to products. We may receive a commission for purchases made through these links.
To read our full affiliate disclosure statement please click Here.

PHOTRIO PARTNERS EQUALLY FUNDING OUR COMMUNITY:



Ilford ADOX Freestyle Photographic Stearman Press Weldon Color Lab Blue Moon Camera & Machine
Top Bottom