Advice needed what MF camera

skysh4rk said:
A Yashica Electro shoots the same format as a Nikon F5, but do they do the same job?
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Well to help the OP what does a TLR do better than the Bronica or vice versa, and why do you need both (other than backup)....... if trekking and you'll never know what you would come across ;)
I would guess many filmies would take a dSLr plus a medium format camera.
 
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God......its almost impossible to make a close recommendation with no budget.

Forget about lens comparisons with 35mm cameras, there isn't the range or availability that there is for 35mm, a 20mm equivalent on MF is the fishiest fisheyed thing you'll ever see, its gettable with some systems but pretty niche tbh.

50mm is plenty wide enough.

No square ?.....well 645 has a lot of followers.

To keep it simple, a fixed lens Fuji 645 RF.
Something with a few more options, Mamiya 645 has a sweet easy to get 45mm, or Bronica ETRs

The RB/RZ is 6x7, I don't feel its worth the extra weight for 10mm of extra film over a 6x6, but theres plenty of them, they're cheap and available.

There are lots of other possibilities but a team of a hundred trained monkeys typing for 3 weeks night and day, could not list them all without a budget to narrow things down a bit. :)
 
joxby said:
God......its almost impossible to make a close recommendation with no budget.

Forget about lens comparisons with 35mm cameras, there isn't the range or availability that there is for 35mm, a 20mm equivalent on MF is the fishiest fisheyed thing you'll ever see, its gettable with some systems but pretty niche tbh.

50mm is plenty wide enough.

No square ?.....well 645 has a lot of followers.

To keep it simple, a fixed lens Fuji 645 RF.
Something with a few more options, Mamiya 645 has a sweet easy to get 45mm, or Bronica ETRs

The RB/RZ is 6x7, I don't feel its worth the extra weight for 10mm of extra film over a 6x6, but theres plenty of them, they're cheap and available.

There are lots of other possibilities but a team of a hundred trained monkeys typing for 3 weeks night and day, could not list them all without a budget to narrow things down a bit. :)
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Well I could tell the OP what not to get IMO, but that would start another few pages of argument against my view and that would confuse the OP even more :D
 
Budget 300-400 pounds inc as many lenses I can get for that
 
stumac said:
Budget 300-400 pounds inc as many lenses I can get for that
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£300-£400 doesn't really narrow things down very much as you can buy a lot with that budget.

Do you want through-the-lens viewing (i.e., SLR) or is rangefinder/twin-lens viewing acceptable? Do you prefer eye-level, 45º, or waistlevel finders? Do you want to be able to switch films mid-roll? Ideal frame size? Do you use filters? If so, what kind?
 
stumac said:
Budget 300-400 pounds inc as many lenses I can get for that
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lol.......:)

that'll be a wide = 50, a standard = 75/80, and a tele = 100/150

you're gonna like MF, there are virtually no carp lenses, the range is comparatively limited, there is little scope for digi willy waving or obsessive micro measurement.
on the flipside, theres always the danger you could turn in to a collector, so its not all good...lol
 
Most of the above I cant answer as I said in the opening post Im clueless LOL but ill answer what i can

I use lee filters,it would be nice to switch film although I plan to use 90% B&W and I think i would want through the lens viewing
 
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frame size im open to anything although I think I would find square hard to get used to
 
As I said at the start I was leaning towards the rb67 (and still am) but was open to opinions
 
6x7 is a gnats nadger away from square, and full fat

seems like your minds made up if you can deal with the bulk
 
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yeah size and weight should be no problem as I take pictures of Mountians rather than from them LOL
 
The RB67 was my introduction into medium format, yes it's big and heavy but it's a great introduction to going fully manual. They are very hard to break and have plenty of interlocks to stop you doing anything stupid while learning the camera, trust me, I've tried everything...

I now have a Mamiya 645, Mamiya RB67 and a Fuji GW690 so I'm covering the non-square formats nicely! Just after a Fuji G612 or G617 next!
 
Now next question, other than ebay and here where is the best place (shop) to get one. Im in N.ireland and there not much here to my knowledge
 
Try an RB67 if you don't like it and buy wisely you can most likely sell it for not far off what you paid for it

http://www.teddingtonphotographic.com/itemForSale.php?type=MEDIUMFORMAT&items=Mamiya&stockno=914768

Seems to have a back and at least a waist level viewfinder

http://www.lcegroup.co.uk/Used/Mamiya-150mm-f/3.5_101343.html

Seems reasonable

Rough but probably very useable 50mm http://www.ffordes.com/product/14012811521081

Note that generally wideangles are generally more sought after and cost corespondingly more.
 
Ffordes, MrCad, MWClassic or many others that some helpful person will list.

I've used Ffordes a couple of times and can recommend them highly.
If you go the ebay route, there is a seller called KWM55 based in Japan who often carries Mamiya gear at good prices, even considering the import and postage. I've bought film backs for the RB67, my Mamiya 645AFD and my Fuji GW690 from him and had excellent service.
 
stumac said:
As I said at the start I was leaning towards the rb67 (and still am) but was open to opinions
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Well if you don't mind the weight I'd be surprised if anyone here said "Don't buy one"...I can't really fault my RB67 for what you use it for, but if I was pushed for a moan it would be that you only get 10 shots for a roll of film...well if your failure rate for shots is 60% then you get 4 shots for the cost of the film and development.....but that's me as I'm careful with my money, well OK I'm a tight ar.. ;)
 
RB67 - brilliant. Now stop faffing and just do it. :)

Seriously, you can't go wrong and will get most, if not all, of your money back if you don't like it.
 
excalibur2 said:
Well if you don't mind the weight I'd be surprised if anyone here said "Don't buy one"...I can't really fault my RB67 for what you use it for, but if I was pushed for a moan it would be that you only get 10 shots for a roll of film...well if your failure rate for shots is 60% then you get 4 shots for the cost of the film and development.....but that's me as I'm careful with my money, well OK I'm a tight ar.. ;)
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ROFL

I'm gonna write that down for brainsorming on the toilet

*thinks*.......*flushes*

I've got good news for you Brian, the 4 big shots that were successful are better than loads of little ones...:D
 
I use an RZ67 for landscapes with 50mm, 65mm, 110mm, and 180mm lenses, and two film backs, one for mono and one for colour. The 180mm lens is usually left in the car. I do frequently carry this kit for several miles, plus tripod, food, and waterproofs. If you are serious about taking the time to create worthwhile images, then the weight is bearable. If you want to take a few pictures whilst out for a walk with family or friends, you might find it's too heavy and your companions may not facilitate you in taking the time to get the most out of the kit.

For Xmas I'm getting a Fuji GA645Zi which will fit into that "out with family" niche and which I envisage using for city trips too - in fact the occasions on which I might previously have been tempted to use 35mm or digital.
 
joxby said:
ROFL

I'm gonna write that down for brainsorming on the toilet

*thinks*.......*flushes*

I've got good news for you Brian, the 4 big shots that were successful are better than loads of little ones...:D
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:D ...and not forgetting the:- "101 ways of ruining a roll of film" thread :eek:
 
Why two cable releases may I ask?
 
probably worth checking the shutter speeds, of my 4 lenses they actually top out at 200-250 instead of 400, so I'm going to be sticking something over the speeds so I'm acurate...

a pc sync cable and a pc sync to hotshoe adapter would be handy for you aswell
 
Thanks all so far for your help but this is where you may want to kick me !!
After a lot more research I'm now open to square format 6x6 so are they many good options?? SQ-A??
 
stumac said:
Thanks all so far for your help but this is where you may want to kick me !!
After a lot more research I'm now open to square format 6x6 so are they many good options?? SQ-A??
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Mamiya C330 and a selection of lenses.....?

or a bit out of the box

http://vintageclassiccamera.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=45&products_id=5500

A nice review here

http://moominsean.blogspot.co.uk/2008/10/please-to-welcomethe-kowa-six.html

and a general Kowa group here

https://www.flickr.com/groups/1584269@N22/

I think I'm talking myself into getting one of these....:D

Andy
 
The Kowa6 is an awesome camera and certainly different from the norm. I took one to Fuertaventura for our family holiday a couple of years ago. Got a funny look from the wife when I packed it but really enjoyed shooting with it. That one linked looked nice although I shot it without a grip.

These are my shots on Flickr from it

https://www.flickr.com/search/?w=8476499@N02&q=kowa

Cheers
Steve
 
h'mm if you are going to crop a sq format camera, you might as well get a Bronica ETRS...get the attachments like speed grip and prism and it's like handling a very large SLR\DSLr and you get 15 shots instead of 12.

View attachment 24514
 
excalibur2 said:
h'mm if you are going to crop a sq format camera, you might as well get a Bronica ETRS...get the attachments like speed grip and prism and it's like handling a very large SLR\DSLr and you get 15 shots instead of 12.

View attachment 24514
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I think this has been discussed before, but I'd recommend the SQ series over the ETR, as the SQ cameras can do everything that the ETR can do (e.g., nearly identical features, accessories, and lens lineup) for the about the same money and size, but you'd have the option of switching between 6x6 and 6x4.5 backs with the SQ and it's far easier to use it with the waist level finder.

The SQ series has to be one of the best values in medium format photography.
 
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