Well if it's a hobby and there is no impulse decision and you have read the pros and cons and it is what you want to do...then go for it. As you will be buying/selling S/H I'm sure there would be no financial loss going forward or back.
For me I've never ever wanted to go LF, so can't help out with experience.
My LF is few and far. Expensive! I love it but I feel MF is better for me. I'd never give up my LF. There's just so much of a 5x4 that's exacting, though. Very exacting.
I'm probably gonna stick with MF for more than I am with LF, TBH.
That said, a LF neg or slide is amazing.
It's up to you. Is it for p*ss*ng higher up the wall or for a real benefit to you as a photographer? It was the former for me but I got enmeshed lol. As a get-out, I have a 6x9 back for my LF but even that's poorly usable as opposed to a genuine 6x6/7/9/12.
It is indeed only a hobby, but one I take fairly seriously tbh. It's my only real escape from everything else. It's by no means for leaving my scent higher on a wall, no. Exacting and technical stuff is not a problem tbh... It's something I feel I could learn relatively quickly.
It's like a completely different hobby. Most medium format functions essentially the same as the smaller formats, but is just bigger. The convenience of roll film, the comparatively high levels of portability and ease of set up can't be underestimated.
When I'm out and about casual shooting with my LF I have 8 shots, maybe 10 for the whole day. I'm also carrying more weight than your RB67 which is more cumbersome.
Having said all that I still love it, but i would seriously recommend you try one out first to see if it suits
I agree with all what has been said above!
Its a learning curve but it forces you to slow down so much that your images have to improve, it is also very exciting. If I was still in Newbury you could have had a go with mine but there are a few photographers that offer taster days.
Yes, it will slow you down and make you think even harder about composition and framing. Get a roll film back and you will have the best of both words.
Shooting wide open also gives you a look only sheet film can do and the movements are something you can't live without very quickly.
Also if you can, have a look at a 30"x20" drum scanned c-type print
Only problem is you will soon be wanting a 10x8 and a bad back to go with it.
This is exactly it chaps. I do indeed need to try it first. 10x8 costs silly money, so I highly doubt I'll get into that. The level of detail in 5x4 is easily enough for me.
You haven't said why you want LF Woodsy. I want it too, but more for the movements than the negative size. Personally if I could afford it I'd go with Ed's recommendation of a LF camera with a 120 roll film back. That way I don't need a new scanner, enlarger or developing gear.
The movements, the neg size, the time it takes, the almost forced improvement of results, and i know this sounds strange, but I want it such that I only use it for photos that I know will be worth taking. Even with MF I still find myself taking "more than a few" photos. Equally I suppose therein lies the disadvantage of having a fairly large film stock.
I use digital for everything. Landscapes, street etc. The LF would be for landscapes only, where I'd have the time to set it up. My reservation in going ahead with it currently is my lack of confidence I suppose in composing shots. MF currently is great because it's cost effective enough to make mistakes whilst providing good enough quality over digital to really get keep shots, if you catch my drift? So basically I'm stuck in a loop of wanting to improve and not feeling good enough to warrant making the move. *frustration*
I have both LF and MF cameras. If I only had a LF camera, I'd be shooting it a lot more than I do now but I also wouldn't be out taking as many pictures, as often and with as varied a subject matter as I do now.
See this is it... do you shoot digital as well? Because I do, and I find that I'm not held back in what I shoot because of it. Should I rely on film only, you're absolutely right, LF would not be the way to go; at least not currently anyway.
I think the bottom line, as already said, is that I need to have a go at it first before making a decision. The thing is, will moving away from MF be a bad move? I don't see the point in having digital, MF and LF all at the same time, so do I stick with MF?
