G.A.S rangefinder or medium format?

J

jabes001

Messages
5
Name
Nikko
Edit My Images
Yes
Good day fellow internet people,

I was gifted a Nikon FM2 along with two lenses (Nikon 50mm f/1.4 AI and Nikon 35mm f/2 AI-S) for Christmas from my Ex. Have been hooked on photography since.

I’m a fan of Fan Ho, Brassaï and Sebastian Salgado. That rich contrast and vivid detail look. Please feel free to share similar photographers. I am always on the look out to learn more.

To the main point. I’ve caught the gear acquisition syndrome bug and am looking to either acquire a rangefinder or medium format camera. Preferably I would like to get a camera which will still operate without batteries. For rangefinders I’m looking at the Leica M6, Bessa R4M or Zeiss Ikon. (yes i know the Zeiss Ikon needs batteries to operate however from my research it seems like its worth putting into the mix) As for medium format I’m looking at either the Mamiya 7ii or Pentax 67ii (yes i know both require batteries)

Are any of the options i've listed the right direction if I want to get similar vibes as the great photographers I’ve mentioned above? If not what are your recommendations?
I know that the camera doesn’t make the photographer but G.A.S and I’ve saved up a bit of money and feel like living it up a little.
​
 
Perhaps ask the question in the Film and Conventional section as you'll probably find some of the regulars in there have owned/used both these options and can give you some good advice. Not all of them stray into the wilds of the rest of the forum so may not see this here. ;)
 
As a toe in the medium format water you will get a lot more for your money with a Bronica SQ or even a Hasselblad 500cm and there is nothing like looking at the world through a waist level finder
 
Have a look at the old folders for MF as well - Agfa Isolette, Certo Six etc will set you back less than a newer MF for a more portable package. And the modernish Cosina Voigtlander Bessa R*M (2, 3, or 4 refer to which framelines are available - M mount range finders) are worth a look as well.
 
I found TLRs much more comfortable for street photography (check out Vivian Maier) as you're looking down, but there's nowt wrong with a good 35mm rangefinder.

Personally, I wouldn't use the Pentax 67 for street photography involving anything that requires a reaction because it's a honking big camera. The Mamiya 7 would do the job I suppose but again, it's big and very electronic.

My R3M and M6 both require batteries - but only to operate the meter. Any R*A are automatic I believe so that's why I avoided the ones ending in A. If I had to part with one of them, I wouldn't. I love the 40mm frame, so the R3M is best for that, and my M6 gets used for 35mm work. The Bessa feels chunkier and has a more reassuring sound than the "click" of the M6. Loading an M6 with film is sublime.

I have a variety of MF and 35mm cameras. For me, 40mm is the sweet spot, so my ideal street camera would be the Bessa. If I was going for 120 film, I'd use a TLR. Personally, I have a Rolleiflex K4B, but anything will do.
 
sirch said:
As a toe in the medium format water you will get a lot more for your money with a Bronica SQ or even a Hasselblad 500cm and there is nothing like looking at the world through a waist level finder
Click to expand...
Have been asking around in other forums as well and it seems everyone is recommending the Hasselblad, will definitely check it out. Thanks for the advice.
 
Shugpug said:
Have a look at the old folders for MF as well - Agfa Isolette, Certo Six etc will set you back less than a newer MF for a more portable package. And the modernish Cosina Voigtlander Bessa R*M (2, 3, or 4 refer to which framelines are available - M mount range finders) are worth a look as well.
Click to expand...
Hi Shugpug, i figured that getting a "branded" MF would be a better choice as there's always resale value, thus my choices. Yeah am really liking the Bessa, managed to try out an R3M the other day, the only issue is prices for the R*M system seem to be at an all time high and i'm not too sure if they'll hold their value. As such the Leica seemed like a steady sort of purchase based on historical pricing and the market for them currently seems pretty fairly valued.
 
Harlequin565 said:
I found TLRs much more comfortable for street photography (check out Vivian Maier) as you're looking down, but there's nowt wrong with a good 35mm rangefinder.

Personally, I wouldn't use the Pentax 67 for street photography involving anything that requires a reaction because it's a honking big camera. The Mamiya 7 would do the job I suppose but again, it's big and very electronic.

My R3M and M6 both require batteries - but only to operate the meter. Any R*A are automatic I believe so that's why I avoided the ones ending in A. If I had to part with one of them, I wouldn't. I love the 40mm frame, so the R3M is best for that, and my M6 gets used for 35mm work. The Bessa feels chunkier and has a more reassuring sound than the "click" of the M6. Loading an M6 with film is sublime.

I have a variety of MF and 35mm cameras. For me, 40mm is the sweet spot, so my ideal street camera would be the Bessa. If I was going for 120 film, I'd use a TLR. Personally, I have a Rolleiflex K4B, but anything will do.
Click to expand...

Hey Harlequin, thanks for the pointers. Everyone has been recommending TLR'S and the Hassy 500, i'll definitely be checking them out for the MF part.
As for 35mm RF's my question/concern is if they'll be able to "replicate' the Fan Ho, Brassai kinda look. I know they can't ever really be compared as they're different formats and the two photographers i mentioned both shot on Rollei's specifically but could a 35mm RF ever get that kind of contrast and feel. If so, which 35mm RF would you say is closest/recommend?
 
Last edited:
Hi, I am not sure my advice will help... ---

I own and have used a Leica M6 since 1988, and a ROLLEI 2.8GX and a Fuji GS645, to mention MF.

In 2003, I went digital, and have not used any analogue camera since then.

Cartrigdes and 120 films I threw away. (And scanned all my slides and negatives.) ---

Since 2010 I use a Leica M9 (and other cameras). The M9 gives you analogue handling and look, but is digital. A good one with new sensor is around € 2000.

I am so satisfied with it, that I bought another one (used).

But my best wishes, if you get an M6 ! I was very happy with it ... ---
 
jabes001 said:
my question/concern is if they'll be able to "replicate' the Fan Ho, Brassai kinda look.
Click to expand...

[Myopnion]
Either will do it. The camera is just a box at the end of the day. Brassai died the year the M6 was released... You could maybe argue a case for using a camera designed for square to make square images (TLR) though.

The "look" that these photographers achieved was largely down to their exceptional talent as photographers at paying attention to the world around them and composition - check out Elliot Erwitt. It had little to do with the camera. Perhaps you could argue that the lens had something to do with it, but M mount rangefinder lenses are all exceptional. In terms of replicating contrast, things like film choice, development times and printing choices all have far more impact on the image than the camera body. Nothing quite compares to the "richness" of a properly made darkroom print.

Aside from practise at noticing, the biggest step you could probably take towards replicaitng their "look" would be with film choice and post processing techniques (or proper darkroom printing if you have the capability). And you can do that with the FM2!
[/Myopinion]

Hope that helps some... Oh, and welcome to TP!
 
Last edited:
jabes001 said:
I was gifted a Nikon FM2 along with two lenses (Nikon 50mm f/1.4 AI and Nikon 35mm f/2 AI-S) for Christmas from my Ex.
Click to expand...

WoWza.

I don't even talk to any of mine.

I've given up on film. I gave away or sold most of my film stuff and now enjoy a Sony A7 often with manual film era lenses for the best of both worlds. I get to MF with lovely to use manual lenses and I process the pictures on my PC without the need to wait for the results.

I did have a Bassa R, a lovely camera, I had just one lens, a Voigtlander 35mm f2.5 MC color skopar. I wish I'd kept that lens.
 
Just to put the GAS cat amongst the retro pigeons, if it's street photography using film that you want to do then have you considered a more modern approach? For instance, a Canon EOS 30 will give you auto-focus with eye selectable focus points (you choose the AF point in the viewfinder just by looking at it). It's also very quite for a 35mm film SLR. Couple that with a Canon EF 40mm STM pancake lens (which is so small and compact you hardly know it's there) and you'll have a nice, fast, set up for street photography, with a really handy focal length.

Also, because Canon's designs were so far ahead of their time, it looks virtually indistinguishable from a present day DSLR (apart from having no screen on the back), which means you won't get pestered by elderly men and hipsters who want to talk about your rangefinder, TLR, MF SLR, etc. Trust me, that can be a bonus if you want to remain fairly inconspicuous and concentrate of people watching and capturing the 'decisive moment'.

Cost? An EOS 30 in full working 'excellent' to 'mint-' condition should be able to be found for between £40 and £60 on a well known auction site if you're patient. Add a used 40mm pancake lens with warranty from somewhere like MPB for less than £100 and it's a damned sight cheaper set up than a medium format SLR or a Voigtlander, and I'll bet your success rate will be better with the EOS 30 too! Yes, it does take batteries (2 x CR123A) but they seem to last for ages.

So there you are, a cost-effective alternative, if you can do without the retro look and the inconvenience of everything being horizontally the wrong way round in a TLR viewfinder, and/or struggling to see the image on a waist-level focusing screen with a TLR or medium format SLR in dull conditions or bright overhead sunlight.

Don't get me wrong, I very much enjoy using an old medium format TLR, folder or SLR, but would I want to use one for street photography all the time? No, that's the sort of situation that made 35mm SLRs so popular once they became available. :)
 
I have a Leica M6, but unfortunately it hasn't made me shoot like Brassai, Fan Ho or Salgado! I tell myself that's because Fan Ho used a Rolleiflex, Brassai used plate cameras and a Rolleiflex, and Salgado preferred Leica's SLRs. But I have a sneaking suspicion it's not about the camera...

Seriously, you have a great camera and two fine lenses that can do anything you want. Many superb photographs have been taken by this or similar Nikons by renowned photographers. Your self-diagnosis of GAS is correct. If you want more contrast and detail, look at focus, exposure, film and development and consider using a tripod. If that's not enough, move up to any medium format system you fancy or a high resolution digital. Salgado is using Canon dSLRs these days.

That said, Leicas are nice to use and the M6 is a good choice, though it has shot up in price in the last few years, as have the lenses. You are probably looking at over £3000 at dealer prices even if you choose older versions of the lenses to get a similar setup to what you have now. Try before you buy. Not everyone who is used to SLRs likes rangefinders as much as they imagine they will. It's harder to keep horizons straight. On the M6, rangefinder patch flare and the undersized 50mm framelines are just things you have to work around. If you want to shoot with anything longer than a 75mm on a standard 0.72 viewfinder M6, be aware that you'll be using a pretty small proportion of the finder to frame your shots, and at the other end the 28mm framelines have very little eye relief (it's hard to see the whole frame at once, especially if you have glasses). Removing the baseplate to load the camera is like stepping back to the 1950s. The clever but odd little canted rewind crank is an acquired taste. But for all that, there's something about using these cameras that for some people makes them worth putting up with this stuff:

http://digitaljournalist.org/issue9801/nutsandbolts9801.htm
 
Update: I tried out a couple TLR’s and the Hasselblad 500.... but the pull of the Pentax was too strong. Snagged a handsome minty late 67 MLU along with the SMC 55mm f4 lens for $650
Thanks for the advice and comments everyone :) Cheers
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top