Medium Format: What are the options?

AshleyC

AshleyC

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Ive been itching to get an old medium format film camera. The only one ive ever really heard much about is the Mamiya 645 Pro which sounds like a nice bit of kit. I'm planning to spend around £600 on a setup with maybe a 2nd lens and any little trinkets that would come with it. Apart from the mamiya what else in that range would also fit the bill? I want one mainly for landscape work but the odd portrait would happen too.
 
Should be able to get a Hasselblad 500c/m kit for that money.

Could also buy a Mamiya RB67 kit + a couple of extra lenses for the same amount.
 
Another option would be Bronica GS-1 or a SQAi/ETRSi with a spare lens for that money.
 
The cameras mentioned do vary from 6x4.5cm to 6x7cm. There's even a 6x17 Fuji but that's a bit more than £600. I started off with a cheap Yashica TLR doing 6x6 and decided I'd not want to go any smaller so 645 was out for me. Worth thinking about what size you want as that cuts the options down.

Also do you want built in metering or happy to use a separate handheld meter or even guesswork, that limits the options a bit too.
 
Yeah id defenitly prefer built in metering and i noticed one of the viewfinders for the 645 does that. I didnt think there would be much affordable hasselblad's out there after checking some of their models on ebay.

Thanks for all the reccomendations though, i'll read up about them all and see whats what.
 
You could just about get a blad if you wanted and had some time to wait for a goodun, I saw one for £600 from Mifsuds recently with a non-T* lens but that's now gone . It wouldn't leave you much room for other kit in your budget and the lenses do tend to be quite pricey. Plus it's all mechanical so you'd need an external meter.
 
What medium format ratio do you want to shoot? 6x4? 6x6? 6x7?

Decide that first, and then make your choice from there. The cameras mentioned will all produce big negatives, but very different ratio'd negatives.
 
A Pentax 6x7 MU or 67 MU can be got from places like Ffordes for around £350 with a TTL prism which leaves you £200 or so for a lens.
 
essexash said:
I want one mainly for landscape work but the odd portrait would happen too.
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A coupe of things to consider if landscape is your priority:

You'll likely need a fairly substantial tripod to support the camera.

645 bodies are, by and large, much easier to hand hold. 6x6 it's liable to be a close call depending on the exact camera and lens but probably advisable; for 6x7 or 6x9 it's probably mandatory to use a tripod.

Are you thinking of using it in places reasonably accessible by car and a short walk, or are you wanting to go hiking with it? Even without considering a tripod, lugging an RB67 with a tripod up a mountainside is likely to be more of a challenge than carrying a Mamiya 645 Pro with you.

Twin lens reflexes are usually much lighter, but have their obvious limitations as they usually have fixed lenses (with the exception of the Mamiya C330 and similar but that's a lot heavier). Most of them don't have creature comforts like built in TTL metering.
 
The above posts about covered it for that price range. With a Hassy System V camera, you'd have to get the older C lenses to keep costs down. The CF/CFi lenses still cost much more than most other MF cameras.

I shoot a 500C/M and a Pentax 6x7 with a WLF on a compact, carbon fiber tripod all the time for lenses under 200mm focal length. You have mirror lockup on both those cameras. And with a WLF, you really don't raise the camera to standing eye-level where a compact tripod is now weak. Raised to waist level or so were they are plenty sturdy if you have a good head on it.

With the P6x7, you just hang your camera bag on the tripod and put your hand on top of the camera and push down a little with shutter speeds below 1/125th. And of course the 500C/M is pure leaf shutter when you lock up the barn doors and doesn't need much in the way of super sturdy support. And the P6x7 can be pure leaf shutter too with the SMC Takumar 90mm LS lens.

I hike a lot and have taken both of those cameras up mountains and week-long excursions into the wilderness using a compact tripod.
 
simonjessop said:
Mamiya RB67 - loverly mechancal bit of kit.
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+1...and in a backpack you don't notice the weight, and on a sunny day you don't need a tripod unless doing something special.

RB67 with 180mm lens hand held
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crop of above, not too bad without a tripod.
crop-1.jpg
 
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thats loads of great info, thanks all :) lots of reading to do now.

yeah ive got a pretty substantial tripod, its a redsnapper, feels like its made of cast iron and it would take a hurricane to wobble it!
 
another option, for very little money (ie, £100 incl. rangefinder and meter) is to get an old 6x9 folder like the voigtlander bessa or (my personal camera) an agfa record ii. Don't be put off by the age, their lenses are still very sharp.

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^ sooc crap scan
 
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I'll second the suggestion of starting out with a 6x9 folder, the easiest way to start dabbling in MF and it'll be a conveniently pocketable spare camera if you move on to something larger.
 
markmullen said:
I recently bought a Mamiya 645AFD for less than £500 with two backs and the 80mm lens, am loving to use it for landscapes, looking forward to getting my first films processed.

To use it is pretty much like a dSLR and is not really any heavier or bulkier than my 1 series kit.

In time I fancy a digital back for it.
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wowsa you got a good deal there :clap:

edit: also, if anyone wants an old folder, dont cheap out on a battered example, spend a little more to get a nice condition one, instead of one with dodgy shutter speeds
 
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I'm just waiting for a Zeiss Nettar to turn up for the very same reasons, £15 and the pics looked very tidy and I've been assured it all works. Hopefully today we will see :)
 
I bought an RZ67 recently as my first venture into film, and I couldn't be happier.

Be warned, shooting a 35mm or cropped dslr afterwards just feels a bit......naff
 
I got a Mamiya 645Pro with AE head, 45mm, 80mm, two 120 backs and power winder for £400 on ebay a while back. So bargains can be had if you keep your eyes peeled.

Lovely kit to use but best on a tripod. Slows you down and makes you think a bit more.
 
Also think about the ever increasing market for secondhand digital backs. A few more years and they will become affordable to all.

So take time looking at used backs and what cameras they fit. Blad & Mamiya seem to be most common.

Tom
 
Mamiya 330s TLR with 55mm,80mm and 135mm .All at good price,look for the blue dot lenses,most up to date
 
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Bronica SQ's. I bought an SQ-Ai 5 years back. 6x6 format, but you can also get film backs to take 6x45 shots. Mamiya RB67, or RZ67 are both great as you can just turn the backs to upright shots if you want. Nearly went for the Bronica GS1 but they do not have the revolving back such as the Mamiya.
 
raathistle said:
Or a Mamiya 6, even more fantastic as it's a 6x6
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QFT..
b13



however, the budget is getting a hiding..lol

Though I gotta say, the 6 is a legend in its own lifetime, its not till you use the thing for a while that you appreciate what a piece of gear it is.
It has its limitations of course being a range finder an all, but its what I measure every camera I own against, I only have the Bronica really for the lens range and closer focussing.
It is totally totally reliable, get the images merged and its sharp as hell 100% of the time and the metering never fails either, even with slide, the only losses I've ever had have been operator error.
I just wish you could fill the frame with face
b13
 
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