Medium Format

Equ fov for a 50 on 35mm film on 6x6 is 75mm, 6x7 is 80mm and so on, there is very little distortion in a standard MF lens, the main problem particular to shooting portraits with a standard lens is working distance, and the awkwardness of lighting in short working distances especially using flash.
There is no portrait film section because you could count on one hand the number of people specializing in it and thus there isn't the market for it, most people here shoot a broader spectrum of subjects, hardly anyone shoots one thing to the exclusion of everything else so there are no dedicated threads of any genre at all.
tbh, film doesn't lend itself to the volume of posting that digital does in the rest of the forum, partly because it takes more time and effort and partly because the population is much smaller.


It is though.........significantly cooler..:cool:
 
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joxby said:
Equ fov for a 50 on 35mm film on 6x6 is 75mm, 6x7 is 80mm and so on, there is very little distortion in a standard MF lens, the main problem particular to shooting portraits with a standard lens is working distance, and the awkwardness of lighting in short working distances especially using flash.
There is no portrait film section because you could count on one hand the number of people specializing in it and thus there isn't the market for it, most people here shoot a broader spectrum of subjects, hardly anyone shoots one thing to the exclusion of everything else so there are no dedicated threads of any genre at all.
tbh, film doesn't lend itself to the volume of posting that digital does in the rest of the forum, partly because it takes more time and effort and partly because the population is much smaller.


It is though.........significantly cooler..:cool:
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True, but I bet a lot of people have taken portraits on film[emoji4][emoji106]

I think it may well be quality over quantity in that thread, but that's no bad thing!!
 
I have shot almost no portraits on film but I really want to and this thread is definitely inspiring me to give it a go. My long term ambition is to shoot on large format with a suitably old petzval type lens but I'll probably start off with mf and work up. :D

Cheers folks.
 
Thread.....thread......:) thread, eye there's a thread, obnoxiously lovely and long overdue a resurrection too, I thought you were angling for a section...lol

Thread away :D
 
Andysnap said:
I have shot almost no portraits on film but I really want to and this thread is definitely inspiring me to give it a go. My long term ambition is to shoot on large format with a suitably old petzval type lens but I'll probably start off with mf and work up. :D

Cheers folks.
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My aim also would be to shoot some portraits on large format. Preferably 10x8 but will settle for 5x4 initially. :)
 
You can miss out an entire section of workflow with 10x8, shoot straight to print, that is a massively attractive move for me..:D
 
joxby said:
Thread.....thread......:) thread, eye there's a thread, obnoxiously lovely and long overdue a resurrection too, I thought you were angling for a section...lol

Thread away :D
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Ooh no. Not a section. Just somewhere to easily find them!!
 
From : https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bronica

Sq-A Introduced 1982...
SQ-Ai: Introduced December 1990,[6] production discontinued December 2003.[9] Added the following functionality to the SQ-A. Ability to add the motor drive SQ-i and off the film (TTL-OTF) metering with select flash guns. These changes required the addition of a circuit board which also required the battery compartment to be "flattened." The single 6v cell was replaced with four 1.5 volt "button" cells. A bulb 'B' setting was added to the shutter speed selector. The film-back was also modified again with the introduction of the SQ-Ai, relocating the ISO dial to the rear of the film-back (rather than on top) to allow the speed setting to be seen better with a prism attached. Exposure compensation control was also added to the new SQ-Ai film-back, with the ISO range extended to 6400
 
IIRC, the SQA will fire at 1/500 without a battery, but the SQAi won't fire at all without a battery. This might not matter to you at all, or it might matter a lot under the right circumstance.
 
My only other consideration now is availability of lenses. Probably want a longer focal length!

A friends daughter is studying photography at college and will model for me to test out the fillum camera! She got excited looking at a pic of the bronicas ground glass. We agreed that it was like camera porn!!
 
Sir SR said:
So does it matter which one I get[emoji53]
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Results will be identical. I prefer the SQ-A, as there's more metal in the construction and the battery compartment is a lot less fiddly. The SQ-Ai offers TTL flash, however, if that interests you, although you'd need to acquire the requisite cable and flash to do it.

My order of preference in the SQ series is SQ-A, SQ-B, SQ-Ai, SQ-Am, and then SQ. That said, they're about 95% the same, so I'd prefer a pristine SQ-Ai over a beaten SQ-A, for instance.

The Bronica GS-1 could be an option too, as you can shoot 6x7, 6x6, and 6x4.5 with that camera, if you pick up the appropriate back.

Sir SR said:
My only other consideration now is availability of lenses. Probably want a longer focal length!
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For portraits with the SQ series, it's all about the Zenzanon PS 180mm lens f/4.5 . Wow, one of the top portrait lenses in medium format and it can focus very close for medium format.

The Zenzanon PS 135mm f/4 is also pretty good, as is the PS and S 150mm, although the 150mm doesn't focus very close and typically requires extension tubes for tighter shots. A bit of a sleeper lens is the Zenzanon S 105mm f/3.5, which I always enjoyed too.

abdoujaparov said:
IIRC, the SQA will fire at 1/500 without a battery, but the SQAi won't fire at all without a battery. This might not matter to you at all, or it might matter a lot under the right circumstance.
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You're right, although the capability to shoot without a battery is sometimes a drawback, as I've found out... When the SQ-Ai stops firing, you immediately know something is wrong... The SQ-A on the other hand... you don't know until you start shooting slower shutter speeds or develop your film.

Theoretically, I think all SQ cameras may still be able to shoot without a battery though through the use of the T-exposure mode on the lens (except for the PS/B lenses, which were designed for the SQ-B and didn't have a T-exposure switch). The T-exposure setting is really for longer exposures though.
 
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Shaheed - I noticed your comment on the D750 thread but never really picked up with you. I'm thinking about selling my entire Mamiya kit. It's an RZ67 Pro II with a few lenses and it works really well. Not in perfect condition (given its age, hardly surprising) but any nicks etc. are just cosmetic.

If you're interested, I could fire up some pictures of it, but here's a silly wide angle snap of the beast:

15378460313_aef97fea97_b.jpg


As well as my favourite picture of my daughter which I took with it on (I think) Ilford, printed onto Ilford by me. We have it hanging on the wall and it means far more than any of the digital snaps I've shot because of the whole process. The composition is dreadful and full of clutter (not helped by choice of aperture), the exposure is adequate, but I still love the picture:

15903157868_625aa5082a_b.jpg
 
pjm1 said:
Shaheed - I noticed your comment on the D750 thread but never really picked up with you. I'm thinking about selling my entire Mamiya kit. It's an RZ67 Pro II with a few lenses and it works really well. Not in perfect condition (given its age, hardly surprising) but any nicks etc. are just cosmetic.

If you're interested, I could fire up some pictures of it, but here's a silly wide angle snap of the beast:

15378460313_aef97fea97_b.jpg


As well as my favourite picture of my daughter which I took with it on (I think) Ilford, printed onto Ilford by me. We have it hanging on the wall and it means far more than any of the digital snaps I've shot because of the whole process. The composition is dreadful and full of clutter (not helped by choice of aperture), the exposure is adequate, but I still love the picture:

15903157868_625aa5082a_b.jpg
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I love the eye contact and the interaction in that pic - I totally get why you love it!!

Being a total film novice, I'm going to google the rz67 pro II and get back to you!
 
It's probably been mentioned a few times in this thread, Shaheed... rotating 6*7 back, weighs as much as a small horse, allegedly excellent lenses, bit more electronic than it's RB67 predecessor... and that's all stuff picked up over the years on here rather than direct experience!
 
ChrisR said:
It's probably been mentioned a few times in this thread, Shaheed... rotating 6*7 back, weighs as much as a small horse, allegedly excellent lenses, bit more electronic than it's RB67 predecessor... and that's all stuff picked up over the years on here rather than direct experience!
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Yup... the weight is definitely worth factoring in. I hand held mine around Glasgow for a day as part of a B&W film photography course and by the end of it I couldn't wait to get the tripod out. However, there's nothing quite like looking through that waist level viewfinder :D And 6x7 negs are just the mutts nuts to handle and enlarge from :)
 
It's mainly going to be used for portraits. I did quite like the look of the Veronica's for the price though. If imagine the mamiya will be more pricey!
 
Sir SR said:
Offered one for 500 ish with 80 and 100mm lens, w/l and 45degree Finder. Sound reasonable?
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This sounds quite cheap, but I'm sure there's a whole range of things you should check before you take the plunge. I'm sure others are more qualified to tell you about those.
 
Sir SR said:
It's mainly going to be used for portraits. I did quite like the look of the Veronica's for the price though. If imagine the mamiya will be more pricey!
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The RZ67 is without a doubt my favourite camera as it is remarkably nice to use and the results are always sublime. The focus screen is red as that is the colour of the filter I was using for B&W.
View through RZ67 by Kyle, on Flickr
Mamiya RZ67 Pro II by Kyle, on Flickr

RZ67's are still dirt cheap at present. Pro IID's command a huge premium as they are easily compatible with digital backs with less cables and faff. Pro II's are a little more than the ordinary Pro model as they have extra bits like half stop shutter speeds, a dedicated RB Lens mode and a fine focus adjustment control.(that seems to be damaged on a lot) The lenses to look at for portraiture are the 110mm f2.8 (50 equiv) and the 180mm f4.5 (85 equiv). I went for the alternatives which were 65mm (35 equiv), 127mm (65 equiv) and will be getting a 210mm APO (105 equiv) at some point. The best backs to go for are Pro II's as they have no light seals to degrade over time. RZ67's have the advantage of being smaller and lighter than RB67's whilst retaining the ability to use RB lenses and RZ lenses. (like in the image above, that 127mm f3.5 is a lens from an RB with both shutter speed and aperture rings) It's great because I can use that combo with no battery and still get the full range of shutter speeds. (RZ lenses default to 1/400s in mechanical mode)
 
Sir SR said:
Offered one for 500 ish with 80 and 100mm lens, w/l and 45degree Finder. Sound reasonable?
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It would depend entirely on condition. It's a very good price if the kit is in decent working order.

For that price though, even if it works, I would imagine it's definitely one of the older bodies and old C lenses, which are very quirky to use.
 
Sir SR said:
What lenses do you have with it?
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Will double check and let you know... a good few!

Edited to add:

50mm f/4.5
90mm f/3.5
110mm f/2.8
180mm f/4.5

Also cable release and std waist level finder. 120 film back - I think just the one as I can't find a second one...

Lenses are in awesome nick, just had a look and now wanting to get out there and shoot with them again!
 
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pjm1 said:
Will double check and let you know... a good few!

Edited to add:

50mm f/4.5
90mm f/3.5
110mm f/2.8
180mm f/4.5

Also cable release and std waist level finder. 120 film back - I think just the one as I can't find a second one...

Lenses are in awesome nick, just had a look and now wanting to get out there and shoot with them again!
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What's the rough ball park figure? Not conducting a trade just need to know so that if it's feasible we can go to the classifieds. If it's out of price range then not!
 
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pjm1 said:
Will try to work out what I paid and knock an appropriate amount off that for wear & tear when I get back tonight if that's ok... again, just to avoid contravening the trading rules this is all hypothetical at this stage!
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If it's feasible, I'll put a wanted ad in the classifieds.
 
@pjm1 No you didn't!!

I've got my final sign off before starting my grown up job tomorrow, and that happens tone down the road from a second hand camera shop!!
 
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