Travelling with MF

Kev M

Kev M

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I'm toying ith the idea of getting another MF camera for my travels. I do a bit of travel with work and would love to take my bronica but it's not practical due to the size of my kit bag and the excess baggage penalties involved.

I'm thinking one of those ameras where the lens fold in and out might fit the bill but I don't know where to start.

Firstly what are the problems with them?

Secondly do the bellows crack or are there other problems and can they be fixed with black bodge tape?

Lastly, what makes/models should I look at wand what should I avoid, preferably in the £50-60 region and preferably with a flash sync socket (but not essential).
 
I think you're looking at a rangefinder ?
If so do you need metering.
Are we stuck at 6x6 ?
Anything with leather bellows on show will probably be pretty old.
 
The bellows have a tendency to crack and to come away at both ends. The shutters become less accurate over time - particularly if the camera has been stored for a long time with the shutter cocked.

Depending on the folding mechanism used it can be easy to accidentally bend the supports at the lens end which makes accurate focus impossible.

All of these things can be rectified at a cost.

Perhaps a better option to consider would be an inexpensive TLR. With a bit of luck you sould be just about able to find one of the more basic Rolleicords close to your budget and certainly you should be able to find a Yashica A. The Rolleicord V would probably stretch things a bit too far on the money but they hold their value very well as there are a lot of collectors out there.
 
Not sure about the TLR - they're just taller where the Bronny is longer so same sort of bulk I'd think? One here anyway..

Ebay

A folder here...

Schmeabay

The Ikonta looks nice but it has a way to go and is likely to attract collectors I think.
 
Yeah, its still a big boxy thing.
I dunno, I'd be tempted to look into the 35mm market on that budget, unless M/F is essential.
With an old bellows 6x6, I'd feel I needed some back-up in case the worst happened, and that kinda defeats the object/ethos of rangefinders.
 
Agreed. I was going to suggest a 35mm rangefinder for travelling, but I dunno how strongly Kev feels about that.
 
Kev M said:
due to the size of my kit bag and the excess baggage penalties involved.
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Maybe there's back-up in the kit bag.:shrug:
I didn't connect the bag with any other camera gear, just assumed it was a tooth brush and spare y fronts :LOL:
It'd be a shame to go somewhere cool with a 50 year old rangefinder, and it conk out with no back-up.
 
CT said:
Agreed. I was going to suggest a 35mm rangefinder for travelling, but I dunno how strongly Kev feels about that.
Click to expand...

I wouldn't say I'm dead set against 35mm but I do love the bigger negatives and because I don't shoot loads and loads it's good not to have half a roll sitting around waiting for the next oppportunity. 120 is good for that, I like the fact that eash roll is finshed relatively quickly. I'll think about 35mm though.

joxby said:
Maybe there's back-up in the kit bag.:shrug:
I didn't connect the bag with any other camera gear, just assumed it was a tooth brush and spare y fronts :LOL:
It'd be a shame to go somewhere cool with a 50 year old rangefinder, and it conk out with no back-up.
Click to expand...

Admittedly my camera gear could be thinned down. My Bag with SQA body, 80mm, 50mm, flashes, batteries, triggers, spare back, polaroid and prism must weigh 10-15kg easy. For travel I could thin it down weight wise but the body, back and lens is quite bulky still. When I travel my hold luggage is normally on or over the liit already and that's just with clothes, wash kit, work boots, overalls, hand tools etc etc. With airlines charging about £10 per kilo for excess baggage I can't justifiably then stick in even the minimum gear because I'm not going to pass that cost onto an unsuspecting customer and it's not practical to try and seperate my personal baggage excess from the work excess *** invoicing. Hence the reason for wanting to travel light, beside it won't hurt me to travel with a simpler setup.

I can't take it as hand luggage either as I have to carry a bag aready stuffed with laptop, charger, external HDD, diary, paperwork etc etc.

If I get the lubitel back from it's travels I suppose I could take that but despite it's charms, permanent soft focus isn't always desireable ;)
 
Despite the appeal of the bigger negative, perhaps you should reconsider 35mm over MF.

Your dislike of a part-finished roll sitting in the camera could be overcome by using smaller rolls as most types are available in 12 or 24 exposure lengths.

This would open up a huge range of cameras both SLR and rangefinder. Even something like a my Nikon F3 is relatively light in weight if you leave the motor drive at home and restrict yourself to a couple of prime lenses.
 
How about one of these?
http://www.voigtlander.com/cms/voigtlaender/voigtlaender_cms.nsf/id/pa_fdih7jzkae.html

Should fit the bill.
Nice big negative, it folds and cos is's voigtlander, superb lens is a given. And it's new, so no cracked bellows to worry about, plus a warranty. Don't know what they are likely to cost though.

I must admit that I like the look of it VERYmuch...Pity the chances of getting a bonus next year are about the same as Shergar winning the Cheltenham Gold Cup.:crying:
 
That thing looks perfect but something tells me it might blow the budget a bit. Even if I get a bonus the wife would do her nut if she knew I bought one of them.
 
I think Fuji's GF670 is sexier, they'll sell loads at £650......if they ever make it..:(


PMA08_04.jpg
 
joxby said:
I think Fuji's GF670 is sexier, they'll sell loads at £650......if they ever make it..:(
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I think they are actually the same camera. One's black the other's chrome. Look at the lens: both have a maximum aperture of f3.5 and the controls are the same, right down to the milled focusing tab on the lens.

It doesn't surprise me: after all the Hassleblad Xpan was made by Fuji.

Either way. It doesn't matter who makes it. Both Fuji and Cosina (Voigtlander) make stunning lenses.

I read somewhere that this baby should be available early next year. Fingers crossed!
 
I think you're right, you can't see the arms that extend the bellows properly on the Bessa because they're black, the Fuji prototype looks to have 21st century bellows too.
On one hand it looks more and more likely it will be manufactured which is great, on the other its a shame there isn't gonna be 2 different manufacturers of new 6x7 rangefinders to choose from.
 
Mamiya 6 or mamiya 7 are stunning cameras with fabulous lenses....Fuji did a smaller version of the one in the pictures the Fuji 645 - again a rangefinder. I have never used one but heard good things from other folks who did - but limiting with fixed lens....the mamiya 6 would be my first choice, square format and handier camera, quirky lens changing - remember to draw the curtain before taking the lens off! You only do it once, believe me! After that, the whisper quiet shutter and absolutely stunning images will lift your heart every time you put a film on the lightbox...
 
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