calling all (film) photography types...(i know theres a few of you here)

hi all film photography types... im asking just about everybody that has any knowledge on the subject, i need some advice and recommendations.

im looking to purchase a medium format camera in the next few months, and im wondering whats good (apart from a hasselblad, which i cannot afford.) ive been using 35mm for so long and im craving a new viewpoint!!

i will be using it mainly for portraiture, street photography and arty-farty stuff.
taking arty-farty photos of volksies is very very high on the list (because i just love taking pictures of volksies!)
film and development is not a problem (dads helping me build a darkroom under their house) price on the other hand is... i dont want to spend more than $1000 on the outfit.

any advice and suggestions are muchly appreciated 🙂
(and if anyone has any such cameras for sale, please let me know!!)
thanks in advance!

Sadly you find much in medium format for less than a grand. The glass is what is gonna set you back. Not many good zooms in MF. You could probably pick up good second hand body for about $300-$500. Lenses on the otherhand, even 2nd hand are rare under $500 a piece. If buying used, watch for fungal growth in the lenses and on the film plane.

You could try the camera shop at 96 Reserve Rd Artarmon, they have a cabinet full of
used film gear, medium format included.
Mostly traded in by pros who have gone digital.

Mamiya stuff might be affordable, but as Matt said, the glass is the big killer.

check ebay too

I have an old Rolleiflex 3.5f circa 1959. Picked it up for $490 a few years ago - it has a couple of dings and is a bit of a beater but it works perfectly. It has a 80mm Carl Zeiss 3.5 Planar lens (Great lens although it suffers from flare a bit because the lens coating isn't that great). It has a built in selenium light meter which works perfectly (you have to use your brain though!) no batteries or any of that automated rubbish - Shutter speed, aperture, focus. That is all🙂 Here's a pic of it:


I reckon your best bet is to get an older TLR, Rolleiflexes tend to be expensive although you could get a schmicko one for under 1 grand. Yashicas, Rolleicords, even old Mamiya TLR's (although they tend to be quite big and heavy compared to the others) tend to be good as well. Also Agfa, Ricoh, Fuji made TLR's that you can get for a few hundred bucks these days. I would forget a Hasselblad (i want one too!), any of those TTL medium formats are expensive and tend to be bulky. I used to own a Mamiya RB67, that thing weighed an absolute tonne! and it was massive. Although that is a bit of an extreme compared to a 'blad. I have found just carrying a Rolleiflex when I was in Japan/HK was a bit of a conversation piece. Random people would come up to me and ask me about it.

Another alternative is to get an older folding camera, like an Agfa Isolette, Zeiss Ikon Ikonta. Although these are a bit more peculiar, and a big jump from a 35mm SLR outfit, might take some getting used to.

Also a lot of these MF cameras dont have built in light meters, so you should either look for one that does, or just get a separate one (this is pretty crap if you like doing any candid photography)

here's a couple of pics I have taken with my Rolleiflex:
http://img130.imageshack.us/my.php?image=04resize8ax.jpg
http://img130.imageshack.us/img130/4426/11a6hv.jpg

[ Edited on 22-10-2005 by Che Castro ]

sax wrote:Mostly traded in by pros who have gone digital.

those pros must be kicking themselves now that they have released the digital backs for medium format (hasselblad has digital backs for somewhere around $7K!!!)

ive thoroughly checked out ebay, and there is so much to choose from!!
it looks like i will go the TLR for now though... probably a yashica-mat or a mamiya c330 (you can change lenses on the c330, which i really really like!!) ... some good ones around and extremely good for the budget (could buy the camera, film, darkroom equipment and chemicals for under $1000!) rollei's are just toooo expensive for something thats not an slr.

though...

my local camera store has a second hand bronica etrs with 80mm and 150mm lens, 120 and 220 film backs and metered prism for $1300... is that a good price? at least i know its serviced and in working order. i dont like the fact that it doesnt have a waist-level finder, and it is a bit over budget... is it worth it though?

thanks for all the ideas and advice... keep it coming if you have more🙂

Star, buy a disposable and get a bloody vw on the road!!!

😍😍😍😍😍😍

ps nice shot of the camera on the turntable che 😉

kkk

I've used a c330, and they are pretty hefty IMO. They are a fair bit bigger than rolleis/yashicas etc. Honestly, i dont think the changeable lenses is really worth it for the extra bulk. Might as well go with a full on SLR one, the great thing about the old TLR's is that they are relatively compact and simple. I havent used a Bronica ETRS before, it is a 6x4.5 instead of 6x6. On a sidenote I really like the 6x6 format, it really is something different. Digital backs have been around for ages, long before consumer digitals became popular. So prices of MF isn't dropping significantly, as they aren't really in the same market as consumer digitals. I have seen a Hasselblad 500C/M kit with 80mm Zeiss lens, A12 back and Chrome body for $1350 in the photographic trader... absolutely love these cameras *sigh* I wish I had the money 🙂

My first MF was the Mamiya RB67 which was way too big and bulky. It had interchangeable backs, lenses and all that jazz but it was severely limited in mobility - no built in light meter either - it was more of a studio camera that would be better suited to a tripod. The Rollei suits the way I tend to photograph, you just pop it open and shoot. Although it can still fill out the studio role as well. I guess the lack of interchangeable lenses can feel limiting, but I only use prime lenses anyway on my 35mm outfits - i dont really like zooms that much. And I tend to carry a digital pocket camera when I am travelling which covers wideangle anyway.

Starbug what do you have planned??

🙂

jenz, if i tell you... i'll spoil it! teeheeh 😀 nah...

if i can find a good TLR before this big festival in december, im planning to take both cameras and get lots of shots... i like the warmth that square format gives to candid people shots, a real old-time feel. grainy black and white and colour films to capture the smiles and happy times of thousands of beautiful people dancing in the forest; and all their beautiful kombis🙂 i want to capture a woodstock kind of atmosphere...

i also want to get some posed black and white photos with people dressed in period clothing (50's, 60's, 70's...) posing next to their dubs. i need to find some posers 😉

koolkarma... slowly slowly... the beetle is coming along as fast as my finances will allow... anyhoo, i need a new camera so someone can take photos of me under the bug covered in oil and smiling a greasy smile 😀 it can be like a gradual before-after series🙂

good news... i decided that the mamiya c330 was the way to go for me (interchangeable lenses and MACRO capabilities with a paramender...) and i bought one today for $370 with a 105mm lens. im pretty chuffed and its going to be tough not to play with it until exams are over!

i also scored a steal on ebay, $51 for a meopta axomat colour 35mm enlarger... which is all good... they just happened to throw in pretty much everything i need to get my darkroom set up (minus timer, chemicals and paper) for free... its saved me a packet!!

im thinking that the gold coast veedub show is going to be a good place to try out my new camera!!