aimama

Thank you both for the comments! I really appreciate your inputs. I was really swayed by the price of the Bronica ETRSI but the repairs being difficult to source puts me off. I did a little digging into this and found lots of others corroborating this statement. The lure of the Mamiyas is real, but the electronic faults apply across the board. I've started looking back at the Hasselblad - it is such a beautiful camera and system, and seems really reliable. In all the frenzy of my research, I totally forgot that you can buy a 645 back for the Hasselblad - that's suddenly made it a whole lot more appealing than the Mamiya. I'll do some more research, and hopefully try out the cameras hands-on before I buy, but I'm steering towards the 'blad. The one I've found has some cosmetic wear and tear but I can definitely put up with that.

I'm looking to buy my first medium format camera and struggling to decide between the options I've found at an online camera shop. While I love to collect cameras, I can't justify the cost as I'm just an amateur though I'm really keen to build up my skills and portfolio, and hopefully take jobs when I have enough confidence in my abilities. Therefore, I am looking to buy one camera that will suit my needs, and last me a good few years. I currently shoot in natural light, mainly street photography, and portraits. I may move into studio portrait photography at some point. I want a camera that is easy to take around, with sharp glass, and reliability. For example, if and when it breaks a few years’ down the line, I want it to have replacement parts easily available, and be able to find people who know how to fix it. I only want SLRs as that's what I'm familiar with and how I like to work. These are the cameras I have a choice between from the camera shop - the Mamiya 645s and Hasselblad are around the same price, and the Bronica SQ is a little cheaper, the Bronica ETRSI a lot cheaper. My choices are: Bronica SQ-A w/ 80mm F/2.8 MAMIYA 645 PRO W/ 80MM F/2.8 MAMIYA 645 AFD II W/ 80MM F/2.8 HASSELBLAD 500CM BLACK W/ 80MM F/2.8 C BRONICA ETRSI W/ 75MM F/2.8 or wait and save up for the Mamiya 7 The Hasselblad is fully mechanical but I don't like the 6x6 format, and I like the Mamiya 645 but I know can develop issues with focusing due to its mirror - so that feels risky. I really like the Mamiya RZ67 but it's not portable, and I've looked up a few cheaper, Russian options but they are notoriously unreliable. There is also the Mamiya 7, which seems perfect, but expensive. I want to buy one camera and invest in that system for a good few years, so I’d rather pay upfront for what will be right for me, rather than buying a cheaper option and then wanting/needing to buy another camera in two years’ time. So I'm unsure whether to get one of the above, or save up for a Mamiya 7.