max black

I guess I have failed to make myself understood. Everyone keeps talking about the size of the negatives and not the quality of the lens(es). A Diana is a medium format camera as is a Holga. I realize that the camera I asked about has better optics than these toys, but are the optics anywhere near the best slr cameras or high end rangefinders like the Mamiya six and or even?

Thanks for writing. Yes I'm looking for portability and performance. I knew someone years ago who used the Mamiya but I never saw any of the resulting pictures. And yes, of course I know of the Rolleiflex and Rolleicord cameras and I guess that garnered additional fame after the Vivian Maier story. I know of the RB67 too but while I can imagine using that for indoor work I can't imagine lugging it around. Thanks again.

Thank you for the advice. I appreciate it. I'm used to manual focus but I can see how it can be more problematic on some more than others. A lot of what I do is wide angle and ultra wide. I would be using this one for such work. I'm only reluctant regarding the one detail, i.e., that it will not give me the medium format look that I want. Thanks again.

Thank you. I should have mentioned in my original comments that I really don't want to buy "a beast."

Thank you for the good comments. I have been looking at that Fuji 690 camera as well. And of course I want to get one in very good condition. I've never had more than a few of cameras at any given time. I have five at this point but that includes a pocket camera (and a pinhole Holga). Years back I was half of a two person photo exhibit. My pictures were 35mm black and white film and his were medium format, also black and white. I believe he used an old Pentax. The sharpness, detail and tonality of the pictures were all gorgeous. So I guess what I'm asking is: will these Rollei cameras produce "that look" that immediately says "medium format?" I will be shooting only black and white film by the way and developing my own film (probably using Diafine). Thanks again for your help.

I'm considering buying a Fuji GS645W as a low tech manual camera with which to enter medium format photography. I'm not interested in equipment for its own sake and only buy things I can use. I know this old Fuji is considered an inexpensive alternative to the Hasselblads and Pentaxes and Mamiyas and the like, but I have never seen the photographs it produces, other than online. If the camera does not give the big negative detail and resolution that makes medium format attractive, then I might as well stick with my 35mm cameras and the consumer digital cameras that I currently own. Can anybody offer some insight and advice? I would appreciate as I'm in the process of shopping for the camera and don't want to buy something that I will be dissatisfied with. Thanks.