the best travel camera?

I was wondering what you think is a good medium format camera for travelling?

I travel very light, mostly around SE Asia, using public transport on bumpy

roads in dusty or muddy places.

 

I've just spent 2 months with a Rollei TLR and while I've some great shots, I

also missed some great shots! It's too time consuming to set up, and also

having to walk backwards and forwards to frame what I want looses the 'moment'.

 

I want to move, if not into the 21st century, then at least a little closer to

it :)

 

I want something that is reliable, easy to carry, fairly quick to focus (but

without tons of electronics that can fail), something quick to set up, and

rugged. I think I need interchangable lenses (do I?)

 

Of course, I'll have to compromise somewhere but what would you suggest for a

workhorse that gives good results? Am I asking the impossible?

<p>

Fuji GA645Zi<p>

Dan

<p>

Mamia 645 1000(s) or a Bronica ETR/ETRS/ETRSi

Sorry, what i meant was "Mamiya". My appologies.

Mamiya 7II is often advertised as a good travel camera.

I second the Fuji645Zi. Solid, comfortable to carry, to hold and with which to shoot. Moderate

zoom range with auto focus is very handy. No need to carry extra lenses. Unless you are

shooting transparency film for projection, 645 can be cropped without too much

compromise.

 

Much faster to use than any manual focus TLR or SLR. If 220 film is used, you have 32

exposures before reloading.

 

Cheers, Jim

Any of the MF rangefinders Mamiya, Fuji, Bronica etc. would be the lightest. Adding a mirror box and prism, is when the weight starts adding up on the typical MF SLR. Folders are also nice too, but most need servicing due to their age by now.

I'd go for the Fuji 645zi too. Fits inside a compact waist pouch. Use a fast film to offset the small apertures. Features a limited but handy zoom and built-in flash. Just about auto-everything to make it easier when you need to get the shot. Prints enlargement up to 16x20 or slightly bigger with this format is within expectation. Carrying a spare set of batteries is just about the only caveat for all power-dependant devices.

The best 'travel camera' is probably not a medium format. I can't think of anything better for travel photography than a Leica M8. Very compact and discrete, but with really excellent image quality.

If you cant get it with a Rollei TLR none of the others will help.

I used a Hassy SWC for my Int'l travel (plus Leicas).

Bronica Rf645 complemented with a Contax T3.

Fuji GA645Zi as above. I have one , and it is great for travel. 55-90 sharp zoom lens (f4.5-6.9). Use 220 film for 32 shots/fewer reloads. Supplement with a 35mm Olympus stylus Epic in the pocket, loaded with fast film for VERY quick grab shots (Epic can be pulled out of pocket, cover slid back, autofucused and fired in about 3 seconds) or low light no flash shots (f2.8 lens). Or, with an Olympus 100W (28-100) Stylus zoom for added zoom range.

The Zeiss Super Ikonta IV is the only camera that fits all of your criteria: it is all mechanical and has no electronics that can fail (its light meter is selenium); and it folds to be truely pocketable. The Zeiss Tessar lens is excellent and the rangefinder is also excellent.

For MF/Film/Handhold: Mamiya 7II with 65mm and/or 50mm, plus 43mm is an outstanding travel system. The lenses are incredible (once you get the hang of framing the wide-angle lenses), near-silent operation, unobtrusive look, excellent metering and those beautiful 6x7cm neg/trans. My end goal is aways large prints, e.g. 22x26 inch, and 7II delivers. Also check 7II review: http://www.photo.net/equipment/mamiya/7

 

My favorite travel bag is: a Canon 5D w/70-200mm L IS and a Mamiya 7II w/ 2 or 3 lenses. This really has everything covered.

Hi wee beastie!

 

By its very nature, medium format shooting is more "deliberate" than 35mm or digital. So you might again miss some shots if you take any MF camera. My favorite MF cameras for light-weight traveling and quality results are the Bessa II folder (which is actually pretty solid and heavy) and the Kodak Monitor 620 (which is lighter and has a super-sharp Anastigmat Special f/4.5 lens).

 

But again, neither folder is ideal for grabbing quick shots! So for most traveling, I prefer to take either digital, or (in film) a Rollei 35 or the slightly larger and heavier Leica CLE...both of which produce wonderfully detailed negatives.

 

Sincerely,

 

Dave

You already have all the smaller MFs camera I know, but if you're considering 35mm, the only smallish camera that has everything I want is quality, size, weight, etc. is the Leica CL with the 40mm lens. The only problem is having to use a wein cell for the battery in lieu of the old mercury types. Nice little camera.

 

I've heard of people using older folding MF cameras (Zeiss Iconta maybe not sure of the spelling) but these days it would have to really well cared for sample.

 

This might seem crazy, but there's the Canon 5D (digital). The resolution is very high, not perhaps up to what you could scan with a good scanner and a good MF negative, but very good, and even though the 5d isn't particular small, it's certainly as small and compact as a medium format camera.

 

Good luck.

I love the Mamiya 6 with its exceptional 50mm, 75mm, and 150mm lenses. A complete kit

can be found used for around $2000, and everything fits in a Lowepro sideline shooter with

plenty of room for film. The Mamiya 7 system is great too and offers more lens options, but it

is bulkier, much more expensive, and some of the lenses require accessory viewfinders. If

you like the square format and don't need super-wide or long tele lenses, the Mamiya 6 is my

nomination for best medium format travel camera when the priorities are image quality,

reliability, and ease of use balanced with portability and light weight.

If a TLR is time consuming to set up, I don't know if any medium format camera would suit you. I would suggest trying some 645 cameras (Mamiya, Pentax etc.) or rangefinders.

 

I am using a Bronica SQ-A and find it very good for travel. I traveled all across China with it and found it very good. I just love it. If there is any complaint it is the weight of all the extra lenses, backs and everything. I used a cheap TLR in Vietnam and Cambodia and found it also very useful. If you are taking portraits on those parts of the world one of the most important things is to have a waist level finder. People react to it differently than to a camera with a telephoto lens held to your eyes like you want to shoot them or something.

 

Honestly, I was afraid of traveling around SE Asia with just a TLR, but in the end I did not at all feel restricted by the lack of interchangeable lenses. However, I still prefer the Bronica. It is very hard to give an advice, you should probably try different things and settle with the one you like most.

<p>I agree with the advice about a waist level finder. I would personally consider it essential

for any MF travel photography, especially in Asia. Otherwise, given the size of MF cameras,

you can forget about any natural looking people shots.</p>

 

<p>Just to add to the mix of recommendations: my personal choice is a Hasselblad 203FE

with 80mm CF lens. It offers built in metering, auto-exposure, one-click exposure

compensation and works entirely manually in the event of battery failure. It's also very fast to

use, simple, robust and is one of the lightest MF SLR's you can find, with superb image

quality. I use mine a great deal for travel photography.</p>

My vote is for the Fuji GA645Zi. Small, lightweight, 120/220 capability, autofocus, and an extremely sharp lens.

I think this is a completely personal issue and depends on what you like to work with and how you shoot.

 

I took a Rollei TLR and a small 35mm rangefinder on a trip and used the Rollei for two rolls of film. I really didn't enjoy working with it while traveling, or even without a tripod. I sold the Rollei and bought a Mamiya 7 and have traveled in the US, Latin America, Europe, Africa and Asia, without ever bothering with a 35mm camera. The point isn't that it's a great travel camera, it's that it suits my style. The original poster needs to figure out what is right for him. I know that means there is no easy answer, but it's the way it is.

I wouldn't say a Rollei TLR is a very good camera for travel. Why? Well, its great for a lot of things but its just not very fast to use. You got to focus (you can get away with pre-focussing I suppose), meter and transfer over the settings, cock shutters etc. A travel camera should be a bit more speedy. OK, you can get around all of the above by presetting everything like the old school PJs but you are likely not going to get the best out of the camera and you might as well go for a more automatic 35mm SLR type. Travel entails all sorts of photography chances so you need a camera with preferably a zoom or at least a few lenses to change between so you can get shots from wide sweeping landscapes to street stuff to more detailed studies of far away objects etc. But maybe you are OK with just 1 lens? Oh, BTW I love TLRs and I have one and use it regularly but its hardly the camera I'd pick for everything.

 

Anyway, I would also suggest a rangefinder camera of some sort. If it has to be a medium format then Mamiya 7II comes at the top of my list. Maybe not small but its certainly not too bad. Great lenses and enough automation to keep things speedy but not imposing. But personally I still find it a bit too big even though the 6x7 negs are attractive. Other 645 rangefinders are also nice like the above Fuji and the Bronica etc.

 

The take everywhere camera I would pick would be a Leica and 3 lenses if I could afford one. Small, tough, and the later ones have AE to make things a bit easier. I have the Minolta CLE though and a 40mm lens. But it died recently. My current travel type camera is a Nikon FM2/T. I have a 24mm, 50mm and 105mm lens. I find this covers everything. But it has no coupled metering.

 

Digital would also be a good choice since it is versatile but unless you get a higher end one, you might have problems with the conditions you shoot in and the sensor might get all dusty.

 

In my opinion, a travel camera is different to a camera your favourite camera, unless you only do travel stuff. Of course you need to like the camera to be comfortable with it but I see a travel camera as a simple tool with no real personality and it just gets the job done. Travel is often expensive and so you need to just get the most practical camera you can to get the shot. There is no room for playing around. Vintage etc doesn't become a factor so I would not go for a folder or whatever. If I had things my way though and I had all the time and money in the world to travel, I would take things easy and just take my TLR ;)

I used Fuji GA645 for years, before it broke. The Z would have been even better but I happened to have the GA. In MF 645 is good for travel because it gives 16 images for a roll of film instead of 12 in 6x6. Lot less film to carry around. Built in light meter and autofocus makes it fast and easy to use and the lens goes in for compact transport. But, alas, mine broke. And Fuji tried to ask more than the price of a mint second hand one to repair it. Now I am looking for a good, compact, digital to replace it with.

When I start use my Rolleiflex i think that this camera is way too slow for street /travel. Today I'm very quick with it and I like the Rolleiflex with the waist level finder over all other cameras for take pictures of people in the city. Actually I have bought a Bessa R3M and the Rangefinder thing is not mine.

 

The best camera is a very personal thing ;-)

 

Here you can see any of my Streetphoto with 6x6 Reolleiflex:

http://home.fotocommunity.de/stefanvoigt/index.php?id=415523&g=174736