medium format handheld

I had asked about the mamiya RZ67 and recieved great response.

I was also told it is not as easy to hand hold as a Bronica. Any information or experience on medium format cameras that can be used as a portrait camera and also hand held ( example: wedding reception ) would be greatly appreciated. JRL

I use a Bronica Etrsi on a tripod for formal shots and a 35mm for candids, I would'nt even consider hand holding anything larger than a 6x6. I can't seem to find better lighting power than the metz 60 ct, so I have it strapped to my 35. I have found that I achieve the results that I desire as far as image quality is concerned while keeping the weight that I must lug around to an absolute minimum.

I hope this isn't repetitive, but have you tried the user forum at www.mamiya.com? There are some threads in the RB and RZ sections regarding weddings and hand holding; some posters say no way, others say that the weight of the RZ/RB camera actually helps to stabilize.

The easiest medium format cameras to hand-hold are the rangefinders, such as the Mamiya 6 or 7, or the various Fuji 645 or 670 models. Because of the lack of mirror motion, you may even find you can hand-hold them to a slower speed than most 35mm SLRs. Their main disadvantage is limited close-focus ability, and limited lens selection (non-interchangeable for the Fuji). Alternatively, you can have similar success hand-holding a TLR, especially the lightweight models such as the various Rolleis, Minolta Autocords, or Yashica Mat 124G. The Mamiyas with interchangeable lenses and very good close focus capability are a little heavier, but again have no mirror shake. Both the TLRs and rangefinders provide continuos viewing, i.e. no image blackout during the moment of exposure, which gives them a huge advantage for portraiture over any type of SLR.

 

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Essentially all 645 cameras are easily handheld. Hasselblads and other 6x6 SLRs are fairly easily handhled. The Pentax 6x7 can be handheld, but it is heavy, and as with all MF SLRs, there is significant oomph to the mirror motion.

 

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Despite what many people have said on this site, I still think that you can handhold virtually MF SLR or RF camera down to 1/30 sec, as long as you mind three things: weight, grip, and cold.

 

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A heavy camera like the RZ67 might not be a problem, but how strong are you? Can you curl 50 lbs in your sleep? If you are like most of us, you'd prefer to be able to lug more/larger lenses, than worry about the weight of the body. If the camera is too heavy, you will shake from tension and the camera will swing in your arms; good for babies, not for cameras.

 

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Grip. If you can steady the beast you can ride it anywhere! You probably know: the best way to hold a camera steady is to hold breath and brace your arms against your chest or on bent knee. SLR designs and rangefinders are great for this reason, but most have virtually no place to grip well. Only MF camera I know has a grip worth its salt: Pentax 6x7. (the Pentax 645 has a grip, but why use 645 format when 6x7 is so much sweeter?) If you don't like the price of a Pentax 6x7 outfit, you might look at older SLR designs, like the kiev 60 (6x6) or Norita Graflex (6x6), based on the look and feel of the Nikon F. I have a Kiev 60 and have tried the Norita, but 6x6 is a surprisingly limited frame size. I still would opt for a rangefinder design. Try out the Fuji rangefinders and you might like them. You can grip them like a picture frame if you need it real steady. Don't let the fixed focal length dissuade you, you can crop 6x9 to almost any size you want without loss in quality. Mamiya 7 looks like a great solution to all of the above problems, but right now, they will cost you your first born to buy the body and lenses new. I like my first born too much to compromise his college education.

 

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Lastly, the cold. The weather being what it is, you don't want to miss a shot due to cold weather, or shivering and shaking your handheld camera. Try a tripod in cold weather when possible.

 

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You have some real solutions to the weight problem.

Fujica Rangefinders (6x7 and 6x9). The new ones are made of tough plastic and have excellent optics. Best of all they weigh about 2-3 pounds!!! You won't believe how light they are. My first show featured a 4'x6' print made from a rented GSW690II (fixed 90mm lens) that I carried around on a bicycle on a bitter cold morning in March in Baltimore. I shot handheld (with leather driving gloves) at 1/60th of a second. At that size the shake is slight (it is slightly softer than I would have liked), but the print is beautiful! I could not repeat the lighting I got on that day, but am glad that I got the shot I wanted. I tried with my own Fujica G690, a 4.5 lb metal bodied camera with 100/3.5 interchangeable lenses, but what I gained in sharpness at 1/125s or 1/250s, I lost in timing. Sometimes you gotta go with what you got...

 

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I have used these Fujica 6x9 RF cameras for commercial, wedding and portraiture with great success. For wedding work, the spontanaeity and visibility of the image throughout the exposure, have allowed me to know when I have pulled off my shot better than a Polaroid back. If I miss, just two quick strokes and I am back in business. You might wait longer for you strobe to recycle indoors at f16 than to cock the shutter.

 

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If you have any other questions, write me back at ivansinger@sprintmail.com.

Hand held TLR is easy for portrait. I alway use the largest aperture

and 400 asa film and get the highest speed I could get (the strap is

useful to stable your camera). For other subject if the DOF is important you may blur the foreground and get the highest shutter speed as possible. In the final print just cropping the unwanted foreground. Also knee and WL finder is good combination to stable your camera.